British zoologist Oldfield Thomas first described the royal vole was in 1907 as Craseomys regulus, the type locality being Mingyong in Korea,  south east of Seoul.
In 1907, Oldfield Thomas, a British zoologist, formally identified the royal vole by naming it *Craseomys regulus*. The species' original location was designated as Mingyong, situated in southeastern Korea, near Seoul.