Tae-woo Ko is a historian of modern Korea. His research interests include the development of colonial Korea, its legacy, and the environmental history of Korea in the 20th century.

He received a doctoral degree for his research on the aspect of the civil engineering industry and the limitations of development conducted by colonial power and constructors during the colonial period.

Recently, he has published articles on people's perception of disasters such as natural disasters and the response to disasters of the state and society. He also plans to conduct research on the climate change and environmental pollution of Korea in the 20th century as an ecological and environmental history.