Today in Korean history

Jan. 14

1963 -- South Korea establishes diplomatic ties with Canada.

1967 -- Ninety-four people are killed when the passenger ship Hanil-ho collides with a Navy vessel.

1978 -- South Korean actress Choi Eun-hee is abducted by North Korean agents in Hong Kong, two weeks before her husband, movie director Shin Sang-ok, is also taken to the North. Choi and Shin made movies that extolled the rule of former North Korean leader Kim Il-sung and his son Kim Jong-il while in North Korea before successfully escaping and seeking refuge at the U.S. Embassy in Vienna in March 1986.

1987 -- Student activist Park Chong-chul is tortured to death, the news of which sparked massive protests that forced the military regime of Roh Tae-woo to introduce a set of democratization measures.

1996 -- South Korea's second commercial satellite, the Mugunghwa-2, is launched at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in the U.S. state of Florida.

2002 -- Prosecutor General Shin Seung-nam resigns after his younger brother is arrested on charges of receiving money from businessman Lee Yong-ho, who was under investigation for stock manipulation and embezzlement at the time, in return for exerting his influence to cover up the case.

2011 -- Creditors of Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. clinch a preliminary deal with Hyundai Motor Group to sell a 35 percent stake in the country's leading builder for about 5 trillion won.

2016 -- Samsung Electronics Co. delivers a letter of apology to the families of its workers who fell ill or died from working at its chipmaking facilities, claiming the eight-year dispute has come to an end.

2018 -- The government announces plans to reform the country's three major investigation agencies, a move partly aimed at preventing the abuse of power by such government institutions, including the spy agency.

2021 -- The Supreme Court upholds a 20-year sentence for former President Park Geun-hye in a high-profile corruption case, closing the yearslong saga that gripped the country and ultimately removed her from office in 2017.
(END)