Yoon Suk Yeol won the March presidential election by 0.73 percentage points and took office in May, opening the Cheong Wa Dae compound to the public. The Nuri rocket reached orbit on its second launch, but August floods in Seoul’s Gangnam area and the Itaewon crowd crush left deep scars.
The year in Korea
Mar 3A major wildfire broke out in Uljin, threatening the Hanul nuclear power plant and an LNG facility and burning more than 20,000 hectares. [Source]
Mar 9Yoon Suk Yeol of the People Power Party defeated Lee Jae-myung by 0.73 percentage points, the narrowest margin in South Korean presidential history. [Source]
May 10With Yoon Suk Yeol’s inauguration, Cheong Wa Dae ceased to serve as the presidential residence and was opened to the public. [Source]
Jun 21The Nuri rocket succeeded on its second launch, placing a performance-verification satellite into orbit. [Source]
Aug 8Record rainfall, the heaviest in 80 years, flooded Seoul’s Gangnam area, damaging some 2,800 buildings and causing deaths. [Source]
Oct 29A crowd crush in a narrow alley in Seoul’s Itaewon during Halloween festivities killed 159 people and injured 196. [Source]
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Around the world
Feb 24Russia invaded Ukraine, starting the largest war in Europe since World War II. [Source]
Nov 20The FIFA World Cup was held in Qatar from November 20 to December 18, the first in the Middle East. [Source]
Songs, shows & trends
Film
Park Chan-wook – “Decision to Leave” — After Park Chan-wook won Best Director at Cannes, the film opened in Korea on June 29. [Source]
TV drama
ENA – “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” — The story of a rookie lawyer on the autism spectrum began on June 29, and its finale drew 17.5% nationwide ratings. [Source]
Lee Jung-jae wins an Emmy — On September 12 he became the first Asian to win the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, for “Squid Game.” [Source]
Music
NewJeans debuts — The girl group from HYBE’s label ADOR debuted with “Attention” on July 22. [Source]
Sports
Into the World Cup round of 16 — On December 2, South Korea beat Portugal in its last group match and reached the knockout stage for the first time since 2010. [Source]
Year League: the best year
Sources
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