The basic principles regarding archaeological heritage in Korea are to maintain the original form of archaeological heritage and to ban investigation through excavation. However, since economic and social growth inevitably requires land development, investigations on archaeological heritage have been conducted in unavoidable circumstances for civil engineering and constructions, with project owners fully bearing the expenses thereof. Investigation costs of archaeological heritage are fully borne by project owners, which reflects the guidelines of UNESCO regarding compensation for damage and demolition of archaeological heritage due to development projects (Causer Pays Principle) and the return of development profits to society (Beneficiary Pays Principle). This has been maintained since 1973 when such principles were executed through the amendment of the Cultural Heritage Protection Act. Making project owners pay the full expenses for research on archaeological heritage has caused various social conflicts, disputes, and problems including intentional damage and demolition of archaeological heritage in various construction work, avoidance of reporting discoveries of archaeological heritage, infringement issues of private property rights due to the preservation of relics, the formation of negative recognition and public opinions on the protection policies and systems of archaeological heritage, and various civil complaints and improvement requests, etc. Unlike in the past when the Causer Pays Principle was first introduced on research expenses of archaeological heritage, Korea’s social environment has changed, with development and growth in economic scale and financial circumstances. Expanding government burden for research expenses means carrying out the obligation of the government designated in the Constitutional Act. It can be argued that there is a need to seek various plans to fund financial sources and to gradually expand the burden of the government on the research expenses of archaeological heritage, rather than making project owners pay full research expenses on the archaeological heritage according to development projects. Since project owners preferentially pursue economic profits according to development, there are limitations in the current policies that solely depend on the protection will and conscience of the project owners and on government regulations. Persistent promotion and efforts should be made so that people can recognize the historic value of archaeological heritage and the need to protect it, as well as the importance of research on archaeological heritage.