The history of development of seed management in Korea can be broadly divided into the periods of pre-enlightenment (Joseon Dynasty), enlightenment, Japanese colonial occupation, after liberation, installation of the National Seed Supply Office, and the Seed Industry Act. During the Joseon Dynasty, quite a few agricultural books had been published. With the signing of the Korea-U.S. Trade Treaty in the late 19th century, the Agriculture and Livestock Experimental Station was established, and subsequently many varieties were introduced from the U.S. and tested in the station. The Agricultural Exemplary Testing Station, founded in Suwon by the Japanese Resident General in 1906 as a national agricultural research facility, was a hub in colonial agricultural research and food production. In order to expand agricultural productivity, the "Regulations on Subsidization of Rice Seed Production" was enacted in 1922. This carried out nation-wide seed production and supply projects, and established a seed multiplication system. After liberation, the seed management system of food crops was enacted under the Major Crop Seed Act (1962). The Agricultural Seeds and Seedlings Act (1962) was enacted for vegetables and other crops, and then the Seedlings Management Act (1973) replaced it. In 1974, the National Seed Supply Office was established as an institution that supplies high quality seeds for food self-sufficiency with support of the FAO and IBRD. Then, by introducing the variety protection system under the Seed Industry Act (1997), Korea was able to reform the national seed management system and prepare an opportunity to join the ranks of developed countries.

The horticultural seed industry in Korea is small but has developed through rapid changes. During the Japanese colonial era, only small seedlings such as radish, cabbage, and Japanese and Chinese crop varieties were introduced. After liberation, horticultural breeding began with the establishment of the first Horticultural Research Institute and Dr. Woo Jang-chun’s activities. Seed companies grew rapidly due to the implementation of new seedling laws and the spread of the first hybrid variety. Through the IMF, multinational companies merged together and merged with domestic seed companies, and domestic seed companies expanded overseas, while there were active startups by professional breeders. Various breeding techniques were used to develop new varieties of vegetables. F₁ hybrid breeding produced hybrids using artificial crosses, self-incompatibility, and male sterility. Haploid breeding techniques using anther culture, microspore culture, and embryo culture were used for chinese cabbage, red pepper, and onion crops. Mutant breeding methods using a diploid breeding technique and mutation using translocation was used for seedless watermelon. New breeding hybrids were cultured through interspesific hybridization, and embryo culture and ovule culture techniques were used to breed interspesific hybrids. Male sterile varieties were raised through protoplast fusion. Recently, molecular markers have been used in all crops for early introduction and purity testing of major traits. In addition, transgenic and genome editing technology has been used to cultivate disease-resistant and physiologically resistant varieties.

Crop breeding is the genetic improvement of crops for human benefit. In Korea, crop breeding by hybridization was initiated in the early 1900s. Since the development of the first rice variety ‘Namseon 1’ in 1932, a series of great achievements have been made in most of the crops. Of these, the development of ‘Tongil’ rice, which brought self-sufficiency of the staple food due to its high productivity, was a monumental achievement in Korea’s crop breeding history. Laws for Variety Protection and Seed Industry were established as of June 2013. Until 2018, a total of 7,644 crop varieties were registered for protection in the national variety list that is managed by the Korea Seed and Variety Service. Some Research/Development (R/D) programs for promoting crop breeding studies have been implemented with governmental support. However, domestic seed markets have stagnated for years because of reduced cropping area. Considering the fact that international seed market size has increased at an annual rate of more than 7%, seed export is regarded as a breakthrough measure for the expansion of the Korean seed industry. In order to obtain a competitive power in international seed markets, the Korean seed industry sector should be reinforced with manpower training, R/D investment, an international marketing system, and governmental support. More details are discussed.