Yeosu:A group of soldiers in Yeosu, 455 kilometers south of Seoul, rebelled against the newly established South Korean government in 1948. These soldiers supported the reunification of the Koreas and refused to suppress protests on Jeju Island. The demonstrations spread to Suncheon, and the soldiers controlled both cities until martial law was declared, with the U.S. Army's support helping to quell the rebellion.

According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korea and China agreed to open a trade office in 1990, leading to the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992. This development resulted in Taiwan withdrawing its diplomatic mission from South Korea.

In 1998, the South Korean government announced plans to lift a ban on Japanese popular culture that had been in place since the end of Japan's colonization of Korea.

The Asia-Europe Meeting opened in Seoul in 2000, with leaders from 26 countries addressing various issues. They adopted the Seoul Declaration for Peace on the Korean Peninsula.

In 2001, President Kim Dae-jung and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi agreed to resolve bilateral issues, including those related to Japan's history textbooks. They planned to form a joint history study group.

During the 2003 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference in Bangkok, President Roh Moo-hyun and U.S. President George W. Bush issued a joint statement calling for progress in talks on North Korea's nuclear program.

A public debate committee in 2017 recommended continuing the construction of the Shin Kori-5 and Shin Kori-6 nuclear reactors, which President Moon Jae-in had paused under his nuclear phaseout policy.

In 2018, South Korea and the United States decided to suspend the Vigilant Ace combined air exercise to support diplomatic efforts for North Korea's denuclearization.

In 2020, South Korean chipmaker SK hynix announced its acquisition of Intel's NAND business for $9 billion.