As President Moon Jae-in ended his new year’s address early this year emphasizing a “country where everyone prospers together” and a “peaceful and prosperous Korean peninsula”, many were hopeful for a fresh start to a new decade. Initially, 2020 seemed to go Korea’s way. In early February, Parasite directed by Bong Joon-ho won four Academy Awards at the Oscars, including the most prestigious Best Picture award. Parasite’s historic win as, becoming the first non-English-language film to win Best Picture, epitomized the success of the Korean wave, Hallyu, as South Korea’s entertainment industry grows more prominent every year.

What happened a week later became the turning point of the lives of the people in the country. News outlets reported that a confirmed COVID-19 patient had visited gatherings of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus involving over a thousand people. Daily COVID-19 cases that were in single digits escalated to the hundreds, then to the thousands. As the coronavirus alert was raised to the highest level, flights were cancelled, school openings were delayed, and businesses were closed down. And what seemed to be a fairy tale of Korean pop culture turned into a nightmare opening of an apocalypse movie.

But South Korea fought back hard, and won the first of many battles against the pandemic. Using methods of aggressive mass testing and contact-tracing, the country managed to contain infection clusters and flatten the curve — an achievement that grew more and more impressive as cases skyrocketed elsewhere across the globe. Schools and businesses reopened, professional sports resumed (albeit to a limited degree), a nationwide election was held, and the lives of South Koreans seemed to return closer to normal, though of course, with the addition of wearing a mask.

It is easy to be engrossed in the pandemic, but 2020 also entailed other events that shocked the entire nation. The “Nth room” case involved a sextortion ring that blackmailed women — some who were underage — into filming sexually exploitative videos which were then sold online. While the perpetrators were arrested, the case appalled the nation for exposing the prevalence of sex crimes in the country. Similarly, there was the controversy of the “Digital Prison” website, which illegally posted information of alleged criminals online. It led to a university student who pleaded his innocence committing suicide, angering many for its twisted vigilantism. These crimes altogether threw South Korea an unanswered question of the future of criminal justice in the country.

As life continued with the pandemic, so did the Korean entertainment industry. BTS and their hit song “Dynamite” made history, as the band became the first ever Korean group to rank number one on Billboard Hot 100. The trot song boom continued within the country, after shows like “Mr. Trot” became a sensational success earlier in the year. But there were also partings. The legendary comedy show “Gag Concert” that broadcasted for 21 years marked its end, signaling the presence of great change in the industry sparked by the rise of YouTube. On the other hand, the film industry, in stark contrast to the success of Parasite, took a big hit from the prolonged pandemic. Even as the government distributed theater coupons, the number of moviegoers fell sharply, and financial problems that existed before the pandemic only amplified.

South Korea’s geopolitics seem to have been unsurprisingly overshadowed by the pandemic. As countries were busy combatting coronavirus at home, South Korea’s trade dispute against Japan that dominated headlines of 2019 subsided. Relationship with North Korea largely stagnated or worsened, as North Korea demolished the inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong and shot a South Korean official dead in North Korean territory. The cautiously hopeful atmosphere that accompanied the Inter-Korean and US-North Korea summits in 2018 and 2019 vanished. 2020 ironically seems to be the eye of the storm for the Korean peninsula, as both countries prepare for large changes in the geopolitical landscape with the upcoming Biden administration.

South Korea’s 2020, even without the pandemic-part of it, was eventful — even hectic. The country raced through its ups and downs, discovered its strengths, and was reminded of its weaknesses. South Korea proved that it can soldier through an unprecedented pandemic and spread its cultural influence worldwide. Yet deeper problems remain at home, including criminal justice, politics, and, of course, the virus-struck economy. As the end of 2020 nears and as coronavirus cases spike once again throughout the nation, we are reminded that calendar years are arbitrary — this year’s success and problems will carry onto the next. For South Korea, 2020 may not be a groundbreaking climax, but crossroads for greater change to come.