Korea in 2003

The Roh Moo-hyun administration took office, but the nation was soon plunged into mourning by the Daegu subway fire. Six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear program began, and Korean films and dramas such as “Memories of Murder,” “Oldboy” and “Jewel in the Palace” drew wide acclaim.

The year in Korea

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Around the world

Songs, shows & trends

Film

  • Bong Joon-ho – “Memories of Murder” — Inspired by the Hwaseong serial murders, it was both a hit and a critical success. [Source]
  • Park Chan-wook – “Oldboy” — Released in November, it won the Grand Prix at Cannes the following year. [Source]
  • Kang Woo-suk – “Silmido” — Released in December, it became the first Korean film to sell 10 million tickets. [Source]

TV drama

  • MBC – “Jewel in the Palace” — A historical drama about royal cuisine and medicine that was exported around the world. [Source]

Sports

  • Lee Seung-yuop hits 56 home runs — Set what was then the single-season home run record in Asian professional baseball. [Source]

Music

  • TVXQ debuts — Debuted in December and went on to huge popularity in Korea and Japan. [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

Korea Then

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