Today in Korean history

Jan. 9

1901 -- Businessman Yoo Doo-po arrives in Hawaii, becoming the first Korean on the U.S. island.

1953 -- The Changgyeong ferry sinks off Busan, leaving 229 people dead.

1969 -- The Ministry of Education decides to require that male students at high schools and colleges receive military drills as part of the country's preparedness against threats from North Korea.

1995 -- The government announces the introduction of a real-name system for real estate transactions.

2002 -- An appeals court in Seoul rules the government must compensate residents of Maehyang, Gyeonggi Province, living near a U.S. military firing range. The plaintiffs said they suffered physical injuries, hearing impairment and property damage from shooting and bombing exercises at the Kooni Range.

2009 -- Ssangyong Motor Co., the country's smallest carmaker at the time, files for court protection from creditors after a cash squeeze. Sssangyong, then owned by China's Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp., had run into deep financial trouble in mid-2008 as vehicle sales tumbled amid weakening demand.

2015 -- North Korea rejects the South's parliamentary resolution calling for the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue.

2018 -- South and North Korea agree to hold military talks to reduce tensions, and Pyongyang also agrees to send a delegation to the Winter Olympics set for February in the South. The Koreas also promised to reactivate cooperation and exchanges through diverse levels of talks. The agreements were made during their first formal dialogue in two years at the border village of Panmunjom.
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