Ancient Dog DNA Decoded for the First Time in Korea

WGS restoration of 2000-year-old dogs confirms a distinct lineage of ancient dogs from the Korean Peninsula

→ The analysis showed that ancient Korean dogs carried Japanese wolf-related DNA at approximately 7–9%, indicating that some genetic exchange occurred between dogs and Japanese wolves in the past. → Ancient Korean dogs also carried West Eurasian dog-related DNA at approximately 15–21%, and this proportion is higher in modern Korean dogs, indicating that dogs from different regions have gradually interbred over time. → In particular, West Eurasian lineage DNA appears at higher levels in dogs from later periods, indicating such changes occurred gradually. → However, the study was unable to confirm whether ancient Korean dogs and modern native Korean breeds belong to the same continuous lineage. This is likely attributable to the significant proportion of West Eurasian dog genes detected in modern Korean dogs.

 
A joint research team from the Gaya National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, the Conservation Science Division of the NRICH, Seokdang Museum of Dong-A University, and the Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI) in Japan has announced that they analyzed the DNA of ancient dogs that lived on the Korean Peninsula and published their findings in the international academic journal PLOS ONE. 

This is the first study to analyze the complete genome of ancient Korean dogs.

The team analyzed the remains of four ancient dogs excavated from the Neukdo site in Sacheon and the Bonghwang-dong site in Gimhae. DNA extraction was conducted in a dedicated ancient DNA cleanroom at the Conservation Science Division of the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, and the research team succeeded in reconstructing the complete genome of dogs that lived approximately 2,000 years ago using next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology. 

* Next-generation sequencing: the latest genomic analysis technology capable of reading large quantities of DNA simultaneously and analyzing the entire genome 

The analysis revealed that ancient dogs from the Korean Peninsula showed characteristics genetically close to those of the Australian dingo* and the New Guinea Singing Dog*, but were not identical to either group.

This confirmed the possibility that ancient Korean dogs had their own distinct lineage.

These findings suggest that East Asian dogs, long assumed to form a single population, were in fact divided into several lineages. 

* Dingo: feral dogs inhabiting Australia
* New Guinea Singing Dog: dogs inhabiting the highlands of New Guinea, known for producing a unique, wolf-like howl instead of a traditional bark 
 

Comparison of the Relationship Between Ancient Korean Dogs and Other Canidae. → An analysis comparing various dogs and wolves revealed that ancient Korean dogs belong to the East Eurasian lineage and are positioned close to dingoes, New Guinea Singing Dogs, and dogs native to Japan, Vietnam, and Borneo.

Genes of western origin (from European dogs and others) were also detected in the ancient dogs’DNA.

This proportion was higher in dogs from later periods than in those from before the Common Era, indicating that genetic exchange between dog populations in Eastern and Western Eurasia had been ongoing for thousands of years. 

Currently, native Korean breeds such as the Jindo and Sapsaree are known to carry a higher proportion of Western-lineage genes. This study suggests that this proportion was once low and increased gradually over time.

This implies that the genetic makeup of Korean dogs today is the result of diverse dog populations interbreeding over a long period of time. 

The study also found that ancient Korean dogs may have exchanged genes with wolf populations.

In particular, they showed the closest genetic relationship with the Japanese wolf*, with evidence of gene flow also detected with wolf populations in Korea and China.

This demonstrates that dogs and wolves are not entirely separate entities and have continued to influence one another even after domestication. 

* Japanese wolf (Canis lupus hodophilax): a wolf subspecies that inhabited Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku in Japan, and the smallest known wolf subspecies. It is considered extinct following the confirmation of the last individual in Nara Prefecture in 1905. 

The Gaya National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage has established a laboratory for ancient human and animal bones at the Natural Heritage Center in Gimhae and is continuously conducting scientific research on human bones and animal remains across the Gaya cultural sphere.

The ancient dog genome study is one such achievement.

The research team plans to obtain additional Neolithic dog genome data in order to trace the formation and evolution of the dog lineage on the Korean Peninsula back to an even earlier period. 

 
Ancient East Asian dog lineage is revealed by genome of ancient Korean dogs
Hyeongcheol Kim ,Suyeon Kim,A-reum Yu,Eunji Song,Sol Kim,Taiji Miyazaki,Yohey Terai  
Published: May 6, 2026 
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0346864