January

• 1 January – A day after Acting President Choi Sang-mok appointed two justices to the Constitutional Court, the chiefs of Office of the President, the policy office, the Office of National Security, the special adviser for foreign affairs and security, and the senior secretary express their intentions to resign to Choi.^[1]
• 3 January – Yoon Suk Yeol residence standoff: Investigators face a standoff with the Presidential Security Service outside the presidential residence after failing to execute a warrant to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol for his failed martial law attempt.^[2]
• 4 January – A fishing boat sinks after hitting rocks off the coast of Gageodo, killing three people on board.^[3]
• 8 January – Former Democratic Party of Korea leader Song Young-gil is sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for accepting illegal political funding from seven businesspeople.^[4]
• 10 January – Park Chong-jun resigns as head of the Presidential Security Service amid an investigation into the agency’s role in obstructing President Yoon’s arrest on 3 January.^[5]
• 14 January –
  • At least 43 vehicles figure in a pileup caused by icy conditions along the Seoul–Munsan Expressway near Goyang, injuring nine people.^[6]
  • The first formal hearings into the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol are held by the Constitutional Court of Korea.^[7]
• 15 January – Arrest of Yoon Suk Yeol: Yoon Suk Yeol becomes the first sitting president of South Korea to be arrested following his imposition of martial law in December.^[8]
• 17 January – South Korea opens an embassy in Cuba for the first time.^[9]
• 18 January – 2025 Seoul Western District Court riot: Supporters of Yoon Suk Yeol storm the Seoul Western District Court after the latter extends his detention.^[10]
• 21 January – A civilian employee of the Korea Defense Intelligence Command is sentenced by a court-martial to 20 years’ imprisonment for providing information on undercover South Korean military agents to a suspected Chinese agent in return for 400 million won.^[11]
• 22 January – The government announces a reduction in subsidies to biomass enterprises and an end to supporting the construction of new biomass plants amid criticism over its impact on deforestation.^[12]
• 23 January –
  • The Constitutional Court votes 4-4 to reject the impeachment of Korea Communications Commission chair Lee Jin-sook, who had been impeached by the National Assembly on 2 August 2024 for administrative abuses.^[13]
  • Three people, including a Filipino-Canadian national, are arrested for processing and attempting to sell 61 kilograms of cocaine valued at 30 billion won ($24 million) from a warehouse in Hoengseong County, Gangwon Province, in what is described as the largest cocaine-related crime in South Korea.^[14]
  • The National Bio Committee, an advisory committee directly under the President, is launched.^[15]
• 24 January – The government issues revisions to the Wildlife Protection and Management Act that include a ban on bear farming and feeding feral pigeons and other animals considered pests.^[16]
• 26 January – Yoon Suk Yeol becomes the first sitting president of South Korea to be indicted following his imposition of martial law in December, with charges of insurrection and abuse of power being filed against him.^[17]
• 28 January – Air Busan Flight 391: An Airbus A321-200 operated by Air Busan catches fire before takeoff at Gimhae International Airport, resulting in seven injuries and the evacuation of all 176 people on board.^[18]

February

• 1 February –
  • Two fishing vessels run aground off the coast of Jeju Island, killing two people and leaving two others missing.^[19]
  • A fire breaks out at the National Hangeul Museum in Seoul, injuring one firefighter. No damage is recorded to the museum’s collection.^[20]
• 4 February – The Seoul High Court overturns the conviction of former Ulsan mayor Song Cheol-ho and former city police chief Hwang Un-ha for election interference over a conspiracy to engineer an investigation against a rival during the 2018 South Korean local elections.^[21]
• 7–14 February – South Korea at the 2025 Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China:^[22] South Korea concludes its participation at the competition with 16 gold medals.^[23]
• 7 February – A magnitude 3.1 earthquake hits Yangseong-myeon, 22 kilometers northwest of Chungju, North Chungcheong Province.^[24]
• 9 February – A fishing vessel sinks off the coast of Habaek Island near Yeosu, killing four people and leaving five others missing.^[25]
• 10 February –
  • One person is killed in the explosion of an oil storage tank in Ulsan.^[26]
  • An eight-year old girl is fatally stabbed at an elementary school in Daejeon, with a teacher confessing to the killing.^[27]
• 12 February – A fishing vessel capsizes off the coast of Jeju Island, leaving five crew members missing.^[28]
• 13 February – A fishing vessel catches fire off the coast of Buan County, leaving six crew members missing.^[29]
• 14 February –
  • Footballer Hwang Ui-jo is sentenced to a one-year suspended prison sentence for secretly filming sexual encounters with three different women.^[30]
  • Six people are killed in a fire at an under-construction resort in Busan.^[31]
  • A man is arrested for attempting to storm the Chinese embassy in Seoul to carry out an attack.^[32]
• 16 February – Actress Kim Sae-ron is found dead in her home in Seoul in what police rule to be a suicide.^[33][34]
• 17 February – The government suspends the local service of the Chinese artificial intelligence application DeepSeek, citing data collection concerns.^[35]
• 19 February –
  • The first formal hearings into the impeachment of Han Duck-soo are held by the Constitutional Court of Korea.^[36]
  • The Seoul High Court approves the retrial of Korean Central Intelligence Agency director Kim Jae-gyu, who was convicted and executed for the assassination of Park Chung Hee in 1979.^[37]
  • Democratic Party MP Lee Sang-sik is issued with a 3-million won (US$2,084) fine by the Suwon District Court for making a false statement of his assets while campaigning for the 2024 South Korean legislative election.^[38]
  • Four officials of the Moon Jae-in administration, namely former national security adviser and Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong; former presidential chief of staff Noh Young-min, former National Intelligence Service director Suh Hoon, and former Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul are convicted and sentenced to suspended prison terms of up to ten months by the Seoul Central District Court over the forced repatriation of two North Korean fishermen who had killed 16 of their colleagues in the Sea of Japan in 2019.^[39]
• 20 February – The criminal trial of Yoon Suk Yeol over his martial law declaration begins in Seoul, making him the first incumbent president of South Korea to stand trial in a criminal case.^[40]
• 25 February –
  • A bridge being built as part of the Seoul–Sejong City expressway collapses in Anseong, killing four workers.^[41]
  • The Constitutional Court concludes its hearings into the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol.^[42]
• 26 February –
  • A man is shot dead by police in Gwangju after stabbing an officer.^[43]
  • Hyundai Rotem wins a 2.2 trillion-won (US$1.53 billion) contract to supply advanced trains to the Moroccan national railway operator ONCF.^[44]
• 27 February –
  • The Constitutional Court rules that acting President Choi Sang-mok’s decision to withhold the appointment of Ma Eun-hyuk as a justice in the Constitutional Court violated the National Assembly’s right to elect a justice to the court but dismisses a petition to have Ma appointed immediately.^[45]
  • The Ministry of Unification dismisses Cho Min-ho as president of the Korea Hana Foundation supporting North Korean defectors amid allegations of him sexually and verbally harassing employees.^[46]

March

• 6 March –
  • Two KF-16 fighter aircraft of the Republic of Korea Air Force drop their ordnance by accident on a civilian area of Pocheon during a drill, injuring 29 people.^[47][48]
  • A taxi crashes into a wall in Ulju, Ulsan, killing four people.^[49]
• 7 March – The Seoul Central District Court cancels President Yoon’s arrest warrant, citing procedural flaws.^[50] He is released the next day.^[51]
• 13 March – The Constitutional Court votes 8-0 to reject the impeachment of Board of Audit and Inspection chair Choe Jae-hae, who had been impeached by the National Assembly in December 2024 for failing to adequately review suspected irregularities regarding the 2022 relocation of the presidential office and residence.^[52]
• 14 March –
  • The first case of foot-and-mouth disease in South Korea since 2023 is detected at a cattle farm in Yeongam.^[53]
  • The United States Department of Energy includes South Korea on the lowest level of its Sensitive and Other Designated Countries List effective 15 April, prompting concerns over bilateral cooperation on technological affairs.^[54]
• 17 March – A military drone crashes into a parked helicopter while landing at an airbase in Yangju, causing a fire that destroys the latter aircraft.^[55]
• 21 March –
  • 2025 South Korea wildfires: Wildfires break out in the central and southern regions of the country, killing at least 31 people and prompting the declaration of a state of national disaster in South Gyeongsang, North Gyeongsang and Ulsan the next day.^[56][57]
  • Two Chinese nationals are arrested in Suwon for taking photographs of sensitive military and aviation infrastructure.^[58]
• 23 March – A Seoul Metropolitan Subway train derails after colliding with a buffer while departing from a depot at Sindorim Station. No injuries are reported.^[59]
• 24 March –
  • The Constitutional Court votes 7–1 to overturn the impeachment of prime minister Han Duck-soo, allowing his reinstatement as acting president.^[60][61]
  • A motorist is killed after falling into a sinkhole that emerges in Gangdong District, Seoul.^[62]
• 25 March – 2025 South Korea wildfires: The Gounsa temple in Uiseong, which dates back from the Silla Dynasty, is destroyed by wildfires.^[63]
• 26 March –
  • The Truth and Reconciliation Commission finds the government responsible for facilitating a program in the 1970s and 1980s that saw 200,000 children being sent abroad for adoption through processes that involved abuse and fraud.^[64]
  • The Seoul High Court overturns the conviction of Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung for perjury during the 2022 presidential election.^[65]
  • 2025 South Korea wildfires: A firefighting helicopter crashes in Uiseong, killing the pilot.^[63]
• 29 March – A spectator is killed by a falling piece of aluminium during a KBO League match between NC Dinos and LG Twins at Changwon NC Park in Changwon, prompting the cancellation of KBO and KBO Futures League matches on 1 April.^[66]

April

• 2 April – Authorities announce the seizure of two tons of cocaine valued at 1 trillion won (US$679.6 million) from a Norwegian-flagged vessel that arrived at Gangneung from Mexico via Ecuador, Panama and China, in what is deemed the biggest drug bust in terms of weight in South Korea by the Korea Customs Service.^[67]
• 2 April –
  • Hong Nam-pyo is dismissed as mayor of Changwon following the upholding of his conviction by the Supreme Court for electoral fraud during the 2022 South Korean local elections.^[68]
  • The United States bars the entry of sea salt products from the Taepyung salt farm in Sinan County, citing concerns over the use of forced labor.^[69]
• 4 April – The Constitutional Court unanimously upholds the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol, leading to his immediate removal as president.^[70]
• 6 April – 2025 South Korea wildfires: A firefighting helicopter crashes in Daegu, killing the pilot.^[71]
• 8 April –
  • A group of North Korean soldiers enter the South Korean side of the eastern section of the DMZ, prompting warning shots from South Korean forces that force them to retreat.^[72]
  • The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency announces the approval for usage of Barythrax, a vaccine for anthrax that was produced in collaboration with GC Pharma and is deemed the first genetically engineered anthrax vaccine in history.^[73]
• 10 April –
  • The Constitutional Court unanimously rejects the impeachment of justice minister chair Park Sung-jae, who had been impeached by the National Assembly on 12 December 2024 for involvement in the 2024 South Korean martial law crisis.^[74]
  • Syria and South Korea establish diplomatic relations for the first time.^[75]
• 11 April –
  • A construction site of the Sinansan Line collapses in Gwangmyeong, killing one worker.^[76]
  • The Revealing Truth: Jeju 4·3 Archives on the Jeju uprising and the Forest Rehabilitation Records dealing with reconstruction efforts following the Korean War are included in the Memory of the World Programme by UNESCO.^[77]
• 15 April – Five members of the same family are found murdered in an apartment in Yongin.^[78]
• 18 April – A KA-1 light attack aircraft of the Republic of Korea Air Force accidentally jettisons its gun pods and fuel tanks during exercises over Pyeongchang, Gangwon.^[79]
• 21 April – An apartment building in Gwanak-gu, Seoul is burned, killing the suspect and injuring six.^[80]
• 22 April – One person is killed and another is injured in a knife attack at a supermarket near Mia station in Seoul. A suspect is arrested.^[81]
• 24 April – Former president Moon Jae-in is indicted for corruption over allegations that he had facilitated the employment of his former son-in-law at Eastar Jet, in exchange for the airline’s founder, Lee Sang-jik, being appointed as head of the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency.^[82]
• 28 April – Six people are injured in a knife attack carried out by a student inside a high school in Cheongju.^[83]

May

• 1 May –
  • The Supreme Court overturns the acquittal of Lee Jae-myung for perjury and sends the case back to the Seoul High Court.^[84]
  • Han Duck-soo resigns as acting president and prime minister.^[85] He declares his candidacy for president the next day.^[86]
  • Choi Sang-mok resigns as finance minister minutes before a scheduled vote in the National Assembly on whether to impeach him.^[87]
• 2 May – Education Minister and Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs Lee Ju-ho assumes the role of acting president.^[88]
• 4 May – Two workers are killed after inhaling toxic gases at a paper mill in Jeonju.^[89]
• 6 May – At least three people are injured in a knife attack in Bongcheon-dong, Seoul. The suspect is arrested.^[90]
• 7 May – Philosopher Byung-Chul Han is awarded the Princess of Asturias Awards for his writings on the ills of digital technology and contemporary capitalism.^[91]
• 11 May – Han Duck-soo ends his presidential campaign following a failed attempt to make him the official candidate of the People Power Party despite the previous nomination of Kim Moon-soo.^[92]
• 15 May – Academician Choi Jung-wha becomes the first Korean woman to be awarded the Officier grade of the French Legion of Honour for her contributions towards promoting France-South Korea relations.^[93]
• 17 May – A massive fire breaks out a manufacturing plant of Kumho Tire in Gwangju, triggering a nationwide firefighting mobilization order.^[94]
• 19 May – Two people are killed while two others are injured in a stabbing spree in Siheung.^[95]
• 22 May – Four people, including the perpetrator and three police officers, are injured in a knife attack in Paju.^[96]
• 27 May – Former acting presidents Han Duck-soo and Choi Sang-mok are barred from leaving the country as part of criminal investigations into Yoon Suk Yeol’s insurrection case relating to his martial law declaration.^[97]
• 28 May – A strike is held by the Busan bus drivers’ union demanding a wage increase, causing transport disruptions in the city until an agreement is reached in the afternoon.^[98]
• 29 May – A Lockheed P-3 Orion patrol aircraft of the Republic of Korea Navy crashes during a training flight in Pohang, killing all four on board.^[99]
• 31 May – A man is arrested following an arson attack inside a Seoul Metropolitan Subway train traveling between Yeouinaru and Mapo stations.^[100]

June

• 3 June – 2025 South Korean presidential election: Lee Jae-myung is elected president.^[101]
• 4 June –
  • Lee Jae-myung is inaugurated as president.^[102]
  • President Lee nominates MP Kim Min-seok as prime minister.^[103]
• 5 June – South Korea qualifies for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after defeating Iraq 2-0 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification in Basra.^[104]
• 7 June – A strike is held by the Ulsan bus drivers’ union demanding a wage increase, causing transport disruptions in the city until an agreement is reached 19 hours later.^[105]
• 10 June –
  • The Cuban embassy in South Korea is inaugurated in Seoul as part of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.^[106]
  • A KF-16 fighter aircraft of the Republic of Korea Air Force participating in the Red Flag – Alaska military exercise in the United States crashes during takeoff at the Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska, injuring its two crew.^[107]
• 11 June – The Republic of Korea Armed Forces suspends loudspeaker broadcasts across the DMZ into North Korea as part of efforts “restore trust” between the two Koreas.^[108]
• 17 June – South Korea ratifies the Hague Adoption Convention.^[109]
• 23 June – President Lee nominates MP Ahn Gyu-back as defense minister, making him the first person not to have previously served as a general to be chosen for the position since 1961.^[110]
• 27 June – Six US nationals are caught in Ganghwa Island for attempting to send various items include rice and Bibles across the maritime border into North Korea.^[111]
• 29 June – Two people are injured in a knife attack in Gwanak District, Seoul. The attacker commits suicide.^[112]

July

• July – 2025 EAFF E-1 Football Championship (women)^[113]
• 3 July –
  • The National Assembly amends the country’s guidelines on martial law in response to the 2024 South Korean martial law crisis by barring security forces from obstructing the work of MPs and entering the National Assembly Building without approval from the Speaker.^[114]
  • The National Assembly approves the nomination of Kim Min-seok as prime minister following a 173-3 vote and a boycott by the People Power Party.^[115]
• 4 July – A North Korean civilian defects to the South by crossing through the DMZ with the help of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces.^[116]
• 7 July – Kim Min-seok is inaugurated as prime minister at the Government Complex in Sejong City.^[117]
• 7–16 July – 2025 EAFF E-1 Football Championship:^[118] South Korea finishes in second place after losing to Japan 1-0 at the final in Yongin Mireu Stadium.^[119]
• 9 July – South Korea repatriates six North Koreans after their vessels had drifted across their maritime border.^[120]
• 10 July –
  • Former president Yoon Suk Yeol is arrested again on charges related to the 2024 South Korean martial law crisis.^[121]
  • K-pop singer and former NCT member Taeil is sentenced to 3.5 years’ imprisonment by the Seoul Central District Court for sexually assaulting a woman in 2024.^[122]
• 11 July – The Bangudae Petroglyphs are designated as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.^[123]
• 16 July – The posthumous retrial of Kim Jae-gyu for the assassination of Park Chung Hee in 1979 begins in Seoul.^[124]
• 17 July – The Supreme Court upholds the acquittal of Samsung chair Lee Jae-yong on fraud charges.^[125]
• 18 July – Poet Kim Hyesoon becomes the first Asian to win the Germany-based International Literature Award for her poetry collection, “Autobiography of Death”.^[126]
• 24 July – At least 23 people are killed and more than 15,000 others are evacuated following days of flooding and landslides caused by torrential rain nationwide.^[127]
• 30 July – US President Donald Trump imposes a 15% tariff on South Korea’s exports to the United States.^[128]
• 31 July – Three sailors are injured in an engine fire aboard the Republic of Korea Navy landing ship ROKS Hyang Ro Bong as it enters the port of Jinhae.^[129]

August

• 1 August –
  • The Seoul Western District Court convicts 49 people for participating in the 2025 Seoul Western District Court riot in January and sentences them to up to five years’ imprisonment.^[130]
  • Former interior minister Lee Sang-min is arrested over his involvement in the 2024 South Korean martial law crisis.^[131]
• 4 August – The Republic of Korea Armed Forces begins removing loudspeakers along the DMZ as part of efforts to reduce tensions with North Korea.^[132]
• 12 August –
  • Former first lady Kim Keon Hee is arrested following a warrant by the Seoul Central District Court on charges of involvement in a stock manipulation scheme, election meddling and bribery.^[133]
  • The Seoul Central District Court orders the government to compensate the relatives of Lt. Col. Kim Oh-rang, a military officer who was killed while fighting rebel forces loyal to Chun Doo-hwan during the 1979 South Korean coup d’état.^[134]
• 13 August – At least three people are killed following heavy rainstorms in the Seoul Metropolitan Area.^[135]
• 14 August – The Supreme Court of Korea rejects a lawsuit by American composer Johnny Orly accusing the South Korean children’s content company Pinkfong of plagiarizing his version of “Baby Shark“, citing melodic differences.^[136]
• 15 August – Imprisoned former justice minister and Rebuilding Korea Party leader Cho Kuk, who had been convicted on charges of academic fraud involving his daughter, is released following an amnesty issued by President Lee on the occasion of National Liberation Day.^[137]
• 16 August – A fire breaks out on an oil tanker and a cargo ship moored next to each other in Yeosu, killing one person and injuring two others.^[138]
• 18 August –
  • President Lee signs an amendment to the Broadcasting Act reducing the government and the National Assembly’s power to name board directors of the Korean Broadcasting System, Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation and the Educational Broadcasting System.^[139]
  • President Lee signs into law the Grain Management Act, requiring the government to purchase surplus rice to stabilize prices during market fluctuations.^[139]
• 19 August –
  • A passenger train hits a group of rail workers conducting inspection works in Cheongdo, killing two and injuring four.^[140]
  • A group of North Korean soldiers enter the South Korean side of the central section of the DMZ, prompting warning shots from South Korean forces that force them to retreat.^[141]
• 28 August – The Personal Information Protection Commission issues a 134.8 billion won (US$96.9 million) fine on SK Telecom over a massive data breach that affected its entire 23 million user base from 2021 to 2025.^[142]
• 30 August – President Lee places a state of national disaster over Gangneung due to drought.^[143]
• 31 August – The Fair Trade Commission issues a 2.1 billion won (US$1.5 million) fine on the Chinese e-commerce firm AliExpress for misleading consumers with false discount rates for products sold on its platform.^[144]

September

• 3 September – Three people are killed in a stabbing at a restaurant in Gwanak District, Seoul.^[145]
• 10 September –
  • Choi Mal-ja, a woman who was convicted of grievous bodily harm and sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment in 1964 for biting off the tongue of a man who tried to sexually assault her in Gimhae, is acquitted following a retrial in Busan.^[146]
  • Ten soldiers are injured in an artillery explosion at a military base in Paju.^[147]
  • Seven soldiers are injured in a mine explosion at a military base in Jeju Island.^[148]
• 11 September –
  • The National Assembly approves a motion to arrest PPP lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong on charges of bribery.^[149]
  • Around 340 people, including 316 South Koreans, who were arrested by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement at a raid on a Hyundai–LG battery plant under construction in Georgia, are repatriated to South Korea aboard a chartered Korean Air flight from Atlanta.^[150]
• 12 September – A case of avian influenza is discovered a poultry farm in Paju.^[151]

Scheduled events

• October 31 – 1 November – APEC South Korea 2025

Country overviews

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