Today in Korean history

Today in Korean history



Feb. 20

1920 -- The Korean Aviation School opens in Willows, California. Established by a
group of Korean independence activists, the school produced pilots who fought
against the Japanese colonial regime that ruled the country from 1910 to 1945.

1963 -- Students from the nation's first ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps)
class are commissioned as second lieutenants. The class consisted of 1,769
students.

1965 -- The Treaty on Basic Relations Between the Republic of Korea and Japan is
initialed, establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries. The pact
also nullified all agreements made before 1910, when Korea became a Japanese
colony. Many Koreans opposed the pact for omitting an apology from Japan for its
colonial occupation.

1996 -- South Korea and Japan announce an agreement to introduce a
200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone, a fishing quota in each other's EEZs
and a restriction on the number of vessels allowed to operate in those areas.

2002 -- South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and his American counterpart George
W. Bush visit Dorasan Station, the northernmost train stop in the country,
located near the border with North Korea. The visit, intended to show the two
nation's strong alliance and urge the North to move toward reform and openness,
took place right after talks between the two leaders.

2003 -- A North Korean fighter enters South Korean airspace over the West Sea.
The jet retreated a few minutes later after being intercepted by southern
fighters. A transport plane from the North briefly entered southern airspace two
decades earlier in 1983.

2005 -- Wang Jiarui, head of the Chinese Communist Party's international liaison
department, arrives in Pyongyang for talks on ways to resume stalled six-party
talks on North Korea's nuclear programs.
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