Events from the year 1980 in South Korea.

Incumbents

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Choi Kyu-hah Choi Kyu-hah (; ; July 16, 1919 – October 22, 2006), also spelled Choi Kyu-ha or Choi Gyu-ha, was a South Korean politician who served as the fourth president of South Korea from 1979 to 1980. Early life Choi was born in Wonju-myeon, Wonj ...

(until 16 August),

Chun Doo-hwan Chun Doo-hwan (; or ; 18 January 1931 – 23 November 2021) was a South Korean army general and military dictator who ruled as an unelected strongman from 1979 to 1980 before replacing Choi Kyu-hah as president of South Korea from 1980 to 198 ...

(starting 1 September) *

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

: ** until 22 May:

Shin Hyun-hwak Shin Hyun-hwak (; October 29, 1920 – April 26, 2007) was Prime Minister of South Korea from December 13, 1979 to May 21, 1980, representing the Democratic Republican Party. Early life and career Shin was born in Chilgok-gun, North Gyeongsa ...

** 22 May-2 September: Pak Choong-hoon ** starting 2 September: Nam Duck-woo

Events

*May 17 - Coup d'état of May Seventeenth: General

forces the Cabinet to extend martial law to the whole nation. *May 18–27 -

Gwangju massacre The Gwangju Uprising was a popular uprising in the city of Gwangju, South Korea, from May 18 to May 27, 1980, which pitted local, armed citizens against soldiers and police of the South Korean government. The event is sometimes called 5·18 (M ...

: Up to 165 people are killed when a popular uprising in the city of Gwangju is crushed by the South Korean army. *May 20 - Chun Doo-hwan and

Roh Tae-woo Roh Tae-woo (; ; 4 December 1932 – 26 October 2021) was a South Korean politician and army general who served as the sixth president of South Korea from 1988 to 1993. Roh was a close ally and friend of Chun Doo-hwan, the predecessor leader ...

order the National Assembly of Korea to be dissolved, using troops to enforce the order. *July 8-

Miss Universe 1980 Miss Universe 1980, the 29th Miss Universe pageant, was held on 8 July 1980 at the Sejong Cultural Center in Seoul, South Korea. It was the first time in the pageant's history that the event was held in South Korea. Shawn Weatherly from the Unite ...

*August 27 -

is elected President of South Korea by the "National Conference for Unification".

Films

*'' Fine Windy Day'' *'' The Hidden Hero'' *''

Neumi ''Neumi'' ( 느미) also known as ''The Deaf Worker'' is a 1980 South Korean film directed by Kim Ki-young. Synopsis A melodrama about a mute woman who works at a brick factory. Cast *Chang Mi-hee * Hah Myung-joong * Lee Hwa-si *Kim Chung-chul * ...

'' *''

Painful Maturity ''Painful Maturity'' () is 1980 South Korean melodrama film directed by Park Chul-soo. Plot Su-jin, a girl prone to lapses into unconsciousness, is saved by Kyung-ho when she passes out on the street. After Kyung-ho leaves her in a hospital, he ...

'' *'' Son of Man'' *'' The Last Witness'' *''

A Taxi Driver ''A Taxi Driver'' () is a 2017 South Korean historical action drama film directed by Jang Hoon and written by Eom Yu-na, with Song Kang-ho starring in the title role, alongside Thomas Kretschmann, Yoo Hae-jin, and Ryu Jun-yeol. Based on a re ...

Births

* 15 January - Sam Oh, TV host and radio DJ based in the Philippines * 13 February -

Lee Sang-woo Lee Sang-woo (born February 13, 1980) is a South Korean actor. He rose to fame in the 2007 television drama ''First Wives' Club'', and has since played leading roles on '' The Road Home'' (2009), '' Don't Hesitate'' (2009), ''Life Is Beautiful' ...

, actor * 22 February - Kang Sung-hoon, singer * 28 February -

Bada Bada (stylized as bada; Korean: ) is a discontinued mobile operating system developed by Samsung Electronics for devices such as mid- to high-end smartphones and tablet computers. The name is derived from " (bada)", meaning "ocean" or "sea" in ...

, singer-songwriter, actress and TV host * 4 March -

Jeong Da-bin Jeong Da-bin (March 4, 1980 – February 10, 2007) was a South Korean actress. Best known for the popular television series '' Cats on the Roof'', she died through suicide in 2007 at the age of 26. Career Born Jeong Hye-seon in Seongnam, Gyeong ...

, actress (d. 2007) * 13 March -

Kim Nam-gil Kim Nam-gil () is a South Korean actor, producer, director, singer and philanthropist. He is best known from leading roles in disaster blockbuster '' Pandora'' (2016); crime thriller '' Memoir of a Murderer '' (2017); adventure film '' The Pira ...

, actor, film producer, director, singer * 20 March -

Ock Joo-hyun Ock Joo-hyun (; sometimes spelled Ock Ju-hyun; born March 20, 1980) is a South Korean singer and musical theatre actress, known mostly for her role as the lead singer of the South Korean girl group Fin.K.L. After their unofficial breakup in 2 ...

, singer and actress * 21 March -

Lee Jin Lee Jin (born March 21, 1980) is a South Korean singer and actress. She made her entertainment debut as a member of the K-pop girl group Fin.K.L, along with Lee Hyori, Ock Joo-hyun, and Sung Yu-ri. After Fin.K.L came to an unofficial end in 2002 ...

, singer and actress * 29 March -

Kim Tae-hee Kim Tae-hee (; born 29 March 1980) is a South Korean actress. Considered one of South Korea's most beautiful actresses, she is best known for her roles in Korean dramas such as ''Stairway to Heaven'' (2003), ''Love Story in Harvard'' (2004), '' ...

, actress * 4 April -

Gong Hyo-jin Gong Hyo-jin (born April 4, 1980) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her leading role in the film '' Crush and Blush'' (2008), as well as for her popular television series '' Sang Doo! Let's Go to School'' (2003), ''Thank You'' (20 ...

, actress * 5 April - Lee Jae-won, DJ and singer * 4 May ** Park Jong-Jin, footballer ** Jang Geum-young, sport shooter * 7 May -

Kim Nam-soon Kim Nam-soon (born May 7, 1980) was a member of the South Korean Olympic archery team. She won both a gold and a silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics. See also *Korean archery *Archery *List of South Korean archers South Korean arch ...

, archer * 8 July -

Yang Tae-Young Yang Tae-Young ( ko, 양태영, born July 8, 1980) is a South Korean 2004 Olympic medalist in artistic gymnastics. Yang was born in Seoul, and made his World Gymnastics Championships debut in 2001, competing with the eighth-place South Korean ...

, gymnast * 19 August -

Jun Jin Park Choong-jae (; born August 19, 1980), known professionally as Jun Jin, is a South Korean singer, actor and entertainer, known as a member and rapper of six-member boy band Shinhwa. He debuted as a dancer and rapper in Shinhwa in 1998 but st ...

, singer and actor * 16 November -

Lee Eun-ju Lee Eun-ju (December 22, 1980 – February 22, 2005) was a South Korean actress. She was the star of hit films including ''Taegukgi'' and ''The Scarlet Letter''. She died by suicide at age 24. Life and career Born in Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do, Sou ...

, actress * 7 December -

Choi Jung-in Choi Jung-in (; born December 7, 1980), also known mononymously as Jung-in, is a South Korean singer of Jungle Entertainment. She debuted in Leessang's "Rush" and was once part of the five-member group G.Fla until disbanding after three years. ...

, singer * 19 December -

Verbal Jint Kim Jin-tae (Hangul: 김진태; born December 19, 1980), better known by his stage name Verbal Jint (Hangul: 버벌진트), is a South Korean rapper, record producer and musician who is known for his groundbreaking innovations in Korean hip hop ...

, musician, rapper and record producer * 26 December - Jo Jung-seok, actor

Deaths

*May 24 - Kim Jae-gyu, South Korean Army Lieutenant General, director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, and assassin of President Park Chung-hee (born

1926 Events January * January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece. * January 8 **Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz. ** Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuy ascends the throne, the last monarch of Viet ...

; executed by hanging)''Building Bridges: Is There Hope for North Korea?'' by David Alton
& Rob Chidley, Lion Books, 1988, p28

References

{{Year in Asia, 1980 1980 in South Korea, Years of the 20th century in South Korea 1980 in Korea, South 1980s in South Korea 1980 by country, South Korea

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...