1979 in South Korea

Centuries:	; ; 20th; 21st; ;
Decades:	1950s; 1960s; 1970s; 1980s; 1990s;
See also:	Other events in 1979; Years in South Korea; Timeline of Korean history; 1979 in North Korea

Events from the year 1979 in South Korea.

Incumbents

President: Park Chung-hee (until 26 October), Choi Kyu-hah (starting 6 December)
Prime Minister: Choi Kyu-hah (until 6 December), Shin Hyun-hwak (starting 12 December)

October 3 - Security chief Kim Jae-kyu meets democrat politician Kim Young-sam to discuss the country's future.
December 6 - 1979 South Korean presidential election, confirms former prime minister Choi Kyu-hah as the new president.^[1]
December 12 - Coup d'état of December Twelfth: Lieutenant General Chun Doo-hwan, commander of the Security Command,^[2]^[3] orders the arrest of General Jeong Seung-hwa, ROK Army Chief of Staff, on allegations of involvement in the assassination of President Park Chung Hee. A shoot-out at the Army Headquarters and the Ministry of Defense results in Chun and his fellow eleventh class military academy graduates such as Major General Roh Tae-woo and Major General Jeong Ho-yong taking control of the Korean military.