The Korean Virtual Observatory (KVO) started on February 2003 with more than 20 member astronomers in the Republic of Korea.  On February 2003 KVO also became a member of International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA).  KVO has its home in Korea Astronomy Observatory (KAO) which is the national observatory of the country.

KVO is constructing a national astronomical database using the data obtained by instruments in Korea and by Korean astronomers.  Currently the main data is from the Taeduk 14m radio telescope, Bohyunsan Optical Astronomy Observatory1.8m optical telescope, YSTAR (Yonsei Survey Telescopes for Astronomical Research)-NEOPAT (Near Earth Object PATrol) project, and Galactic plane CO survey (l=60-180) project using the Seoul National University 6m radio telescope.  Data from telescopes that will be built in the near future (e.g., Korean VLBI Network; KVN) and data from satellites being launched by international cooperation (e.g., Far-ultraviolet IMaging Spectrograph (FIMS), Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX)) will also be used.  

KVO has annual fund of 100,000 USD till 2005 and is working together with the Korean Astronomical Data Center (KADC) in KAO.