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Rewind 2025: Korea’s top 10 news stories

Published: 29 Dec. 2025, 07:00 Updated: 31 Dec. 2025, 17:10

SARAH KIM
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PARK EUN-JEE
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JIN EUN-SOO
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[LEE JUNG-MIN]

From high-stakes diplomacy at a global summit in the ancient city of Gyeongju to a series of high-profile cybersecurity failures, 2025 was nothing short of dramatic for Korea.

The year started with tension in the world of politics, with former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s detention after a tense standoff, followed by a nearly yearlong trial over his botched martial law declaration on Dec. 3 of last year.

Criticism and controversy beset the biggest names in business, with powerhouses like SK Telecom and Coupang suffering data leaks, as well as in entertainment, from NewJeans’ spat with their label to Kim Soo-hyun’s career implosion with a scandal over accusations of dating the late Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor.

It wasn’t all doom and gloom this year, as BTS reunited after all the members finished their military service, and Korea shone on the global stage with the APEC summit in the fall, where President Lee Jae Myung sealed a tariff deal with U.S. President Donald Trump and strengthened ties with China.

The gathering also saw Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang strike a deal to supply the Korean government and companies with 260,000 processors. Big numbers were also posted this year on the Kospi, which surpassed the 4,000-mark for the first time ever, while the animated Netflix summer smash “KPop Demon Hunters” racked up 325 million views, propelling attendance at the National Museum of Korea to a record 6 million visitors.

Here are the top 10 stories from Korea in 2025, chosen by the Korea JoongAng Daily. — Ed.

Former president Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and his wife Kim Keon Hee leave the presidential residence in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on April 11. [JOONGANG ILBO]

1. President Yoon Suk Yeol arrested, ousted after botched martial law proclamation

Few events in 2025 shook Korea's political system as profoundly as the arrest and impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol. His sudden declaration of martial law and suspension from office at the end of 2024 reverberated throughout the following year.

The stakes for both Yoon and the country’s justice system became clear on Jan. 3, when the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) attempted to detain the suspended president on sedition charges. The move triggered a tense standoff at Yoon’s official residence, where the Presidential Security Service (PSS), backed by soldiers from the Capital Defense Command, blocked investigators. After the CIO threatened to arrest PSS officials, Yoon ultimately submitted to detention on Jan. 15.

But even in custody, Yoon refused to cooperate with investigators, invoking his right to remain silent. His legal team challenged the CIO’s jurisdiction and the legality of his detention, filing multiple motions in court.

Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court proceeded with Yoon’s impeachment trial. Absent from early sessions, Yoon appeared at the third formal hearing on Jan. 21. Unlike previous impeached presidents, he spoke in his own defense and questioned witnesses until halted by the court. He denied any wrongdoing, arguing instead that his actions were necessary to correct what he described as a dangerously polarized political system infiltrated by “anti-state forces” linked to Pyongyang.

Outside the courtroom, rival rallies by Yoon’s supporters and critics repeatedly filled central Seoul. Protesters waved party flags and national symbols while accusing one another of undermining democracy. Anti-Chinese sentiment among Yoon’s supporters intensified, fueled by claims that Beijing had orchestrated his impeachment. Tensions peaked after a Seoul court approved an arrest warrant against Yoon on Jan. 19, prompting a mob to storm the courthouse. Following the impeachment trial’s conclusion on Feb. 25, the Constitutional Court’s delay in issuing a verdict fueled speculation that Yoon might narrowly avoid removal.

The turmoil further mounted on March 7, when a Seoul court ordered Yoon’s release on a technicality related to the handling of his arrest warrant. While the ruling did not dismiss the charges, it sparked renewed protests and debate over the competence and neutrality of the prosecution service that Yoon once led. Yoon’s supporters hailed the decision as vindication of their cause, while his critics warned it endangered the country’s democracy.

The crisis finally came to a close on April 4, when the Constitutional Court unanimously upheld Yoon’s impeachment, removing him from office and triggering a snap presidential election on June 3 that was won by current President Lee Jae Myung.

Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan speaks about details of the agreement between South Korea and the United States to lower auto tariffs to 15 percent during a press briefing at the government complex in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Nov. 14. [YONHAP]

2. Korea, U.S. finalize trade negotiations and lower auto tariffs

Korea and the United States on Nov. 14 finalized the details for their prolonged trade negotiations, agreeing to reduce tariffs on most Korean goods from 25 percent to 15 percent.

Under the deal, Korea pledged to invest a total of $350 billion in the United States, including $150 billion allocated to a gigantic U.S. shipbuilding project. The remaining $200 billion will be invested in cash increments of up to $20 billion annually in sectors such as energy and nuclear power.

Korea also secured a U.S. commitment that chip tariffs applied to Korean exports will be “no less favorable than the terms that may be offered in any future agreement covering a volume of semiconductor trade at least as large as Korea’s.”

In purely numerical terms, Korea will be more impacted than it was under its previous FTA with the United States, in which it faced an effective tariff rate of 0 percent. Yet by regional standards, the agreement is seen as relatively favorable, particularly when compared to Japan's and China's.

Particularly, Hyundai Motor Group, one of the three biggest automakers among U.S. import car brands alongside Toyota and Volkswagen, secured parity with them at a 15 percent tariff, providing some relief for the company.

The United States is the second-largest export partner of Korea, with its exports reaching an all-time high of $127.8 billion in 2024 just after China, which accounts for roughly 18.8 percent of Korea’s total exports.

Automobiles led the way, comprising 27.2 percent of these exports. Last year, 1.43 million Korean-made cars were shipped to the United States, representing over half of Korea's total vehicle exports.

Meanwhile, in early September amid ongoing tariff negotiations, there was an incident of U.S. immigration authorities detaining a total of 475 workers, including roughly 300 Koreans, at the Hyundai-LG Energy Solution battery plant construction site in Georgia over visa issues.

From left: Naver Chairman Lee Hae-jin, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, President Lee Jae-myung, Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung attend a commemorative ceremony marking an Nvidia supply deal at the Asia-Pacific Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, on Oct. 31. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

3. Samsung, SK hynix anticipate major wins after Nvidia pledge

An AI-driven boom fueled an upturn in the semiconductor industry both at home and abroad, allowing major chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK hynix to enjoy robust earnings.

A landmark pledge with Nvidia chief Jensen Huang to supply the country with 260,000 processors further sparked optimism as the deal strengthened the nation's strategic position and technological credibility within the global semiconductor supply chain fronted by those two chipmakers.

Nvidia chief Jensen Huang himself visited Korea during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Summit in October to finalize the deal, meeting with President Lee Jae Myung and leaders of domestic heavyweights such as Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor and Naver.

Fifty thousand GPUs will each go to the four conglomerates, and the rest of the 60,000 will be allocated to the Korean government, according to the deal. Specifics of the delivery timeline and investment size were not revealed, except to say that the GPUs will arrive in phased batches through 2030.

Huang noted that Korea stands as a test bed to automate the nation’s manufacturing sector — including semiconductors, automobiles, shipbuilding, biotechnology and robotics — with Nvidia GPUs. For chipmakers Samsung and SK hynix, the deal signals the beginning of a virtuous cycle as memory chips needed to power processors will be provided to Nvidia, and Nvidia’s latest chips will be used to automate chip facilities for faster and more efficient delivery output.

Hyundai Motor will utilize the processors to advance autonomous driving and smart manufacturing, while Naver Cloud, the portal site operator’s cloud unit, aims to enhance large language models.

Surging AI-driven demand is translating into stronger earnings for Samsung and SK hynix. Analysts forecast the combined operating profits of the two companies to be 200 trillion won ($135.5. billion) for 2026, a twofold increase compared to this year's estimated 85 trillion won.

A scene from the hit animation "KPop Demon Hunters" (2025) [NETFLIX]

4. How 'KPop Demon Hunters' slayed the summer

“KPop Demon Hunters” slayed the summer of 2025. The animated musical fantasy film is currently the most watched Netflix movie in history, recording more than 325 million views on the platform since its release in June.

Directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, “KPop Demon Hunters” follows three K-pop idols who dominate the stage by day and secretly battle demons — including five disguised as a rival boy band — by night, trying to protect their fans while managing life in the spotlight.

The film earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Animated Feature, while the soundtrack's lead single “Golden,” written by EJAE and Mark Sonnenblick, received one for Best Original Song. The soundtrack also topped the Billboard Global 200 chart for 18 weeks; was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America after selling more than 1 million units in the United States; and garnered five Grammy nominations — one for Song of the Year — though it ultimately went home empty-handed.

The movie was so impactful that it brought Korean culture as a whole into the spotlight.

The opening scene of the movie — which features Korean foods such as ramyeon, or instant noodles, and gimbap, or seaweed rice rolls — sparked viral food-related TikTok challenges and limited-edition product collaborations with local retailers that quickly went viral.

The National Museum of Korea also saw increased foot traffic following the movie's release, with visitors wanting to see firsthand the traditional items shown in “KPop Demon Hunters,” including historic paintings, gat (traditional Korean hats) and norigae (traditional Korean pendants). The museum recently saw its 6 millionth visitor of the year — the most number of guests since the museum opened in 1945. The cumulative number of foreign visitors has already reached 185,705 and is on track to break the previous record set last year at 198,085.

Even herbal medicine saw a boost in popularity. The Seoul K-Medi Center said its monthly visitors nearly tripled after the film’s release, thanks to a scene in which the idol protagonists visit a traditional medicine clinic to protect their voices.

Senior government officials pose for a group photograph on the sidelines of the APEC 2025 Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, on Nov. 1. Front row, from left: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Chilean President Gabriel Boric, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Korean President Lee Jae Myung, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Back row, from left: Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, Papua New Guinea Deputy Prime Minister John Rosso, Russian Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Vietnamese President Luong Cuong, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Mexican Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard and Lin Hsin-i, senior adviser to the president of Taiwan. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

5. APEC summit caps Korea's busy diplomatic year

For South Korea, 2025 was a year of stacked diplomacy, culminating at the APEC summit in Gyeongju.

The APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, held from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1 in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, marked the Lee Jae Myung administration's first major international diplomatic stage at home, and Korea's first time hosting APEC in two decades since Busan in 2005.

As the world’s largest economic cooperation forum, APEC turned the ancient capital of Silla into a rare stage where leaders from the United States, China and Japan — often at odds elsewhere — sat down for face-to-face talks.

Even before the official summit kicked off, Lee and U.S. President Donald Trump met at the Gyeongju National Museum on Oct. 29 for their second bilateral summit, following their meeting in Washington in late August.

What followed surprised many: a dramatic breakthrough in follow-up details of the tariff negotiations, including agreements on $200 billion in cash investment, $150 billion in shipbuilding cooperation and safeguards against further agricultural market openings. Most unexpectedly, the talks drew out U.S. approval for South Korea to acquire nuclear-powered submarines. An anticipated meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un didn't materialize despite the U.S. president signaling he would like to talk.

Korean President Lee Jae Myung, right, shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump as he gifts a gold crown and an award of the Grand Order of Mugunghwa, not seen, during a ceremony at the Gyeongju National Museum in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, on Oct. 29. [AP/YONHAP]

Lee gifted Trump a crown from the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C. to A.D. 935) and the Order of Mugunghwa, the nation's highest state honor, though the gifts sparked debate, with critics pointing to America's “No Kings” protests.

China’s President Xi Jinping, visiting Korea for the first time in 11 years, highlighted the need to strengthen strategic communication amid growing anti-China sentiment in South Korea and invited Lee to visit Beijing. The two leaders also agreed to accelerate follow-up talks on the Korea-China FTA and signed a five-year 70 trillion won ($47 billion) currency swap deal.

Lee's meeting with Japan's newly inaugurated Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, just nine days into her term, signaled renewed back-and-forth "shuttle" diplomacy and future-oriented cooperation.

On the margins of the summit, the leaders of the rival superpowers also sat down for talks. Trump and Xi, meeting for the first time in six years, struck a narrow deal, with China temporarily freezing rare earth export controls and cooperating on curbing fentanyl flows into the United States, while Washington eased fentanyl-related tariffs.

The summit concluded with all 21 APEC members adopting the Gyeongju Declaration. Explicit pro-free trade language was dropped from the declaration at U.S. insistence and was included instead in a separate joint statement by the group's foreign and trade ministers.

Harold Rogers, interim CEO of Coupang, closes his eyes while responding to lawmakers’ questions during a parliamentary hearing on a massive breach of the company's consumer data at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Dec. 17. [NEWS1]

6. Hacking scandals, large data leaks and a data center fire

This year saw a series of hacking scandals and large data leaks — and even a data center fire — in both the private and public sectors.

The most recent breach occurred at Coupang, in which 33.7 million users’ personal information, including names, addresses, phone numbers and recent purchase information, was leaked, supposedly by an ex-employee of the company. Coupang's former CEO Park Dae-jun resigned on Dec. 10, and investigations are ongoing.

SK Telecom (SKT), Korea's largest wireless carrier, announced in April that it had suffered a breach — which had gone unnoticed for three years — that leaked the SIM authentication credentials of almost 27 million subscribers. SKT had to provide free SIM replacements for every affected customer, and the company was fined 134.8 billion won ($91 million) by the Personal Information Protection Commission.

Members of the Korea National Council of Consumer Organizations call for Coupang users to quit their subscriptions to the e-commerce platform, following a data breach that compromised over 33 million users' personal information, at Jongno District, central Seoul, on Dec. 17. [NEWS1]

Online bookstore Yes24 experienced three cyberattacks this year: one in June, and two in August. The company was infected with ransomware and its services went down.

Lotte Card had 200 gigabytes of data and user information leaked in August.

In addition, a fire at the National Information Resources Service in Daejeon in September affected 858 terabytes of government resources and resulted in the shutdown of many government online services, including Gov.kr and Korea Post.

The government and President Lee Jae Myung are pushing for stronger punishments for firms that fail to keep customers' personal information safe.

“We need companies to think that violations of regulations can result in the company shutting down,” the president said on Dec. 12.

Boy band BTS appears in a Weverse livestream on July 1. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

7. BTS back as seven, set for grand comeback

K-pop megaband BTS is finally united and whole again, with all seven members completing their mandatory military service this year and returning to civilian life after a two-and-a-half-year hiatus.

Following its "Yet to Come in Busan" concert in October 2022, which marked the group's last official activity all together, the septet entered a hiatus that began with Jin's enlistment on Dec. 13, 2022. J-Hope followed in April 2023, and Suga began his alternative mandatory service as a social service agent in September that year. V and RM entered military training together on Dec. 11, 2023, followed by Jimin and Jungkook a day after.

Jin was discharged in June last year and J-Hope in October. V and RM completed their services on June 10 this year, followed by Jungkook and Jimin a day later. Suga completed his service later that month.

Shortly after the discharge, Jungkook made a surprise appearance at J-Hope’s solo concert in June alongside Jin, while the rest of the band watched from the audience.

The seven members greeted their fans, collectively dubbed ARMY, in a Weverse live in July, announcing plans to release new music next spring and embark on a world tour, reportedly the largest of their career.

In a recent livestream, RM shared that preparations for BTS’s new album were well underway for the group’s comeback.

Electronic display boards at the Korea Exchange in western Seoul show the closing prices of the Kospi and Kosdaq on Oct. 27. The Kospi surpassed 4,000 points for the first time that day. [JOONGANG ILBO]

8. Kospi surges past 4,000 while won edges toward 1,500 amid forex volatility

The Kospi broke the 4,000 threshold for the first time in October, driven largely by chip giants Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, which benefited from the global boom in artificial intelligence infrastructure.

The benchmark index reached 4,042.83 points on Oct. 27, up almost 70 percent from the beginning of the year. This came under the Lee Jae Myung administration, which has pledged to push the Kospi to 5,000 points and redirect capital away from the booming Seoul-centered real estate market.

While the market surged, the won weakened against the dollar as overseas investment jumped and exporters held on to their dollar earnings amid exchange rate uncertainty.

A weaker won could fuel inflationary pressures, trigger foreign capital outflows and constrain the Bank of Korea's monetary policy flexibility.

The interest rate gap between Korea and the United States also contributed, with higher U.S. rates drawing greater demand for dollars.

The won broke past 1,480 to the greenback on Dec. 17 compared to the high 1,300 won range a year earlier.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance has established a task force to address the weak won, monitoring exporters’ foreign currency earnings conversions and overseas investments. The National Pension Service has extended its strategic currency hedging through the end of next year and, together with the central bank, agreed to extend the $65 billion currency swap line through the end of 2026 as part of the effort to stabilize the won.

NewJeans members respond to questions from the media at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on March 7. [NEWS1]

9. NewJeans concedes, returns to ADOR

After a nearly yearlong legal battle, girl group NewJeans made an unexpected shift in direction by announcing a return to its once-estranged agency, ADOR, stepping back from the hardline stance the group maintained throughout the dispute.

Late in the afternoon on Nov. 11, ADOR — a K-pop management label under HYBE — said that NewJeans's two youngest members, Haerin and Hyein, would return to the agency and uphold their exclusive contract.

Shortly afterward, the remaining three members — Minji, Danielle and Hanni — issued a separate statement announcing their return. ADOR, however, did not confirm whether the three had formally rejoined the agency or whether group activities would resume in full.

Despite lingering uncertainty, the announcements effectively closed a high-profile legal feud between NewJeans and ADOR that had rattled the K-pop industry. The conflict first began in April last year, when tensions surfaced between HYBE and then ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin, the creative mastermind behind NewJeans. It escalated in November, when the members one-sidedly declared their exclusive contracts void, citing alleged breaches by the company.

ADOR promptly filed a lawsuit in December to confirm the contracts’ validity, and on Oct. 30, nearly 11 months later, a Seoul court ruled in favor of ADOR, ordering the group to remain with the agency.

Although the members initially signaled plans to appeal, they reversed course a day before the deadline.

Min, who launched her own agency, ooak, in October, said she respected the members’ decision and wished them happiness.

Actor Kim Soo-hyun, left, and late actor Kim Sae-ron [NEWS1]

10. Kim Soo-hyun's career put on hold over allegedly inappropriate relationship with late actress

Just weeks after the sudden death of actor Kim Sae-ron (2000-2025) on Feb. 10, Korea was rocked by another shock when allegations surfaced that she had once been romantically involved with actor Kim Soo-hyun when she was a minor.

On March 10, the late actor’s bereaved family revealed on the YouTube channel Hoverlab that Kim Sae-ron and Kim Soo-hyun had been in a six-year relationship that started in 2015, when the late actor was just 15 years old.

The family also accused Kim Soo-hyun and his agency, Gold Medalist — which he co-founded and was her then-agency — of contributing to her death by financially pressuring her regarding the penalty fees from her halted and canceled projects due to her DUI accident in 2022.

Kim Soo-hyun initially denied all allegations, calling them “completely false.” However, the 37-year-old later admitted, in an emotionally charged press conference, that he had been in a romantic relationship with the late actor but stressed that he began dating her after she reached adulthood in the summer of 2019. According to him, the relationship lasted for a little over a year and ended in the fall of 2020.

Since then, the fight over truth has been ongoing, with both sides pursuing legal action and releasing statements and evidence to support their respective claims.

In the meantime, Kim Soo-hyun’s career has been completely put on hold, including the indefinite postponement of Disney+’s series “Knock-Off.” He is also facing a wave of lawsuits from various companies, including Cuckoo Electronics and a cosmetic brand with which he had advertising deals.

As a new year approaches, nearly 10 months have passed since the allegations first emerged. Yet, the controversy remains unresolved, with no definitive conclusions reached.

BY SARAH KIM, PARK EUN-JEE, JIN EUN-SOO [[email protected]]