The Wanju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage was established on 23 July 2019 as an organization dedicated to the research on culture peculiar to the Jeollabuk-do region, particularly about the expansion of the Gaya cultural zone and expansion of Gojoseon ironware to the wider Korean peninsula and early Mahan and late Baekjae. The institute’s key roles include academic studies and on-site monitoring of major cultural heritage of the Jeollabuk-do region, such as remains of the Gaya country, early Iron Age in Mangyeonggang River, castle towns from Baekjae, and early celadon porcelain production. The institute will narrow the regional gap in the scaled-down, distorted studies about the Gaya cultural zone, identify the critical link of the ancient history starting from Gojoseon followed by Mahan, Baekje, and Gaya, promote findings of monitoring of excavations in the Jeollabuk-do region, and create newly the value of cultural heritage.