Today in Korean history

March 5

1920 -- The Chosun Ilbo begins publication. The newspaper later became one of the most popular dailies in South Korea.

1946 -- Socialist authorities governing the northern part of Korea announce a land reform law. The leadership, established one month earlier and tentatively named the "North Joseon Preliminary People's Commission," applied socialist measures of reform after the country was liberated from Japan's colonial rule the previous year. The measures included gender equality laws and the nationalization of private property.

2004 -- South and North Korea agree to allow South Korean firms to establish full operations in an industrial park that began construction in the North Korean border town of Kaesong the previous year.

The two sides also agreed to conduct train test runs on newly completed railway sections along the western and eastern parts of their border. The accord was one of seven points in a joint press statement released at the end of four days of talks in Seoul. The Kaesong complex is one of the most visible products of the historic inter-Korean summit in 2000, which set bilateral rapprochement in motion.

2007 -- The funeral of Army Sgt. Yoon Jang-ho, a South Korean soldier killed in a terrorist attack in Afghanistan, is held at a military hospital in Seongnam, south of Seoul. Yoon, 27, was one of the victims of a suicide bombing at the main gate of a U.S. base in Bagram, about 60 kilometers north of the Afghan capital of Kabul. The U.S. government posthumously awarded Yoon the Bronze Star, a medal for meritorious service or bravery by soldiers in the U.S. or allied forces.

2015 -- U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert is cut on the face and wrist by a pro-North Korean activist who said he is against the ongoing military drills by Seoul and Washington. Lippert received an operation at Severance Hospital to treat the wound. It was the first time a U.S. ambassador was attacked in South Korea.

2019 -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un returns to Pyongyang after a trip to Vietnam for a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump and an official visit to the Southeast Asian country. The summit held on Feb. 27-28 ended without a deal.

2020 -- Cheong Wa Dae says North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent a letter to President Moon Jae-in the previous day to express his support for South Korea in its fight against the new coronavirus. Kim also showed his "constant friendship and trust" toward Moon.

2021 -- Director Hong Sang-soo wins the Silver Bear prize for best screenplay at the 71st edition of the Berlin International Film Festival with his film "Introduction."
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