Since the 1980s, there has been a diversity in the topics covered in studies on the funeral rites (凶禮) of the Joseon period. Research was actively conducted on topics such as the descent-line heir system (宗法制度), ritual studies (禮學), and discussion on ritual principles (禮論), and from the mid- to late 1980s, the controversy of ritual propriety (禮訟) as well. In the 1990s, research topics that gained prominence included the development of ritual studies and the formation of the discussion on ritual principles in the 17th century, as well as the controversy of ritual propriety. Previously, funeral rites had been studied as just a part of the five rituals (五禮), but in this period, the importance and status of the funeral rite as a state rite began to emerge.
The 2000s was a time of overall expansion in the quantity of research on state rites. In the area of funeral rites, in particular, many noteworthy research findings began to emerge. After the 1990s, researchers were influenced by several factors, including an increased interest in royal culture and the Royal Protocols (儀軌), the publication of compendiums by repository institutions of the Royal Protocols, and an increase in related translations and academic articles. As a result, there was a great increase in research findings on the compilation of books about ritual precedents and the reform of state rite processes, as well as research on specific ritual procedures.
Finally, in the 2010s, as prior studies continued, a new direction also emerged. What made this new research possible was the emergence of PhD dissertations that comprehensively organized the existing research findings. There was a sudden increase in research on individual case studies, which identified the trends of ritual reforms for each period. Not only this, but it became possible to analyze the detailed ritual procedures and practices.
Despite the diversity of topics, the increase in the number of researchers, and the expansion of the quantity and quality of research findings, future tasks remain. First, research needs to be conducted with a comprehensive perspective that views not only the parts, but the whole. Second, the dichotomous thinking toward ritual studies needs to be overcome. And third, convergent multidisciplinary research needs to be actively pursued.