Today in Korean history

June 4

1886 -- Korea signs a treaty of commerce and amity with France, legalizing French business and religious activities in the country. The period from 1876 until the fall of the Joseon Dynasty in 1910 is referred to as an open-door era, when the country opened its ports and built commercial ties with Japan, the United States, Britain, Germany, Russia and France.

1920 -- The independence army of Korea defeats Japanese forces in a battle in Manchuria, northeastern China.
Korea's first public bathhouse opens in Pyongyang, now the North Korean capital.

1950 -- South Korea and Japan sign a trade treaty, five years after liberation from Japanese colonial rule.

1970 -- A South Korean naval vessel carrying 20 soldiers is seized by a North Korean Navy ship in waters off Yeonpyeong, a South Korean island just below the western maritime border. The South Korean boat disappeared, and its crew have never been heard from since.

1970 -- South Korea's first solar power plant is completed on the western island of Acha in Gyeonggi Province.

2002 -- South Korea's national soccer team defeats Poland 2-0 in a World Cup match in Busan, marking the country's first victory in a World Cup finals match since it first played in the international tournament in 1954. South Korea, which co-hosted the World Cup with Japan, later made history by becoming the first Asian team to advance to the semifinals.
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