/year

South Korea

country in East Asia

42 dated entries naming South Korea, drawn from 33 separate years between 528 CE and 2025 CE. Nothing here is written by us: each line is the sentence a Wikipedia year article used, and the link beside it opens the exact revision.

Also written as Republic of Korea in the source articles; Wikipedia redirects those to the same subject, so their entries are on this page.

JSONWikipedia articleWikidata Q884

6th century

  • 528Bulguksa, a Buddhist temple, is built in South Korea.source

7th century

  • 647A stone tower astronomical observatory (named Cheomseongdae) at Gyeongju is constructed in Silla (South Korea) around this time.source
  • 653The Temple of Sinheungsa in Gangwon Province (South Korea) is constructed by the Buddhist monk Jajang.source
  • 665The city of Seongnam (South Korea) is renamed Hansanju (approximate date).source

8th century

  • 751Kim Daeseong, chief minister of Silla, orders the construction of the Bulguksa and Seokguram temples at Gyeongju (South Korea).source

9th century

  • 889Bongwon Temple, located in Seoul (modern South Korea), is founded by the Korean Buddhist master Doseon.source

10th century

  • 924August – In what is now South Korea, at Seorabeo (now Gyeongju in South Korea), Gyeongae becomes the new monarch of the Kingdom of Silla upon the death of his older brother, King Gyeongmyeong.source
  • 934Goryeo forces push the army of Hubaekje back into its heartland and defeat them finally at Hongseong (modern South Korea).source

14th century

  • 1374October 27 – King Gongmin of Goryeo is assassinated by several men who invade the royal palace at Songdo, enter the King's private chamber and hack him to death with swords. King Gongmin is succeeded by U of Goryeo as ruler of Goryeo (now part of South Korea).source

15th century

  • 1421September 12– In what is now South Korea, Taejong of Goryeo, King of Joseon from 1400 to 1418, then King Emeritus since 1418, is crowned as the first Grand King Emeritus of Joseon.source

16th century

  • 1510April 4 – The "Disturbance of the Three Ports", an uprising by Japanese merchants against the Korean government, begins in what is now South Korea in the cities of Dongnae, Changwon and Ulsan.source

19th century

  • 1896August 1 – The Park Seung-jik shop, predecessor of South Korean conglomerate Doosan Group, is founded in Joseon (the kingdom of Korea).source

20th century

  • 1922The Amur tiger becomes extinct in South Korea.source
  • 1941Chosun Tire and Rubber Manufacture, predecessor of South Korean tire brand Hankook, is founded in Seoul (at this time part of the Empire of Japan).source
  • 1948June 28 – Lotte Group, a global conglomerate in Northeast Asia (South Korea and Japan), is founded.source
  • 1948August 15 – The southern half of Korea is established as the Republic of Korea (South Korea).source
  • 1950October 9 – The Goyang Geumjeong Cave massacre begins in South Korea.source
  • 1953July 27 – The Korean War ends, with the Korean Armistice Agreement: The United Nations Command (Korea) (United States), China and North Korea sign an armistice agreement at Panmunjom, and the north remains communist, while the south remains capitalist. No formal peace treaty is ever signed.source
  • 1953August 17 - 12 high ranking government officials are arrested and forced to confess to spying for South Korea during the Korean war in a show trial. Lee Sung Yup, the Justice minister is declared to be the ringleader, former Foreign minister Pak Hong Wong and military officer Pae Choi were declared his accomplices.source
  • 1981September 30 - The International Olympic Committee awards the 1988 Summer Olympics to the city of Seoul, South Korea.source
  • 1985July 27 – The 63 Building officially opens as the tallest skyscraper outside of North America in Yeouido, Seoul, South Korea.source
  • 1989July 12 – Lotte World, a major recreation complex in Seoul, South Korea, is opened to the public, containing the world's largest indoor amusement park.source
  • 1992August 24 – China and South Korea establish diplomatic relations.source

21st century

  • 2002Sri Lanka participates in the 2002 Asian Games held in South Korea, from September 29 to October 14, 2002. The Sri Lankan athletes won 2 gold medals (grand total of 6), and achieved 21st spot in the event.source
  • 2002June 29 – Second Battle of Yeonpyeong: During the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan, two North Korean patrol boats cross a contested border in between the two Koreas and attack two South Korean Chamsuri-class patrol boats.source
  • 200229 September – 14 October — Malaysia at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea.source
  • 2008July 11 – South Korea suspends all trips to North Korea's Mount Kumgang after a 53-year-old South Korean tourist is shot and killed by a North Korean sentry.source
  • 2010November 11–12 – The G-20 summit is held in Seoul, South Korea. Korea becomes the first non-G8 nation to host a G-20 leaders summit.source
  • 2011February 16 - South Korea will fly the bodies of eight Somali pirates killed in a commando raid on a freighter last month from Muscat to Mogadishu, Somalia.source
  • 2013February 25 – Park Geun-hye becomes the first woman to become the president of South Korea.source
  • 20143 April – A Mongolian-flagged cargo ship sinks off the coast of South Korea, with most of the 16 North Korean crew members reported missing.source
  • 2016September 9 – The government of North Korea conducts its fifth and reportedly biggest nuclear test. World leaders condemn the act, with South Korea calling it "maniacal recklessness".source
  • 2016December 9 – South Korean President Park Geun-hye is suspended after MPs vote to impeach her, following a political scandal.source
  • 2018March 9-18: Belarus takes part in the 2018 Winter Paralympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.source
  • 2018April 27 – 2018-19 Korean peace process: Kim Jong Un crosses into South Korea to meet with President Moon Jae-in, becoming the first North Korean leader to cross the Demilitarized Zone since its creation in 1953.source
  • 2018May 5 – In North Korea, clocks are adjusted to UTC+9 (GMT+09:00) to the same as South Koreasource
  • 2021September 14 – North Korea demonstrates two short-range ballistic missiles that land just outside Japan's territorial waters; and then only hours later South Korea demonstrates its first submarine-launched ballistic missile.source
  • 2022January 1 – The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the largest free trade area in the world, comes into effect for Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.source
  • 2022February 28 – 2022 Russian financial crisis: In an unprecedented move, Switzerland, Monaco, Singapore and South Korea impose unilateral sanctions over Russia including the introduction of export controls and asset freezes.source
  • 2024December 3 – South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declares martial law during a late-night address broadcast live on YTN television, accusing the country's main opposition Democratic Party of sympathizing with North Korea and engaging in anti-state activities.source
  • 2024December 14 – South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's powers and duties are suspended after MPs vote to impeach him, following his martial law declaration the previous week.source
  • 202515 December — The United States State Department threatens to reduce aid to Fiji unless the Fijian government takes action against a South Korean religious cult called the Grace Road Church, which has been accused of forced labour and human trafficking.source

Named in the same entries