The Korean Astronomical Society was founded on March 21 - the spring equinox, 1965 starting with about 20 people. Today, its history reaches over 50 years and as of June 2020, the total number of members has grown to ~1100.

Since its foundation, the KAS has been holding two academic conferences every year - one in spring and one in autumn, playing a central role in the exchange of research achievements not only among Korean astronomers but also with foreign researchers. In 1973, the KAS officially joined the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and hosted the IAU Asia-Pacific Regional Academic Conference in the summer of 1996, through which the stature of the Korean astronomy community has been elevated.

On April 21, 2005, the KAS celebrated its 40th anniversary and published a memoir of the 40-year history of the Korean Astronomical Society. In commemoration of the International Year of Astronomy in 2009, a conference was held in collaboration with the Korean Space Science Society (KSSS), and in 2012, the second KAS/KSSS joint conference was held to commemorate the XVII International Astronomy Olympiad hosted by Korea in Gwangju. In the IAU Honolulu General Assembly (2015), the Busan BEXCO got selected as the venue for the IAUGA 2021. The same year, the KAS celebrated its 50th anniversary, publishing a memoir of the 50-year KAS history. The year 2017 was the 50th anniversary of the Journal of Korean Astronomical Society, for which a commemorative workshop was held. In April 2019, the annual spring KAS meeting was held in the Busan BEXCO to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the IAU.