Pak received his BA degree in Archaeology and Art History in 1984 from Seoul National University and his MA and PhD degrees in Anthropology in 1992 and 1996, respectively, from Harvard University in the United States.
At Harvard, Yangjin Pak was one of the last graduate students of Professor Kwang-chih Chang.
Pak has conducted archaeological research on the northern provinces of China and Korean Peninsula.
He has been a full-time faculty member of Department of Archaeology, Chungnam National University since 1997.
Pak also served as Vice President for International Affairs of Chungnam National University in 2005-2007.