Dec. 20, Key Historical Events in South Korea:
1974: North Korean spy Moon Se-gwang is executed for assassinating first lady Yook Young-su, wife of President Park Chung-hee.
1979: A military court sentences Kim Jae-kyu, former chief of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA), and six others to death for assassinating President Park Chung-hee on Oct. 26, 1979, ending Park's 18-year rule.
According to Yonhap News Agency, 1997: President Kim Young-sam and President-elect Kim Dae-jung agree to special pardons for former Presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo. Chun and Roh were previously sentenced for their roles in a 1979 coup and subsequent rule.
2002: Lee Hoi-chang, leader of the opposition Grand National Party, announces his retirement from politics.
2008: South Korea concludes its four-year military presence in Iraq, withdrawing the final group of its Zaytun contingent from Irbil and an air support unit from Kuwait. The 3,600-strong noncombat force was dispatched in 2004 at the request of the United States to provide medical services and reconstruction support.
2009: The United Nations General Assembly passes a resolution on North Korean human rights for the fifth consecutive year, urging the North to address its human rights issues.
2011: South Korea expresses sympathy for the people of North Korea following the death of leader Kim Jong-il but decides against sending an official condolence delegation.
2012: Park Geun-hye, candidate of the ruling conservative Saenuri Party, is elected as South Korea's first female president, winning 51.6 percent of the vote against Moon Jae-in of the Democratic United Party. Park is scheduled to assume office on Feb. 25.