Today in Korean history

April 27

1926 -- King Yeongchin, the second son of King Gojong of the Joseon Dynasty
(1392-1910), succeeds King Seonjong during Japan's colonial rule of the Korean
Peninsula. He had lived and studied in Japan since the age of 11, and his
marriage to a Japanese aristocrat was arranged.

1949 -- The South Korean National Assembly passes a bill on farmland reform for
the redistribution of land previously owned by Japanese colonizers and the
registration of all landowners.

1960 -- Foreign Minister Heo Jeong takes over as head of state after President
Rhee Syngman steps down following a nationwide student uprising on April 19
against Rhee's authoritarian regime and the corruption of his aides.

1971 -- President Park Chung-hee extends his term of office, defeating opposition
leader Kim Dae-jung in a presidential election. After taking control of the
nation in a 1961 military coup, Park revised the Constitution several times to
prolong his rule. Park was assassinated in 1979 by his intelligence chief.

1989 -- The government announces a policy to develop new residential towns in
Bundang and Ilsan, suburbs of Seoul.

1992 -- South Korea establishes diplomatic ties with Tajikistan.

1993 -- Novelist and unification activist Hwang Suk-young is arrested on charges
of violating the National Security Law.

1999 -- Allegations are made that a number of politicians and public officials
bribed military officials to get their sons exempted from mandatory military
service. About 100 people were arrested.

2000 -- French automaker Renault acquires Samsung Motors and renames it Renault
Samsung Motors.

2002 -- Roh Moo-hyun, a former human rights lawyer, wins the ruling Millennium
Democratic Party's nomination to run in the presidential election that December.

2003 -- Inter-ministerial meetings between South and North Korea open in Pyongyang.

2005 -- The National Assembly passes a special law on sustainable use and
maintenance of the Dokdo islets, following a March 16 ordinance by Japan's
Shimane Prefecture to designate Feb. 22 as the day of Takeshima, the Japanese
name for the Korean islets in the East Sea.
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