Korean barbecue (or KBBQ) can be traced to the Koguryo Era in Korean history. It was invented by the nomadic Yemaek tribal group. Their territory covered all of Korea and also Manchuria. The Yemaek were always on the move, so they had lots of time to marinate their meats but they also required a fast way to cook the meats. This is why maekjeok was invented. "Maek" is a reference to the Yemaek people, and "jeok" is the name for the skewers that were used to cook the meat on an open fire is "Maek"