Seoul: Daehanjeguk, or the Korean Empire, issued a permit in 1898 to two American businessmen, H. Collbron and R. Bostwick, for laying railroads and building electric and telephone lines in Seoul. This initiative led to the construction of a 5-mile-long track and the commencement of electric train operations in the following year. The introduction of electric trains in other cities followed, with Busan seeing its first in 1915 and Pyongyang in 1923.
According to Yonhap News Agency, other significant events in Korean history include the 1905 announcement by royal authorities that officially acknowledged the Japanese currency on the peninsula. In 1949, South Korea established diplomatic relations with Britain, marking a noteworthy achievement in international relations. The South Korean government further solidified its territorial claims by establishing a marker on Dokdo islets in 1954.
In the realm of art, 1955 saw Lee Jung-seop, an artist born in Pyongyang and educated in Tokyo, hold his first exhibition in Seoul's Midopa Department Store. His work, characterized by its depiction of the Korean people's spirit, was especially poignant in a war-torn nation.
Political developments also shaped the course of history as President Park Chung-hee in 1974 proposed a pact of mutual non-aggression with North Korea. This was followed by the 2001 signing of a revised Status of Forces Agreement between South Korea and the United States to address environmental concerns related to American military presence.
In 2018, political strategies further evolved when Ahn Cheol-soo of the People's Party and Yoo Seong-min of the Bareun Party announced their merger, aiming to strengthen their position in parliament.