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A South Korean soldier stands guard in front of the wire fence of the heavily mined Demilitarized Zone between the two Koreas, in Paju, north of Seoul, Sept. 18, 2002. (AP Photo/ Yun Jai-hyoung)
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INDEPTH: SOUTH KOREA
Timeline
CBC News Online | Aug. 13, 2004
1910:
Having controlled Korea since 1905, Japan annexes the country after a century of isolation, during which Korea closed its borders to all countries except China. Korean-language newspapers and books are banned.
March 1, 1919:
Koreans across the country rally against Japanese rule following the death of Korean Emperor Gojong. Japan suppresses the protests, killing 7,500 and injuring 16,000.
March-April 1919:
The provisional government in exile of the Republic of Korea is established in Vladivostok, Shanghai and Seoul.
1931:
Japan instates military rule in Korea.
1937:
With the beginning of the war between China and Japan, Koreans are assimilated into Japanese society. Korean culture is suppressed and Korean language newspapers are once again banned, as is the study of Korean history in universities. By 1940, 84 per cent of Korean families will have adopted Japanese names.
1945:
After the Second World War, the Japanese occupation ends. Soviet troops occupy the country north of the 38th parallel, and American troops occupy the south.
1948:
The People's Democratic Republic of Korea (North Korea) is declared.
June 25, 1950:
North Korean forces invade the South.
1950-1953:
The Korean War. The North is backed by China and the Soviet Union, while the South's allies include the U.S., Australia, the U.K., Turkey and Canada. About 600,000 Koreans die in the conflict, as well as 30,000 Americans and more than 500 Canadians.
July 27, 1953:
South Korean soldiers walk between fence and barbed wire as they patrol against a possible North Korean attack, north of Seoul, near the border village of the
Panmunjom, South Korea, Jan. 1, 2003. (AP Photo)
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An armistice establishes a demilitarized zone along the original 38th parallel division.
1960:
A student revolt against electoral fraud forces President Syngman Rhee to step down. The Second Republic is established
1961:
A military coup led by Maj.-Gen. Park Chunghee puts South Korea under military rule for two decades.
1963:
Park proclaims the Third Republic and restores some political freedom, sparking economic and industrial growth.
1972:
Park proclaims martial law and makes constitutional changes to increase his powers. Secret unification talks between the North and South begin.
1979:
Park is assassinated by the head of the Korean intelligence agency, sparking protests against authoritarian rule. Maj.-Gen. Chun Doo-hwan mounts a coup and assumes power.
1980:
Martial law is declared. The Korean army kills at least 200 civilians in student demonstrations in Kwangju. The Fifth Republic is declared and a new constitution introduced.
1981:
Chun is indirectly elected to a seven-year term and martial law ends. South Korea's economy would shift throughout the 1980s from heavy industry to consumer electronics, computers and high-tech.
1986:
The constitution is changed to allow direct election of the president.
1987:
Gen. Roh Tae-woo, Chun's protégé, is elected president in the country's first democratic elections.
1988:
The Olympic games take place in Seoul.
1991:
The UN admits both South Korea and North Korea as members.
1993:
Kim Young Sam, a former opponent of the military regime, becomes the first elected civilian president. He would launch a sweeping anti-corruption campaign.
1995:
Former presidents Roh and Chun are charged with treason and corruption.
1998:
Kim Dae-jung is elected president. He initiates the country's "sunshine policy," an effort to reconcile with North Korea though economic and humanitarian aid.
2000:
A landmark summit takes place in Pyongyang, North Korea, between Kim Dae-jung and Kim Jong-il. They agree to reconstruct the railway between Seoul and Sinuiju. The North ends its propaganda broadcasts against the South. Border liaison offices open in the village of Panmunjom. More than 100 North Koreas meet their southern relatives in emotional reunions. Kim Dae-jung is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
2002:
A group of 25 North Koreans defect to the South through the Spanish Embassy in China. A naval battle between vessels from the North and South leaves four South Koreans and some 30 North Koreans dead. Roh Moo-hyun is elected president.
2004:
Parliament approves 3,000 troops for Iraq. Roh is suspended after parliament votes to impeach him. The Constitutional Court later overturns the vote and reinstates Roh. The government announces it will spend $52 million to move the capital from Seoul to the rural Kongju region by 2014.
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