Yearbook 2010
South Korea. Attacks from North Korea whipped up
unusually fierce moods in the country during the year. An
explosion occurred in March aboard a warship that was near
the disputed sea border in the west. According to
COUNTRYAAH, the Coronet Cheonan was
split in two and dropped; 58 people from the crew could be
rescued but 46 went to the bottom. The two hull sections
were salvaged in April. The atmosphere was great in the
country and hundreds of thousands of people visited a
memorial site for the dead.
Various theories existed about what caused the explosion,
but an international investigative commission reported in
May that it was a North Korean submarine dump that lowered
Cheonan.
The conclusion was questioned from some quarters, and in
July the UN Security Council condemned the "attack" without
directly accusing North Korea. However, South Korea was
praised for its "restraint".
However, there were no question marks in November when
North Korean artillery, in conjunction with a South Korean
military exercise, fired on an island near the border. Four
people, including two civilians, were killed in the attack,
which set fire to buildings and triggered a major evacuation
of the island's residents. The outside world reacted
strongly to the attack, which was one of the most serious
that occurred between the two states.
South Korea had already frozen the restricted trade after
the lowering of the Cheonan and could do nothing more than
protest loudly. Some South Koreans thought the government
should take a tougher approach, while others accused
President Lee Myung Bak of provoking North Korea through its
tough stance.
South Korea held a few more military exercises after the
attack on the island of Yeonpyeong. North Korea threatened
retaliation and "holy war", but did nothing. The UN Security
Council held a crisis meeting in late December due to the
tense situation.
Two North Koreans who claimed to be refugees were
reported in April to have admitted that they were in fact
agents, sent to murder Hwang Jang Yop. They were sentenced
to ten years in prison. 87-year-old Hwang was the
highest-ranking North Korean who jumped off. After 13 years
in South Korea, he was still called a social enemy in his
homeland and he lived under constant surveillance. In
October, Hwang was found dead in his bathtub, and
authorities reportedly arrested yet another North Korean
spy. There were speculations that Hwang had been murdered,
but according to official records he died of natural causes.
The ruling Conservative Great National Party (GNP)
suffered stinging defeats when local and regional elections
were held in June. Several leading members of the party
immediately resigned as a result of the poor election
results. At the end of July, Prime Minister Chung Un Chan
also left his post. President Lee then announced a reshuffle
in the government. But the intended replacement at the Prime
Minister's post as well as two other prime ministerial
candidates resigned at the end of August because of
corruption charges. Instead, the new Prime Minister became
Kim Hwang Sik, who was approved by Parliament on October 1.
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