2019 in South Korea explained

Events of 2019 in South Korea.

Incumbents

• • President: Moon Jae-in Prime Minister: Lee Nak-yeon

Events

• April 3 – 2019 South Korean by-elections
• April 11 – A court rules 7–2 that a 1953 ban on abortion must be lifted.^[1]
• July 1 – Japan announces tightening of high-tech exports to South Korea, thus begin the trade dispute between the two countries.^[2]
• August 22 – South Korea announces that it will scrap its General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) with Japan. The agreement had been due for automatic renewal on this month.
• August 28 – South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls in the United States ambassador to South Korea, Harry B. Harris Jr., to tone down the United States' public criticism of South Korea's decision not to renew its General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) with Japan.
• August 29 – The United States Ambassador to South Korea, Harry B. Harris Jr., is absent from the DMZ International Forum on the Peace Economy. And a reservist soldiers' Korean Veterans Association cancels Harris Jr.'s speech for the association's event. He attends the grand opening of a Shake Shack branch in Jongno, Seoul. The first Shake Shack in South Korea was opened in the Gangnam District of Seoul on July 22, 2016.

Deaths

• January 28 – Kim Bok-dong, South-Korean women's rights activist (b. 1926).^[3]
• April 7 – Cho Yang-ho, South Korean businessman (b. 1949).^[4]
• June 10 – Lee Hee-ho, South Korean peace activist, 15th First Lady of South Korea (b. 1922).^[5]
• June 29 – Jeon Mi-seon, South Korean actress (b. 1970).^[6]
• July 16 – Chung Doo-un, South Korean politician (b. 1957).^[7]
• July 24 – Hwang Byungsng, Korean poet
• July 24 – Nam Gi-nam, Korean film director
• August 30 – Park Taesun, South Korean writer
• September 9 – Kim Seong-hwan, South Korean artist and cartoonist, notable for having created and perpetuated the longest-running comic strip in Korea.
• September 21 – Woo Hye-mi, Korean singer
• October 14 – Sulli, South Korean singer and actress (b. 1994)^[8]
• November 24 – Goo Hara, South Korean singer and actress (b. 1991)
• December 3 – Cha In-ha, South Korean actor (b.1992)
• December 9 – Kim Woo-jung. South Korean businessman who was the founder and chairman of the Daewoo Group
• December 14 – Koo Cha-kyung, South Korean business executive

Notes and References

1. Web site: South Korean court rules abortion ban must be lifted. The Guardian. April 11, 2019. April 11, 2019.
2. Web site: Japan to tighten export rules for high-tech materials to South Korea: media. July 1, 2019. Reuters.
3. Web site: Iconic ex-sex slavery victim Kim Bok-dong dies at 93. The Korea Times. Kim. Jae-heun. 29 January 2019. 23 July 2019.
4. Web site: Hanjin Group's Cho Yang-ho Dies at Hospital in Los Angeles. Bloomberg. Park. Kyunghee. Kim. Sohee. 8 April 2019. 23 July 2019. subscription.
5. Web site: Lee Hee-ho, widow of ex-President Kim Dae-jung, dies at 97. The Korea Herald. Yonhap News Agency. 11 June 2019. 19 July 2019.
6. Web site: Actress Jun Mi-sun found dead in apparent suicide: police. The Korea Times. Yonhap News Agency. 29 June 2019. 19 July 2019.
7. Web site: Ex-lawmaker Chung Doo-un found dead on Seoul mountain. The Korea Times. Yonhap News Agency. 16 July 2019. 19 July 2019.
8. Web site: Im. Eun-byel. [Update] Singer and actor Sulli found dead]. The Korea Herald. Herald Corporation. October 14, 2019. October 14, 2019.