Today in Korean history

May 15

1712 -- Korea's Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) government erects a stone monument on Mount Baekdu to mark the border with China, then ruled by the Qing Dynasty.

1956 -- Rhee Syng-man is elected South Korea's president for a third consecutive term. Rhee, an advocate of Korean independence from Japanese colonial rule (1910-1945), became the first president of South Korea in 1948. After being re-elected to a fourth term in 1960, Rhee was accused of rigging the election and forced out of office following student demonstrations protesting the election and government corruption.

1967 -- The tomb of King Munmu of the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.-935 A.D) is uncovered in waters off the coast of Wolseong, North Gyeongsang Province.

1974 -- South Korea establishes diplomatic ties with Nepal.

1980 -- Tens of thousands of university students rally at Seoul Station to protest the imposition of martial law under the military junta of Chun Doo-hwan, who took power through a coup that year following the assassination of his predecessor, Park Chung-hee.

1995 -- The 44th annual meeting of the International Press Institute (IPI) is held in Seoul. The IPI is a global organization of editors, media executives and leading journalists.

2013 -- North Korea turns down a South Korean proposal for talks to return raw materials and finished products from a suspended inter-Korean industrial complex to Seoul, criticizing the proposal as a "crafty ploy" to evade domestic criticism over the complex's halt and mislead public opinion.

2017 -- North Korea claims it successfully test-fired a new mid-to-long-range ballistic missile that can carry a large nuclear warhead, emphasizing that the U.S. mainland is within its striking range.
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