Today in Korean history

March 30

1990 -- South Korea establishes diplomatic ties with Romania. Korean Air also launches flights to Moscow, and Russia's Aeroflot Airlines opens a route to Seoul.

1991 -- The South Korean government establishes the Korea International Cooperation Agency, a volunteer network providing aid and technical cooperation to developing countries.

2004 -- South Korean-born German scholar Song Doo-yul is sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of violating the National Security Law. The heavy sentence for the sociology professor at Germany's Muenster University came just several months after Song returned to Seoul at the invitation of a civic organization after 35 years of self-imposed exile in Germany.

He led a vigorous campaign there against successive South Korean military governments in the 1970s and 1980s. South Korea's intelligence agency suspected that he voluntarily worked for North Korea, claiming he served as a secret member of the North Korean ruling party's key decision-making body.

A higher court, however, overturned the sentence and released him in July, saying there was no evidence that Song was a member of the Workers' Party's politburo.

2015 -- South Korea's sole aircraft manufacturer, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) Ltd., is picked as the preferred bidder for the country's indigenous fighter jet development program. Codenamed KF-X, the 8.67 trillion-won project calls for South Korea to develop fighter jets of the F-16 class to replace its aging fleet of F-4s and F-5s.
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