Early records of Korean cereal plants can be found in documents since the 3rd century. Medicinal plants were listed and described afterward, from the 13th century, of their use for remedy purpose, which culminated in Donguibogam (Golden Collection of Eastern Medicine) in 17th century. It was followed by a variety of titles of encyclopedic nature building up natural history of its own as exemplified by Jasaneobo (Register of Fishes) in early 19th century. They were not revealing, however, anything to do with the Linnean taxonomy elaborated in the preceding period of the 18th century in Europe.
The Linnean taxonomy characterized by its hierarchy and nomenclature and of wide use until mid-20th century, nevertheless, contradicted with evolutionary concept of living organism conceived in The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. It is even under the threat of total rejection by the advent of phylogenetic systematics (or cladistics) in mid-20th century by Willi Hennig who assumes that only monophyletic groups represent evolutionary reality. Combined with new science of molecular biology and information technology the cladistics are giving rise to different phylogenies with ever rapidly changing pace as new data as well as novel techniques become available. The Linnean taxonomy, all the more, with limited number of category, apparently, is losing, unable to cope with deep, complex and changeable phylogenies. To meet the need required by the recent trend and situation a new method of nomenclature has been suggested and being developed since the turn of the century, entitled Phylocode.