Today in Korean history

In 1946, North Korea established the Workers' Party, marking the Soviet-backed regime's initial move towards implementing a communist system on the Korean Peninsula. In 1961, Jo Yong-su, a 31-year-old president of the progressive daily Minjok Ilbo, was sentenced to death for his alleged role as a spy for North Korea. The two Koreas engaged in secret negotiations in 1973, culminating in North Korea's unilateral declaration of dialogue suspension, attributing this decision to then President Park Chung-hee's consolidation of power via the Yushin, or revitalizing, Constitution.

Prior to this, the Koreas had jointly declared their commitment to peaceful unification and reconciliation. In 2003, South and North Korea agreed to collaborate on the profitability of the Mount Kumgang tour program, which allowed South Koreans to visit the scenic North Korean mountain resort. In 2013, a T-50 trainer jet crashed in South Korea, resulting in the death of both pilots.

In 2014, Kim Young-oh, whose 16-year-old daughter perished in the Sewol ferry sinking, concluded a 46-day hunger strike due to his deteriorating health. He had been advocating for an independent investigation into the cause of the disaster, which claimed over 300 lives. In 2015, South Korea's Red Cross proposed working-level talks with its North Korean counterpart to address the reunification of families divided by the 1950-53 Korean War.

Finally, in 2017, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae discovered further documents from the former Park Geun-hye administration, some of which pertained to the alleged blacklist of cultural figures critical of the former government.