Seoul: A significant event in Korean history took place in 1906 when a Japanese colonial agency assumed control of Korea's railways from the Joseon Dynasty. Known as Joseon Tonggambu, this agency was established in Seoul by Imperial Japan the previous year. The agency's creation was part of Japan's broader strategy to seize diplomatic rights and strengthen its influence over Korean royal authority. This move foreshadowed Japan's eventual colonization of Korea, which lasted from 1910 until the end of World War II in 1945.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the events on the Korean Peninsula continued to unfold in the 20th century. On the eve of the Korean War in 1950, U.S. ground troops landed in Busan, while Canadian combat vessels departed for South Korea. These actions were part of a United Nations coalition force responding to North Korea's attack on South Korea on June 25, 1950. The U.N. Security Council had convened an emergency meeting to pass a resolution dispatching coalition troops to assist South Korea in repelling North Korean communist forces, a war that ended in 1953 with an Armistice Agreement.
Further political and economic developments shaped Korea's modern history. In 1957, the United Nations Command headquarters was relocated to Yongsan in central Seoul. A decade later, Park Chung-hee was inaugurated for a second presidential term after rising to power via a military coup in 1961. The Export-Import Bank of Korea was launched in 1976, and in 1977, South Korea introduced a mandatory health insurance program for large companies and began implementing a value-added tax (VAT).
The late 20th century saw North Korea hosting the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students in 1989, while South Korea introduced a real-name real estate registration system in 1995 under President Kim Young-sam's campaign against speculation. The following year, South Korea began providing unemployment benefits. In 2003, Seoul commenced the Cheonggye Stream restoration, a project completed in 2005, reviving a key feature of the city's urban landscape.
More recent developments include the 2011 free trade agreement between South Korea and the European Union, bolstering economic ties with Europe. In 2013, CJ Group chairman Lee Jay-hyun faced imprisonment for financial misconduct, and in 2014, an aide associated with the sunken Sewol ferry scandal was detained for aiding a police manhunt. Legal and political events in 2015 and 2017 included a Seoul court decision affecting a Samsung Group merger and a summit between President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump, respectively. In 2018, the two Koreas resumed ship-to-ship radio communications, marking a step towards improved inter-Korean relations.