December 19, 2002 (Thursday)
- U.S. plan to invade Iraq: After reviewing a 12,000 page Iraqi weapons declaration document, U.S. officials state that Iraq has failed to account for all its chemical and biological agents and that Iraq is in material breach of a United Nations Security Council resolution.
- Hundreds of Middle Eastern immigrants in Southern California who came to INS officials to register, as per new regulations, are arrested and imprisoned for various INS violations, many of them due to official delays in processing necessary forms. Critics compared the action to the Japanese internment in the same region during World War II. Others claimed that the people are in violation of United States immigration law, and the arrests are valid.
- Ruling party candidate Roh Moo-hyun wins South Korea's presidential election, a result that could complicate ties with the United States as the allies grapple with North Korea's nuclear programme.
- Pope John Paul II will approve the miracle needed to beatify Mother Teresa, whose dedication to the destitute earned her a special place in the pontiff's heart. A second miracle then will be needed to declare Mother Teresa a saint.
- AOL Time Warner announces that they have been issued a patent for instant messaging. AOL says that they have no plans to enforce the patent, but it could cause problems for the purveyors of other instant messaging systems, in particular Microsoft and Yahoo!.
- Rebels in the Côte d'Ivoire seize the key western city of Man from government forces.
- Three men convicted of the racist murder of Ross Parker in Peterborough, England, which occurred ten days after the September 11th attacks.