Lichen is one of the most widely distributed eucaryotic organisms in the world. Lichen is the result of a symbiotic association between two unrelated organisms - a fungus and an alga (or cyanobacterium). In USA, Japan and European countries, there has been a resurgence of interest in lichens as source of novel, pharmacologically active molecules during the last 20 years. However, lichen researches in Korean lichens were mainly focused on investigation of Korean lichen flora and most of them were primitive and short-term based projects until 1990s. In this communication, general introduction of lichens was attempted to draw the attention of Korean researchers to Korean lichen bioresource. Research activities on Korean lichens during the past were also summarized. Recent progress in Korean lichen research is briefly discussed with emphasis of KoLRI (Korean Lichen Research Institute) activities and roles in national researches projects on bioresource development in Korea.