Trials stemming from the martial law crisis continued, and former president Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced at first instance to life imprisonment for leading an insurrection. In the June local elections, the Democratic Party won 12 of the 16 metropolitan mayor and governor races. Choi Ga-on won Olympic gold at Milano Cortina, and BTS returned as a full group. (Covers events through October.)
The year in Korea
Jan 16In one of the martial law-related trials, former president Yoon Suk Yeol was convicted of abuse of power, obstruction of justice and falsification of official documents and sentenced at first instance to five years in prison (raised to seven years on appeal). [Source]
Jan 21Former prime minister Han Duck-soo was convicted over his role in the martial law declaration, on charges including insurrection, perjury and falsifying and destroying official documents, and sentenced at first instance to 23 years in prison. [Source]
Jan 28Former first lady Kim Keon Hee was sentenced at first instance to 20 months in prison for bribery and acquitted on two other charges, including stock manipulation (on appeal in April she was found guilty of stock manipulation and the term was raised to four years). [Source]
Feb 19Former president Yoon Suk Yeol was convicted at first instance of leading an insurrection and sentenced to life imprisonment. [Source]
Mar 20A fire at a car parts factory in Daedeok District, Daejeon, killed 14 people and injured 60. [Source]
May 23North Korea’s Naegohyang Women’s FC beat Tokyo Verdy Beleza 1–0 in the AFC Women’s Champions League final in Suwon; its semifinal there was the first South Korea-hosted event with North Korean athletes in over seven years. [Source]
Jun 3In the 9th nationwide local elections, the Democratic Party won 12 of the 16 metropolitan mayor and governor races, while the People Power Party held four, including Seoul; ballot shortages disrupted voting in some districts. [Source]
Oct 7On its fifth launch, the Nuri rocket placed its main payload of five micro-satellites for a constellation into orbit. [Source]
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Around the world
Feb 6The Milano Cortina Winter Olympics were held in Italy from February 6 to 22. [Source]
Jun 11The FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, ran from June 11 to July 19 and was won by Spain. [Source]
Songs, shows & trends
Sports
Choi Ga-on wins halfpipe gold — On February 12 she won the women’s halfpipe final at the Milano Cortina Olympics, with Chloe Kim taking silver. [Source]
Film
“KPop Demon Hunters” wins two Oscars — At the March 15 ceremony it won Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for “Golden.” [Source]
Music
BTS – “Arirang” — The band’s first release after all members completed military service, out March 20, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. [Source]
BTS – Arirang World Tour — An all-stadium tour that opened in Goyang on April 9 and is scheduled to continue into 2027. [Source]
Auto-collected: this year so far Auto-collected
These entries are collected automatically every week from Wikipedia and shown in their original language (Korean or English). Wikipedia content is available under CC BY-SA; when the article changes, this list follows on the next run. 2026 in South Korea
Jan 2A KAI T-50 Golden Eagle of the Republic of Korea Air Force overturns during an emergency landing at Gwangju Air Base in Gwangju. Both pilots are unharmed. [Source]
Jan 16Former president Yoon Suk Yeol is convicted and sentenced to five years' imprisonment on charges of abuse of power, obstruction of justice and falsification of documents in one of four trials relating to the 2024 South Korean martial law crisis. [Source]
Jan 16A massive fire breaks out at Guryong Village in Gangnam, Seoul. [Source]
Jan 21Former prime minister Han Duck-soo is convicted and sentenced to 23 years' imprisonment on charges relating to the 2024 South Korean martial law crisis. [Source]
Jan 28Former first lady Kim Keon Hee is convicted and sentenced to 20 months' imprisonment on charges of accepting bribes from the Unification Church. [Source]
Feb 9An AH-1S Cobra attack helicopter of the Republic of Korea Army crashes in Gapyeong County, killing its two crew. [Source]
Feb 10Authorities carry out raids on the National Intelligence Service and the Korea Defense Intelligence Command as part of investigations into drone flights carried out into North Korea. [Source]
Feb 12Former interior minister Lee Sang-min is convicted and sentenced to seven years' imprisonment on charges relating to the 2024 South Korean martial law crisis. [Source]
Feb 19Former president Yoon Suk Yeol is convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for insurrection relating to the 2024 South Korean martial law crisis. [Source]
Feb 25An F-16 fighter jet of the Republic of Korea Air Force crashes near Yeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. The pilot safely ejects. [Source]
Feb 26A Truth and Reconciliation Commission is convened to investigate anomalies in the international adoption of South Korean children. [Source]
Mar 5President Lee orders the activation of a ₩100 trillion (about US$68 billion) stabilization fund to address volatility in the country's financial markets linked to the 2026 Iran war. [Source]
Mar 13Police raid the headquarters of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in Sejong City as part of a renewed investigation into the crash of Jeju Air Flight 2216 in 2024. [Source]
Mar 16A child is injured after being hit at a playground by a stray bullet suspected to have been fired during nearby military exercises in Daegu. [Source]
Mar 20Fourteen people are killed in a fire at a car parts factory in Daejeon. [Source]
Apr 28The Seoul High Court extends former first lady Kim Keon Hee's prison term for corruption from 20 months to four years. [Source]
Apr 29The Seoul High Court sentences former president Yoon Suk Yeol to seven years' imprisonment on charges related to the 2024 South Korean martial law crisis. [Source]
May 17North Korean team Naegohyang Women's FC arrive in Incheon to compete at the AFC Women's Champions League in Suwon, the first time a North Korean sports team has been sent to the South since 2018. [Source]
May 20North Korean team Naegohyang Women's FC defeats South Korean side Suwon FC Women at the semifinals of the AFC Women's Champions League in Suwon. [Source]
May 23Naegohyang Women's FC wins the 2025–26 AFC Women's Champions League after defeating Tokyo Verdy Beleza 1–0 at the final in Suwon. [Source]
May 26An overpass demolition site in Seodaemun District, Seoul, collapses, killing three people and injuring three others. [Source]
Jun 1An explosion hits a factory operated by Hanwha Aerospace in Daejeon, killing five people. [Source]
Jun 5Public assemblies and citizen gatherings continue following the shortage of ballots in local elections, primarily centered around the Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Jamsil-dong, Seoul. [Source]
Jun 10The PIPC issues a 624.6 billion won ($400 million) fine on Coupang over a 2025 data breach that exposed around 37.5 million users. [Source]
Jun 11South Korea participates at the participates at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. [Source]
Jun 12Former president Yoon Suk Yeol is sentenced to 30 years' imprisonment for sending drones into North Korea as part of efforts to stage provocations to justify the imposition of martial law in 2024. [Source]
Jun 22Former justice minister Park Sung-jae is sentenced to 25 years' imprisonment for his role in abetting the imposition of martial law in 2024. [Source]
Jun 24Lee Man-hee, the founder of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, is arrested on charges of electoral interference over the recruitment of thousands of followers into the People Power Party. [Source]
Jun 30Kim Min-seok resigns as prime minister and is replaced by Han Seong-sook. [Source]
Jul 1The Ministry of Science and ICT officially launches the state-run artificial intelligence company "K-AGI" to boost national competitiveness in the AI sector. [Source]
Jul 7The Supreme Court upholds the 7-year prison sentence and 5-year suspended sentence for former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was convicted on charges of inciting insurrection and interfering with official duties by ordering his security service to block the execution of a court warrant. [Source]
Jul 13The National Assembly passes a bill to abolish the Ministry of Unification, transferring its functions to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant departments, in line with the current administration's realignment of inter-Korean policy. [Source]
Jul 18The first vehicle rolls off the production line at the newly built KGM Commercial electric truck plant in Gunsan. [Source]
Jul 1929 July – 48th session of the World Heritage Committee in Busan. [Source]
Jul 23A special investigation team consisting of police and prosecutors raids the headquarters and branches of the National Election Commission over allegations that some employees manipulated data to cover up errors in the voter turnout count from the June 3 local elections. [Source]
Jul 25The getbol tidal flats are designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. [Source]
Jul 29The Korea Aerospace Research Institute announces the successful test flight of the first domestically developed high-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle capable of operating at altitudes exceeding 12 kilometers for more than 24 hours. [Source]
Jul 29Busan records its highest-ever temperature of. The heatwave results in at least nine heat-related deaths across the country since May. [Source]
Aug 10Two former Chinese military officers are arrested in separate incidents on suspicion of spying. [Source]
Aug 17US President Donald Trump orders the Pentagon to reduce annual joint military exercises with South Korea, saying that the latter refused to help with the 2026 Iran war and citing his good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. [Source]
Aug 17One person is killed in a landslide in Geoje. [Source]
Aug 24A police officer is arrested for issuing false information following the discovery of four bodies linked to missing persons cases in Jeju Province. [Source]
Aug 31A court in Seoul sentences Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja to two years' imprisonment for bribery involving former first lady Kim Keon Hee. [Source]
Sep 2A court sentences an elderly care home director in Incheon to 15 years' imprisonment for sexually assaulting three of his patients. [Source]
Sep 4One person is killed in a crane collapse caused by strong winds generated by Tropical Storm Krovanh in the Port of Jeju. [Source]
Sep 5The Yeosu World Island Exhibition is held in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province. [Source]
Sep 21Three soldiers are injured in a suspected landmine explosion along the DMZ. [Source]
Sep 23Ukraine announces that two North Korean soldiers that had been captured while fighting for Russia had been transferred to South Korea. [Source]
Oct 1K-pop singer and Winner member Mino is convicted of failing 102 times to report at a community center in Seoul as part of an alternative arrangement under the military service act and is sentenced to a suspended one-year prison term. [Source]
Oct 8South Korea recalls its ambassador to Ukraine, citing the latter's decision to reveal the transfer of North Korean POWs the previous month. [Source]
Oct 10Parts of a plaster ceiling collapse at a supermarket in Daegu, injuring 38 people. [Source]
Oct 13Six women and two men are injured in a stabbing attack at a shopping mall in Incheon. [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