Today in Korean history

Sept. 17

1978 -- South Korea severs diplomatic ties with Afghanistan, where a pro-Soviet
Union regime takes control after a Soviet invasion.

1980 -- A military tribunal sentences opposition leader Kim Dae-jung to death on
charges of sedition. The death sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment.
Kim was set free a year later and allowed to go to the United States for medical
treatment. He returned home several years later to resume political activities
and eventually became president in 1998.

1988 -- The Seoul Olympic Games open.

1991 -- South and North Korea join the United Nations simultaneously.

2000 -- The defense ministers of South and North Korea agree to meet for the
first time.
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