Today in Korean history

1948 marked the establishment of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or North Korea, on the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. This action solidified the separation between the communist North and the capitalist South.

In 1987, 21-year-old Kang Su-yeon clinched the Best Actress award at the Venice International Film Festival for her portrayal of Ongnyeo in 'Surrogate Mother.' Directed by Im Kwon-taek, the film tells the story of Ongnyeo, the daughter of a surrogate mother who later becomes a surrogate for an aristocratic family's son, resulting in a complex relationship and tragedy.

The United States urged South Korea to dispatch additional troops to Iraq in 2003. In 2004, South Korea admitted to extracting plutonium in 1982. North Korea criticized the US and rejected international sanctions over its nuclear program in 2009 to commemorate its 61st founding anniversary.

In 2011, a defoliant component was discovered in and around a U.S. military camp in South Korea. Several retired American soldiers admitted to disposing of drums of the toxic chemical decades ago. Kim Ki-duk's drama 'Pieta' won the Golden Lion for the best film at the 69th Venice Film Festival in 2012.

North Korea conducted its fifth nuclear test at its Punggye-ri test site in 2016, drawing harsh condemnations from South Korea and its allies. The communist state's leader, Kim Jong-un, declared his resolve to retain the nation's nuclear weapons during a session of the Supreme People's Assembly in 2016. The assembly also passed a law permitting an 'automatic nuclear strike' if the regime faced an attack.

North Korea staged a nighttime paramilitary parade in Pyongyang on the 75th anniversary of its founding in 2023, attended by leader Kim Jong-un. This was the third military parade held by the communist regime in 2023, including one in July to mark the 70th anniversary of the signing of the 1950-53 Korean War armistice.