1446    The hangul alphabet is published in Korea.

1871    Sinmiyangyo: Captain McLane Tilton leads 109 U.S. Marines in a naval attack on Han River forts on Kanghwa Island, Korea.

1894    The First Sino-Japanese War erupts between Japan and China over Korea.

1895    The Treaty of Shimonoseki between China and Japan is signed. This marks the end of the First Sino-Japanese War, and the defeated Qing Empire is forced to renounce its claims on Korea and to concede the southern portion of the Fengtien province, Taiwan and the Pescadores Islands to Japan.

1895    Eulmi incident- Queen Min of Joseon, the last empress of Korea, is assassinated and her corpse burnt by the Japanese in Gyeongbok Palace.

1904    The Russo-Japanese War over Korea and Manchuria begins after the Battle of Port Arthur.

1904    Russo-Japanese War: Russian troops in Korea retreat toward Manchuria followed by 100,000 Japanese troops.

1905    The Eulsa Treaty is signed between Japan and Korea.

1907    Korea becomes a protectorate of Japan.

1908    American diplomat Durham Stevens is attacked by Korean assassins Jeon Myeong-un and Jang In-hwan, leading to his death in a hospital two days later.

1910    Korea was annexed by Japan with the signing of the Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty, beginning a period of Japanese rule of Korea that lasted until the end of World War II.

1910    Japan changes Korea's name to ''Chōsen'' and appoints a governor-general to rule its new colony.

1919    March 1st Movement begins in Korea.

1945    World War II: Korean Liberation Day.

1945    Cold War: United States troops arrive to partition the southern part of Korea in response to Soviet troops occupying the northern part of the peninsula a month earlier.

1951    Korean War: President Harry Truman relieves General Douglas MacArthur of overall command in Korea.

1952    Korean War: U.S. President-elect Dwight D. Eisenhower fulfills a campaign promise by traveling to Korea to find out what can be done to end the conflict.

1954    The Geneva Conference, an effort to restore peace in Indochina and Korea, begins.

1976    Operation Paul Bunyan at Panmunjeom, Korea.

1992    Japan apologizes for forcing Korean women into sexual slavery (Comfort women) during World War II.

2000    President Kim Dae Jung of South Korea meets Kim Jong-il, leader of North Korea, for the beginning of the first ever inter-Korea summit, in the northern capital of Pyongyang.