Today in Korean history

March 18

1912 -- The Japanese government establishes a judiciary system in Korea, a Japanese colony from 1910 to 1945. Under the system, defendants can make appeals three times as in Japan and European countries.

1935 -- The first telephone switchboard in Korea begins operations at a post office in North Hamgyong Province, the northernmost region of the peninsula. The area later became part of North Korea.

1937 -- The Japanese governor-general orders government agencies in Korea to use Japanese as their official language. The announcement is part of the Japanese policy to eradicate the Korean culture and language.

1949 -- North Korea and China sign a mutual defense treaty.

1982 -- A group of civic activists carries out an arson attack against the American Cultural Center in Busan, some 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to protest the alleged involvement of the United States in the Gwangju massacre. Hundreds were killed in the 1980 massacre when forces of the then military government cracked down on citizens of Gwangju, 330 kilometers southwest of the capital, who were protesting against the military regime.

1993 -- The International Atomic Energy Agency adopts a resolution calling for the inspection of North Korean nuclear facilities.

1995 -- An American company ships 54,000 tons of corn to North Korea as food aid, representing the first shipment of its kind from the United States to the North.

2013 -- President Park Geun-hye accepts the resignation of Hwang Chul-joo, nominee for the Small and Medium Business Administration, three days after he offered to step down due to rising criticism over the handling of his corporate holdings.

2014 -- The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism gives preliminary approval to LOCZ Korea, a joint venture between Las Vegas-based Caesars Entertainment and Indonesian conglomerate Lippo Group, to open a foreigner-exclusive casino in Yeongjongdo, an economic zone near Incheon International Airport. LOCZ Korea plans to invest 746.7 billion won (US$699.8 million) in building the casino resort by 2018 in the first stage of the project and complete it by 2023 for a total of 2.3 trillion won.

2018 -- The 2018 PyeongChang Paralympic Winter Games comes to a close with a celebration of disabled athletes who broke down barriers during the 10-day competition.
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