Former presidents' summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il were jointly chosen as the top national story of the decade by The Korea Times. Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun visited Pyongyang in 2000 and 2006 respectively to discuss peace with the leader of the communist nation. In the international category, the terrorist attack on the United States on Sept. 11, 2002 has been selected as the top story of this decade. The following are lists of the 10 major domestic and overseas events compiled by The Korea Times that defined the first decade of the 21st century.

Domestic

1. South-North Korean Summits
2. Korean Golfers Dominate LPGA
3. Kim Dae-jung Wins Nobel Peace Prize
4. Roh Moo-hyun Commits Suicide
5. Birthrate Hits Record Low
6. North Korea Tests Nuclear Bombs
7. 2002 World Cup Korea/Japan
8. Top Sports Stars Kim Yu-na and Park Tae-hwan
9. Fierce Controversy Over US Beef Imports
10. Korean Wave (Hallyu) Sweeps Asia

International

1. 9/11 Terrorist Attack on the United States
2. War in Afghanistan
3. War in Iraq
4. Tsunami Hits Southeast Asia
5. Huge Earthquake in Sichuan, China
6. First African-American President Obama
7. Change of Global Financial Landscape
8. Japan's First Power Transfer in Five Decades
9. Birth of Euro Zone and EU President
10. China's Rising Status as a World Power


Domestic



South-North Korean Summit: The late former President Kim Dae-jung, right, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il shake their hands for the first inter-Korean summit held in Pyongyang in June, 2000. The late former President Roh Moo-hyun also held taks with the North Korean leader on Oct. 4, 2007.



LPGA Stars: Pak Se-ri, top left, smiles after sinking her last putt in the final round of the LPGA Betsy King Classic in 2002. South Korean golfers won as many as 11 titles on the LPGA Tour this year alone. Women’s golf has only been popular in Korea for a little over a decade but from Pak to Shin Ji-yai, Korean players are dominating the LPGA. With Shin and other young rookies outperforming their senior players, they are expected to continue with greater clout.

Kim Dae-jung Wins Nobel Peace Prize: Former President Kim Dae-jung won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000 for his efforts to reconcile with North Korea, becoming the first Korean Nobel laureate. The life-longfighter for democracy passed away in August at the age of 85. Kim, nicknamed “indongcho” (a plant that endures bitter winters), will be remembered as a towering figure in modern Korean politics for his role in the development of democracy.

Roh Moo-hyun Commits Suicide: Former President Roh Moohyun jumped from a cliff to his death on May 23 as investigations into allegations of bribery were zeroing on his family members. Roh was unpopular due to his divisive policies and combative words during his presidency, but he succeeded in making the presidency less authoritarian, challenged the power of the privileged and promoted the welfare of the people.

Record Low Birthrate: Despite various government steps, the nation’s birthrate currently stands at the world’s lowest level of 1.22. Pessimists even warn that it may drop below the one-point mark in the not-too-distant future. Concerns are growing that the resultant demographic problem will pose one of the toughest challenges for the country in the upcoming decade.



North Korea Tests Nuclear Bombs: North Korean soldiers participate in a rally to celebrate what the North says was a successful nuclear test in Pyongyang in October, 2006. The communist nation tested another more powerful device in May. The explosion this year was five times more powerful than that of 2006.



Controversy Over US Beef Imports: Tens of thousands of people rallied for months in 2008 against the import of American beef, triggering violent clashes between protestors and riot police and fueling the divide between the conservatives and liberals. Despite the unprecedented fierce and long demonstration, Seoul agreed to import U.S. beef again in May, last year.



Top Sports Stars: Park Tae-hwan, top, celebrates after winning the men’s 400 meter freestyle swimming final at the National Aquatics Center during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Kim Yu-na, the world’s best female figure skater, was one of the stars who gave some solace to people suffering from the prolonged economic slump. For her impact on Korea and her accomplishments on the ice rink, Kim has been named the Person of the Year by a number of media firms. As good as 2009 has been for Kim, 2010 will be the most important year of her career so far. With less than two months to go before February’s Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Kim is the overwhelming favorite to win gold.



2002 World Cup: Supporters of the South Korean soccer team cheer on their team before the World Cup semifinal match between South Korea and Germany outside Seoul stadium on June 25, 2002. Koreans, united under the banner of “The Red Devils,” rooted for their team for weeks, powering the team to the final four. The national team recently qualified for a place in the upcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.



Korean Wave in Asia: Actor Bae Yong-joon and other top Korean pop stars have created a ripple known as the Korean wave or “hallyu” in Asia. Despite its ups and downs, the Korean wave is expected to remain a strong cultural phenomenon in the region.

International



9/11 Terrorist Attack: Osama bin Laden shook the United States to its core on Sept. 21, 2001, setting the stage for a decade of conflict. Nineteen al-Qaida hijackers took over four passenger jets on domestic flights: two crashed into the World Trade Center towers in New York, one into the U.S. Defense Department headquarters in Washington and one into a Pennsylvania field after passengers fought the gunmen. Altogether, 2,973 people and the hijackers were killed. The towers crumbled, leaving New York with deep scars.



War in Afghanistan: A military invasion of Afghanistan was launched by the U.S. and the U.K. in October 2001 in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and with the intent of capturing Osama bin Laden, removing the Taliban regime from power and destroying al-Qaida. NATO assumed control of the operation in 2003. In February 2009, President Barack Obama approved sending 17,000 additional U.S. troops to the region to battle ongoing threats from insurgents.



Iraq War: On March 19, 2003 U.S. planes fired bombs in a bid to kill Saddam Hussein and had begun an invasion of Iraq . The invasion of Iraq led to an occupation and the eventual capture of Hussein, who was later executed by the new Iraqi government. U.S. troop numbers should fall to 50,000 by the end of August 2010 ahead of a promised withdrawal by 2011.

Japan’s Power Transfer: The center-left Democratic Party led by Yukio Hatoyama won a landslide victory in elections, breaking more than 50 years of oneparty rule by the Liberal Democratic Party. He took office as prime minister on Sept. 16, seeking to create a new diplomacy.




First African-American President: Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20, 2009. The former Illinois senator and the U.S. Democrats won a crushing presidential and legislative victory on Nov. 4, 2008, capping his sensational ascension. He won the Nobel Peace Prize only nine months after taking office. The Afghanistan war, economic crisis and the challenge of reforming America’s dysfunctional health care system have all eaten into his domestic popularity. The wars and the deadlocked Middle East peace process have hit his standing abroad. But Barack and Michelle Obama are still classy leaders and his message still reverberates around the world.

Sichuan Earthquake: The earthquake that tore apart China’s Sichuan Province on May 12, 2008 was an event that occurs roughly once every 4,000 years, experts say. The quake killed 88,000 people, who were trapped in buildings or caught in landslides and floods sparked by the quake, which marked 7.9 on the Richter Scale. Millions were left homeless.




China Becomes World Power: The rise of China is undoubtedly one of the great dramas of the 21st century. China’s extraordinary economic growth and active diplomacy are already transforming East Asia, and future decades will see even greater increases in Chinese power and influence. Some observers believe that the American era is coming to an end, as the Western-oriented world order is being replaced by one increasingly dominated by the East.



Change of Global Financial Landscape: Ignoring repeated alarm bells, the U.S. carried on living off of international credit until the “sub-prime” crisis erupted and brought down the iconic U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers on Sept. 15, 2008. The firm filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, marking the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history. The credit crisis quickly engulfed every corner of an increasingly globalized financial and economic system, and triggered a worldwide recession. Emergency summits were held and a wholesale collapse of the banking system was narrowly avoided.



Tsunami of 2004: A huge “megathrust” earthquake off the coast of Indonesia on Dec. 26, 2004, set off a tidal wave up to 30 meters high that killed some 220,000 people. The event still haunts the coastal villages of the countries devastated by one of the worst natural disasters of the past 100 years. Poor villagers in Indonesia . which suffered three quarters of the deaths ― Sri Lanka, India and Thailand were the worst hit.



Birth of Euro Zone and EU President: In 2002, euro notes and coins replaced national currencies in 12 of the member states. Since then, the eurozone has increased to encompass 16 countries, with Slovakia joining on Jan. 1, 2009. In 2004, the EU saw its biggest enlargement to date when Malta, Cyprus, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary joined the Union. On Jan. 1, 2007, Romania and Bulgaria became the EU’s newest members and Slovenia adopted the euro. On Dec. 1, 2009, the Lisbon Treaty came into force after a protracted and controversial birth. This reformed many aspects of the EU but in particular created a permanent President of the European Council, the first of which is Herman van Rompuy.