2024 in South Korea explained
The following lists events in the year 2024 in South Korea.
Events
January
- 2 January – Attempted assassination of Lee Jae-myung: Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung is stabbed in the neck while visiting Busan.[1] Lee is taken to Pusan National University Hospital about 20 minutes after the attack, and the suspect is arrested at the scene.[2]
- 5 January – North Korea fires 200 artillery shells near Yeonpyeong Island, prompting evacuations.[3]
- 9 January – South Korea bans the breeding and slaughter of dogs for consumption, effective in 2027, with the government promising to fully support dog meat farmers, butchers and restaurant owners.[4] [5]
- 15 January – The government announces its decision to invest a total of 622 trillion won by 2047 to build a semiconductor mega cluster of Pyeongtaek, Icheon, Yongin, Hwaseong, Seongnam, and Suwon in the southern part of Gyeonggi Province. The plan also includes raising the self-sufficiency rate of key material, parts, and equipment supply chains to 50% by 2030, and policy support for companies.[6]
- 19 January to 2 February – 2024 Winter Youth Olympics at Gangwon Province[7]
- 23 January – More than 350 flights at Jeju International Airport are canceled due to heavy snow and strong winds.[8]
- 25 January – People Power Party assemblywoman Bae Hyun-jin is attacked and hospitalized in Seoul.[9]
February
March
The government begins suspending the medical licenses of thousands of striking doctors due to growing concerns that the month-long strike is affecting medical services.[13]
- Over 10,000 doctors go on strike at 100 educational hospitals, leading to a number of delays in treatment.
April
May
- 2 May – South Korea raises its terrorism alert level to the second highest level, citing strong chances of an attack from North Korea on its overseas diplomatic offices.[23]
- 9 May – President Yoon holds a press conference in the Presidential Office to mark his second anniversary in office. Yoon acknowledgesthat the government's measures to solve various economic problems, including high prices, have fallen short of people's expectations and expresses his concern about the country's low birth rate. He also announces plans to establish a new ministry.[24]
- 21–22 May – President Yoon, Group of Seven leaders, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and OECD and EU leaders attend the AI Seoul Summit that is also attended by Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, and Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, as well as representatives from OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Meta and Naver.[25]
- 22 May – President Yoon announces a ₩26 trillion (US$19 billion) support package for the country's semiconductor industry, which accounts for 18% of the country's total exports.[26]
- 29 May – North Korea deploys 260 balloons carrying garbage and possible human waste over South Korea, which Pyongyang says is in retaliation for balloons sent into the North by anti-regime activists.[27]
June
- 4–5 June – 2024 South Korea–Africa Summit: President Yoon and representatives from 48 African countries held a summit meeting in Ilsan, Gyeonggi-do.
- 4 June – The State Council of South Korea suspends the 2018 Panmunjom Declaration due to border tensions over balloons sent by North Korea.[28]
- 5 June – The United States and South Korea participate in the first precision guided bombing drill in seven years over the Korean Peninsula.[29]
- 6 June – A South Korean activists’ group led by North Korean defector Park Sang-hak sends 200,000 anti-Pyongyang leaflets, U.S. bills, and USB sticks containing K-pop songs and South Korean dramas to North Korea with 10 balloons in retaliation to for the North's deployment of balloons carrying trash to South Korea.[30]
- 7 June – Samsung Electronics experiences its first ever labor walkout following a dispute over pay and workers' bonuses.[31]
- 9 June:
- South Korea announces that it would resume loudspeaker broadcasts into North Korea for the first time since 2018 in retaliation for the latter's deployment of trash-filled balloons.[32]
- A group of North Korean soldiers enter the South Korean side of the DMZ, prompting warning shots from South Korean forces that force them to retreat.[33]
- 12 June – A magnitude 4.3 earthquake strikes North Jeolla Province, damaging at least 285 structures.[34]
- 18 June:
- A group of North Korean soldiers enter the South Korean side of the central section of the DMZ, prompting warning shots from South Korean forces that force them to retreat.[35]
- President Yoon Suk Yeol declares a 'demographic national emergency'.[36]
- 20 June – A group of North Korean soldiers enter the South Korean side of the DMZ, prompting warning shots from South Korean forces that force them to retreat.[37]
July
August
September
- 2 September –
- 4 September – President Yoon and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon hold a summit in Seoul. Both leaders pledged to strengthen bilateral relations in various fields including trade, investment, security and technology, and to cooperate on regional and international issues, and express concerns about the international situation, including security in the South China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[63]
- 6 September – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida makes his last visit to South Korea before leaving office. President Yoon and Kishida emphasize that it is very important to maintain the momentum of cooperation and exchange between the two countries.[64]
- 30 September –
- The Seoul Western District Court convicts three police officers, including the former head of Yongsan police station Lee Im-jae, of negligence over their handling of the Seoul Halloween crowd crush in 2022 and sentences them to up to three years imprisonment.[65]
- Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico makes an official visit to South Korea and holds a summit with President Yoon, resulting in a joint statement to establish a strategic partnership in the areas of security, defense, economy, trade, energy, and technology.[66]
October
- 2 October –
- A defector from North Korea is arrested near Paju after trying to return to North Korea using a stolen bus which crashes into a barricade at the Unification Bridge in the DMZ.[67]
- As the conflict between Israel and Iran intensifies, President Yoon holds an emergency meeting with senior government officials and orders the immediate dispatch of military transport planes to repatriate South Koreans. They also discuss measures to minimize the impact on the economy and energy supplies.[68]
- 10 October – Han Kang is awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in recognition for “her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life”.[69]
- 11 October – North Korea accuses South Korea of sending drones carrying propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang on three occasions since 3 October. South Korean officials deny the claims.[70]
- 15 October – The Changwon District Court rules that misogyny is a hate crime in the case of a man convicted of physically assaulting a woman over her short hair.[71]
- 17 October –
- 24 October – A balloon from North Korea carrying rubbish lands on the Presidential Residence in Yongsan, Seoul.[74]
November
- 5 November – The Personal Information Protection Commission imposes a fine of 21.6 billion won ($15 million) on Meta Platforms for illegally collecting sensitive information from around 980,000 Facebook users from 2018 to 2022.[75]
- 8 November – At least two people are killed and 12 others are reported missing after a fishing boat capsizes off the coast of Jeju Island.[76]
- 9 November – South Korea accuses North Korea of jamming GPS signals in the Yellow Sea, causing disruptions to shipping and aviation.[77]
- 14 November – Former assemblywoman Yoon Mee-hyang is convicted by the Supreme Court of fraud and embezzlement of funds from the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan that she headed and is given a three-year suspended prison term.[78]
- 15 November – Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung is convicted by the Seoul Central District Court of making false statements during his presidential campaign in 2022 and is given a one-year suspended prison sentence.[79]
- 25 November – Lee Jae-myung is acquitted by the Seoul Central District Court of instigating a witness in a 2019 case involving Lee to commit perjury.[80]
- 28 November – 2024 South Korean snowstorm: Three people are killed following incidents caused by heavy snowfall in Gyeonggi Province.[81]
December
Holidays
As per Presidential Decree No. 28394, 2017. 10. 17., partially amended, the following days are declared holidays in South Korea:[85] [86]
Art and entertainment
Deaths
January
February
April
September
- 11 September – Jeong Jae-mun, 87, political scientist and politician, MP (1985–2004).[91]
- 15 September –
- 19 September – Tongsun Park, 89, lobbyist.[94]
- 22 September – Park Hee-bu, 85, civil servant and politician, MP (1992–1996).[95]
- 28 September – Choi Gwang-ryul, 88, lawyer and judge, justice of the constitutional court (1988–1994).[96]
- 30 September – Park Ji-ah, 52, actress (The Coast Guard, 3-Iron, The Glory).[97]
October
- 5 October – Jeong Hui-gyeong, 92, academic and politician, MP (1996–2000).[98]
- 22 October – Go Jin-hwa, 61, politician, MP (2004–2008).[99]
- 23 October – Lee Sang-deuk, 88, politician and convicted briber, MP (1988–2012).[100]
- 25 October – Kim Soo-mi, 75, actress (Barefoot Ki-bong, Late Blossom, Mapado).[101]
- 30 October – Jo Hea-jung, 71, volleyball player, Olympic bronze medallist (1976).[102]
November
See also
Country overviews
Related timelines for current period
External links
Notes and References
- News: Sang-Hun . Choe . 2024-01-02 . South Korean Opposition Leader Is Stabbed . en-US . The New York Times . 2024-01-02 . 0362-4331.
- News: January 2, 2024 . (2nd LD) Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung attacked during visit to Busan . Yonhap News Agency.
- Web site: Jie . Lim Hui . 2024-01-05 . North Korea fires 200 artillery shells near Yeonpyeong Island; South reportedly orders evacuation . 2024-01-05 . CNBC . en.
- Web site: Stewart . Jessie Yeung, Gawon Bae, Yoonjung Seo, Marc . 2024-01-09 . South Korea passes bill to ban eating dog meat, ending controversial practice as consumer habits change . 2024-01-10 . CNN . en.
- News: South Korea parliament passes law banning dog meat . Mackenzie . Jean . BBC News . 9 January 2024 . January 15, 2024.
- News: January 15, 2024 . S. Korea unveils plan to build semiconductor mega cluster by 2047 . Yonhap News Agency.
- Web site: Your gateway to the Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024 . November 3, 2023 . Olympic . en.
- News: January 23, 2024 . Nearly 350 flights at Jeju airport canceled on snow, winds . Yonhap News Agency.
- Web site: 2024-01-25 . PPP lawmaker Bae Hyun-jin hospitalized after being attacked by '15 year-old boy' . 2024-01-25 . . en.
- Web site: Presse . AFP-Agence France . Cuba Restores Ties With South Korea After 65 Years . 2024-02-14 . www.barrons.com . en-US.
- Web site: 22 September 2022 . Dates for Busan 2024 ITTF World Team Championships Finals Announced . 7 November 2023 . International Table Tennis Federation.
- News: February 6, 2024 . (3rd LD) Number of medical students to be boosted by 2,000 next year, while doctors warn of strike . Yonhap News Agency.
- News: March 12, 2024 . South Korea doctors' strike: government moves to suspend thousands of medical licences . The Guardian.
- Web site: March 18, 2024 . South Korea hosts democracy summit as its own democratic principles erode . KOREAPRO.
- Web site: One of two missing crew members of capsized South Korean tanker found . NHK . 21 March 2024 . 21 March 2024.
- News: April 8, 2024 . (2nd LD) S. Korea successfully launches 2nd spy satellite into orbit . Yonhap News Agency.
- Web site: April 11, 2024 . Opposition win in South Korea election to deepen policy stalemate for Yoon . .
- Web site: 14 April 2024 . Presidential office says it will take time to name new PM, chief of staff after election defeat . . 14 April 2024 . 14 April 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240414183051/https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20240414000800320?section=national/politics . live .
- Web site: 11 April 2024 . South Korea's prime minister and top presidential officials offer to resign after election defeat . Associated Press . 11 April 2024 . 11 April 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240411024600/https://apnews.com/article/south-korea-yoon-parliament-election-8a538a2c99146aa6e2279d13b6a6ea3c . live .
- News: April 12, 2024 . (LEAD) BOK to keep restrictive stance for longer period amid inflation woes . Yonhap News Agency.
- News: April 15, 2024 . Supreme Court rejects suit to nullify 2022 Gyeonggi governor election . Yonhap News Agency.
- News: April 30, 2024 . Underwhelming 1st meeting . The Korea Times.
- Web site: May 2, 2024 . Seoul alerts overseas missions to NK terror threats .
- News: May 15, 2024 . President Yoon makes first apology for the First Lady's actions . The Chosun Daily.
- News: May 21, 2024 . (LEAD) AI Seoul Summit adopts declaration on safe, innovative, inclusive AI . Yonhap News Agency.
- Web site: South Korea announces $19 bln support package for chip industry. 2024-05-22. Reuters.
- Web site: North Korea drops trash balloons on the South . 2024-05-30. BBC.
- Web site: 2024-06-04 . South Korea is suspending a military deal with North Korea after tensions over trash balloons . 2024-06-04 . AP News . en.
- Web site: 2024-06-05 . US flies B-1B bomber for first precision bomb drill in 7 years as tensions simmer with North Korea . 2024-06-06 . AP News . en.
- Web site: 2024-06-06 . South Korean group flies propaganda leaflets across border following North's trash-balloon launches . 2024-06-07 . AP News . en.
- Web site: 2024-06-07 . Workers at Samsung Electronics walk out for the first time ever . 2024-06-07 . CNN . en.
- Web site: 2024-06-09 . South Korea to resume loudspeaker broadcasts over border in balloon row . 2024-06-09 . BBC . en.
- Web site: 2024-06-11 . Warning shots from South as NK soldiers cross border . 2024-06-11 . BBC . en.
- Web site: 300건 육박한 부안 지진 피해…보상은 어떻게 이뤄질까. Yonhap News Agency. ko. 13 June 2024. 13 June 2024.
- Web site: 2024-06-18 . South Korean military says N Korean soldiers cross border, mines explode . 2024-06-18 . Al Jazeera . en.
- Web site: June 19, 2024 . Yoon declares 'demographic national emergency,' vows all-out efforts to tackle low birth rate .
- Web site: 2024-06-21 . South Korea fires warning shots as North Korean soldiers cross border again. 2024-06-21 . Al Jazeera . en.
- Web site: 2024-06-25 . South Korean investigators search in factory ruins after fire killed 23, mostly Chinese migrants . 2024-06-25 . Associated Press . en.
- Web site: 1 July 2024 . (2nd LD) 9 dead, 4 injured as car plows into pedestrians in central Seoul . 1 July 2024 . . en.
- Web site: 7 July 2024 . Kimchi blamed for mass sickness in South Korea . 5 July 2024 . BBC . en.
- Web site: 5 July 2024 . Man who stabbed South Korea's opposition leader sentenced to 15 years in prison . 5 July 2024 . Associated Press . en.
- Web site: 8 July 2024 . South Korea Samsung workers start strike: union chief . 8 July 2024 . France 24 . en.
- Web site: 10 July 2024 . South Korea Samsung union declares 'indefinite' strike . 10 July 2024 . France 24 . en.
- Web site: 8 July 2024 . South Korea abandons plan to suspend licenses of striking doctors to resolve medical impasse . 8 July 2024 . Associated Press . en.
- Web site: 16 July 2024 . North Korean diplomat in Cuba defected to South Korea in November, Seoul says . 16 July 2024 . Associated Press . en.
- News: July 18, 2024 . Tech prowess allows S. Korea's price competitiveness in Czech nuclear bid: industry minister . Yonhap News Agency.
- Web site: 17 July 2024 . Former CIA official charged with being secret agent for South Korean intelligence . 17 July 2024 . Associated Press . en.
- Web site: 18 July 2024 . South Korea court recognises rights of same-sex couples . 18 July 2024 . France 24 . en.
- Web site: 23 July 2024 . South Korean tech giant Kakao's founder arrested in stock price manipulation case . 23 July 2024 . Associated Press . en.
- Web site: 24 July 2024 . Trash dropped by a North Korean balloon falls on South Korea's presidential compound . 24 October 2024 . Associated Press . en.
- News: August 12, 2024 . Overachieving S. Korea ties own gold medal record to finish 8th . Yonhap News Agency.
- Web site: 31 July 2024 . South Korean military intel official arrested for allegedly leaking secrets, reportedly on spies . 31 July 2024 . Associated Press . en.
- News: August 5, 2024 . U.S. recession fears send KOSPI dipping by record high of nearly 9 pct . Yonhap News Agency.
- Web site: 20 August 2024 . North Korean soldier defects to South Korea: Report . 20 August 2024 . . en.
- News: August 22, 2024 . BOK extends rate freeze amid soaring home prices . Yonhap News Agency.
- News: August 22, 2024 . Presidential office expresses disappointment over BOK's rate freeze . Yonhap News Agency.
- Web site: 22 August 2024 . A hotel fire in South Korea killed at least 7 people and injured 12, officials say . 22 August 2024 . . en.
- News: August 28, 2024 . Space agency seeks 27 pct hike in 2025 budget . Yonhap News Agency.
- Web site: South Korea arrests battery maker CEO over fire that killed 23 . 2024-08-29 . 2024-08-29 . Al Jazeera.
- Web site: Court orders South Korea to specify plans to cut carbon emissions through 2049 . 2024-08-29 . 2024-08-29 . Associated Press .
- Web site: South Korea opens Telegram deepfake porn probe . 2024-09-03 . dw.com . en.
- Web site: South Korea's president skips opening ceremony of parliament as strife with opposition deepens . 2024-09-03 . Associated Press . 2 September 2024 . en.
- News: September 4, 2024 . A. Korea, New Zealand agree to boost security cooperation . Yonhap News Agency.
- News: September 6, 2024 . Farewell summit: Yoon, Kishida pledge to keep momentum in revitalizing ties . The Korea Herald.
- Web site: South Korean court gives prison sentences to 3 police officers over deadly 2022 Halloween crush . 2024-09-30 . Associated Press . 30 September 2024 . en.
- News: September 30, 2024 . S. Korea, Slovakia sign energy cooperation agreement with eye on nuclear deal . Yonhap News Agency.
- Web site: Defector tries returning to North Korea on stolen bus . 2024-10-03 . BBC . en.
- News: October 2, 2024 . Yoon orders immediate dispatch of military aircraft to evacuate Koreans amid Middle East crisis . The Korea Times.
- Web site: Nobel Prize in literature is awarded to South Korean author Han Kang for her "intense poetic prose" . 2024-10-10 . Associated Press . 10 October 2024 . en.
- Web site: North Korea accuses South Korea of sending propaganda drones to Pyongyang . 2024-10-11. Al Jazeera . en.
- Web site: S Korean court recognises misogyny as hate crime motive . 2024-10-17 . France 24. 17 October 2024 . en.
- Web site: South Korea considered a 'hostile' state after North Korea revises constitution . 2024-10-17 . France 24 . 17 October 2024 . en.
- Web site: Seoul police chief acquitted over Halloween crush . 2024-10-17 . BBC . 17 October 2024 . en.
- Web site: 24 October 2024 . Trash carried by a North Korean balloon again falls on the presidential compound in Seoul . 24 October 2024 . Associated Press . en.
- Web site: 5 November 2024 . South Korea fines Meta $15 million for illegally collecting information on Facebook users . 5 November 2024 . Associated Press . en.
- Web site: 8 November 2024 . At least 2 dead and 12 missing after a fishing boat sinks off South Korea's Jeju island . 8 November 2024 . Associated Press . en.
- Web site: 9 November 2024 . South Korea's military blames North Korea for GPS signal 'jamming attack' . 9 November 2024 . Al Jazeera . en.
- Web site: 14 November 2024 . South Korean court finds former lawmaker guilty of misusing funds meant for sexual slavery victims . 14 November 2024 . Associated Press . en.
- Web site: 15 November 2024 . South Korean opposition leader convicted for violating election law . 15 November 2024 . Al Jazeera . en.
- Web site: 25 November 2024 . Seoul court acquits South Korean opposition leader on charges of instigating perjury . 25 November 2024 . Associated Press . en.
- Web site: 28 November 2024 . South Korea officials say three dead in heavy snowfall . 28 November 2024 . France 24 . en.
- Web site: 3 December 2024 . South Korea president declares emergency martial law . 3 December 2024 . CNN . en.
- Web site: (4th LD) Yoon declares emergency martial law; parliament votes to lift declaration . 4 December 2024 . . en.
- Web site: Kim . Arin . 4 December 2024 . [From the Scene] Rush to get to National Assembly in first hours of martial law ]. 4 December 2024 . The Korea Herald.
- Web site: South Korea Public Holidays 2024. 30 October 2023 . Public Holidays Global.
- Web site: South Korea Public Holidays 2024. January 15, 2024 . Public Holidays Global.
- Web site: 남자배구 전 국가대표 공격수 최홍석, 35세 일기로 별세 . 2024-01-19 . TV.
- Web site: 오 . 보람 . 2024-01-19 . '피막' '물레야 물레야' 연출한 거장 이두용 감독 별세(종합) . 2024-01-19 . . ko.
- Web site: 60·70년대 영화 스타 남궁원씨 별세...홍정욱 前의원 부친 . Namgoong Won, a movie star in the 60s and 70s, passes away...father of former lawmaker Hong Jeong-wook. Oh . Yu-jin . . 5 February 2024 . ko . 18 February 2024.
- Web site: Ex-PM Ro Jai-bong dies at 88 . 2024-04-25 . . 24 April 2024 . en.
- Web site: September 11, 2024 . 1989년 국회의원 첫 소련 방문…정재문 전 의원 별세 .
- Web site: September 15, 2024 . [부고] 조경목(전 국회의원)씨 별세 ].
- Web site: 임지선 . 2024-09-16 . '시대의 조정자' 남재희 전 노동부 장관 별세 . 2024-11-14 . 한겨레 . ko.
- Web site: September 19, 2024 . 1970년대 한미관계 뒤흔든 '코리아게이트' 박동선씨 별세(종합) .
- Web site: September 23, 2024 . [부고] 박희부(14대 국회의원)씨 별세 ].
- Web site: 조선일보 . 2024-09-29 . 최광률 초대 헌법재판관 별세 . 2024-11-14 . 조선일보 . ko.
- Web site: 'The Glory' actor Park Ji-a dies at 52 after battling stroke . The Korea Times . en . 30 September 2024.
- Web site: 조선일보 . 2024-10-06 . 韓적십자 여성 대표로 평양 방문… 정희경 前 이사장 별세 . 2024-11-14 . 조선일보 . ko.
- Web site: October 22, 2024 . 고진화 전 국회의원 별세…향년 61세 .
- Web site: October 23, 2024 . 이상득 전 국회부의장 별세…6선 의원 지낸 與 원로(종합) .
- Web site: 2024-10-25 . Kim Soo-mi, iconic actor and culinary star, dies at 75 . 2024-11-14 . koreajoongangdaily.joins.com . en.
- Web site: 뉴스 . SBS . 2024-10-30 . 조혜정 전 GS칼텍스 감독 별세…"배구야, 너를 만나 즐겁고 행복했어" . 2024-11-14 . SBS NEWS . ko.
- Web site: 조선일보 . 2024-11-03 . 서상홍 前 헌법재판소 사무처장 별세… 향년 75세 . 2024-11-14 . 조선일보 . ko.
- Web site: November 9, 2024 . 민사소송법·집행법 대가 이시윤씨 별세…헌재 이론 기틀(종합) .
- Web site: South Korean actor Song Jae Lim found dead at 39 . BBC . en . 13 November 2024.