Today in Korean history

Today in Korean history



Dec. 20

1974 -- North Korean spy Moon Se-gwang is executed for assassinating first lady
Yook Young-su, wife of President Park Chung-hee.

1979 -- A military court sentences KCIA chief Kim Jae-kyu and six others to death
for assassinating President Park Chung-hee on Oct. 26, 1979. The murder brought
Park's 18-year rule to an end.

1997 -- President Kim Young-sam and President-elect Kim Dae-jung agree to grant
special pardons to former presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo. Chun and Roh
were sentenced to life imprisonment and 17 years in prison, respectively, for
their roles in a 1979 coup that brought Chun to power in 1980. Chun served as
president until February 1988 when he was succeeded by Roh, who served as
president for five years.

2002 -- Lee Hoi-chang, leader of the opposition Grand National Party, announces
he will retire from politics.

2008 -- South Korea completes its four-year troop presence in Iraq by pulling out
the last group of its Zaytun contingent that was dispatched to Irbil, a northern
city, and an air support unit in neighboring Kuwait in 2004.
Korea dispatched a 3,600-strong non-combat force to Iraq on the request of the
United States. The Zaytun unit provided medical services and other support to
help rebuild the war-torn country.