Today in Korean history

Sept. 17

1959 -- Typhoon Sarah hits South Korea, leaving over 900 dead or missing.

1978 -- South Korea severs diplomatic ties with Afghanistan after a pro-Soviet Union regime takes control following an invasion.

1980 -- A military tribunal sentences opposition leader Kim Dae-jung to death on charges of sedition. The death sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment, and Kim was set free a year later and allowed to go to the United States for medical treatment. He eventually returned home to resume political activities and became president in 1998.

1988 -- The Seoul Olympic Games open.

1991 -- South and North Korea join the United Nations simultaneously.

2000 -- The defense ministers of South and North Korea agree to meet for the first time.

2008 -- The government announces it will set up a dedicated carbon exchange company, the Korean Carbon Finance, to help regulate the country's greenhouse gas emissions.

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