9 January – South Korea bans the breeding and slaughter of
dogs for consumption, effective in 2027, with the government promising to fully support dog meat farmers, butchers and restaurant owners.[4][5]
15 January – The government announces its decision to invest a total of 622 trillion won by 2047 to build a
semiconductor mega cluster of
Pyeongtaek,
Icheon,
Yongin,
Hwaseong,
Seongnam, and
Suwon in the southern part of
Gyeonggi Province. The plan also includes raising the self-sufficiency rate of key material, parts, and equipment supply chains to 50% by 2030, and policy support for companies.[6]
6 February –
Ministry of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong said that the number of medical students will increase by 2,000 from 2025. This is the first time since 1998 that the number of medical students will be expanded. The
Korea Medical Association warns that it would go on a nationwide strike if the government pushes for expanding the number of admissions to medical schools.[12]
March
12 March –
2024 South Korean doctors' strike: The government begins suspending the medical licenses of thousands of striking doctors due to growing concerns that the month-long strike is affecting medical services.[13]
Over 10,000 doctors go on strike at 100 educational hospitals, leading to a number of delays in treatment.[13]
20 March – The South Korean-flagged
tankerKeoyoung Sun capsizes off the coast of
Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, during stormy weather. Nine crew members are found dead, while one person remains missing. Two people are rescued.[15]
2 May – South Korea raises its terrorism alert level to the second highest level, citing strong chances of an attack from
North Korea on its overseas
diplomatic offices.[23]
9 May – President Yoon holds a press conference in the Presidential Office to mark his second anniversary in office. Yoon acknowledgesthat the government's measures to solve various economic problems, including high prices, have fallen short of people's expectations and expresses his concern about
the country's low birth rate. He also announces plans to establish a new ministry.[24]
22 May – President Yoon announces a ₩26 trillion (US$19 billion) support package for the country's semiconductor industry, which accounts for 18% of the country's total exports.[26]
29 May – North Korea deploys 260 balloons carrying garbage and possible human waste over South Korea, which Pyongyang says is in retaliation for balloons sent into the North by anti-regime activists.[27]
6 June - A South Korean activists’ group led by North Korean defector
Park Sang-hak sends 200,000 anti-Pyongyang leaflets, U.S. bills, and USB sticks containing K-pop songs and South Korean dramas to North Korea with 10 balloons in retaliation to for the North's deployment of balloons carrying trash to South Korea.[30]
7 June –
Samsung Electronics experiences its first ever strike following a dispute over pay and workers' bonuses.[31]
9 June:
South Korea announces that it would resume loudspeaker broadcasts into North Korea for the first time since 2018 in retaliation for the latter's deployment of trash-filled balloons.[32]
A group of North Korean soldiers enter the South Korean side of the
DMZ, prompting warning shots from South Korean forces that force them to retreat.[33]
^Oh, Yu-jin (18 February 2024).
"60·70년대 영화 스타 남궁원씨 별세...홍정욱 前의원 부친" [Namgoong Won, a movie star in the 60s and 70s, passes away...father of former lawmaker Hong Jeong-wook]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 5 February 2024.