The government-led system for seed production and distribution of major crops was developed by enforcement of the Major Crops Seed Law in 1962. The Korea Variety and Seed Service has played a key role in operating the system, in cooperation with breeding institutes under the Rural Development Administration and provincial Basic Seed Centers. In the case of rice, the most important crop in the country, the quality of certified seed has continuously improved from the simply cleaned seed in the 1960s to graded, disinfected, coated seed of the present. Its coverage of the total planted area increased from 14% in 1985 to 60% in 2015. Since its inception in 2010, the Foundation of Agricultural Technology Commercialization and Transfer has been involved in the production/distribution of certified seed of minor crops/varieties, which had not been properly cared for by the mainstream system previously mentioned. Vegetable seed has been produced and marketed by the private sector. In the latter half of 1950s, seed self-sufficiency was attained in major vegetables. Vegetable seed market became totally open by 1991, and since then Korean seed companies have explored overseas production sites to meet the needs of local and export markets. The acquisition of major local seed companies by multinational major companies in the late 1990s has led to opportunities for Korean vegetable seed firms to upgrade their operational plant production and quality assurance practices to global standards. The quality of vegetable seed offered by Korean companies today is at the top level in the world market. The small and ever-decreasing size of the local seed market has been and will be a serious factor limiting the seed business in Korea. It is necessary to develop technologies to overcome the meteorological disasters that are becoming more violent and more frequent due to climate change. Labor-saving technologies are in urgent need in the area of field production. Phytosanitary border control systems need to evolve to more science-based reasonable ones. Seed enhancement technology, such as biological treatment, is becoming an essential part of holistic farm solutions, where seed is not only a carrier of the genetic constitution of a plant variety, but also plays a complementary role in making up for limitations of varieties and/or cultural managements practices. It is necessary to be adaptive and incorporate new sciences and technologies such as artificial intelligence, new breeding technologies, and epigenetics, among others.

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.