Seoul — Today marks several significant events in Korean history, ranging from resistance against cultural colonization efforts by Japanese authorities to milestones in diplomatic relations and inter-Korean conflicts. Notably, Sungshil High School in Pyongyang was closed in 1938 for refusing to force students to worship at Japanese shrines, a policy aimed at cultural assimilation. In 1941, the colonial government escalated its assimilation efforts by banning the Korean language in schools.
According to Yonhap News Agency, The ideological divide between North and South Korea deepened in 1949, with South Korea outlawing trade with its northern counterpart, setting the stage for the Korean War. Diplomatic achievements include the establishment of relations with Denmark in 1959 and a maritime incident in 1999 when a North Korean vessel sank after colliding with a South Korean ship near Sri Lanka. More recently, in 2014, an artillery exchange across the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea underscored ongoing tensions, while 2017 saw the arrest of former President Park Geun-hye over a corruption scandal, marking her as the third former president to face criminal allegations.