Seoul: North Korean leader Kim Jong-il was born in 1942. He assumed leadership after his father, Kim Il-sung, the founder of North Korea, passed away in 1994.
According to Yonhap News Agency, 1945 marked the tragic death of poet Yoon Dong-ju in a Japanese prison at age 29. Yoon, who was born in Manchuria, pursued education in Pyongyang and Seoul before studying in Japan. He was arrested by Japanese police for his anti-government activities and died in Fukuoka prison due to harsh treatment. His poignant poems, reflecting the struggles during Japanese colonization of Korea, were posthumously published in 1948 in a collection titled “Sky, Wind, Star and Poems.”
In 1950, South Korea’s first president, Rhee Syng-man, visited Japan upon the invitation of U.S. General Douglas MacArthur. This visit highlighted post-war diplomatic relations in the region.
The year 1958 witnessed a dramatic incident when a South Korean airplane en route from Busan to Seoul was hijacked to North Korea, illustrating the tense inter-Korean relations of the time.
By 2004, South Korea’s National Assembly ratified the South Korea-Chile Free Trade Agreement, marking a significant step in international trade relations for the country.
In 2007, South Korea announced a major defense acquisition plan to purchase 20 next-generation fighter jets, with an estimated cost of 2.3 trillion won (US$2.4 billion), as shared by defense ministry sources.
The nation mourned the death of Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan in 2009, South Korea’s first Roman Catholic cardinal known for his advocacy for the underprivileged, who passed away at age 86.
South Korea celebrated a historic sporting achievement in 2010 when Mo Tae-bum secured the country’s first-ever gold medal in the 500-meter speed skating event during his Olympic debut.
In 2018, Yun Sung-bin made headlines by winning the gold medal in the men’s skeleton event at the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games, further establishing South Korea’s prowess in winter sports.
Most recently, in 2022, South Korean short tracker Choi Min-jeong clinched the gold medal in the women’s 1,500m at the Beijing Winter Olympics, adding to South Korea’s impressive Olympic legacy.