Today in Korean historyMay 221882 -- Korea ' s Joseon Dynasty ( 1392 - 1910 ) and the United States reach a trade agreement . 1907 -- Lee Wan - yong , a politician and Japanese collaborator during the Joseon Dynasty , is appointed prime minister . The " Euijeongbu , " the dynasty ' s highest administrative body , is transformed into a Cabinet . 1963 -- South Korea establishes diplomatic relations with Austria . 1974 -- The construction of a tidal embankment is completed at Asan Bay in South Chungcheong Province . 1984 -- Line 2 of the Seoul subway system opens . 1993 -- Hyun Jung - hwa , a South Korean table tennis player , wins the women ' s singles tournament at the 42 nd World Table Tennis Championship . 2003 -- The Korean Government Employees Union , a public workers union , sticks to its previous plan to conduct a ballot on a strike . 2004 -- The South Korean movie " Old Boy " wins the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival . The movie , directed by Park Chan - wook , depicts an ordinary man trying to find an unknown person who kidnapped and confined him for 15 years . 2013 -- North Korean leader Kim Jong - un sends special envoy to China . 2014 -- North Korea fires two artillery shells near a South Korean warship on patrol in the western sea . The shells landed in waters 14 kilometers south of Yeonpyeong Island in the Yellow Sea . No casualties or property damages were reported . ( END )