D. H. SHIN – Notes and Reflections

Current Project

In history, the human disease is not just a subject of medical research, but is also affected by environment and socio-economic conditions. For the past decades, I have conducted scientific research on the history of diseases in East Asia using medical research techniques. My study is now extending to the next horizon, by integrating archaeological, anthropological, and medical reports on people's life and disease in history. To this end, we will systematically review surviving historical literature from the Joseon Dynasty and actively integrate it into the interpretation of archaeological and anthropological findings. This work is also expected to provide valuable guidance for related researchers by suggesting productive directions for future anthropological research on the Joseon period.

Current Project

Korea and Japan have historically developed through long-standing and extensive mutual exchange and influence. Based on findings accumulated by scholars in both countries to date, it is evident that key developments—such as the adoption of agriculture, the spread of Bronze Age culture, and the formation of early states—must be understood from a broader, macro-scale perspective involving population movements and the transmission of domestic animals across East Asia. Archaeological evidence clearly indicates that populations, livestock, and elements of ancient culture originating from major centers of ancient civilization—such as the Yellow River and Liao River regions—moved through the Korean Peninsula and eventually reached the Japanese archipelago. ● Despite this growing body of evidence, many aspects of this process remain insufficiently understood. One major reason is the continued separation between the humanities and the natural sciences: archaeology and natural science research often proceed in parallel rather than in close dialogue. Even exchanges among closely related fields—such as anthropology, archaeology, and zooarchaeology—have been limited. In addition, long-standing historical and ethnic sentiments between Korea and Japan have at times hindered fully objective interpretation. As a result, when compared with well-studied cases such as the migration of early agriculturalists in ancient Europe, population dispersals across the Pacific Islands, or human migrations in the New World, the East Asian case remains far less clearly elucidated. ● Above all, ancient cultural and population flows among Korea, China, and Japan have not yet been sufficiently examined from a global historical perspective through systematic comparison with similar processes in other regions. There remains substantial room for further research to situate East Asian developments more clearly within the broader framework of world history. In particular, population movements, the spread of agriculture, and cultural transmission in ancient East Asia should move beyond the traditional nation-centered framework—one that views these processes solely as transfers between Korea, China, and Japan—and instead be reinterpreted within a more comprehensive, transregional, and non-nationalistic perspective that emphasizes the mobility of people, animals, and culture across East Asia as a whole.

Current Project

Over the past 25 years, I have pursued mummy research as part of my work in medical science. The results of these studies have been disseminated through numerous academic papers and books and shared widely with the scholarly community. Now, as the final stage of this long-term scientific endeavor, a comprehensive volume on mummies from the Joseon Dynasty is approaching publication. With the completion of this work, it may be said that my primary research on Korean mummies has reached its conclusion. Nevertheless, as for the mummies of East Asia, many questions remain unresolved, particularly regarding the mechanisms of mummy formation and the medical information preserved within these remains. Much is still unknown about how those mummies were historically formed, how they have been preserved over time, and how they were perceived and treated by contemporary societies. These cultural and historical dimensions remain insufficiently explored for them, the mummies from Korea, China, Japan, and East Siberia, in the academic literature. Accordingly, my future work aims to examine the origins, characteristics, and cultural status of mummies across East Asia from both historical and textual perspectives. By critically reviewing existing historical scholarship and focusing on surviving documentary sources, alongside information we have directly investigated, I seek to present new insights to the academic community. Through this approach, I hope to broaden the understanding of East Asian mummification beyond biomedical analysis and situate it more firmly within its historical and cultural contexts.