Victor Collin de Plancy was the first French minister dispatched to Joseon Korea since the T reaty of 1886. Fascinated by Korean cultural artifacts, he committed himself to their collection and donation during his term in Joseon. It was de Plancy’s enthusiasm that made possible the influx of a substantial amount of Korean ceramics into France. His passion for Korean ceramics grew into areas such as ceramic education, the importation of French ceramics, and historical research of Korean ceramics, providing the impetus for the development of diplomatic relations via ceramics. His collection of Korean ceramics is particularly noteworthy because of the shift in his manner of collecting. At first, he purchased his items through the regular channel of antique dealers. But in the end, he acquired his own excavation license from the Joseon government, undertaking firsthand investigations at kiln sites. In the final analysis, de Plancy’s enterprise conformed to the imperialistic cultural policy of modern France. At the same time, his methodical and systematic collection based on chronology and typology attests to his personal dedication to establishing the history of Korean ceramics as a new area of research within nineteenth-century European scholarship of Asian ceramics. Not only did he introduce Korean ceramics as a new subject of study in the history of Asian ceramics, but he also endeavored to foreground its historical significance.