Seoul: Japan completed the construction of the Japanese governor-general’s office inside Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul in 1926. This building served as the Japanese colonial headquarters controlling the entire Korean Peninsula until Korea regained its sovereignty in 1945. Following the end of colonial rule, the building housed the national museum. However, its presence sparked ongoing public debate about whether it should be demolished. Some argued for its removal to erase painful memories, while others believed it served as a legitimate reminder of Korean history. After extensive discussions, the building was eventually demolished in 1996.
According to Yonhap News Agency, a significant development in Korean aviation history occurred in 1990 when a Korean Air passenger plane traveling the Seoul-Paris route traversed the airspace of the former Soviet Union for the first time. This marked a notable milestone in the airline’s operations.
In 2005, Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan committed South Korea’s support to the international effort to reconstruct tsunami-stricken areas in the Indian Ocean countries. Attending an emergency summit of world leaders in Jakarta, he stated that Seoul’s focus would be on rebuilding the infrastructure in countries most affected by the 2004 earthquake and tsunami.
A major business deal took place in 2009 when Lotte Chilsung Beverage Co., part of the Lotte Group, signed a formal agreement to purchase a liquor unit from Doosan Corp. for 503 billion won (US$383 million). This acquisition significantly bolstered Lotte’s beverage business.
In 2014, President Park Geun-hye proposed reunions for families separated by the Korean divide, emphasizing that South Korea would enhance humanitarian assistance and exchanges with North Korea.
The following year, in 2016, North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test, claiming it was a hydrogen bomb explosion.
In a landmark legal decision in 2017, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Shin Hyun-woo, former head of Oxy Reckitt Benckiser, to seven years in prison for selling toxic humidifier sterilizers. These products were responsible for the deaths of 73 individuals and adversely affected 108 others.
In 2021, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un publicly acknowledged the failure to meet the country’s economic development goals during the opening of the ruling party’s first congress in nearly five years.