This is a list of Korean inventions and discoveries; Koreans have made contributions to science and technology from ancient to modern times.
Agriculture Cheugugi
The first standardized rain gauge, called the cheugugi, was invented during the reign of Sejong the Great in the Joseon dynasty of Korea. The cheugugi was used throughout the country for official purposes. In the 15th century, Korea was the only country to use a quantitative measuring device for the purpose of meteorological observation. Heated greenhouse The first description of a heated greenhouse is from the Sanga Yorok, a treatise on husbandry compiled by a royal physician of the Joseon dynasty of Korea during the 1450s, in its chapter on cultivating vegetables during winter. The treatise contains detailed instructions on constructing a greenhouse that is capable of cultivating vegetables, forcing flowers, and ripening fruit within an artificially heated environment, by utilizing ondol, the traditional Korean underfloor heating system, to maintain heat and humidity; cob walls to insulate heat; and semi-transparent oiled hanji windows to permit light penetration for plant growth and provide protection from the outside environment. The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty confirm that greenhouse-like structures incorporating ondol were constructed to provide heat for mandarin orange trees during the winter of 1438. Korean hand plow The homi, which dates back to the Bronze Age, is one of the most representative agricultural tools of Korea. Its signature tapered blade was developed during the Later Silla period. In recent times, the homi (known by names such as the "Ho-Mi EZ Digger" and "Korean hand plow") has gained popularity in the West. Soybean cultivation The first unambiguously domesticated, cultigen-sized soybean was discovered in Korea at the Mumun-period Daundong site.
Aquaculture
Fishing net Limestone net sinkers discovered in Korea dating to 27,000 BC are the earliest evidence of fishing by nets and also the oldest fishing implements found to date in the world. Seaweed farming The earliest cultivation of gim, an edible seaweed, was started by Kim Yeo-ik (김여익; 金汝瀷) in the middle of the 17th century. Whaling The earliest depictions of whaling have been discovered in Korea at the Neolithic Bangudae site, which may date back to 6000 BC. Bangudae is the earliest evidence for whaling.
Mathematics
Chisanbop Chisanbop is an abacus-like calculation system using fingers that was invented in Korea in the 1940s and brought to the West in the 1970s. Hexagonal tortoise problem The hexagonal tortoise problem (지수귀문도; 地數龜文圖) was invented by Choi Seok-jeong during the Joseon period. Latin square The first literature on the Latin square dates back to the monograph Gusuryak (구수략; 九數略) by the Joseon mathematician Choi Seok-jeong (1646–1715), predating Leonhard Euler by at least 67 years.
Science
Social science
Double-entry bookkeeping system It is believed that the world's first double-entry bookkeeping system, called the sagae chibubeop, was developed in Goryeo and used by merchants in the capital of Kaesong, a center of trade and industry, at least two centuries earlier than in Italy. Public opinion polling In order to provide equality and fairness in taxation for the common people, Sejong the Great issued a royal decree to administer a nationwide public opinion poll regarding a new tax system called Gongbeop in 1430. Over the course of 5 months, the poll surveyed 172,806 people, of which approximately 57% responded with approval for the proposed reform. Society for the disabled The world's first society for the disabled, called the myeongtongsi (명통시; 明通寺), was created by the Joseon government during the early Joseon period. The government-organized myeongtongsi regularly held events for the blind to participate in rituals and ceremonies and receive treatment for illnesses, donations of food and other items, and training for certain jobs. Parental leave In 1426, Sejong the Great enacted a law that granted government nobi women 100 days of maternity leave after childbirth, which, in 1430, was lengthened by one month before childbirth. In 1434, Sejong also granted the husbands 30 days of paternity leave. Silhak Silhak, also known as "Practical Learning", is a Korean school of thought developed by the seonbi that is dedicated to an empirical approach to statecraft based on pragmatism, instead of a blind and uncritical adherence to Confucianism. Silhak scholars, such as Chŏng Yagyong, emphasized human equality and advocated economic, educational, and social reform.
Life science Triangle of U In 1935, the Korean-Japanese plant scientist Woo Jang-choon proposed the Triangle of U, named after himself, which describes the evolution and relationships between members of the plant genus Brassica.
Architecture
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