Summary

From Hermit Kingdom to the World
Signing Treaties with the World (1876)
Korea opened its doors to the outside world under the unequal treaty with Japan. Korea then entered treaty relations with United States and then subsequently with other Western powers such as Great Britain, Germany, Russia and France. These measures signaled the start of commercial and diplomatic relations not only with Japan and Qing China, but also between Joseon (1392-1910) and the rest of the world.

Modernization Efforts
After opening of the ports, Joseon leaders pursued an enlightenment policy of accepting Western culture. Yet while certain radical figures of the ruling elite even sought to overthrow the government, most moderates supported the publication of newspapers and the enlightening books, and the introduction of modern schooling. These efforts to adapt to the modern era reached their zenith in 1894 when the government initiated a series of sweeping reforms which included financial unifications, the standardization of weights and measures, and the abolition of caste system and slavery.

Introduction of Western Lifestyle
The establishment of diplomatic relations with Western countries introduced many novel cultural aspects to Korean life. Western-style buildings wired with electricity and telephone were built for the first time. A rail system linked Seoul with Incheon, while tram cars ran through the streets of the capital city. New schools with new education were also constructed, along with new services and infrastructures for transportation, post and finance.

Independence Club
In 1876, the reformist leader Seo Jaepil began published the daily newspaper and joined a group of government officials to launch the Independence Club, which first engaged in the task of constructing the Independence Gate and park. The organization was committed to various activities aimed at enlightening the Korean public via open discussion on education, industrial development and, most importantly, independence. The group played a key role in cultivating a wave of patriotic freedom fighters imbued with a sense of democracy.

Launch of the Korean Empire (1897)
In 1897 King Gojong proclaimed the founding of the Korean Empire. He announced empire as an independent state officially acknowledged by all nations of the world in which the emperor would hold absolute power. He used his strengthened imperial authority to push ahead with various modernization efforts.

World Powers Competing over Joseon
Japan's victory in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895) led to a new rivalry with Russia. Russia's position in the Korean political arena was dramatically strengthened after King Gojong sought refuge in the Russian legation following the assignation of his queen consort, Empress Myeongseong, by Japanese agents. However Russia's eventual defeat in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), ended with Japan's dominance over Korean Peninsula.

Loss of Sovereignty (1910)
In 1905, Imperial Japan forced Korean government to sign the Eulsa Treaty, depriving Korea of its diplomatic sovereignty. Even the nation's internal affairs were to be controlled by the Office of the Resident-General established by Japan after the treaty. The Korean Empire was annexed by Japan five years later in 1910.

Patriotic Enlightenment Movements
Korea's loss of its diplomatic sovereignty resulted in a flurry of activity among Korean intellectuals to try to restore national sovereignty. The Daehan Jaganghoe (Korea Empowerment Society), for instance, stressed the importance of education and industrial development as a means to recover and maintain national sovereignty, while the Sinminhoe (New People's Association of Korea) established modern schools and built overseas bases to fight for Korean independence. These were also movements to repay the debt owed by Korea to Japan and the establishment of newspapers and magazines aimed at the enlightenment of the Korean public.

Struggle by Righteous Army
The series of national indignities at the turn of the century led to the rise of Righteous Armies all across Korea. The earliest group focused on protesting the assassination of Empress Myeongseong and plans for radical reforms. They were soon followed by other groups opposing the coerced Eulsa Treaty of 1905 and, finally, the abdication of Emperor Gojong and the dissolution of Korean forces. Numerous patriotic movements arouse to retaliate against Japanese colonial forces, Korean traitors and collaboration with Japan's imperialist ambitions.

Loss of Korean Names and Language
Japanese colonial rules introduced policies to eliminate Korean culture. They tried to turn Koreans into loyal imperial subjects fighting for Japan in its own imperial wars. They banned even the speaking of the Korean language, forcing Koreans to adapt Japanese names, and pay regular homage to the Japanese emperor and Japanese deities enshrined in Shinto shrines.

Government-General of Korea and Land Survey
The Japanese Government-General of Korea became the organ of Japan's brutal occupation and harsh colonial rule of Korea. The first Governor-General, Terauchi Masatake, deprived Koreans of civil freedoms and persecuted patriotic freedom fighters. He also conducted comprehensive land surveys of the country from 1912 to 1918, which established the financial basis for colonial rule and clarified land ownership.

Mobilization for Imperial Wars
As Japan's imperial wars intensified, more and more Korean men and women were dragged to the battlefront. In 1938, Japanese colonial rulers began mobilizing young Korean males and later drafted them to work in mines, construction sites, factories, and the military. Women were recruited, as well, to work in Women Volunteer Corps or to serve as sex slaves in Japanese military camps.

March 1 Movement and Aspiration for Independence (1919)
The Korean declaration of Independence was announced on March 1, 1919, and presented a vision for Korea's independence based on the principles of national self-determination through peaceful, non-violent means rooted in universal humanitarian. Beginning on March 1, 1919, public rallies were held throughout Seoul and quickly spread through the nation. Though Japanese colonial authorities responded in a bloody, authoritarian manner, citizens continued to publicly express their desire for Independence through May. The movement played a pioneering role in the national movement of many other Asian countries groaning under the yoke or colonial rule.

Korean National Movement
The March 1 Movement ignited other patriotic movements aimed at protesting basic human rights or preserving Korean culture and identity. These movements focused on a variety of subjects, including Hangeul (the Korean writing system), freedom of the press, student and youth groups against discriminatory colonial practices, farmer, and laborer activists for basic economic rights, and the promotion of domestic products; yet, all aimed at further promoting Korean independence.

The Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea
Schisms among Korean independence organizations in the 1920s drove the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea into a difficult situation, but the heroic struggles of the Korean Patriot Corps brought fresh vitality to the government, garnering fresh support from the Nationalist Government of China. Due to Japanese persecution, however, the government was forced to leave Shanghai for safer confines in other Chinese cities, including Hangzhou, Nanjing, Changsa, and finally Chongqing.

Korean Independence Movement Overseas
In many parts of the world, devoted partisans struggled for Korea's independence. Korean independence fighters established schools in China to nurture their successors, and clashed with Japanese forces. The Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea itself operated the Korean Commission to America and Europe, conducted propaganda activities targeting sympathetic foreign diplomats at the Paris Peace Conference and, in 1940, established the Korean Liberation Army, in preparation for attacking Japanese troops stationed in Korea.

Situation in North Korea
In North Korea, a Communist party led by Kim Il Sung came into power under the support of the USSR. The party moved to oust all rightist factions which had opposed the trusteeship conducted land reform by which had was confiscated from land owners and distributed to farmers, and nationalized large business. Also, elections were held to choose a People's Commissar as a preparatory step towards the establishment of their own government.

Independence (1945)
With the Japanese emperor's acceptance on August 15 of the Potsdam ultimatum of the Allies of July 1945, and Japan's surrender to the Allies, Japanese colonial rule in Korea came to an end. However, Korea did not become an independent nation. Instead, it was first occupied by the U.S and Soviet troops and then became divided into two states.

Dreaming of a New Country and Turmoil over Trusteeship
Political leaders who served in the Provisional Government of ROK returned to their homeland and began the activities to establish a new nation. The Moscow Conference of Foreign Ministers issued a decision for the establishment of an independent Korean nation after trusteeship. Despite vehement opposition of a vast majority of the Koreans to the trusteeship plan of the Allies, the two occupation authorities formed the joint commission in January 1946, and convened regular meetings in March in order to implement the Moscow Agreement. The confrontation between left and right in Korea as well as the U.S. and USSR, the Joint Commission adjourned in May 1946. Upon Gen. Hodge's request of reconvening of the Joint Commission meeting, the two sides met in May 1947, but the selection of Korean leaders and groups for participation in the Joint Commission meetings again created an impasse. Thus, it resulted in the dissolution of the Joint Commission on August 12, 1947. By this time, the Cold War between U.S. and the Soviet Union had begun.

Three Years of U.S. Military Administration (1945- 1948)
Economic stability was considered the top priority by the U.S. Military Government in charge of Korea south of the 38th parallel. Over three years, it implemented its stabilizing programs of Government and Relief in Occupied Areas and Economic Rehabilitation in Occupied Areas. Over 40% of total relief materials were food, followed by agricultural products such as fertilizer, clothing, coal and oil.

Grappling with the Legacy of Colonial Rule
In the postwar period, Koreans were charged with the task of recovering and redefining their cultural identity. The Name Restoration Order was issued to restore original Korean names, and efforts were made to revive Hangeul (the Korean writing system), starting with the publication of Korean school textbooks. There soon followed mass publication of Hangeul magazines, revival of the Newspapers that have been discontinued, and launch of new dailies.

Cold War and the Left-Right Conflict
The end of World War II opened the era of Cold War confrontation. The Moscow agreement among the U.S., The USSR, and the UK for a single independent government in Korea after five years of trusteeship failed to materialization due to the severe ideological conflicts between left and right both domestically and abroad. In 1947, the UN issued a resolution urging a free general election in Korea which took place only south of the 38th parallel in the following year.

May 10, General Election (1948)
On May 10, 1948, general election was held under the U.N sponsorship and supervision. The general election was fiercely opposed by leftist factions in both Koreans and ignored by some centrists after the South-North talks in April of that year. Despite the confusion, 7.8 million or 95.5% of registered voters, cast their ballots in the first democratic elections in which universal adult suffrage had been exercised in Korean history and elected 200 National Assembly Members.

Constitutional Assembly (1948)
Korea's first National Assembly was formed via general election in 1948 to establish the constitution of the Republic of Korea. The constitution announced the Republic of Korea as a democratic republic formed to succeed the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea established on the basis of the 1919 Declaration of Independence. The constitution further endorsed a government headed by a president, private property rights and compulsory elementary education. One of the first measures by the National Assembly was to investigate and punish collaborators with Imperial Japan during the colonial period. These activities, however, were soon terminated by Syngman Rhee administration.

Establishment of the ROK Government (August 15, 1948)
The first National Assembly elected Syngman Rhee as Korea's first president and Yi Siyoung as the first Vice president. The first cabinet consisted of independence activists, including those who had served in the Korean Provisional Government, showing ties of succession between the new ROK government and the Provisional administration. In December 1948, ROK government was approved by UN to be a lawful government.

Official Name and National Symbols of the Republic of Korea
The constitutional Assembly of Korea chose The Republic of Korea as the official name of the nation. The country's five symbols are the national flag (Taegeukgi), national anthem (Aegukga), national flower (Mugunghwa or Rose of Sharon), state seal (Gukse) and state crest.

Korean War (1950-1953)
In the early morning on June 25, 1950, North Korean troops opened fire and, went across the 38th parallel. Just 3 days later, Seoul was captured and South Korean government was forced to flee south. After condemning North Korea as an aggressor, the Security Council asked U.N. member national to provide troops. Sixteen nations responded to this call and the U.N. forces were formed with U.S. General Douglas MacArthur as its Commander. Other U.N. members provided medical assistance. On September 15, 1950, when the U.N. Forces had been sufficiently strengthened, Gen MacArthur successfully carried out an amphibious landing at Incheon, trapping North Korean troops in the south. Seoul was recovered on September 28, and in early October U.N. troops crossed the 38th parallel. And U.N. Forces captured Pyeongyang on October 20 and moved up toward the Yalu River. Some 1.5 million more Chinese troops fought in the war, forcing U.N. troops to retreat to the south. Seoul was retaken by the Communists in early January 1951. In June 1951 the Soviet Union proposed a plan for a ceasefire. As a result, in late June truce talks began first in Gaeseong. The death of Stalin in March 1953, and the failure to make any advance into the south in the spring offensive led the North Koreans and the Chinese to negotiate more seriously with U.N. representatives. Consequently, on July 27, 1953, the armistice was signed. With the signing the truce, a 248km-long zigzagging military demarcation line was established and on each side of the line a 4km wide demilitarized zone (DMZ) was set up.

Postwar Recovery and Foreign Aid
The ROK government began recovery efforts via dependence on massive aid from overseas, and the U.S in particular. The U.S government provided vast amounts of raw materials and good for consumption to Korea, such as fertilizer, cotton, oil and wheat as well as some capital goods.

Life in Shantytowns
Air bombing during the Korean War destroyed virtually 30% of the housing in Seoul, and this shortage was aggravated by the inflow of refugees from the north and rural flight in the south. The new residents in the capital built ramshackle huts anywhere they found suitable, particularly in hilly areas or riverside banks, creating numerous shantytowns across Seoul.

Women Rights
Another important aspect of modern Korean society was the birth of the educated and active New Woman who contributed directly to Korea's development. Many women played crucial roles in the areas of education, religion, and even in resistance to Japanese imperialism. Korea saw a significant improvement regarding women's right after the 1945 Libration as it sought to ensure equal opportunity and equal treatment for men and women in area such as suffrage, punishment of adultery, and marriage registration aimed to protect women.

Education
While the original constitution established in 1948 stipulated that all Korean citizens should receive compulsory education, six-year compulsory education was not fully implemented until 1954. By the late 1950s, figures show that the elementary school attendance rate reached 96%. The number of higher-level institutions, middle schools, high schools and colleges increased, as well, along with programs to abolish illiteracy dropping to around 20% by the 1950s.

National Defense
After the Korean War, the ROK government addressed affairs of national security and defense through the joint ROK-US Mutual Defense Treaty. The treaty called for deployment of two U.S. Army divisions in the strategic areas, fortifying its defense capability. In 1952, President Syngman Rhee also declared the Peace Line, making clear Dokdo's importance as part of Korean territory.

South Korea holds a regularly scheduled series of civil defense drills conducted on the 15th of each month as part of an emergency training against a possible North Korean attack. This is strictly a drill and is not connected with any real world situation. The 20-minute drill with a mock air raid, during which all road traffic will be restricted, and drivers should pull to the right side of the road and stop for the duration of the drill. Pedestrians when the siren sounds should immediately seek shelter, preferably underground, and remain there until the siren sounds again indicating the exercise is complete. South Korea, which remains technically at war with the North after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, has been conducting the drills regularly since 1968.

Postwar Popular Culture
Popular culture in postwar Korean society was largely focused on the country's legacy of hardship and families dispersed by war, as well as the mood of despair and frustration caused by hard times. Pop music favored subjects such as separation from loved ones, while literary works often dealt with the pain and despair caused by the Korean War. The journal Sasanggye (The World of Thoughts) published during this era critiqued Korea's present conditions and sought out plans for the future.

Foundation of Economy Growth
Korea soon built a firm institutional and material foundation for economic progress. The Land Reform in 1950 led to the establishment of an agricultural system based on independent farming while the infrastructure such as railroads, roads, telecommunication, seaports and power stations were rebuilt and expanded. Also the Atomic Energy Research Institute was established. The Three-year Economic Development Plan was announced in 1960.

Early Industrialization
The factories were built in Incheon, Mungyeong and Chungju, producing the cement, plate glass, and fertilizers which were deemed essential for the recovery of war-destroyed facilities and an increase on food production. For the production of consumer goods, the three white products industries, cotton textile, flour milling and sugar manufacture, were developed particularly rapidly thanks to the necessity of these processes as foreign aid materials.

Student Revolution (1960)
Prolonged autocratic rule by the government led by Syngman Rhee continued to estrange Korean citizens from the government. When the student uprising took place in Seoul on April 19, many citizens joined them, clashing with the police. Martial law was declared, and the troops were mobilized when the police became powerless to control the situation. The mobilized troops, however, chose to remain neutral, refusing to take any actions against the demonstrators, who were demanding the resignation of the president and his cabinet, nullification of the Mach 15 election result. The corrupt presidential election on March 15, 1960, finally sparked the people's fury, resulting in the April 19 Revolution which toppled President Rhee's regime and forced him to flee the country.? The determination of the Korean people to fight against corrupt, authoritarian power during the revolutionary movement provided a concrete basis for the ongoing development of Kore's democracy.

The Second Republic and the May 16 Coup (1961)
The April 19 Revolution led to revision of the constitution and the parliamentary government system by which the Democratic Party formed the Second Republic. People were granted greater freedom, but pent-up demands which had been previously suppressed began to explode from all levels of society, causing social unrest and confusion. A group of officers demanding reforms at the highest ranks or the military then overthrew the constitutional government via coup of d'etat on May 16, 1961. The Military Revolutionary Committee took over government declared martial law, dissolved the National Assembly, abolished local autonomy, forbade all political activity, banned student demonstrations, and imposed press censorship. The revolutionaries created new institutions and adopted new laws to tighten government control over subversives and anti-state protestors. Thus, in June 1961, the Korean Central Intelligence Agency was established, and on July6 3 the Anti-Communism Law was promulgated.

Development of the Republic of Korea
Since the early 1960s, the Korean government joined with the business world and ordinary citizens to commit themselves to economic development via increasing exports and promotion of the heavy and chemical industry. Korean economy was then the world's fastest growing economy. At the same time, increasing disparity continued to grow between industries, urban and rural areas, and among local regions. Many fundamental rights were suspended in the name of economic progress. Yet through the long struggle of workers, student, intellectuals and opposition party members, a victory for democracy was finally achieved in the late 1980s.

Pushing Ahead the Economic Development
The military regime headed by Park Chunghee launched a series of economic development plans centered on export-oriented industrial strategies involving low interest loans and constructing industrial parks for exporters. The government raises funds from various sources, including Japanese compensation paid to normalize Korea-Japan relations, military involvement in the Vietnam War, and loans from rich countries-to nurture the country's heavy and chemical industries.

Korean Workers Overseas Miners and Nurses in West Germany (1963)
The recruitment of nurses and miners to work in West Germany was regarded as a great opportunity even among the Korean elite as Korea in the 1960s and 1970s was still suffering from a lack of decent jobs. A total of 7,936 Korean miners were relocated to Germany between 1963 and 1977. In the case of nurses, a total of 10,723 registered Korean nurses were dispatched to West Germany beginning in the late 1950s until 1976. The Korean government also played roles in the later stage of this period. The workers sent most of their wages back to their families in Korea. Figures show that the total amount of remittances received from West Germany was over one hundred million US dollars. The Korean miners and nurses in West Germany are estimated to have greatly contributed to Korea's economic growth.

Korean Troops in the Vietnam War (1964)
The Park Chunghee administration supplied over 310,000 military personnel to Vietnam to help fight against the Viet Cong and North Vietnam. Korea's entry into the Vietnam War helped consolidate the Korea-US alliance, modernized Korean forces, and placed an extra billion dollars into the state coffers. But participation in the war also came at a great price, as Korean lost over 5,000 lives in the conflict.

Korea-Japan Talks (1965)
In March 1964, large student demonstrations broke out in Seoul, protesting against the negotiations with Japan to establish normal relations between the two countries. Believing diplomatic relations with Japan to be indispensible for Korea's economic development, the Park Chunghee government tightened its control over the campus activities of the students as well over the press and responded by mobilizing the military to crush anti-treaty rallies. Despite violent opposition from Korea's opposition party and students who regarded it as a shameful case of treacherous diplomacy, the government signed in June 1965, established new diplomatic and commercial relations.

Development of Science and Technology
Korea under Park's administration saw the establishment of government agencies and research institutions responsible for nurturing scientists, engineers and technicians who would help offset the country's lack of natural resources. The production of an advanced, capable work forces played a crucial role in the development of the electronics, chemistry, steel, machinery and shipbuilding industries.

Fighting against Communism
Anti-Communism had been an unyielding national policy of ROK government until 1970s. Posters and slogans everywhere reminded citizens of the importance of fighting against communism, and the communist government in the north in particular. Young men discharged from military service were required to serve in the ROK Reserved Forces and then the Civilian Defense Corps. Also, military training was a compulsory subject in high schools and colleges.

Striving for Self-reliance in National Defense
Provocations by the North and the US decision to withdraw its troops from the Korean Peninsula led Korea to strive for greater self-reliance in matters regarding national defense. In 1970, the Korean government established the Agency for Defense Development to improve Korea's defense capability and to achieve the capacity to arm its troops with domestically manufactured armaments. The country was gradually able to produce its own conventional weaponry.

South-North Confrontation and Reconciliation
The two Koreas have alternated between confrontation and reconciliation since the 1953 ceasefire. Relations between the two have often become agitated due to North Korean aggression against the South, including terrorist attacks on both government figures and civilians. Meanwhile, reconciliation has also been sought via Red Cross talks, Ministerial dialogues and summit meetings under the Kim Dae-jung and Roh Mu-hyun administrations in the South.

Growth of the Korean Economy
The ROK was able to achieve one of the world's highest economic growth in the period between 1960 and 2000. The country rose from a poor agricultural society to a powerful global manufacturer, dramatically improving the people's standard of living.

Saemaul Undong (1970)
Korean in the 1970s saw the launch of the Saemaul Movement, a series of government-led nationwide campaign aimed at the development of poverty-stricken rural areas. The movement's early phase focused on improving living conditions but grew to advocate programs for increasing farmer's income based on diligence, self-help and cooperation.

Seoul-Busan Expressway (1970)
Seoul-Busan Expressway, dubbed the main artery of Korea began to be constructed in February 1968 and was completed in July 1970. The expressway drastically reduced travel time between the southern part of the country and the capital area, turning the entire country into a One Day Living Zone.
Length: 428km
Construction days: 888 days
Cost paid: 42.9 billion Won

Korean Workers Overseas Construction Workers in the Middle East (1973)
Following the first oil crises in 1973, Korean construction companies aggressively explored the market of Middle Eastern countries flooded with oil money earning about 70 billion US dollars from 1973 to 1985. Neither the scorching sun nor the dessert sandstorms of the Middle East could deter the diligence and frontier spirit of Korean workers.

Construction of Steel Mill
In the 1960s, the ROK government pushed ahead with construction of a steel mill as an effort to attain self-sufficiency in the steel industry. The government built POSCO using the compensation funds paid by Japan for its colonial rule of Korea and technological cooperation from the Japanese steel industry. Later the steel industry of Korea reached the competitive edge with continued investment and R & D.

Shipbuilding
In the early 1970s, the Hyundai Group attracted foreign capital and began to build its shipbuilding yard off the coast of Ulsan, receiving an order to build two large 266,000 DWT oil tankers. The ships were completed in June 1975, one of which was named the Atlantic Baron.

Urbanization
With rapid economic growth after the 1960s, city populations also began to rise sharply as people migrated from the countryside. Large apartment complexes were built to accommodate the new citizens. Bus services and subway lines were also constructed. Meanwhile, traditional extended families were soon superseded by nuclear families.

Changes in Family Units and Family Planning
The Nuclear Family, consisting of father, mother and children, became the major family unit in large cities. Strong government policy was implemented in the early 1960s to decrease the number of family members. As birthrates continued to fall, the government adopted a policy to promote childbirth from the 2000s.

Development of Public Transportation
Buses served as a feet of Seoul citizens from the late 1960s, as they superseded the streetcars. Seoul's first subway line was completed in August 1974, and other lines followed. The ratio of people travelling by Seoul's metropolitan subway system was 0.37% when the line was first completed. The figure grew to 27.4% thirty years later.

Shadow of the Growth
Korea's rapid economic growth led to violation of workers' rights and the widening gap between agricultural and manufacturing, urban and rural areas and local provinces. Expecially female workers in the textile apparel industry during the 1960s and 1970s suffered from long labor hours and low wages. Chun Taeil, a young tailor working in Pyeonghwa Market in Seoul, protested society's cruel indifference by setting himself on fire.

Cultural Diversity and Popular Culture
Korean society in the 1960sw saw the appearance of its own manor TV networks, KBS, TBS, and MBC. The higher income and standards of living led to a dramatic increase in the number of television sets and an accompanying richness and diversity in popular culture. The fist color TV broadcast in Korea began in 1980, drawing more and more viewers to TV sets.

Democratization Movements (1961-1987)
From the 1961 May 16 Coup to the restoration of direct presidential elections in 1987, many movements were devoted to restoring democracy, led by workers and ordinary citizens as well as politicians, students, and intellectuals.? These advocates fought against the 1969 constitutional amendment to allow then President Park to run for a third term, and the establishment of the Yusin Constitution (1972).? The popular pro-democracy movements of the Korean public led to the Gwangju Democratization Movement in May 18, 1980, and culminated in the successful establishment of direct presidential elections on June 1987.

Opposition to the 1969 Constitutional Amendment
President Park Chunghee's actions in amending the constitution to allow himself a third term in office spurred resistance from the opposition party, which was quickly joined by waves of pro-democracy activists, including students. The constitution amendment bill was passed in an irregular manner at the National Assembly dominated by the ruling party and, finally, endorsed through national referendum in October 1969.

Anti-Yusin Movement 1
In 1972, President Park Chunghee mobilized the military to establish the Yusin regime which would grant him unlimited power and presidency for life, signaling the complete loss of democracy in Korea. The emergence of this authoritarian regime faced opposition from pro-democracy activists and journals, who demanded the abolition of the Yusin Constitution and greater freedom of speech.

Anti-Yusin Movement 2
Resistance against the Yusin Constitution spread among members of the opposition party, students and anti-government intellectuals, particularly in the period from autumn of 1973 to spring of 1975. In 1975, eight past members of the People's Revolutionary Party were executed soon after sentencing. Many activists were punished by Emergency Measure No. 9, which prohibited criticism against the constitution and banned all political activities by students.

The Busn-Masan Democratization Movement and the Fall of the Yusin Regime
By 1979, Park's regime was suffering from economic depression and diplomatic frictions with the US. In may of that year, opposition party leader Kim Youngsam rekindled the anti-Yusin fight, causing major civil resistance in Busan, Masan and Changwon in October. Civil unrest in the southern part of Korea led to the eventual assassination of Park Chunghee and the collapse of his regime.

Seoul Spring 1980 and aftermath
The assassination of Park Chunghee in October 1979 was followed two months later by a coup by the New Military Elites led by Chun Doohwan, Commander of the Defense Security Command. While students and pro-democracy figures continued to express their democratic aspirations through public rallies, the military officers in power prohibited all political activities, and arrested influential pro-democracy political leader Kim Daejung.

May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement (1980)
The extension of martial law on May 17, 1980 by the military forces who had seized power was answered by a large public rally in Gwangju where students and ordinary citizens demanded its abolition and the release of Kim Daejung. The peaceful civil demonstration was mercilessly crushed by military troops. This movement where the citizens of Gwangju confronted the drawn weapons of the military government was the start of the democracy movement of the 1980s. The May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement showed Korea belonged to its people, and became the driving force for later pro-democracy movement in the 1980s.

Pro-democracy Movement in the mid-1980s
Student pro-democracy demonstrations persisted even under the iron-fisted rule of the Chun Doohwan regime. A breakthrough came when a political coalition led by two important political leaders, Kim Daejung and Kim Youngsam won the general election held in 1985 and began fighting to amend the constitution for the restoration of direct presidential elections. Radical student groups directed their attention to anti-US movements.

Aung San Terrorist Bombing (1983)
President Chun Doo-hwan made a state visit to Burma, accompanied by a large delegation of South Korean officials. The morning after his arrival in Rangoon he was due to lay a wreath at the Martyrs' Mausoleum, a shrine dedicated to nationalist leader Aung San and six other Burmese figures.

Three North Korean agents secretly entered Burma just before the visit. They planted three remotely controlled bombs in the mausoleum's roof. However, these devices were detonated prematurely, before Chun Doo-hwan arrived at the venue. Seventeen South Koreans were killed, including four cabinet ministers. Four Burmese citizens were killed and 32 were injured.

The three North Korean agents were soon hunted down. One was killed and the other two captured. One was hanged in 1985, but the other who cooperated with the authorities survived in a Burmese jail until 2008.

Pro-Democracy Movement in June, 1987 and the June 29 Declaration
The death of two university students by police violence ignited the fury of the Korean people. Citizens and students flooded into the streets across the nation throughout the early summer of 1987, shouting slogans denouncing President Chun's decision to protect the constitution and calling for the end of the dictatorship. The leaders of the ruling party capitulated to the demands for constitutional amendment, finally endorsing the people's power and direct presidential elections.

Modernization and Korea's Vision of Future
Korea's cultural capabilities emerged into prominence over the last three decades through landmark events such as the successful hosting of the 1988 Seoul Olympics Games, the registration of cultural heritage sites on UNESCO World Heritage list, and the success of the Korean Wave K-pop and Korean TV dramas on the global stage. The country has also grown into a world leader in the IT, semiconductor and mobile telecommunications industries. Now Korea focuses on measures to overcome population, and the environmental issues. Internationally, Korea is expanding its efforts to support developing countries, striving towards national reunification, and advocating for peace and stability in Northeast Asia.

Seoul Olympic Games and Sports Korea
The 24th Olympic Games held in Seoul in 1988 was a huge international festival participated in by 160 countries, the largest number in Olympic history to that date, from both Western and Eastern blocs, making it the first boycott-free Olympics in 12 years. The 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea hosted jointly with Japan gave Koreans another valuable opportunity to cultivate cultural exchange with the international community and celebrate the unity of its people. Korea has also been recently elected to host 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang.

Sports Korea
Korea made its first Olympic appearance in the 1948 London Olympic Games. As one of the world's poorest countries at the time, the county had to issue a special lottery to support the budget required to participate in the world's largest sporting event. 64 years later, Korea finished fifth in the medal standings at the 2012 London Olympics, highlighting the dramatic change in its status in the international community.

Korean Wave, Koran Culture in the World
Both Korean traditional culture and recent pop culture have begun to attract enthusiastic fans all over the world. As of 2012, Korea has ten sites inscribed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites, including fifteen items in the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and nine in The Memory of the World Register.? Meanwhile, Korean TV dramas and pop music continue to receive an enthusiastic response across the world, making the Korean Wave a worldwide cultural phenomenon.

Development of High Technology
Korean has grown into one of the world's leading manufacturers of a range of IT products including semiconductors, mobile telecommunication equipment and displays. It was in the early 1980s that large Korean companies started making semiconductor products, VLSI, DRAM, etc., catching up with industry front runners in a remarkably short period. In the mobile telecommunication sector, the country introduced the world's first CDMA service in 1996 while Korean smart phone now competes with competitors for top position in the global smart phone market.

Asia-Europe Meeting 2000 (ASEM)
ASEM was established in 1996 to keep dialogue between two regions as the walls of the Cold war tore down and faced challenges and opportunities as multi-polarized world. The multilateral consultative group holds meetings biannually switching between two continents. Seoul hosted the 3rd ASEM in 2000 from October 19 till 21, and 10 Asian countries and 15 EU member states participated.

APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting 2005 (APEC)
In order to sustain economic growth and prosperity, APEC was established in 1989 at Canberra, Australia, and annual conferences have been held since 1993. As one of the founding members, in 2005, Korea hosted the 13th APEC Conference in Busan.

G20 Seoul Summit 2010 (G20)
G20-the Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors - was established in 1999 with the original G7 countries, 12 new rising nations, and EU member states. Republic of Korea hosted the G20 Summit for the first time as an Asian country and launched the Seoul Action Plan for a stronger, sustainable, and balanced growth. During the summit, general consensus was achieved on issues of currencies and the IMF reform which enhanced the nation's status as a reliable mediator in the international community.

Nuclear Security Summit Seoul 2012
Nuclear Security Summit is an international conference organized by countries with nuclear weapons and nuclear power plant in order to combat against possible threats of nuclear terrorism since the 9. 11 incident. The first summit was held in Washington in 2010. Seoul Nuclear Security Summit holds great significance that the Nuclear Security Summit process' discussed in Washington have elevated to practice phase.