Today in Korean history

March 12

1948 -- Korean independence fighters, including Kim Gu and Kim Kyu-sik, issue a statement opposing a U.N. General Assembly resolution adopted Feb. 26 to hold a separate general election in southern Korea.

1971 -- South Korean ground troops assume responsibility for the defense of the entire 155-mile truce line that divides the Korean Peninsula. The U.S. military had until then guarded part of the line.

1993 -- North Korea announces its decision to withdraw from the nuclear nonproliferation treaty.

2009 -- Prof. Sung Hyun-ho of Ewha Womans University in Seoul is elected as a member of the Guiding Committee for the General Bathymetric Chart of Oceans under the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), becoming the first South Korean to be elected to the committee.

2011 -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak starts his four-day visit to the United Arab Emirates, a trip highlighting economic cooperation.
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