Year |
Date |
Location |
Number killed |
Type |
Description |
Reference
|
1953 |
5 January |
en route from Yeosu to Pusan |
229 |
Maritime accident |
Sinking of ferry MV Changgyeong |
[1]
|
1960 |
26 January |
Seoul Railroad Station |
31 |
Stampede |
At least 3,926 person trigger rush to platform on Number 601 local train, according to South Korea National Police Agency official confirmed report.[citation needed] |
|
1969 |
11 December |
Departed from Gangneung Air Base |
0 |
Terrorism |
Hijacking of South Korean domestic flight |
Korean Air Lines YS-11 hijacking
|
1970 |
14 October |
Mosan accident |
46 |
Level crossing accident |
A 77 middle student board on bus, collision with Janghang Station bound express train at Mosan, Chungcheongnam-do, to according to SKNPA official confirmed report.[citation needed] |
|
1971 |
18 January |
Kimpo |
6 |
Mass murder |
Killing spree by South Korean marine |
1971 Kimpo killings[2]
|
1971 |
28 December |
Seoul |
164 |
Fire |
Deadliest hotel fire in South Korean history |
Daeyeonggak Hotel fire
|
1972 |
15 December |
en route from Seogwipo to Busan |
323 to 326 |
Maritime accident |
Sinking of ferry Namyoung-Ho |
Sinking of Namyoung-Ho
|
1974 |
3 November |
Seoul |
64 |
Nightclub fire |
Time Club fire |
List of nightclub fires
|
1975 |
August to October |
Various |
17 |
Serial killing |
Serial killing spree |
Kim Dae-doo
|
1977 |
11 November |
Iksan, North Jeolla |
56 to 59 |
Explosion |
Accidental detonation of a munitions train |
Iri Station explosion
|
1980 |
15 November |
Gimpo International Airport |
15 |
Aviation accident |
Pilot error on landing due to bad weather |
Korean Air Lines Flight 015
|
1980 |
18-27 May |
Gwangju |
187 |
Pro-democracy demonstrations |
Demonstrations opposing the Coup d'état of May Seventeenth |
Gwangju Uprising
|
1982 |
6 February |
Jeju International Airport |
53 |
Aviation accident |
Crashing of military plane from bad weather |
February 1982 Korean Air Force C-123 accident
|
1982 |
18 March |
Busan |
1 |
Arson |
Arson attack on US target |
Busan American Cultural Service building arson
|
1982 |
18 April |
Uiryeong County |
25 |
Fire |
Accidental fire in a club, fire escapes chained shut |
List of nightclub fires
|
1982 |
26-27 April |
Uiryeong County |
63 |
Mass murder |
Shooting spree by a former marine |
Uiryeong Spree Killing
|
1984 |
14 January |
Busan |
34 |
Fire |
Hotel Fire |
[3]
|
1986-1988 |
October 1986 - August 1988 |
Seoul |
5 |
Serial killing |
Poisonings with potassium cyanide |
Kim Sun-ja (serial killer)
|
1986–1991 |
15 September 1986 - 3 April 1991 |
Hwaseong |
15 |
Serial killing |
Hwaseong serial murders |
Lee Choon-jae
|
1986 |
5 April |
Osan Air Base |
16 |
Fire |
Fire at a military fuel depot |
[4]
|
1986 |
14 September |
Gimpo International Airport |
5 |
Terrorism |
Bombing of airport by North Korea |
Gimpo International Airport bombing
|
1987 |
17 June |
near Koje Island |
25 - 38 |
Fire |
Fire onboard thanks to overheating engine |
Kukdong-ho Fire[citation needed]
|
1987 |
29 November |
over the Andaman Sea |
115 |
Terrorism |
Airliner destroyed by bomb planted aboard |
Korean Air Flight 858
|
1988 |
25 March |
Anyang, Gyeonggi |
22 |
Fire |
Fire inside of Green Hill Textile Company |
[5][6][7][8]
|
1991 |
26 March |
Daegu |
5 |
Mass murder |
Unsolved homicide of 5 boys |
Frog Boys
|
1991 |
17 October |
Daegu |
16 |
Arson |
Attack on a nightclub |
[9]
|
1993 |
28 March |
Gupo station |
78 |
Train derailment |
Unauthorized tunneling under causing track to collapse |
|
1993 |
26 July |
Mokpo Airport |
69 |
Aviation accident |
Pilot error leading to controlled flight into terrain |
Asiana Airlines Flight 733
|
1993 |
10 October |
offshore near Buan County |
292 |
Maritime accident |
Sinking of ferry in bad weather |
Sinking of MV Seohae
|
1993-94 |
|
South Jeolla |
5 |
Serial killing |
Serial killing against the rich; cannibalism |
Chijon family
|
1994 |
21 October |
Seoul |
32 |
Structural failure |
Collapse of section of bridge from faulty weld |
Seongsu Bridge Disaster
|
1995 |
28 April |
Daegu |
101 |
Explosion |
Construction accident leading to puncturing of gas pipe |
1995 Daegu gas explosions
|
1995 |
29 June |
Seoul |
502 |
Structural failure |
Department store collapse from structural overload |
Sampoong Department Store collapse
|
1996 |
17 September – 5 November |
Gangneung |
40 |
Military confrontation |
Infiltration of North Korean spy submarine resulting in casualties to both sides |
1996 Gangneung submarine infiltration incident
|
1998 |
22 June |
near Sokcho |
9 |
Military confrontation |
Sinking of damaged North Korean spy submarine under South Korean Navy control |
1998 Sokcho submarine incident
|
1999 |
30 June |
Hwaseong |
23 |
Fire |
Fire at children's summer camp dormitory |
Sealand Youth Training Center Fire
|
1999 |
30 October |
Inchon |
54 to 65 |
Fire |
Fire at illegal bar for underage drinkers |
[10]
|
1999-2000 |
June 1999 - April 2000 |
Various |
9 |
Serial killing |
Serial killing spree |
Jeong Du-yeong
|
2000 |
October - December |
North Jeolla Province |
3 |
Serial killing |
Serial killing or rape of minors |
Kim Hae-sun
|
2002 |
15 April |
near Busan |
129 |
Aviation accident |
Pilot error leading to controlled flight into terrain |
Air China Flight 129
|
2003 |
18 February |
Daegu |
192 |
Arson |
Suicide attack by setting fire to a subway train |
Daegu subway fire
|
2003–04 |
September 2003 to July 2004 |
Seoul |
20 |
Serial killing |
Killing spree of prostitutes and old men; cannibalism |
Yoo Young-chul
|
2004–06 |
January 2004 to April 2006 |
Gyeonggi Province |
15 |
Serial killing |
Serial killing spree |
Jeong Nam-gyu
|
2005–08 |
October 2005 to December 2008 |
Ansan |
10 |
Serial killing |
Serial killing spree of women due to lust |
Kang Ho-sun
|
2008 |
10 February |
Seoul |
0 |
Arson |
Arson to historic Namdaemun gate |
2008 Namdaemun fire
|
2008 |
20 October |
Seoul |
6 |
Mass murder |
Arson and stabbing attack |
Nonhyeon-dong massacre
|
2008 |
7 January |
Icheon |
40 |
Fire |
Fire in warehouse under construction |
2008 Icheon fire[11]
|
2010 |
26 March |
offshore near Baengnyeongdo |
46 |
Military confrontation |
North Korean attack |
ROKS Cheonan sinking
|
2011 |
4 July |
Ganghwa Island |
4 |
Mass murder |
Mass shooting |
[12]
|
2011 |
28 July |
crashed near Jeju Island |
2 |
Aviation accident |
Crash resulting from fire in aircraft's cargo |
Asiana Airlines Flight 991
|
2011 - 2014 |
|
Pocheon |
3 |
Serial killing |
Killing of relatives with herbicides for money |
Pocheon poisonings
|
2014 |
16 April |
en route from Inchon to Jeju island |
304 |
Maritime accident |
Sinking of ferry from crew error and overloading |
Sinking of MV Sewol
|
2014 |
2 May |
Seoul |
0 |
Subway accident |
Rear-end collision |
2014 Seoul subway crash
|
2014 |
21 June |
Gangwon |
5 |
Mass murder |
Rampage by a South Korean soldier |
Goseong killing spree
|
2014 |
17 October |
Seongnam |
16 |
Structural failure |
Ventilation grate collapse at K-pop concert |
[13]
|
2015 |
25-27 February |
Sejong City and Hwaseong |
8 |
Mass murder |
Two separate mass murder-suicides two days apart |
2015 Sejong and Hwaseong shootings
|
2015 |
6 September |
offshore near Chuja |
18 |
Maritime accident |
Fishing boat lost in heavy seas |
Sinking of Dolgorae
|
2017 |
21 December |
Jecheon |
29 |
Fire |
Electrical fire in a gym |
Jecheon building fire[14]
|
2018 |
20 January |
Miryang |
5 |
Fire |
Arson attack on a hotel |
[15]
|
2018 |
26 January |
Miryang |
41 |
Fire |
Unknown cause; lack of sprinklers |
Miryang hospital fire
|
2018 |
June |
Gunsan |
5 |
Fire |
Arson |
[16]
|
2018 |
19 August |
Inchon |
9 |
Fire |
Fire in an electronics factory |
[17]
|
2018 |
9 November |
Seoul |
7 |
Fire |
Fire caused by electric stove overheating |
[18]
|
2020 |
29 April |
Icheon |
39 |
Fire |
Fire in a warehouse under construction |
2020 Icheon fire
|
2021 |
9 June |
Gwangju |
9 |
Structural Failure |
Construction error during demolition |
2021 Gwangju building collapse
|
2022 |
9 June |
Daegu |
7 |
Arson |
Attack on a law office |
[19]
|
2022 |
29 October |
Seoul |
156 |
Crowd crush |
Crushing the crowd during Halloween festival |
Seoul Halloween crowd crush
|
2024 |
24 June |
Hwaseong, Gyeonggi |
22 |
Fire |
Accidental explosion in the warehouse of a lithium battery factory |
Aricell battery factory fire
|
2024 |
1 July
|
Central Seoul |
9 |
Automobile crash |
Elderly driver reversed into a busy crosswalk. |
2024 Seoul car crash
|