Ahead of the May presidential election, opposition candidate Shin Ik-hee died suddenly while campaigning; Rhee won a third term, but the Democratic Party's Chang Myon was elected vice president. Political tension continued with the September assassination attempt on Chang and the founding of the Progressive Party in November, while Korea's first TV station, the hit film 'Madame Freedom' and an Asian Cup title brought new winds to popular culture.
The year in Korea
May 5Democratic Party presidential candidate Shin Ik-hee died aboard a train on his way to campaign in the Honam region. [Source]
May 15In the third presidential election Syngman Rhee was re-elected, while the Democratic Party's Chang Myon won the vice presidency. [Source]
Aug 15Chang Myon took office as the fourth vice president. [Source]
Sep 28Vice President Chang Myon was shot at while attending a Democratic Party convention at the Sigonggwan hall in Seoul. [Source]
Nov 10Cho Bong-am and others held the founding convention of the Progressive Party at the Seoul Municipal Theater. [Source]
Oct 23The Hungarian Revolution against Soviet domination broke out but was crushed by Soviet forces. [Source]
Songs, shows & trends
TV & broadcasting
HLKZ-TV, Korea's first TV station — On May 12 the Korean–American venture opened, airing Korea's first TV broadcasts and commercials. [Source]
Film
Film “Madame Freedom” — Han Hyung-mo's adaptation of Chung Bi-seok's novel drew attention for its daring romance and was a major box-office success. [Source]
Sports
Winning the first AFC Asian Cup — South Korea's national football team won the inaugural Asian Cup in Hong Kong. [Source]
Song Soon-chun, first Olympic silver — He won Korea's first Olympic silver medal in bantamweight boxing at Melbourne. [Source]
Year League: the best year
Sources
Each [Source] link points to the Wikipedia article for that item. Wikipedia content is available under CC BY-SA. Photos come from Wikimedia Commons and are used under the license shown with each one. Click a photo to open its original file page. More about this year on Wikipedia
