Korea News in the 2010s: Sewol, Candlelight Rallies, BTS

Search for Korea in the early 2010s and the first results were about North Korea. By 2019, they were about BTS and Parasite. In between, the country went through a devastating disaster, saw a president removed by the Constitutional Court, and hosted a Winter Olympics.

Walk around Seoul today and that decade is still everywhere. The new timber of Sungnyemun Gate, the wide-open square at Gwanghwamun, the yellow ribbons hanging from backpacks, the giant wrist sculpture outside COEX: each one ties back to a headline from those years. Here’s what happened, year by year, and where you can still see it.

🗓️ Korea's defining news of the 2010s, year by year, and what's left of it in Seoul (as of October 2026)

What happened in Korea from 2010 to 2012?

In short, North Korea and Gangnam Style made the news in the same stretch. Right after the year of highest security tension, a Korean song broke a worldwide YouTube record for the first time.

2010 — The Cheonan, Yeonpyeong and the G20

On March 26, 2010, the navy corvette ROKS Cheonan sank in waters near Baengnyeong Island, killing 46 sailors. A joint civilian-military investigation team led by South Korea announced on May 20 that year that a torpedo attack by a North Korean submarine was the cause; North Korea denied any involvement. On November 23, North Korea shelled Yeonpyeong Island, killing two marines and two civilians. It’s regarded as the first time since the armistice that North Korea directly shelled South Korean territory and killed civilians.

That same month, on November 11–12, Asia’s first G20 summit was held at COEX in Samseong-dong.

In Seoul, the outdoor exhibition area of the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan displays Chamsuri 357, the patrol boat from the 2002 Yeonpyeong battle. The Cheonan memorial facility isn’t in Seoul, though; it’s at the Navy’s 2nd Fleet Command in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. COEX, the summit venue, is covered in our Samseong-dong COEX and Bongeunsa guide.

2011 — The free school meals referendum and Kim Jong-il’s death

On August 24, 2011, Seoul held a referendum on how far free meals should extend in elementary and middle schools. Final turnout was 25.7%, short of the 33.3% needed to count the ballots, so the boxes were never opened. Then-mayor Oh Se-hoon, who had pledged to resign if turnout fell short, stepped down on August 26. This fight was the starting point for musang geupsik (free school meals) becoming normal: today’s elementary, middle and high school students in Korea eat lunch at school without paying.

On December 17, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il died (North Korea announced it at noon on the 19th), and the Kim Jong-un era began.

2012 — Gangnam Style

PSY’s Gangnam Style video came out on July 15, 2012. According to YouTube’s official blog, on December 21 it became the first video in YouTube history to pass 1 billion views. Thanks to the horse dance anyone could copy, the name of a Seoul neighborhood, Gangnam, became known around the world.

In Seoul today: in April 2016, Gangnam-gu put up a bronze sculpture modeled on the horse dance’s crossed-wrist move, 5 m tall and 8 m wide, at COEX East Plaza. According to Korea Tourism Organization travel information (updated 2025), it’s open to visitors at all times.

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Why do Koreans still talk about Sewol and MERS (2013–2015)?

Because in those three years, the way Korean society thinks about safety and disaster response changed profoundly. 2013 was the year a burned national treasure came back; in 2014 and 2015, the whole country went through deep grief and anxiety.

2013 — Sungnyemun returns, and Korea’s first female president takes office

On February 25, 2013, Park Geun-hye was sworn in as Korea’s 18th president, the country’s first woman in the office. On May 4, Sungnyemun Gate, which had collapsed in an arson fire in February 2008, reopened after five years and three months of restoration.

In Seoul today: Sungnyemun is a little over 10 minutes’ walk from Seoul Station, right next to Namdaemun Market. According to Seoul city data, entry is free, it’s closed on Mondays, and depending on the season it closes between 5:30 and 6:30 pm. That fire is also why smoking and open flames are so strictly banned inside palaces and heritage sites (see palace and heritage site rules). If you want to eat nearby, check our Namdaemun Market food guide.

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2014 — The Sewol ferry disaster, and DDP

On April 16, 2014, the passenger ferry Sewol, sailing from Incheon to Jeju, sank in waters off Jindo, South Jeolla Province. Of the 476 people on board, 339 were students and teachers from Danwon High School in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, on a school trip. The 4.16 Foundation records 304 victims. Controversy over the rescue operation and the government’s response led to several rounds of investigation and debate over special legislation.

From then on, Koreans began wearing a yellow ribbon as a sign that they remember the victims. Twelve years later, every April still brings yellow ribbons back onto bags, cars and social media profiles.

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On March 21 of the same year, Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) opened on the site of the old Dongdaemun Stadium. It was designed by British architect Zaha Hadid, and the Seoul city government describes it, at 86,575 ㎡ of total floor area, as the world’s largest three-dimensional free-form building. Its silver curves are now a fixture of Seoul night photos and fashion events. For shopping around the area, see our Dongdaemun shopping guide.

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2015 — MERS

Korea’s Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak began with the first confirmed case on May 20, 2015. According to Yonhap News reports on government announcements, infections kept spreading inside hospitals until 186 people had been infected and 38 had died; the government declared the outbreak over as of midnight on December 23.

The same reports say the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was then upgraded to a vice-ministerial body, and in 2020 it became the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. When people explain why Korea could ramp up testing and contact tracing so quickly during COVID-19 five years later, the MERS crisis often comes up.

What happened in 2016–2017? Park Geun-hye's impeachment and the candlelight rallies

Mass rallies that began in autumn 2016 led to the Constitutional Court’s decision to remove the president in March the following year. Around the same time, on the diplomatic front, friction between Korea and China over the THAAD deployment redrew the tourism map.

2016 — AlphaGo, candlelight and THAAD

From March 9 to 15, 2016, Google DeepMind’s AI AlphaGo played a five-game match against 9-dan Lee Sedol at the Four Seasons Hotel in Gwanghwamun, Seoul. AlphaGo won 4–1, and move 78 of game four, the one Lee won, is still remembered as the sin-ui han su (“divine move”). If you’re curious about Korea’s baduk culture, read our piece on Korean baduk and giwon culture.

On July 8, Seoul and Washington decided to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system with US Forces Korea, citing the need to respond to North Korean missiles. China objected strongly, saying it harmed its own security, and group tours to Korea were subsequently blocked. China has never officially acknowledged the measures, but in Korea they’re commonly called the Hanhallyeong (“Korean Wave ban”).

The figures come from KOTRA material citing Ministry of Justice immigration statistics, the Korea Tourism Organization’s 2017 count, and a Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism press release. According to a Seoul Shinmun report (August 2023), China allowed group tours to Korea again in August 2023. That’s why the scene in Myeongdong and at duty-free shops changed so much around 2017. For how spending shifted by nationality, see foreign tourist spending by nationality.

On October 29, prompted by allegations that a confidant of the president had interfered in state affairs, the first chotbul jiphoe (candlelight rallies) were held around Gwanghwamun Square. The organizers, the Emergency People’s Action for the resignation of Park Geun-hye, counted 23 rallies through April 29, 2017, with a cumulative turnout of about 16.85 million (organizers’ estimate). Rallies opposing the impeachment were also held in central Seoul during the same period. On December 9, the National Assembly passed the impeachment motion (299 of its 300 members voted, 234 in favor).

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2017 — Removal from office, a new government, and a 555 m tower

It was the first time in Korea’s constitutional history that the impeachment of a sitting president was upheld. Since then, Gwanghwamun Square has become the place where rallies are held whenever political opinion splits. If you run into a rally in Gwanghwamun or Yeouido today, our guide to Korean political parties and protests explains what to do.

On April 3, Lotte World Tower opened in Jamsil. With 123 floors and a height of 555 m, it’s the tallest building in Korea. Its observatory on floors 117 to 123, Seoul Sky, is where you can see the city at night from the highest point in Seoul. For prices and heights compared with other observatories, see Seoul observation decks compared.

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How did Hallyu go global in 2018–2019? Pyeongchang, BTS and Parasite

In 2018 it was sport and diplomacy that put Korea in the world news; in 2019 it was pop culture. This is also roughly when many of today’s visitors to Seoul first got to know Korea through K-pop and Korean film.

2018 — The year of the Pyeongchang Olympics and the summits

From February 9 to 25, 2018, the Winter Olympics took place in Pyeongchang, Gangneung and Jeongseon in Gangwon Province. According to Dailian and Yonhap reports, a record 2,920 athletes from 92 countries took part, the most ever at a Winter Games, and Korea won 17 medals, its best Winter Olympics haul. The KTX Gangneung Line linking Seoul and Gangneung opened just before the Games, on December 22, 2017, so you can still get from Seoul Station or Cheongnyangni Station to the sea at Gangneung on a single train. For a winter trip, see ski resort packages compared and Gangwon ski day trips; for BTS filming spots in Pyeongchang, see the In the SOOP Pyeongchang tour.

On April 27, President Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, met at the Peace House on the southern side of Panmunjom. It was the first inter-Korean summit in 11 years, since 2007, and it produced the Panmunjom Declaration. On June 12, the first-ever US–North Korea summit took place in Singapore, and from September 18 to 20, another inter-Korean summit was held in Pyongyang.

2019 — Wembley, Cannes and No Japan

On May 25 (local time), Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite became the first Korean film to win the Palme d’Or, the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival. The following February it went on to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Among its Seoul filming locations, Dwaejissal Supermarket, the neighborhood shop in the film, closed in May 2025, while the stairs by Jahamun Tunnel in Buam-dong are still there (see Seoul movie filming locations and Korea’s all-time box office ranking).

On June 1–2 (local time), BTS played two nights at Wembley Stadium in London. According to Money Today, the BBC introduced BTS as the first Korean group to headline the main stage at Wembley. In Seoul, BTS pilgrimages center on Nonhyeon-dong in Gangnam, the members’ stomping ground as trainees, and the area around the HYBE headquarters in Yongsan, which you can only see from the outside (see BTS places in Seoul, the K-pop trainee system and the most popular K-pop groups of 2026).

On July 4, the Japanese government tightened export controls on three semiconductor materials bound for Korea. Japan described it as a matter of export control management, while many in Korea saw it as a response to the court rulings ordering compensation for forced labor. A No Japan movement to avoid Japanese products and travel to Japan then spread in Korea. According to Japan National Tourism Organization figures, 5,584,600 Koreans visited Japan in 2019, down 25.9% from the previous year.