Global Policy Forum

24 September 2008 North Korea removed seals and surveillance cameras at Yongbyon, saying it intended to reactivate the reprocessing plant within a week. IAEA inspectors were also barred from the site. (Using nuclear material already on site, it seems that the DPRK could reprocess sufficient plutonium for several more nuclear weapons quite quickly.)

19 September 2008 North Korea announced that it was reversing its position on deactivating Yongbyon because the "action for action" principle agreed in the six-party deal had not been observed as the US had not begun removing North Korea from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.

15 September 2008 South Korean sources said that North Korea conducted an engine ignition test for a long-range missile at the Tongchang-ri site.

9 September 2008 There was speculation in September that North Korea's Kim Jong-il was seriously ill after he failed to appear at a parade on marking the 60th anniversary of the country.

2 September 2008 North Korea is experiencing its worst food crisis in a decade. The World Food Programme announced that it would launch a major relief campaign to help 6 million people.

2 July 2008 Ambassador Marcello Spatafora of Italy, Chairman of the Sanctions Committee on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, briefed the Council on the Committee's activities.

26 June 2008 Following the DPRK's 26 June nuclear declaration the US announced the removal of some trade sanctions under the US Trading with the Enemy Act and its intention to drop North Korea from its terrorist list.

26 June 2008 Pyongyang submitted a declaration of its nuclear activities to China, the chair of the six-party talks.

mid-June 2008 Russia began food deliveries to North Korea.

30 May 2008 North Korea fired three short-range missiles into the Yellow Sea. The missile tests did not provoke much reaction, as they were fired well away from waters contested by South Korea.

16 May 2008 The US announced that it would transport 500,000 tons of emergency food aid to supplement the existing aid-for-disarmament deal.

May 2008 North Korea handed over 18,822 pages of documents constituting operating and production records of the Yongbyon reactor.

2 April 2008 Ambassador Marcello Spatafora of Italy, Chairman of the Sanctions Committee on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, briefed the Council on the Committee's activities.

25 March 2008 The HRC resolution adopted expressed deep concern at the "systematic, widespread and grave violations" of human rights in North Korea and alarm at "the precarious humanitarian situation in the country". The resolution also extended the mandate of the UN's special rapporteur on human rights in the DPRK.

13 March 2008 A meeting between the chief US and North Korean negotiators was held in Geneva, after the six-party talks faltered at the end of 2007 when the DPRK (North Korea) failed to submit a full declaration of its nuclear programme as it had agreed. It seemed that little progress was made.

February 2008 The New York Philharmonic orchestra visited Pyongyang; some considered it a small breakthrough—it was the first significant US cultural visit. However, subsequent routine military exercises between South Korea and the US drew sharp criticism from Pyongyang.

3 January 2008 Ambassador Marcello Spatafora of Italy, Chairman of the Sanctions Committee on the Democratic Republic of North Korea, briefed the Council on the Committee's activities.

12 December 2007 North Korea responded through diplomatic channels signalling willingness to continue implementation of the six-party agreement.

early December 2007 President George W. Bush sent a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong-il encouraging denuclearisation.

November 2007 A US-led team of specialists began disabling the Yongbyon facilities with hopes of completion by year end.

8 October 2007 The 1718 Committee briefed the Council in consultations.

15 September 2007 Chinese, Russian and US nuclear experts completed a four-day mission to North Korea to assess strategies for disabling the Yongbyon facilities.

12 September 2007 Media reports suggested that North Korea might be providing assistance with an alleged nuclear facility in Syria.

Early September 2007 At a bilateral working group in Geneva, North Korean negotiator Kim Kye-gwan advised his US counterpart Christopher Hill that Pyongyang would disclose and disable its programme by the end of the calendar year.

10 July 2007 Ambassador Marcello Spatafora of Italy, Chairman of the 1718 Committee, briefed the Council and advised that the Committee had adopted procedural guidelines on 20 June. In related developments North Korea closed down its Yongbyon reactor in mid-July and invited the IAEA to monitor the shutdown process.

18 June 2007 North Korea invited the International Atomic Energy Agency to discuss procedures to verify and monitor suspension of operations and a week later a team from the International Atomic Energy Agency went to Pyongyang for a five-day visit. Christopher R Hill, the US chief negotiator for the six-party talks, also visited Pyongyang and confirmed North Korea's commitment to shut down the Yongbyon reactor, which he indicated might be within three weeks.

Mid-March 2007 The sixth round of six-party talks among China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, the US and North Korea on implementing the 13 February agreement was cut short.

19 March 2007 The sixth round of six-party talks in Beijing reviewed progress made in the working groups and discussed possible next steps.

13 March 2007 International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei visited North Korea to discuss the return of inspectors (expelled by North Korea in 2002) and monitoring of the shut-down of the Yongbyon reactor.

13 February 2007 Pyongyang agreed to close its Yongbyon reactor within sixty days, in return for 50,000 tons of fuel aid or equivalent economic aid.

18 December 2006 Six-party talks between the US, Russia, China, South Korea, Japan and North Korea resumed in Beijing.

October 2006 The Sanctions Committee on North Korea adopted lists of prohibited trade items in nuclear, chemical and biological materials.

14 October 2006 The Security Council adopted resolution 1718 imposing sanctions on North Korea and setting up a Sanctions Committee.

9 October 2006 North Korea announced that it had conducted an underground nuclear test.

6 October 2006 The Security Council unanimously warned North Korea against testing.

3 October 2006 North Korea announced that it would conduct a nuclear test.

15 July 2006 The Security Council adopted resolution 1695 condemning North Korea's launch of ballistic missiles.

4 and 5 July 2006 North Korea launched seven missiles, including a long-range Taepodong-2.

9 November 2005 The fifth round of six-party talks collapsed after three days.

19 September 2005 North Korea agreed to abandon all of its nuclear programmes in return for the possibility of a light-water reactor and a non-aggression pledge from the US.

September 2005 The US imposed financial sanctions on a Macau bank and eight North Korean companies alleging counterfeiting and money laundering.

26 July 2005 The first phase of the fourth round of six-party talks began. After 13 days of talks and five draft agreements the talks were put on hold for three weeks.

10 February 2005 North Korea announced that it possessed nuclear weapons.

23 June 2004 The third round of six-party talks where the US offered fuel aid in exchange for North Korea freezing and dismantling it nuclear programmes.

25 February 2004 Second round of six-party talks

28 April 2004 The Security Council in resolution 1540, a Chapter VII resolution, affirmed that proliferation of nuclear weapons, as well as the means of delivery (including rockets and missiles), constitute a threat to international peace and security.

27 August 2003 First round of six-party talks

10 January 2003 Pyongyang withdrew from the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

16 October 2002 The US publicly accused North Korea of operating a secret uranium enrichment programme.

27 December 2002 North Korea expelled International Atomic Energy Agency nuclear inspectors.

11 June 1993 North Korea suspended its withdrawal from the non-proliferation treaty one day before it would have taken effect, but announced that it would no longer allow International Atomic Energy Agency inspections.

12 March 1993 The Central People's Committee announced North Korea's withdrawal from the non-proliferation treaty.

31 December 1991 North and South Korea agreed on a nuclear-free Korean peninsula.

31 August 1998 North Korea test fired a Taepodong-1 missile over Japan.

12 September 1985 North Korea signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty.