Today in Korean history

Oct. 31

1883 -- Korea's first modern newspaper, the Hanseong Sunbo, begins publication.

1959 -- South Korea establishes diplomatic relations with Brazil.

1961 -- South Korea establishes diplomatic relations with Australia.

1966 -- U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson visits South Korea.

1996 -- Samsung Electronics develops the world's first 1-gigabit DRAM chip.

2001 -- South Korea begins repair work on its oldest and largest existing stone pagoda at Mireuk Temple in the southwestern provincial city of Iksan. For the repair work, the pagoda was dismantled for the first time in 1,400 years.

2006 -- North Korea agrees to return to the long-stalled six-party talks on its nuclear program three weeks after detonating its first nuclear weapon. The six-party talks also involving South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia resumed in November after a yearlong hiatus.

2013 -- South Korea is reelected as a member of the United Nations' Economic and Social Council, which oversees the majority of the international organization's financial resources.

2017 -- South Korea receives the Olympic flame for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games at a handover ceremony in Athens.

2024 -- North Korea fires an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on a lofted trajectory toward the East Sea. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the missile was fired around 7:10 a.m. from the North's Pyongyang area.

2025 -- South Korea hosts the two-day Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the southeastern city of Gyeongju, where leaders from across the Asia-Pacific region explore ways to boost resilience and spur growth amid global trade uncertainties.
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