It’s usually the parents who “encourage” their children to pursue a degree they’re not particularly interested in.
Not for Kim Jinoh.
His undergraduate and master’s degrees focused solely on Korean archaeology, specifically the predatory societies of the Korean Peninsula.
But now, he’s completing a PhD in Archaeology, specialising in the Iron Age of Europe.
It was his master’s supervisor who advised him to change direction.
“He supervised my master’s research and had previously completed a PhD in Archaeology at the University of Cambridge,” Kim explains. “I had no intention of studying abroad, but he forced me into it.”
“Forced” is a strong word, but Kim emphasises that there’s a good reason behind this decision.
Kim is a Pony Chung Overseas Doctorate Scholarship recipient. Source: Kim Jinoh
Korea and Europe may be 8,755 kilometres apart, but they’re more alike than assumed
The main reason Kim had to pursue his PhD in the UK was that the Iron Age in Europe had striking similarities to Korea’s ancient past.
“If we compare the historical development of Korea and Europe, particularly non-Mediterranean Europe, like the Celtic tribes of the Iron Age, we see clear parallels,” he says.
One of the most notable similarities is the emergence of fortified settlements. Rising populations and increasing conflict drove both regions to develop defensive structures: Europe built hillforts and, later, larger fortified settlements.
Similarly, early Korean societies constructed fortified towns, suggesting a shared need for protection and centralised power.
Burial practices also reflected this shared trajectory. In both regions, elite individuals expressed their status through elaborate tombs.
In Korea, high-ranking figures were buried in large burial mounds accompanied by bronze ceremonial objects, gold jewellery and iron weapons.
This mirrors European Iron Age customs, such as those of the Hallstatt and La Tène cultures, which included ornate grave goods like luxury items, personal adornments, and ceremonial wagons.
Recently, interest in the European Iron Age has grown among Korean archaeologists. However, limited access to European sources due to language barriers and geographic distance remains a challenge.
This made Kim’s transition to European archaeology — despite his initial unfamiliarity — a timely and valuable opportunity.
What never changed, though, was his deep passion for archaeology.
One of Kim’s research topics is about Hallstatt and La Tène cultures, and their relations with the Mediterranean region. Source: Kim Jinoh
A love and curiosity for the past
As a child, Kim was always curious about the past, especially the remnants of ancient life.
“Archaeology is essentially the study of history, but it focuses more on material remains than written texts,” he says. “Things like the remains of houses, walls, or even pottery — all kinds of materials from the past.”
For Kim, analysing physical artefacts was more engaging than interpreting historical documents. He believed such materials offered access to aspects of the past that texts often overlook.
Lucky for him, he got to complete both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Archaeology at Seoul National University, one of the top universities in South Korea — and the world.
Such was his dedication to the field that led him to apply his skills during military service, where he worked with the Ministry of National Defence Agency for Killed-in-Action Recovery and Identification (MARKI).
This South Korean agency is tasked with recovering and identifying the remains of soldiers killed in conflict, primarily from the Korean War.
“MARKI is a special agency that excavates the remains of fallen soldiers,” Kim explains. “It’s not prehistoric archaeology, but it’s still significant history. We bring the soldiers home.”
After completing his master’s degree, Kim joined the University of Cambridge to pursue a PhD in Archaeology, with a special focus on the Iron Age of Europe.
Kim was a part of the Ministry of National Defence Agency for Killed-in-action Recovery and Identification, Republic of Korea, during his military service. Source: Kim Jinoh
PhD in Archaeology: Why the Iron Age still matters
Understanding the past helps us make sense of the present — and may even offer lessons for the future.
Kim’s PhD aims to investigate how prehistoric communities shaped their societies under the prevailing conditions of their time, using archaeological evidence to uncover patterns of social organisation, interaction, and collapse.
“There was a decline in the large Iron Age settlements of southern Germany,” he says. “They didn’t last long — only around one to two centuries. The decline was rapid and quite unusual, so many archaeologists have tried to understand why.”
Previous research has pointed to external causes, including climate change, warfare, or political instability. But Kim chose a different path — he looked within the settlements themselves.
“My theory is that these large settlements were not homogenous,” he says. “They were aggregations of smaller communities, made up of people from different regions.”
That diversity, he argues, made it difficult to achieve long-term social cohesion.
“To maintain a strong, unified society, social integrity is essential — and it’s especially challenging when the community is made up of unfamiliar groups,” Kim says.
To put it simply, there were no post offices or telephones in the Iron Age. Settlements were often isolated, and when people from different areas came together, they were unfamiliar with one another. That lack of connection created fragile social dynamics.
Why is this relevant today? Because it challenges our perception of the modern world.
“We often think of societies as fixed, made up of clear, stable groups — but they’re not,” Kim says. “Migration today has made society more diverse and complex. Maintaining social cohesion in such a mixed world is crucial.”
He believes the Iron Age offers a historical parallel to today’s globalised societies.
Through his PhD in Archaeology, Kim hopes to understand how ancient communities managed — or failed to manage — social integration, and apply those insights to help build a more cohesive and sustainable future.
