2024 in South Korea

The following lists events in the year 2024 in South Korea.

Incumbents

Events

January

• 2 January – Attempted assassination of Lee Jae-myung: Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung is stabbed in the neck while visiting Busan. Lee is taken to Pusan National University Hospital about 20 minutes after the attack, and the suspect is arrested at the scene.
• 5 January – North Korea fires 200 artillery shells near Yeonpyeong Island, prompting evacuations.
• 9 January – South Korea bans the breeding and slaughter of dogs for consumption, effective in 2027, with the government promising to fully support dog meat farmers, butchers and restaurant owners.
• 15 January – The government announces its decision to invest a total of 622 trillion won by 2047 to build a semiconductor mega cluster of Pyeongtaek, Icheon, Yongin, Hwaseong, Seongnam, and Suwon in the southern part of Gyeonggi Province. The plan also includes raising the self-sufficiency rate of key material, parts, and equipment supply chains to 50% by 2030, and policy support for companies.
• 19 January to 2 February – 2024 Winter Youth Olympics at Gangwon Province
• 23 January – More than 350 flights at Jeju International Airport are canceled due to heavy snow and strong winds.
• 25 January – People Power Party assemblywoman Bae Hyun-jin is attacked and hospitalized in Seoul.

February

• 14 February – Cuba and South Korea establish diplomatic relations after exchanging letters via their United Nations representatives.
• 16–25 February – 2024 World Team Table Tennis Championships at Busan
• 6 February – Ministry of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong said that the number of medical students will increase by 2,000 from 2025. This is the first time since 1998 that the number of medical students will be expanded. The Korea Medical Association warns that it would go on a nationwide strike if the government pushes for expanding the number of admissions to medical schools.

March

• 12 March –
  • 2024 South Korean doctors' strike: The government begins suspending the medical licenses of thousands of striking doctors due to growing concerns that the month-long strike is affecting medical services.
    • Over 10,000 doctors go on strike at 100 educational hospitals, leading to a number of delays in treatment.
• 18-20 March - South Korea hosts the Summit for Democracy 2024.
• 20 March – The South Korean-flagged tanker Keoyoung Sun capsizes off the coast of Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, during stormy weather. Nine crew members are found dead, while one person remains missing. Two people are rescued.

April

• 8 April – South Korea launches its second home-grown technology intelligence satellite mounted on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in the United States.
• 10 April – 2024 South Korean legislative election
  • The opposition, primarily consisting of the Democratic Party, its alliance and the Rebuilding Korea Party, increases their legislative majority in the National Assembly but falls short of the two-thirds supermajority needed to pass constitutional amendments or override the veto of President Yoon Suk Yeol.
• 11 April – Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon and several aides of President Yoon Suk-yeol resign from their positions, citing the losses incurred by the administration in the legislative elections.
• 12 April – The Bank of Korea's Monetary Policy Committee freezes the key interest rate at 3.5 percent for the 10th consecutive time.
• 15 April – The Supreme Court of Korea dismisses a lawsuit to annul the results of the 2022 gubernatorial election in Gyeonggi Province.
• 29 April – President Yoon Suk Yeol meets with Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, for talks.

May

• 2 May – South Korea raises its terrorism alert level to the second highest level, citing strong chances of an attack from North Korea on its overseas diplomatic offices.
• 9 May – President Yoon holds a press conference in the Presidential Office to mark his second anniversary in office. Yoon acknowledgesthat the government's measures to solve various economic problems, including high prices, have fallen short of people's expectations and expresses his concern about the country's low birth rate. He also announces plans to establish a new ministry.

Holidays

As per Presidential Decree No. 28394, 2017. 10. 17., partially amended, the following days are declared holidays in South Korea:

• 1 January - New Year's Day
• 9 February to 11 February - Korean New Year
• 1 March - March 1st Movement Day
• 5 May - Children's Day South Korea
• 15 May - Buddha's Birthday
• 6 June - Memorial Day
• 15 August - National Liberation Day
• 16 September to 18 September - Chuseok
• 3 October - National Foundation Day
• 9 October - Hangul Day
• 25 December - Christmas Day

Art and entertainment

• 2024 in South Korean music
• 2024 in South Korean television
• List of South Korean films of 2024
• List of 2024 box office number-one films in South Korea
• List of South Korean submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

Deaths

January

• 9 January – Choi Hong-suk, 35, volleyball player (Seoul Woori Card Wibee, national team).
• 19 January – Lee Doo-yong, 81, film director (The General in Red Robes, The Korean Connection, Mulleya Mulleya) and screenwriter.

February

• 5 February – Namkoong Won, 89, film actor (Woman of Fire, Inchon)

April

• 23 April – Ro Jai-bong, 88, Prime Minister (1990-1991)

See also

Country overviews

Related timelines for current period

References

External links

• Online calendar