Historical Timeline

Timeline of Korea, North

17 dated events spanning the recorded history of Korea, North.

Chronology

17 events spanning the history of Korea, North. BCE/CE dating.

1231 – 1336
Mongol Domination
Mongol Domination.
1945
Korea was liberated after nearly 40 years of Japanese colonial rule.
Korea was liberated after nearly 40 years of Japanese colonial rule, but it soon faced the tragic division of the North and South along the 38th parallel.
1948
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea proclaimed. Soviet troops withdraw.
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea proclaimed. Soviet troops withdraw.
1950 – 1953
Korean War.
Korean War. South declares independence, sparking North Korean invasion.
1960
Heavy industrial growth.
Heavy industrial growth.
1991
North and South Korea join the United Nations.
North and South Korea join the United Nations.
1992
North Korea agrees to allow inspections by International Atomic Energy Agency.
North Korea agrees to allow inspections by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), but over next two years refuses access to sites of suspected nuclear weapons production.
1994
Flooding causes a devastating famine in North Korea.
Flooding causes a devastating famine in North Korea. The government adds another offense to its list of crimes punishable by death: theft of food.
1996
Pyongyang announces it will no longer abide by the armistice that ended the Korean War.
Pyongyang announces it will no longer abide by the armistice that ended the Korean War, and sends troops into the demilitarized zone.
1998
North Korea launches rocket which flies over Japan.
North Korea launches rocket which flies over Japan and lands in the Pacific Ocean. Pyongyang insists it fired a satellite, not a missile.

2000
Summit in Pyongyang between Kim Jong-il and South Korean President Kim Dae-jung.
Summit in Pyongyang between Kim Jong-il and South Korean President Kim Dae-jung. North stops propaganda broadcasts against the South. Senior journalists from South Korea visit the North to open up communication. Reopening of border liaison offices at the truce village of Panmunjom, in the no-man’s-land between the heavily fortified borders of the two countries. South Korea gives amnesty to more than 3,500 prisoners. One hundred North Koreans meet their relatives in the South in a highly-charged, emotional reunion.
2001
North Korea says it is grappling with the worst spring drought of its history.
North Korea says it is grappling with the worst spring drought of its history.
2002
North Korea’s first cyber cafe opened. Access to the Internet was highly restricted.
North Korea’s first cyber cafe opened. Access to the Internet was highly restricted.
2003
The UN Commission on Human Rights adopts a resolution.
The UN Commission on Human Rights adopts a resolution calling on North Korea to respect basic human rights.
2005
Pyongyang says it has built nuclear weapons for self-defense.
Pyongyang says it has built nuclear weapons for self-defense.
2007
Passenger trains cross the North-South border for the first time in 56 years.
Passenger trains cross the North-South border for the first time in 56 years.

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Back to Korea, North

Timeline of Korea, North

Chronology

Mongol Domination

Korea was liberated after nearly 40 years of Japanese colonial rule.

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea proclaimed. Soviet troops withdraw.

Korean War.

Heavy industrial growth.

North and South Korea join the United Nations.

North Korea agrees to allow inspections by International Atomic Energy Agency.

Flooding causes a devastating famine in North Korea.

Pyongyang announces it will no longer abide by the armistice that ended the Korean War.

North Korea launches rocket which flies over Japan.