Seoul: In 1943, Japanese colonial authorities issued an expanded order for the mobilization of Korean students to support Japan's World War II efforts. During this period, hundreds of thousands of Koreans, many of whom were students, were coerced into joining the Japanese army. This mobilization was a part of Japan's broader effort to strengthen its military forces toward the end of its colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula, which lasted from 1910 until Korea regained its independence in 1945 following Japan's defeat in the war.

According to Yonhap News Agency, several significant events have marked Korean history. In 1976, former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger proposed a diplomatic initiative aimed at resolving tensions on the Korean Peninsula. His proposal included a four-party meeting involving the two Koreas, the United States, and China, as well as the simultaneous admission of North and South Korea into the United Nations. This diplomatic effort, supported by China, Russia, and the United States, eventually led to both Koreas joining the UN in 1991.

In another historical event, a multinational team of doctors achieved a medical milestone in 2003 by successfully separating two conjoined South Korean infant girls at a hospital in Singapore. This complex surgery was a significant achievement in the field of medicine.

In 2014, South Korean police announced the discovery of a body believed to be that of Yoo Byung-eun, a 73-year-old billionaire and the de facto owner of a ferry that tragically sank in April of that year. The ferry disaster resulted in over 300 people dead or missing, and Yoo had been on a wanted list in connection with the incident.