Today in Korean history

Today in Korean history



June 29

1882 -- Chinese troops arrive at the western port of Incheon as Korea's royal
court requested assistance to suppress a revolt staged by army soldiers who were
angry at the creation of a modern military contingent. The new unit was entitled
to a higher salary and better treatment.
China later used the troops' deployment as a pretext to station its forces on the
Korean Peninsula, thus prompting Japan to send its own forces here to curb
Chinese expansionism.

1979 -- President Park Chung-hee meets his U.S. counterpart Jimmy Carter in
Seoul. Carter traveled to Seoul to discuss a plan to reduce the level of U.S.
troops in Korea and to press Park on human rights issues.

1987 -- Roh Tae-woo, a ruling party candidate for the presidential election,
announces a set of democratic reform plans, bowing to mounting nationwide
pro-democracy protests. Among the plans were an introduction of a direct
presidential election system and the release of jailed opposition leader Kim
Dae-jung. Roh eventually won the December 1987 election as Kim Dae-jung and
another dissident leader, Kim Young-sam, both ran, splitting the votes for
opposition candidates.

1993 -- South Korea dispatches noncombat troops to Somalia as part of U.N.
peacekeeping operations to help restore order in the insurgency-torn African
country.

1995 -- Sampoong Department Store in southern Seoul collapses, killing 502 people
and injuring 900 others. The building had undergone illegal remodeling and was
not inspected by structural engineers.
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