Events in South Korean History
- 1897-02-01 Shinhan Bank, the oldest bank in South Korea, opens in Seoul.
- 1910-08-22 Japan annexes Korea after 5 years as a protectorate
- 1910-08-29 Japan changes Korea's name to Chōsen and appoints a governor-general to rule its new colony
- 1945-08-17 Korea is divided into North and South Korea along the 38th parallel
- 1945-09-09 Japanese in South Korea, Taiwan, China, Indochina surrender to Allies
- 1946-11-23 The Workers Party of South Korea is founded
President Syngman Rhee
1948-07-20 Syngman Rhee elected the 1st President of South Korea
- 1948-08-15 Republic of Korea (South Korea) proclaimed (National Day)
Korean War Begins
1950-06-25 North Korea invades South Korea, beginning the Korean War
US Enters Korean War
1950-06-27 North Korean troops reach Seoul, causing the UN to ask member states to aid South Korea. Harry Truman orders the US Air Force and Navy into the Korean conflict.
- 1950-06-28 North Korean forces capture Seoul, South Korea in opening phase of the Korean War
Event of Interest
1950-06-30 US General MacArthur visits front in South Korea, asks for US troops
- 1950-07-01 1st 407 US soldiers flown to South Korea
- 1950-09-15 During Korean conflict, UN forces land at Inchon in South Korea
- 1950-09-26 UN troops in Korean War recapture South Korean capital of Seoul
- 1950-10-01 South Korean troops cross the 38th parallel into North Korea
- 1950-10-26 South Korean troops reach Chosan at Chinese boundary
- 1950-11-18 South Korean President Syngman Rhee forced to end mass executions
- 1950-11-26 China enters Korean conflict, sends troops across Yalu River
- 1950-12-28 Chinese troops cross 38th Parallel, into South Korea
- 1951-01-06 Ganghwa massacre: Hundreds of South Korean communist sympathisers are slaughtered
- 1952-08-08 Syngman Ree re-elected president of South Korea
Eisenhower visits Korea
1952-11-29 US President-elect Eisenhower visits Korea to assess war
- 1952-12-14 UN Troops kill 82 North Korean POWs during a prison camp riot in Pongam-do, South Korea
- 1953-08-08 US & South Korea initial a mutual security pact
- 1960-04-27 South Korean President Syngman Rhee resigns after 12 years in power
- 1963-12-17 Tsjoi Doo Sun forms government in South Korea
- 1966-08-15 Radio Free Asia (South Korea) begins radio transmission
- 1970-12-15 South Korean ferry Namyong-Ho sinks in Strait of Korea, 308 killed
- 1972-05-10 Overloaded South Korean bus plunges into reservoir, killing 77
- 1974-08-15 South Korean President Park Chung-Hee escapes assassination attempt
- 1974-11-02 78 die when the Time Go-Go Club in Seoul, South Korea burns down. Six of the victims jumped to their deaths from the seventh floor after a club official barred the doors after the fire started.
- 1979-10-26 Park Chung-hee, President of South Korea is assassinated by KCIA head Kim Jae-kyu. Choi Kyu-ha becomes the acting President; Kim is executed the following May.
- 1980-05-18 Gwangju Massacre: Students in Gwangju, South Korea begin demonstrations, calling for democratic reforms
- 1980-05-27 South Korean police ends people's uprising; 2,000 killed
- 1980-05-27 The Gwangju Massacre: South Korean airborne and army troops retake city of Gwangju from civil militias, killing at least 207 possibly many more
- 1980-08-27 Chon Doo Hwan elected president of South Korea
Event of Interest
1980-09-17 South Korea opposition leader Kim Dae-jung sentenced to death
- 1980-10-22 New South Korean constitution comes into effect
- 1981-09-30 International Olympic Committee votes to award Seoul, South Korea as host of the 1988 Summer Olympic Games
- 1983-09-06 Soviet Union admits that it shot down the South Korean airliner KAL 007 on September 1st
- 1983-10-09 Rangoon, Burma (now Yangon, Myanmar) bombing: North Korean agents attempt to assassinate South Korean President results in 21 deaths, including 9 South Korean government officials; presidential advisors and security team members; and 3 reporters
- 1984-08-07 The US collects its first Olympic gold medal in women's basketball history with a 85-55 win over South Korea in the final at the LA Games
- 1987-02-07 Police in South Korea make hundreds of arrests during protest demonstrations, the country's biggest for 6 years, after a student died in custody
- 1987-07-09 1 million South Koreans demonstrate against Chun Doo Hwan regime
- 1987-10-27 South Korean voters overwhelmingly approved a new constitution
- 1987-12-16 Roh Tae Woo elected president of South Korea
- 1988-02-25 South Korea adopts constitution
- 1988-09-22 South Korean coaches attack NZ referee after disputing his decision, Olympic Korean boxer stages a 67 minute sit-in
- 1988-10-01 The inaugural Olympic table tennis program concludes in Seoul with China and South Korea each winning 2 titles
- 1988-10-02 South Korean light middleweight boxer Park Si-hun is controversially awarded the Seoul Olympic gold medal after appearing well beaten by future 4 weight class world champion Roy Jones Jr
- 1991-02-12 North & South Korea form a joint team for table tennis competition
- 1991-05-22 Roh Jai Bong resigns as premier of South Korea
- 1991-09-17 UN admits Estonia, Latvia, Lithuiania, North & South Korea, Marshall Islands & Micronesia
- 1992-08-04 In its debut at the Barcelona Olympics the badminton singles gold medals are both won by Indonesian athletes, whilst both men's & women's doubles go to South Korea
- 1992-08-24 Diplomatic relations are established between the People's Republic of China and South Korea.
- 1993-04-19 Fire in psychiatric institute in South Korea, kills 40
- 1993-07-26 Boeing 737-500 crashes in South Korea, 66 killed
- 1993-10-10 Ferry boat leaves for west coast of South Korea, 120 killed
- 1995-04-28 Gas explosion in South Korean metro, 103 die
- 1996-12-26 Start of the largest strike in South Korean history.
Volcano
1997-04-15 Disaster film "Volcano" directed by Mick Jackson, and starring Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche premieres in South Korea
- 1997-05-12 14 North Koreans defect to South Korea
Sports History
1999-07-04 South Korean defending champion Se Ri Pak wins the most crowded playoff in LPGA history (6) in the Jamie Farr Kroger Classic
Summit of Interest
2000-06-13 South Korean President Kim Dae-jung meets North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il, for the beginning of the first ever inter-Korea summit, in the northern capital of Pyongyang
- 2001-04-16 105th Boston Marathon: Lee Bong-Ju of South Korea men's winner in 2:09:43; Catherine Ndereba of Kenya wins back-to-back women's titles in 2:23:53
- 2002-04-15 An Air China Boeing 767-200, flight CA129 crashes into a hillside during heavy rain and fog near Busan, South Korea, killing 128.
- 2002-06-29 Naval clashes between South Korea and North Korea lead to the death of six South Korean sailors and sinking of a North Korean vessel.
- 2003-02-18 Nearly 200 people die in the Daegu subway fire in South Korea
- 2004-03-12 Roh Moo-hyun, President of South Korea, is impeached by its national assembly for the first time in the nation's history.
- 2004-05-14 The Constitutional Court of South Korea overturns the impeachment of President Roh Moo-hyun
- 2004-08-21 The archery competition concludes at the Athens Olympics with South Korea dominant with 3 of 4 gold medals; venue is the Panathenaic Stadium, in which the 1896 games were held
- 2005-07-17 Canadian Open Women's Golf, Glen Arbour GC: South Korean Meena Lee wins by 1 from Australian Katherine Hull
- 2007-05-17 Trains from North and South Korea cross the 38th Parallel in a test-run agreed by both governments. This is the first time that trains have crossed the Demilitarized Zone since 1953.
- 2007-10-02 President Roh Moo-hyun of South Korea walks across the Military Demarcation Line into North Korea on his way to the second Inter-Korean Summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il
- 2007-12-07 The Hebei Spirit oil spill began in South Korea after a crane barge being towed by tug collided with the very large crude carrier, Hebei Spirit.
- 2008-02-10 The 2008 Namdaemun fire severely damages Namdaemun, the first National Treasure of South Korea.
- 2008-08-16 South Korean weightlifter Jang Mi-Ran wins the women's unlimited (+75 kg) division at the Beijing Olympics by breaking world records 5 times: once in snatch, twice in clean-and-jerk, and twice in total
- 2009-01-13 Global shipping experiences a drop in trade, as exports from South Korea dropping an annualised 30%, with Taiwan and Japan experiencing a 42% and 27% drop respectively
PGA Championship
2009-08-16 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Hazeltine National GC: Yang Yong-eun of South Korea wins his first major title by 3 strokes from Tiger Woods
- 2010-06-27 LPGA Championship Women's Golf, Locust Hill CC: American Christie Kerr takes her second major title with a 12 stroke win over Song-Hee Kim of South Korea
- 2010-11-23 The Bombardment of Yeonpyeong occurs on Yeonpyeong Island, South Korea. The North Korean artillery attack kills 2 civilians and 2 South Korean marines.
- 2011-07-11 US Open Women's Golf, The Boardmoor: Ryu So-yeon wins her first major in a playoff with fellow South Korean Hee Hung Seo
- 2011-08-27 13th Athletics World Championships open at Daegu, South Korea
Sports History
2011-09-03 Following his disqualification in the 100m, Jamaica's Usain Bolt runs a season best 19.40 to win the 200m at the World Athletics Championships in South Korea
- 2012-02-20 South Korea angers North Korea as it proceeds with live fire drills in disputed Korean sea borders
- 2012-04-11 South Korean legislative elections result in the governing Saenuri Party retaining governance
- 2012-07-05 South Korea announce plans to begin "scientific' whaling of minke whales
- 2012-12-05 8 people are killed and 12 injured by a magnitude 5.6 earthquake in South Korea
First Female President
2012-12-19 Park Geun-hye wins the South Korean presidential election to become the nation’s first female president
- 2013-01-30 South Korea successfully launches its rocket Naro-1 which was carrying a scientific satellite
- 2013-03-08 North Korea terminates all peace pacts with South Korea
- 2013-03-11 North Korea cuts the phone line with South Korea, breaching the 1953 armistice
- 2013-03-16 Kim Yu-Na of South Korea wins the women’s 2013 World Figure Skating Championships
- 2013-03-30 North Korea declares it is at a state of war with South Korea
- 2013-04-17 North Korea blocks a South Korean supply delegation from the Kaesong joint industrial zone
- 2014-01-20 Credit cards of at least 20 million South Koreans are hacked
- 2014-04-16 South Korean ferry MV Sewol sinks on route Incheon to Jeju, 304 drown, mostly students. National controversy erupts over rescue efforts and actions of crew and owner.
- 2014-08-24 Canadian Open Women's Golf, London Hunt CC: Ryu So-yeon wins by 2 from fellow South Korean Na Yeon Choi
- 2014-11-11 The captain of the South Korean ferry which sank in April is found guilty of gross negligence and sentenced to 36 years in prison
- 2015-01-31 Australia defeats South Korea in football to win the 2015 AFC Asian Cup
- 2015-12-28 Japan and South Korea reach agreement over WWII "comfort women", Japan apologies and pays 1bn yen compensation
- 2016-01-26 Cold snap across East Asia leads to more than 50 deaths and 60,000 travellers stranded in South Korea
- 2016-03-01 South Korean opposition MPs set a world record for longest filibuster - 9 days (192 hours) trying to block anti-terror bill
- 2016-08-10 South Korean shooter Jin Jong-oh recovers from 7th place during the final to record an Olympic record 193.7 and win gold in men's 50m pistol at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics; first shooter to win 3 consecutive Olympic gold medals in one event
Olympic Gold
2016-08-20 South Korean golfer Inbee Park wins the inaugural Olympic women's individual gold with a final score of 16 under par in Rio de Janeiro; Lydia Ko (New Zealand) 11 under par; Shanshan Feng (China) 10 under par
- 2016-08-28 Canadian Open Women's Golf, Priddis Green CC: Ariya Jutanugam of Thailand wins by 4 from Kim Sei-young of South Korea
- 2016-10-11 South Korean firm Samsung announces it will permanently stop production of Note 7 phones after complaints devices caught fire
- 2016-11-20 South Korean President Park Geun-hye's controversial friend Choi Soon-sil charged with abuse of authority and coercion amid calls to also impeach the President
- 2016-12-09 South Korean MPs vote to impeach President Park Geun-hye
Guterres Secretary General
2017-01-01 Portuguese politician and diplomat António Guterres becomes United Nations Secretary General, replacing South Korean Ban Ki-Moon
- 2017-03-10 South Korean judges uphold parliaments' decision to impeach President Park Geun-hye
- 2017-03-30 Ex-South Korean president Park Geun-hye arrested in corruption investigation
- 2017-04-02 ANA Inspiration Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: Ryu So-yeon of South Korea wins 2nd major in a playoff with Lexi Thompson who had earlier been penalised 4 strokes
- 2017-05-09 Moon Jae-in elected President of South Korea after a snap election to replace Park Geun-hye
South Korean History
2017-05-30 South Korean President Moon Jae-in orders a probe into additional launchers for the U.S. THAAD anti-missile system
- 2017-07-16 US Open Women's Golf, Trump National GC: Park Sung-hyun wins by 2 shots from fellow South Korean Choi Hye-jin
- 2017-08-06 British Open Women's Golf, Kingbarns GC: South Korean In-Kyung Kim wins by 2 strokes from Jodi Ewart Shadoff of England
- 2017-08-25 Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong jailed for 5 years for corruption in South Korea
- 2017-08-27 Canadian Open Women's Golf, Ottawa Hunt GC: Park Sung-hyun of South Korea wins by 2 from Mirim Lee
- 2017-11-07 South Korean golfer Park Sung-hyun becomes the first LPGA rookie to be ranked no. 1
- 2017-12-05 Russia is banned from the next Winter Olympics in South Korea over state-sponsored doping
- 2018-01-05 North Korea accepts South Korean invitation for high-level talks
XXIII Winter Olympics
2018-02-09 XXIII Olympic Winter Games open in PyeongChang, South Korea
Meeting of Interest
2018-03-05 North Korean leader Kim Jong-un meets South Korean officials for the first time since taking office, hosting a dinner in Pyongyang
- 2018-04-27 Historic Korean summit, the North's Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in of South Korea agree to officially end Korean war and rid peninsula of nuclear weapons
- 2018-05-15 North Korea threatens to pull out of summit with US and South Korea saying it can "not hide our feeling of repugnance" towards US security advisor John Bolton
Summit of Interest
2018-05-24 US President Donald Trump cancels summit with North and South Korea because of hostile statements from North Korea
Music History
2018-05-27 South Korean boy band BTS are the first K-pop group to top the US Billboard 200 with their album "Love Yourself: Tear"
- 2018-07-01 PGA Women's Championship, Kemper Lakes GC: Park Sung-hyun of South Korea wins in a playoff with Nasa Hataoka & Ryu So-yeon
- 2018-07-08 South Korean golfer Sei Young Ki breaks LPGA 72-hole scoring record with 31 under-par 257, also first to better -30, in winning Thornberry Creek Classic
- 2018-07-19 Russian ship Dmitri Donskoii, with possible cargo of gold coins is discovered in waters between South Korea and Japan where it sunk in 1905
- 2018-09-19 Korean joint summit in Pyongyang agrees to limit North Korea's weapons programme and to South Korea economic cooperation
Ban Ki-moon
Inbee Park
Jimin
Jungkook
Kim Dae-jung
Kim Seok-jin