Jeong Ji-hae
Jeong Ji-hae is acknowledged as the first person to conduct an archaeological excavation in Korea in 1748.
Jeong was the father of a governor of Jinju in south-central Joseon. He was interested in history and the identity of his forebears. In 1748 Jeong carried out the excavation of six ancient burials dated to the Goryeo Dynasty . However, he failed to confirm if the personages of the burials were his direct ancestors. Kim Won-yong regards Jeong's research as the first archaeological excavations in Korea.
