The European Mars probe "Mars Express" discovered ice on Mars in January, and the twin NASA probes "Spirit" and "Opportunity" landed on the planet, sent back to Earth photos of signs of past water activity and conducted mineral composition studies. Based on these discoveries, scientists say that water used to exist on Mars long ago, and that the possibility was high that life existed as well.

2. Terror, Terror, Terror...

The entire world spent the year in fear of terrorism. On March 11, 1,400 people were killed or wounded in a train bombing at Madrid Station launched by Al-Qaeda four days ahead of the Spanish general election. Later, 300 were murdered when Chechen rebels took a school hostage in Russia's Republic of North Ossetia. In addition, terrorist activity continued throughout the Middle East and Southeast Asia, most of it committed by armed Islamic groups.

3. Iraq Situation Worsens

The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) handed over sovereignty to Iraq on June 28, but the security situation continues to worsen with bombings and kidnappings and murders of foreigners. 159 foreigners have been kidnapped, including Korean Kim Sun -il, and 33 murdered. The U.S. military earned the world's wrath when photos of abuse of Iraq prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison were released. Over 1,300 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq.

4. Re-election of U.S. President Bush

In an extremely close presidential election in the U.S. conducted Nov. 2, U.S. President George W. Bush won re-election, defeating Democrat challenger John Kerry. Kerry fiercely attacked Bush's invasion of Iraq as a mistaken judgment, and international opinion favored Kerry, but Americans chose Bush, who stressed his image as a strong wartime leader.

5. High Oil Prices Hit World Economy

Crude oil prices set an all-time record high on Oct. 25 at $55.67 per barrel at the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), presenting a tremendous burden on the world economy. The deteriorating situation in Iraq, increased demand for oil in China, and rampant speculation were the chief causes of the price increase. While the price of oil has shown a decreasing tendency since then, there still remain factors of instability, such as the possibility of an agreement by OPEC to decrease production.

6. Launch of the Hu Jintao Era in China

Chairman of the Central Military Commission Jiang Zemin fully retired in September, and Communist Party General Secretary- Chinese President Hu Jintao inherited command over the military. With the opening of the "Hu Jintao Era," in which Hu has control of the Chinese Communist Party, government and military, China has completely changed its leadership to figures educated after World War II. It was also the first "peaceful" transfer of power since the Communist Revolution in which the existing leadership wasn't purged.

7. Death of PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat

75-year-old Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, who led the Palestinian struggle for independence for 40 years, died in a French military hospital on Nov. 11. He received almost absolute support from Palestinians while at the same time condemnation as a terrorist in the West. Mahmoud Abbas is expected to lead the Palestinian Authority, but hardliners are opposing him.

8. Birth of the“Super EU”

Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Malta and Cyprus joined the EU on May 1, enlarging the union from 15 members to 25. With the EU’s expansion into Eastern Europe, the continent was finally reunited following its post-war division, and the EU became the Europe’s representative institution.

9. Debate over Stem Cells and Human Cloning

The debate between a total ban on human cloning or restricted use for treating hard-to-cure diseases divided the entire world, but in November, the U.N. adopted a resolution calling for a ban in human cloning but allowing individual states to make their own laws on cloning for treatment use. Seoul National University Professor Hwang Woo-suk succeeded in making stem cells by cloning human somatic cells, but due to ethical issues, the debate continues.

10. WMD Controversy Continues

Iran, Libya and North Korea, which had been headaches of the international community, all went different paths this year. Iran, under U.S. pressure of sanctions through the U.N. Security Council, declared it would completely suspend its uranium enrichment program on Nov. 14. Libya, which completely abandoned its WMD development programs last year, rapidly adopted a pro-Western line this year. North Korea, on the other hand, attended the six-party talks for the last time in June, and is not revealing an active will to resolve the issue of its nuclear programs.