2025 in South Korea
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The following lists events in the year 2025 in South Korea.
Incumbents
| Office | Image | Name | Assumed office / Current length |
|---|---|---|---|
 President of the Republic of Korea |
|
Yoon Suk Yeol | 10 May 2022 (Powers and duties suspended since 14 December 2024) |
|
Choi Sang-mok | 27 December 2024 (Acting President) | |
 Speaker of the National Assembly |
|
Woo Won-shik | 5 June 2024 |
 Chief Justice of the Supreme Court |
|
Cho Hee-dae | 8 December 2023 |
 President of the Constitutional Court |
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|
Moon Hyungbae (Acting) | 18 October 2024 |
 Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea |
|
Han Duck-soo | 21 May 2022 (suspended since 27 December) |
|
|
Choi Sang-mok | 27 December 2024 (Acting Prime Minister) |
Events
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]
- 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.[16]
- 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.[17]
February
- 1 February –
- Two fishing vessels run aground off the coast of Jeju Island, killing two people and leaving two others missing.[18]
- A fire breaks out at the National Hangeul Museum in Seoul, injuring one firefighter. No damage is recorded to the museum's collection.[19]
- 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.[20]
- 7–14 February – South Korea at the 2025 Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China:[21] South Korea concludes its participation at the competition with 16 gold medals.[22]
- 7 February – An magnitude 3.1 earthquake hits Yangseong-myeon, 22 kilometers northwest of Chungju, North Chungcheong Province.[23]
- 9 February – A fishing vessel sinks off the coast of Habaek Island near Yeosu, killing four people and leaving five others missing.[24]
- 10 February –
- One person is killed in the explosion of an oil storage tank in Ulsan.[25]
- An eight-year old girl is fatally stabbed at an elementary school in Daejeon, with a teacher confessing to the killing.[26]
- 12 February – A fishing vessel capsizes off the coast of Jeju Island, leaving five crew members missing.[27]
- 13 February – A fishing vessel catches fire off the coast of Buan County, leaving six crew members missing.[28]
- 14 February –
- Footballer Hwang Ui-jo is sentenced to a one-year suspended prison sentence for secretly filming sexual encounters with three different women.[29]
- Six people are killed in a fire at an under-construction resort in Busan.[30]
- A man is arrested for attempting to storm the Chinese embassy in Seoul to carry out an attack.[31]
Scheduled events
- 19 February – The first formal hearings into the impeachment of Han Duck-soo will be held by the Constitutional Court of Korea.[32]
- 7–16 July – 2025 EAFF E-1 Football Championship[33]
- July – 2025 EAFF E-1 Football Championship (women)[34]
- November – APEC South Korea 2025
Holidays
As per Presidential Decree No. 28394, 2017. 10. 17., partially amended, the following days are declared holidays in South Korea:[35][36]
- 1 January – New Year's Day
- 27 January[37] to 31 January – Korean New Year
- 1 March – March 1st Movement Day
- 5 May – Children's Day South Korea
- 5 May – Buddha's Birthday
- 6 June – Memorial Day
- 15 August – National Liberation Day
- 3 October – National Foundation Day
- 5 October to 7 October – Chuseok
- 9 October – Hangul Day
- 25 December – Christmas Day
Art and entertainment
- 2025 in South Korean music
- 2025 in South Korean television
- List of South Korean films of 2025
- List of 2025 box office number-one films in South Korea
- List of South Korean submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
Deaths
- 2 February – Lee Joo-sil, 80, film actress (The Uncanny Counter, Train to Busan, Squid Game)[38]
- 7 February – Song Dae-kwan, 78, singer[39]
See also
Country overviews
Related timelines for current period
References
- ^ "Yoon's senior aides offer to resign after acting president appoints key justices". Yonhap News. 1 January 2025.
- ^ "(5th LD) Investigators trying to detain Yoon in standoff with presidential security service". Yonhap News. January 3, 2025. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- ^ "(2nd LD) 3 dead after fishing boat hits rocks off southwestern coast". Yonhap News. January 4, 2025. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
- ^ "Ex-DPK leader gets 2-year sentence for receiving illegal political funds". The Korea Times. 2025-01-08. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
- ^ "Security chief of South Korea's impeached President Yoon resigns". France 24. 2025-01-10. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
- ^ Hyun-Soo, Kim (14 January 2025). "9 injured in 43-car pileup on icy highway in Goyang". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ "S Korea begins impeachment trial against suspended president". BBC. 14 January 2025. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
- ^ Jeong, Andrew (January 15, 2025). "South Korea's impeached president detained over martial law gambit". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
- ^ Sang-Ho, Song (18 January 2025). "(LEAD) S. Korea opens embassy in Cuba one year after establishing diplomatic relations". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
- ^ "Protesters storm S. Korea court after president's detention extended". France 24. 19 January 2025. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
- ^ Minji, Lee (21 January 2025). "Military intel official gets 20-yr prison term for leaking 'black agents' info". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "South Korea to shrink biomass energy subsidies after criticism over link to deforestation". AP News. 22 January 2025. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
- ^ Cheong-Mo, Yoo (23 January 2025). "Constitutional Court rejects impeachment of broadcasting watchdog chief". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ "Three arrested attempting to sell 61kg of cocaine in largest such crime in South Korea". The Korea Herald. 23 January 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ "K-Bio Control Tower aims to cultivate 110,000 specialists and 1 trillion won fund". Chosun Ilbo. 23 January 2025.
- ^ Kim, Da-sol (January 26, 2025). "Yoon becomes first sitting president to be indicted". The Korea Herald. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
- ^ "No. of injured victims from Busan airplane fire rises to 7, all with minor injuries". The Korea Herald. 29 January 2025. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
- ^ "(3rd LD) 2 fishing boats run aground off Jeju, leaving 2 dead, 2 missing". Yonhap News Agency. 1 February 2025.
- ^ "(3rd LD) Fire at Nat'l Hangeul Museum extinguished; 1 firefighter injured". Yonhap News Agency. 1 February 2025.
- ^ "High court acquits ex-Ulsan mayor, lawmaker in election meddling case". The Korea Times. 4 February 2025.
- ^ "9th Asian Winter Games kick off in China". Yonhap News Agency. February 7, 2025. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
- ^ "S. Korea exceeds Winter Asiad gold medal target in China". Yonhap News Agency. 14 February 2025.
- ^ "새벽 단잠 깨운 충주 지진…규모 4.2→3.1 수정, 왜 차이 컸나". Yonhap News (in Korean). 7 February 2025.
- ^ "(4th LD) Sunken fishing trawler found on seabed with 1 crewman inside; 4 dead, 5 missing". Yonhap News Agency. 9 February 2025.
- ^ "1 dead, 1 injured in explosion at oil storage tank in Ulsan". The Korea Times. 10 February 2025.
- ^ "Child dies in South Korea after being stabbed in school". The Straits Times. 10 February 2025.
- ^ "Five are missing after a fishing boat capsizes off a South Korean island". AP News. 12 February 2025.
- ^ "6 missing, 5 rescued as fishing boat catches fire". Yonhap News Agency. 13 February 2025.
- ^ "S Korea striker gets suspended jail term for filming secret sex videos". BBC. 14 February 2025.
- ^ "Construction site catches fire in South Korea, leaving at least 6 dead". AP News. 14 February 2025.
- ^ "Man nabbed while trying to raid Chinese Embassy in Seoul". Yonhap News Agency. 14 February 2025.
- ^ "(LEAD) Court to hold 1st formal hearing of PM's impeachment trial Feb. 19". Yonhap News Agency. 5 February 2025. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
- ^ "75th EAFF Executive Committee Meeting". East Asian Football Federation. 30 March 2024. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
- ^ "20th EAFF Competition Committee Meeting". East Asian Football Federation. 1 December 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
- ^ "National Holidays in South Korea in 2025". Public Holidays Global. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
- ^ "South Korea Public Holidays 2025". Public Holidays Global. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
- ^ Han-Joo, Kim (14 January 2025). "Gov't designates Jan. 27 as temporary holiday". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
- ^ Jae-Yeon, Woo (2 February 2025). "Veteran actress Lee Joo-shil dies of stomach cancer at 81". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
- ^ Sun-Ah, Shim (7 February 2025). "(LEAD) Trot singer Song Dae-kwan dies at 79". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 7 February 2025.