kjlm The Korean Journal of Laboratory Medicine Korean J Leg Med 2383-5702 2383-5710 The Korean Society for Legal Medicine 10.7580/kjlm.2017.41.2.23 kjlm-41-23 Original Article Forensic DNA Phenotyping: A Review in Korean Perspective SeoHee Jin 1 ChoSohee 2 LeeJi Hyun 1 LyooSung Hee 2 KimMoon-Young 2 LeeSoong Deok 1 2 Department of Forensic Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea Institute of Forensic Science, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea Correspondence to Soong Deok Lee Department of Forensic Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 103 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03080, Korea Tel: +82-2-740-8359 Fax: +82-2-764-8340 E-mail: sdlee@snu.ac.kr 122017 1912017 412 2331 30042017 20052017 24052017 Copyright © 2017 The Korean Society for Legal Medicine 2017 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Forensic DNA phenotyping (FDP) using human externally visible characteristics (EVCs) is an emerging new technique that allows for the prediction of phenotypic traits of a person of interest using relevant sets of genetic markers. This technique predicts not only physical appearances, but also the behavioral characteristics as well as biogeographical information, serving as a powerful supplementary tool to narrow down the investigative pool in various forensic cases. Over the past few years, many countries, Europe and America being at the forefront, have conducted significant research to identify related markers for predicting pigmentation traits such as eye, hair, and skin color. Furthermore, some commercial platforms are now available for practical use in forensic cases. Korea and other Asian countries have also dedicated remarkable research to identify relevant markers to utilize FDP in forensic investigations. However, a slightly different approach is needed because Asians have limited phenotypic variations than Western populations. Thus, medically irrelevant and simple propensity traits such as smoking and alcohol consumption could be used to compensate for the limited phenotypic variations. This article is intended to inform readers about the progress and worldwide trends in EVC research, as well as the whereabouts and future prospects of FDP-related research in Korea. Although various legal and ethical disputes must be resolved beforehand, employing an FDP system can certainly be a powerful complementary tool for providing additional clues in forensic investigations.

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