Today in Korean History

Sept. 15

1950 -- U.N. coalition troops led by U.S. general Douglas MacArthur carry out an
amphibious landing at Incheon, a port city west of Seoul. The U.N. forces had
been dispatched to the peninsula to fight on the side of South Korea against
North Korea.

1951 -- Kim Sou-hwan is ordained as a priest. Born in southeastern Daegu in 1922,
Kim, who later became a cardinal, assisted with the operation of parishes in his
hometown during the 1950-1953 Korean War and was named a bishop in Masan, a
neighboring city, in 1966. He was later promoted to Archbishop of Seoul and
proclaimed a cardinal by Pope Paul VI. Kim was a strong advocate for Korea's
democratization, supporting human rights
movements and coordinating charitable activities.

1957 -- The American Forces Korea Network, or AFKN, affiliated with the U.S.
military stationed in South Korea, starts a television broadcast.

1992 -- The Taiwanese Embassy in Seoul stops issuing visas to nationals of South
Korea in protest over the latter's establishment of diplomatic relations with
mainland China. Taiwan later withdrew its embassy from Seoul and the space was
taken over by the Chinese
embassy.

2000 -- South and North Korea march together at the opening ceremony of the
Sydney Olympic Games, the first time for the two sides to do so. South Korea
sought unsuccessfully to organize a unified team with North Korea for the Beijing
Olympics in 2008.

2003 -- The Ministry of Culture and Tourism announces a blueprint for further
opening of the South Korean market to Japanese pop culture products. The
blueprint took effect in January 2004, allowing imports of Japanese films with a
rating of 18 or over, pop songs with Japanese lyrics and video games.
(END)