Today in Korean history

Jan. 6

1926 -- Japan completes construction of the Japanese governor-general's office inside Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul. The Japanese colonial headquarters controlled the entire Korean Peninsula until Korea regained its sovereignty in 1945. The building later housed the national museum, but public debate continued over whether it should be demolished. Some called for the building to be removed to clear away memories of the past, while others claimed it stands as a legitimate reminder of Korean history. After years of debate, the building was finally brought down in 1996.

1990 -- A Korean Air passenger plane traversing the Seoul-Paris route passes through the airspace of the former Soviet Union for the first time.

2005 -- Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan pledges South Korea's support for an international effort to reconstruct tsunami-stricken areas in Indian Ocean countries. The official, attending an emergency tsunami-related summit of world leaders in Jakarta, said Seoul's efforts will be focused on rebuilding the infrastructure of those countries hit hardest by the late 2004 earthquake and subsequent tidal wave.

2009 -- Lotte Chilsung Beverage Co., a unit of the South Korean conglomerate Lotte Group, says it signed a formal deal to buy a liquor unit of Doosan Corp. for 503 billion won (US$383 million), a deal that helped boost Lotte's beverage business.

2014 -- President Park Geun-hye proposes the two Koreas hold reunions for separated families, saying the South will bolster humanitarian assistance and exchanges with the communist nation.

2016 -- North Korea conducts its fourth nuclear test. It claimed that it carried out an explosion test of a hydrogen bomb.
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