Overseas travel was fully liberalized in January, and under the Nordpolitik policy relations with the Eastern Bloc began to open, starting with diplomatic ties with Hungary in February. Unauthorized visits to North Korea by Rev. Moon Ik-hwan and student Lim Su-kyung stirred major controversy, and the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union was founded in May. Labor disputes continued as the “three lows” boom faded.
The year in Korea
FebUnder Nordpolitik, South Korea established diplomatic relations with Hungary, its first with an Eastern Bloc country. [Source]
MarRev. Moon Ik-hwan visited North Korea without government permission and met Kim Il Sung. [Source]
MaySeven police officers died in a fire during an operation to end a student protest at Dong-eui University in Busan. [Source]
MayTeachers founded the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (Jeongyojo). [Source]
JunUniversity student Lim Su-kyung attended the World Festival of Youth and Students in Pyongyang without government approval. [Source]
DecFormer President Chun Doo-hwan appeared before a National Assembly hearing to testify. [Source]
Advertisement
Around the world
NovThe Berlin Wall, symbol of the Cold War divide, fell. [Source]
Songs, shows & trends
Film
Im Kwon-taek – “Come, Come, Come Upward” — Lead actress Kang Soo-yeon won Best Actress at the Moscow International Film Festival. [Source]
TV drama
KBS 2TV “The Wang Lung Family” — A miniseries satirizing a village on Seoul's outskirts caught up in a development boom. [Source]
Trend
Lotte World opens — The indoor-outdoor theme park in Jamsil, Seoul, quickly became a top outing spot. [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. More about this year on Wikipedia