1898 – American businessmen obtain a permit to lay a five‑mile rail line in Seoul and begin operating electric trains the following year, marking an early foreign‑led modernization of Korean transport infrastructure [3].

1905 – The Korean royal authorities issue currency regulations that formally recognize Japanese currency on the peninsula, reflecting shifting economic control during the late colonial era [3].

1909 – The Korean Empire enacts a national tax collection law, building on regional tax rules from 1906 and establishing a modern fiscal system [1].

1910 – Seoul opens its first commercial movie theater, illustrating simultaneous cultural development alongside fiscal reforms [1].

1947 – North Korea implements its first currency reforms to strengthen its economy and sever ties with the Soviet‑issued money, a step toward monetary independence [5].

1948 – Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata is staged in South Korea for the first time, signaling growing exposure to Western opera [4].

1949 – South Korea establishes formal diplomatic relations with Britain, integrating into post‑war Western alliance structures [3].

1951 – China rejects a United Nations cease‑fire proposal during the Korean War, prolonging hostilities and shaping diplomatic dynamics [4].

1952 – North Korean prisoners of war revolt on Geoje Island, killing about 100 inmates; the remaining detainees are released after the 1953 armistice ends the war [1].

1954 – UNESCO launches its Korean committee, coordinating cultural and educational initiatives between UNESCO and the Korean peninsula [2].

1954 – The Korean government places a territorial marker on Dokdo, reinforcing its sovereignty claim over the disputed islets [3].

1967 – The Korea Exchange Bank is founded, expanding South Korea’s financial sector and later becoming a major commercial institution [2].

1974 – South Korea and Japan sign a continental‑shelf agreement delineating maritime zones, reducing offshore disputes and clarifying resource rights [2].

1977 – The National Assembly passes a bill confirming Korea’s 12‑nautical‑mile territorial sea border, formally codifying maritime boundaries [5].

1982 – Opposition leader Kim Dae‑Jung travels to the United States for medical treatment despite a death‑sentence for sedition, highlighting political repression and international attention [5].

1986 – Hyundai ships its first batch of 1,000 Pony compact cars to the United States, launching South Korea’s large‑scale automotive export presence abroad [1].

1990 – Hyundai Group receives permission to establish a subsidiary in Moscow, becoming the first Korean conglomerate to enter the Soviet capital’s market [4].

1992 – North Korea signs the IAEA nuclear safeguards agreement, committing to inspections of its nuclear facilities as part of broader non‑proliferation efforts [2].

1992 – South and North Korea hold their sixth senior‑official inter‑Korean summit in Pyongyang, continuing diplomatic engagements aimed at easing peninsula tensions [1].

1994 – South Korea’s National Assembly ratifies the country’s bid to join the World Trade Organization, aligning its trade policy with multilateral rules [5].

1996 – Former Presidents Chun Doo‑hwan and Roh Tae‑woo receive life and 17‑year prison sentences, respectively, for their roles in the 1979 coup that installed Chun in power [5].

1998 – Seoul National University Hospital performs a transplant of a domestically produced artificial heart, marking a milestone in Korean medical technology [4].

2001 – South Korea and the United States sign a revised Status of Forces Agreement that limits environmental impacts of U.S. troops stationed in the country [3].

2003 – A mentally disturbed man sets fire to a Daegu subway station, killing 197 people; he later receives a life sentence for the tragedy [1].

2004 – South Korea and the United States agree to relocate all U.S. troops out of Seoul within three years, reflecting a shift in the security posture on the peninsula [4].

2013 – South Korea successfully launches its first indigenous space rocket, KSLV‑1 (Naro), placing a satellite into orbit and demonstrating domestic launch capability [2].

2014 – A roof collapse at a hotel gymnasium in Gyeongju kills ten students and injures over 100, underscoring ongoing concerns about public safety standards [1].

2018 – Speed skater Lee Sang‑hwa wins a silver medal in the women’s 500 m at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, highlighting South Korea’s athletic achievements [1].

2018 – South Korea’s Supreme Court upholds a ruling requiring Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal to pay four South Koreans 100 million won each for wartime forced labor, reinforcing legal accountability for historical grievances [2].

2024 – North Korean leader Kim Jong‑un proposes revising the North’s constitution to define South Korea as its principal enemy and to codify a commitment to fully occupy the South in the event of war, intensifying regional security tensions [4].

2025 – Up to 44,000 people rally outside a court to support impeached President Yoon Suk‑yeol during a hearing on a potential arrest tied to his brief imposition of martial law, reflecting deep domestic political divisions [3].