He holds a Ph.D. in Literature. He has served as a curator at the National Museum of Korea; the director of the University of Ulsan Museum and the University Archives; a visiting professor at the University of California at Berkeley and Harvard University; a cultural heritage appraiser and expert for the Cultural Heritage Administration; and the president of the Korean Petroglyph Society. Presently, he is a professor in the Department of History and Culture at the University of Ulsan and also serves as the director of the Institute for the Preservation of the Bangudae Petroglyph Site. He majored in ancient Korean history and culture, and has published numerous articles on Goguryeo tomb murals, Korean petroglyphs, and ancient Chinese art.

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