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[Skip to main content](https://kls.law.columbia.edu/content/north-koreas-nuclear-program-history#main-content) [Columbia Law School](https://law.columbia.edu/) Toggle search [Korean Legal Studies](https://kls.law.columbia.edu/) Toggle search ## Main navigation expanded - [**About**](https://kls.law.columbia.edu/content/about) - [**Project Partners and Advisors**](https://kls.law.columbia.edu/content/project-partners-and-advisors) - [**Events**](https://kls.law.columbia.edu/node/143) - [**Resources**](https://kls.law.columbia.edu/content/databases-and-resources) - [**News**](https://kls.law.columbia.edu/content/news) - [**Photos**](https://kls.law.columbia.edu/content/photos) - [History](https://kls.law.columbia.edu/content/history-and-mission) - [Faculty and Staff](https://kls.law.columbia.edu/people) - [Courses](https://kls.law.columbia.edu/content/korean-law-courses-columbia) - [Research Assistants](https://kls.law.columbia.edu/content/research-assistants "Student Research Assistants") - [Visiting Scholars](https://kls.law.columbia.edu/content/visiting-scholars-research-fellows) - [Non-Resident Advisors and Experts](https://kls.law.columbia.edu/content/non-resident-advisors-and-experts-0) - [Project Partners](https://kls.law.columbia.edu/content/project-partners) - [Recent Events](https://kls.law.columbia.edu/content/events) - [Event Calendar](https://kls.law.columbia.edu/node/147) - [DPRK Laws in English](https://kls.law.columbia.edu/content/compendium-north-korean-law-english-translation) - [Korea: A Legal History](https://kls.law.columbia.edu/content/korea-legal-history) - [Military Sexual Slavery](https://kls.law.columbia.edu/content/military-sexual-slavery-history-law-and-memory) - [North Korea's Nuclear Program: A History](https://kls.law.columbia.edu/content/north-koreas-nuclear-program-history "North Korea's Nuclear Program") - [Panmunjom Monitor](https://kls.law.columbia.edu/content/panmunjom-monitor) - [The Eternal Mandate: Mapping the North Korean Constitution](https://kls.law.columbia.edu/content/eternal-mandate-mapping-north-korean-constitution) [ Korean Legal Studies](https://kls.law.columbia.edu/) ## You are here: 1. [Home](https://kls.law.columbia.edu/) 2. [Resources](https://kls.law.columbia.edu/content/databases-and-resources) 3. North Korea's Nuclear Program: A History # North Korea's Nuclear Program: A History Loading Image  *Left to right: Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un* ### ## North Korea's Nuclear Program: A History Though North Korea actively pursued nuclear research programs as far back as the 1950s, it was not until the 1970s that the regime began to develop a nuclear program in earnest. In 1974, North Korea joined the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and from 1975-79 had a nuclear scientist stationed at the IAEA's head office in Geneva, with the intent of collecting information in order to learn how to design a nuclear reactor. By 1980, North Korea was able to build a reactor that could produce weapons-grade plutonium. Since the 1990s, the United States and North Korea have negotiated over the North Korean nuclear program, but there has been no success in halting the advance of North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs. This timeline details the North Korean nuclear program from its beginnings in the 1950s to the present, along with the efforts of the international community to mitigate the threat posed by the regime and its ambitions. *Photo credit: Fox News* Loading Image  Kim Il Sung ### 1950s ## The Origins of North Korea's Nuclear Program Kim Il Sung can be credited with founding North Korea's nuclear program. In December 1952, the regime established the Atomic Energy Research Institute and the Academy of Sciences, but work only began to progress when North Korea established cooperative agreements with the Soviet Union. Pyongyang signed the founding charter of the Soviet Union’s Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in February 1956, and began to send scientists and technicians to the USSR for training. In 1959, North Korea and the Soviet Union signed an agreement on the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The Soviets helped build the reactor at Yongbyong, which would become central to American concerns about nuclear developments on the Korean Peninsula. The withdrawal of Soviet missiles from Cuba at the conclusion of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis led the North Korean regime to worry that it might be abandoned by the Soviet Union and increasingly, nuclear weapons became seen as a way of guaranteeing North Korean security. *Photo credit: Sygma via Getty Images/Getty Images* Loading Image  A Soviet IRT Research Reactor in Bulgaria ### Early to Mid-1960s ## North Korea's Indigenous Nuclear Program The Soviet Union provided technical assistance to North Korea in building the Yongbyon Nuclear Research Center in the early 1960s. The center included a Soviet IRT-2000 research reactor and was used for producing radioisotopes and training personnel. Kim Il Sung retained control of the nuclear program, despite operational and administrative oversight from the cabinet and the Academy of Sciences. North Korea's nuclear program developed largely independently, with little foreign assistance. After China's first nuclear test in 1964, Kim Il Sung requested nuclear technology from Beijing, but the request was refused. Loading ### 1965 ## Fission Experiments North Korea began to pursue fission experiments after the Yongbyon IRT-2000 research reactor reached a power rating of 2 MW. Loading ### 1970s ## Expansion By the early 1970s, North Korean engineers had expanded the IRT-2000 reactor using indigenous technology and acquired plutonium reprocessing technology from the USSR. In 1977, North Korea signed a trilateral safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) and the USSR to bring the IRT-2000 reactor and a critical assembly in Yongbyon under IAEA safeguards, with the USSR included since they supplied the reactor's fuel. *Photo credit: National Research Nuclear University MEPHI* Loading ### Early-mid 1980s ## North Korea Explores Acquisition of LWR Technology During the early to mid-1980s, North Korea explored the acquisition of light water reactor (LWR) technology. This coincided with the expansion of North Korea’s indigenously designed reactor program. Needing Soviet assistance to construct the LWRs, North Korea would agree to sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT). Loading ### July 1985 ## North Korea Joins NPT In July 1985, North Korea ratified the [Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT)](https://www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/nuclear/npt/), a multilateral agreement whose signatories have committed to halting the spread of nuclear weapons and technology and promoting peaceful cooperation on nuclear energy. In fact, North Korea joined only because of pressure from the Soviet Union, which made it a condition of sharing technology needed to build a nuclear infrastructure. Loading ### 1989 ## Nuclear Construction Detected at North Korean Nuclear Complex Through satellite imagery, the United States became aware of fresh construction activities at the nuclear complex in Yongbyon. Intelligence analysts suspected that North Korea, a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) since 1985, was in the initial stages of developing a nuclear weapon. North Korea had not yet allowed IAEA inspectors to inspect its facilities, despite that being a condition of joining the NPT. As a result, the U.S. adopted a strategy that linked North Korea's complete adherence to the NPT to advancement in other diplomatic matters, including the normalization of relations. Loading ### July 31, 1991 ## START Treaty Signed and Removal of U.S. Nukes From South Korea On July 31, 1991, the United States and the Soviet Union signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), limiting the deplyment of nuclear weapons abroad. On September 27, President George H.W. Bush announced the unilateral withdrawal of all naval and land-based tactical nuclear weapons deployed abroad, including approximately 100 nuclear weapons that had been based in South Korea. No nuclear weapons have been stationed in the country since. Loading ### November 8, 1991 ## Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula Following the removal of United States nuclear weapons from South Korea, ROK President Roh Tae Woo announced the [Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula](https://www.nti.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/korea_denuclearization.pdf), under which South Korea promised not to produce, possess, store, deploy, or use nuclear weapons. The declaration unilaterally prohibited South Korea from possessing nuclear reprocessing or uranium enrichment facilities. These promises satisfied all of North Korea’s conditions for allowing IAEA inspections of its nuclear facilities. *Photo credit: Korea Times file* Loading ### January 21, 1992 ## South-North Joint Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula The ROK and the DPRK signed the [South-North Joint Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula](http://peacemaker.un.org/sites/peacemaker.un.org/files/KR%20KP_920120_JointDeclarationDenuclearizationKoreanPeninsula.pdf). Under the declaration, both countries agreed not to test, manufacture, produce, receive, possess, store, deploy, or use nuclear weapons; to use nuclear energy solely for peaceful purposes; and not to possess facilities for nuclear reprocessing and uranium enrichment. They also agreed to mutual inspections for verification. In March 1992, the two Koreas also established the South-North Joint Nuclear Control Commission (JNCC) as an implementing mechanism of the Joint Denuclearization Declaration (JDD). *Photo credit: Kim Jae-Hwan/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images* Loading ### January 30, 1992 ## North Korea Signs Accord on Inspections More than 6 years after signing the NPT, North Korea signed an agreement to permit inspections of its seven sites at Yongbyon, the heavily guarded nuclear complex. Under the terms of the agreement, North Korea provided an initial declaration of its nuclear facilities and materials, and provided access for IAEA inspectors to verify the completeness and correctness of its declaration. The U.S. and IAEA inspectors suspected that North Korea was secretly using Yongbyon to turn spent fuel into weapons-grade plutonium. Six rounds of inspections began in May 1992 and concluded in February 1993. The inspections do not go well. Over the next several months, the North Koreans repeatedly blocked inspectors from visiting two of Yongbyon's suspected nuclear waste sites and IAEA inspectors found evidence that the country was not revealing the full extent of its plutonium production. *Photo credit: GeoEye, Associated Press* Loading ### May - September 1992 ## North Korea Sumbits Declarations on Nuclear Material to the IAEA In May 1992, North Korea submitted to the IAEA its declarations regarding its nuclear materials, which included seven locations and around 90 grams of plutonium that could potentially undergo IAEA inspections. North Korea asserted that the nuclear material originated from reprocessing 89 flawed fuel rods in 1989. In September, IAEA inspectors discovered discrepancies in North Korea’s initial report on its nuclear program and asked for clarification on several issues, including the amount of reprocessed plutonium in North Korea. *Photo credit: AFP PHOTO/South Korean Foreign Ministry* Loading ### March 12, 1993 ## IAEA Demands Access; North Korea Announces Withdrawal from the NPT The IAEA detected that North Korean technicians had reprocessed plutonium on three occasions in 1989, 1990, and 1991. In February 1993, theIAEA requested special inspections of two sites that were believed to store nuclear waste, based on strong evidence that North Korea had been cheating on its commitments under the NPT. North Korea refused the request, claiming that they were military sites and therefore off limits. On March 12, North Korea announced that it would withdraw from the NPT, invoking Article X provisions that allow withdrawal for national security reasons. Loading ### May 29, 1993 ## North Korea Tests Midrange Missile North Korea conducted what appeared to have been the first successful test of the country's homegrown midrange missile, raising Japanese fears that missiles could reach some of Japan's most populous cities. The tests, conducted on the Sea of Japan, involved the Nodong 1, a missile North Korea had been developing for several years and was preparing to export to Iran in return for oil. American intelligence officials said that the missile was likely capable of carrying a payload of chemical weapons, or perhaps a small nuclear device, though designing one would be challenging for the North. *Photo credit: Stefan Reisner/Image Works, via Time Life Pictures, via Getty Images* Loading ### June 11, 1993 ## North Korea Suspends Withdrawal from NPT On June 11, after intense bilateral negotiations with the United States, North Korea suspended its decision to withdraw from the NPT, just before the withdrawal would have taken effect. As part of the agreement, North Korea agreed to the full application of IAEA safeguards, and the United States provided assurances against the threat and use of force, including nuclear weapons. Loading ### July 19, 1993 ## North Korea Signals Willingness to Discuss IAEA Inspections Following a second set of discussions with the United States, North Korea released a joint statement stating that it was willing to initiate discussions with the IAEA on unresolved safeguards and other matters. Additionally, the statement expressed North Korea's readiness to engage in negotiations regarding IAEA inspections of its nuclear sites. The joint statement also hinted that Pyongyang could entertain the possibility of an agreement with the United States to substitute its graphite nuclear reactors with light-water reactors (LWRs) that are less prone to proliferation. Loading ### Late 1993 - January 1994 ## CIA Reports North Korea May Have Bomb In December 1993, Hans Blix, IAEA Director-General, announced that the agency could no longer provide "any meaningful assurances" that North Korea was not producing nuclear weapons. The CIA and the Defense Intelligence Agency estimated that North Korea had separated about 12 kilograms of plutonium, enough for at least one or two nuclear weapons. In January 1994, the director of the CIA told President Bill Clinton that North Korea might have produced one or two nuclear weapons. Loading ### February 1994 ## North Korea Grants Access to Nuclear Facilities In February 1994, North Korea averted a threatened trade embargo by allowing one full inspection of seven atomic sites by the IAEA. But when inspectors arrived in March, the plant operators refused to let them take radioactive samples from critical parts of its nuclear reprocessing center at Yongbyon. The samples might have provided evidence of whether North Korea was still attempting to produce weapons-grade fuel from its limited supply of plutonium. *Photo credit: Reuters/Kyodo* Loading ### April 19, 1994 ## North Korea Raises Tensions; U.S. Contemplates Military Response North Korea declared its intention to transfer the stock of irradiated fuel from its five-megawatt reactor without allowing any international oversight of the operation. Furthermore, it warned that it might reprocess the fuel, which could potentially yield enough plutonium for creating five to six nuclear weapons. The Clinton Administration resolved to take all possible measures to prevent North Korea from acquiring nuclear weapons including attacking the Yongbyon facility, but concluded that the repercussions would be catastrophic. Instead, the administration pushed for UN sanctions. In South Korea, authorities called for civil defense drills to brace for a potential assault, while Clinton urged the Pentagon to consider reinforcing troop strength in South Korea. *Photo credit: The William J. Perry Project* Loading ### May 1994 ## IAEA Inspectors Return to North Korea IAEA inspectors returned to North Korea to finish their inspection, concluding that the country was within days of obliterating evidence of how much, if any, nuclear fuel had been diverted to its weapons program. The Pentagon reported that the spent fuel could provide enough material for four or five nuclear bombs. Clinton Administration officials said that if the evidence was destroyed, it will have no choice but to seek economic sanctions, a measure Pyongyang has said it would consider an act of war. Loading ### May 31, 1994 ## North Korea Tests Cruise Missile On May 31, 1994, North Korea tested a cruise missile designed to sink ships. American officials reported that the cruise missile was designed to hit ships at a range of more than 100 miles and was part of North Korea's broad effort to upgrade its conventional forces. The test, in the Sea of Japan, took place against the backdrop of rising tensions as North Korea continued to remove fuel from its nuclear reactor at Yongbyon despite warnings by the United Nations. Loading ### June 1994 ## North Korea Leaves IAEA North Korea deepened its confrontation with the United Nations and the Clinton Administration, announcing that it would immediately withdraw from the International Atomic Energy Agency and that the agency's inspectors would no longer be allowed in the country. It also threatened to turn its stockpile of nuclear fuel into bombs. The Clinton administration reinforced the American military presence in South Korea amid fears a war could break out. Loading ### June 16-18, 1994 ## Former President Carter Visits North Korea Despite opposition from some senior members of the Clinton administration, Jimmy Carter made history as the first former United States president to visit North Korea. Carter’s [unofficial four-day visit](https://www.cartercenter.org/news/documents/doc221.html) included a meeting with Kim Il Sung. After two days of talks, Carter broke the nuclear impasse when Kim agreed to freeze his country's nuclear program in exchange for the resumption of dialogue with the United States. As a gesture of good will, Kim also promised to allow joint U.S.-North Korean teams to search for and recover the remains of American soldiers killed in the Korean War. Carter's intervention was successful in defusing the first North Korean nuclear crisis and paving the way for the 1994 Agreed Framework, an aid-for-disarmament agreement that lasted nearly a decade. But it was also controversial because Carter reached a deal with Kim Il Sung and announced it without checking with the Clinton administration. *Photo credit: Korean Central News Agency* Loading ### July 8, 1994 ## Death of Kim Il Sung On the day talks were scheduled to resume, Kim Il Sung died unexpectedly. He was replaced by his son, Kim Jong Il, who had been implicated in numerous acts of terrorism against South Korea, such as the 1983 explosion that killed four government officials and the 1987 bombing of a South Korean airline that claimed the lives of 115 innocent civilians. Additionally, Kim Jong Il was associated with North Korea's nuclear aspirations, having established the Yongbyon complex. Loading ### October 21, 1994 ## United States and North Korea Sign the Agreed Framework After four months of difficult negotiations following Carter's visit to Pyongyang, the United States and North Korea signed the [Agreed Framework](https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/publications/documents/infcircs/1994/infcirc457.pdf), ending their dispute over North Korea's nuclear program. North Korea agreed to freeze and then dismantle the complex in Yongbyon and open up two secret military sites to inspection by international experts. In exchange, an international consortium agreed to replace North Korea's graphite nuclear reactors with new light-water reactors, which are considered less dangerous. The U.S. and its allies also agreed to provide fuel oil to the North. The Agreed Framework ended an 18-month crisis following North Korea's announcement of its intention to withdraw from the (NPT). Detractors contended that the deal was tantamount to "appeasement" as it seemingly offered incentives to North Korea for their negative actions. Due in part to the resistance from Congress, the development of the light-water reactors experienced delays and deliveries of heavy fuel oil were frequently late. *Photo credit: Beatrix Stampfli/Associated Press* Loading ### November 28, 1994 ## Construction at Two Nuclear Facilties Halted The IAEA announced that it had confirmed that construction has been halted at North Korea’s Yongbyon and Taochon nuclear facilities and that these facilities were no longer operational. Loading ### March 1995 ## KEDO Founded The United States, Japan and South Korea founded the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization ([KEDO](http://www.kedo.org/au_history.asp)) in March 1995 to implement the 1994 Agreed Framework and oversee the financing and construction of the two light-water reactors (LWR). The LWR Project would later be terminated in May 2006 because of North Korea's continued failure to perform the steps that were required in the KEDO-DPRK Supply Agreement. Loading ### March 18, 1996 ## North Korea Stalls on Obligations to Declare Plutonium Stores During a meeting with the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors, Hans Blix reported that North Korea had not yet submitted its initial declaration regarding the quantity of plutonium it held, which was mandatory under the Agreed Framework. Blix cautioned that unless the declaration was provided, the IAEA would be unable to confirm that North Korea was not utilizing plutonium for weapons development. *Photo credit: IAEA* Loading ### April 21-22, 1996 ## United States and North Korea Hold Bilateral Missile Talks The United States and North Korea met in Berlin for their first round of bilateral missile talks. The United States suggested that North Korea should adhere to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), a voluntary international agreement aimed at controlling sales of ballistic missile systems, components, and technology. North Korea demanded that the United States should provide compensation for its loss of revenue resulting from missile-related matters. Loading ### July - August 1997 ## Second Round of Missile Talks The second round of United States-North Korean missile talks took place June 11-13, 1997 in New York, with U.S. negotiators pressing North Korea not to deploy the Nodong missile and to end sales of Scud missiles and their components. The parties reached no agreement but reportedly laid the foundation for future talks. On August 6, the United States imposed new sanctions on two additional North Korean entities for unspecified missile-proliferation activities. Loading ### August 31, 1998 ## North Korea Launches Taepodong-1 Missile Over Japan On August 31, 1998, North Korea fired a two-stage Taepodong-1 missile over Japan and into the Pacific Ocean. The firing suggested that North Korea had greatly increased the range of its missiles. As a result, Japan suspended a cost-sharing agreement for the Agreed Framework’s LWR project until November 1998. The U.S. intelligence community admitted to being surprised by North Korea’s advances in missile-staging technology and its use of a solid-rocket motor for the missile’s third stage. Loading ### October 1, 1998 ## Third Round of Missile Talks The United States and North Korea engaged in their third round of missile talks in New York, but failed to achieve significant progress. The U.S. once again urged Pyongyang to halt its missile programs, offering economic sanctions relief in return. However, North Korea dismissed the proposal, citing the implicit agreement on sanctions relief in the 1994 Agreed Framework. Loading ### December 4-11, 1998 ## U.S.-North Korea Talks on Kumchang-ni Nuclear Facility The United States and North Korea held discussions to address concerns over a suspected underground nuclear facility in Kumchang-ni. While Pyongyang showed willingness to allow a U.S. inspection of the site, it disagreed with the U.S. on the issue of "appropriate compensation." On May 20-24, 1999, a U.S. inspection team visited the site and found no evidence of nuclear activity or violation of the Agreed Framework. Loading ### March 29-31,1999 ## Fourth U.S.-North Korea Missile Talks From March 29 to 31, 1999, United States and North Korean officials engagd in their fourth missile talks in Pyongyang. The United States reiterated its unease regarding North Korea's missile proliferation and development endeavors and suggested a potential agreement involving North Korean self-restraint in exchange for U.S. sanctions relief. The discussions were described by U.S. officials as "serious and intensive," but no significant progress was made, with both parties only agreeing to meet again in the future, without specifying a date Loading ### May 25-28, 1999 ## Defense Secretary William Perry Visits Pyongyang The first U.S. presidential envoy to visit North Korea, William Perry tried to convince Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear and missile development programs in exchange for improved diplomatic and economic relations with the U.S. During his trip, he delivered a letter from President Clinton to Kim Jong Il. Perry delivered his final report in October, concluding that "the urgent focus of U.S. policy toward the DPRK must be to end its nuclear weapons and long-range missile-related activities." The report suggested a two-path strategy in which the U.S. and North Korea would gradually negotiate an end to North Korea's weapons program and the normalization of relations between the two countries. *Photo credit: AFP/Getty Images* Loading ### September 7-12, 1999 ## North Korea Agrees to Missile Testing Moratorium During talks in Berlin, North Korea agreed to refrain from testing long-range missiles for the duration of its discussions with the United States, with the latter agreeing to partially lift economic sanctions on North Korea. The parties also agreed to continue engaging in high-level discussions. On November 19, 1999, the United States and North Korea convened again in Berlin to discuss bilateral relations and the arrangements for a planned North Korean high-level visit to the United States. *Photo credit: Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images* Loading ### December 15, 1999 ## KEDO Signs Contract to Begin Construction of LWRs Five years after the Agreed Framework was signed, KEDO officials signed a contract with the Korea Electric Power Corporation to begin construction on the two light water reactors (LWRs) in Kumho, North Korea. KEDO officials attributed the delay in signing the contract to complex legal and financial challenges and the tense political climate generated by the North Korean Taepo Dong-1 test in August 1998. *Photo credit: CSIS* Loading ### June 19, 2000 ## U.S. Relaxes Some Sanctions Following South-North Summit Following the historic meeting between South Korea's President Kim Dae-jung and Kim Jong-il earlier in the month, the United States relaxed sanctions on North Korea, allowing a “wide range” of trade in commercial and consumer goods, easing restrictions on investment, and eliminating prohibitions on direct personal and commercial financial transactions. However, sanctions related to terrorism and missile proliferation remained in place. North Korea reaffirmed its moratorium on missile tests the next day. *Photo credit: Hulton Archive, via Getty images* Loading ### July 12, 2000 ## Fifth Round of Missile Talks End Without Resolution A fifth round of U.S.-North Korean missile talks in Kuala Lumpur ended without resolution. During the meeting, North Korea repeated its demand for compensation, demanidng \$1 billion per year, in return for halting missile exports. The United States rejected this proposal but said that it was willing to move toward “economic normalization” in return for addressing U.S. concerns. Loading ### October 9-12, 2000 ## North Korean Vice Marshal's Visit to Washington Signals Commitment to Improved U.S.-North Korea Ties In October 2000, Vice Marshal Jo Myong Rok, second-in-command to Kim Jong Il, traveled to Washington as a special envoy and delivered a letter to President Clinton. During his visit, he also held meetings with the secretaries of state and defense. This move was interpreted as a confirmation of Kim's dedication to enhancing the relationship between North Korea and the United States. On October 12, the two countries issued a joint statement expressing their belief that resolving the missile issue would be vital in improving their relations. The statement also emphasized their commitment to implementing the Agreed Framework and announced that Albright would be visiting North Korea soon to prepare for a potential visit by President Clinton. *Photo credit: The White House/New York Times* Loading ### November 1-3, 2000 ## No Agreement After Seventh Round of Missile Talks The seventh round of missile negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington concluded in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with no agreement reached. This was a setback to the efforts to maintain the positive momentum generated by Secretary Albright's recent meeting with Kim Jong-Il, and it reduced the likelihood of a visit by President Clinton to North Korea before his term ended. Loading ### March 2001 ## Bush States Willingness for Dialogue with North Korea with Preconditions Following a working meeting with South Korea's President Kim Dae-jung at the White House, President George W. Bush stated that he was open to dialogue with North Korea, but only under the condition of complete verification of any potential agreement. However, he also questioned whether Pyongyang was complying with existing agreements. Secretary of State Powell clarified that negotiations were not imminent. Shortly after, North Korea canceled ministerial-level talks with Seoul, and on March 15, it threatened to retaliate against the United States for its perceived hostile policies and its “black-hearted intention to torpedo the dialogue" between North and South Korea. *Photo credit: Luke Frazza/AFP/Getty Images* Loading ### May 3, 2001 ## Kim Jong Il Commits to Missile Test Moratorium Extension During a press conference in Pyongyang, a European Union delegation led by Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson announced that Kim Jong Il had made a commitment to extend Pyongyang's moratorium on missile testing until 2003. The delegation also reported that Kim was dedicated to a second inter-Korean summit. *Photo credit: KCNA* Loading ### June 6, 2001 ## Bush Administration Completes Review of North Korea Policy President Bush announced that his administration had completed a review of its North Korea policy and concluded that talks on a broad range of issues with Pyongyang should be resumed. The President expressed his desire to conduct comprehensive negotiations that cover improved implementation of the Agreed Framework, verifiable constraints on North Korea's missile programs, a ban on its missile exports, and a less threatening conventional military posture. *Photo credit: The White House/Eric Draper* Loading ### January 29, 2002 ## Bush Describes North Korea as Part of "Axis of Evil" During his State of the Union address, President Bush criticized North Korea for arming itself with missiles and weapons of mass destruction while neglecting its citizens. He further labeled North Korea, along with Iraq and Iran, as an "axis of evil" posing a threat to global peace. On April 1, 2002, President Bush issued a memorandum stating that he would not certify North Korea's compliance with the Agreed Framework. Nonetheless, due to national security concerns, Bush waived the relevant U.S. law prohibiting the funding of KEDO, enabling the United States to continue its financial support for the Agreed Framework. *Photo credit: The Atlantic/Getty* Loading ### August 7, 2002 ## First LWR Foundations Laid KEDO officials hold a ceremony to celebrate the laying of the concrete foundation for the initial light water reactor (LWR) that the United States committed to delivering to North Korea under the Agreed Framework. Jack Pritchard, the U.S. representative to KEDO and State Department special envoy for North Korea negotiations, was present at the event. Pritchard's attendance marked the highest-level visit to North Korea by a U.S. official since former Secretary of State Albright's visit in October 2000. *Photo credit: Almay Stock Photo* Loading ### October 2002 ## North Korea Admits to Having a Nuclear Program Confronted with new intelligence, North Korea admitted to running a large secret nuclear weapons development program going back several years. North Korea also notified the Bush Administration that it had now voided its 1994 agreement with the United States to halt all nuclear weapons development efforts. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher stated that "North Korea's secret nuclear weapons program is a serious violation of North Korea's commitments under the Agreed Framework as well as under the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, its International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards agreement, and the Joint North-South Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." Loading ### November 14, 2002 ## KEDO Ceases Heavy Fuel Oil Deliveries to North Korea On November 14, 2002, KEDO declared that it would cease providing North Korea with heavy-fuel oil due to Pyongyang's admission that it possessed a uranium-enrichment program. The final delivery arrived in North Korea on November 18. *Photo credit:* *Chung Sun-jun/Getty Images* Loading ### December 12, 2002 ## North Korea Plans to Restart Reactor it Claims is for Generating Electricity On December 12, 2002, North Korea informed the IAEA that it was restarting its only working reactor and reopening other frozen nuclear facilities and requested that the IAEA remove monitoring equipment and seals. A North Korean spokesman blamed the United States for violating the Agreed Framework and said the reactor was for generating electricity, but the U.S. disputed this. According to a Congressional Research Service report, the reactor could produce enough plutonium for one bomb each year. A CIA report to Congress claimed that the spent-fuel rods contained enough plutonium for several more weapons. The United States had varying estimates of North Korea's nuclear capability. The U.S. intelligence community believed North Korea already had one or two nuclear weapons made from plutonium produced before the Agreed Framework negotiations. The CIA estimated that Pyongyang had produced enough plutonium for one or two weapons. Loading ### December 14-27, 2002 ## North Korea Orders IAEA Inspectors to Leave On December 14, 2002, North Korea stated in a letter to the IAEA that the status of its nuclear facilities was a matter between the United States and North Korea, and not bound by any agreement with the IAEA. The letter also threatened that North Korea would remove seals and monitoring cameras unilaterally if the IAEA did not act. Between December 22-24, 2002, North Korea cut all seals and disrupted IAEA surveillance equipment on its nuclear facilities and materials. An IAEA spokesman reported on December 26 that North Korea began moving fresh fuel rods into the reactor, indicating that it could soon be restarted. On December 27, 2002, North Korea ordered IAEA inspectors to leave the country, and they departed on December 31. *Photo credit: Hansen/IAEA* Loading ### January 10, 2003 ## North Korea Leaves the NPT On January 10, 2003, North Korea announced that it would leave the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and that the withdrawal would take effect immediately. North Korea stated that since it had suspended its earlier 1994 exit at the end of the required three-month notice period, it therefore did not have to provide any further notice to other NPT members or the Security Council, as required under Article X of the treaty. In October 2002, North Korea had acknowledged the existence of a separate program for producing uranium-based nuclear weapons. In response, the United States had suspended its deliveries of heavy oil and halted construction on light-water reactors. In response, North Korea had expelled all IAEA inspectors and reactivated its plutonium program at Yongbyon, which effectively ended the Agreed Framework even before it left the NPT. North Korea was the first and only state to leave the NPT. Loading ### February 2003 ## North Korea Restarts Reactor North Korea began harvesting plutonium from its five-megawatt reactor at the Yongbyon nuclear complex following its withdrawal from the NPT. The regime had previously announced that it would ''resume normal operations'' at the plant but had been warned not to do so by the United States and others. *Photo credit: Yonhap* Loading ### April 23-25, 2003 ## North Korea Reveals it Has Nuclear Weapons During trilateral talks in Beijing, the United States, North Korea, and China, North Korea revealed to the U.S. delegation that it had nuclear weapons, marking the first time that Pyongyang had made such an admission. Additionally, North Korea informed the U.S. delegation that it had finished reprocessing spent nuclear fuel from the five-megawatt reactor frozen under the Agreed Framework. This had been confirmed earlier in the year by U.S. officials. *Photo credit: Getty Images* Loading ### May 12, 2003 ## North Korea Raises the Stakes In a KCNA statement, North Korea accused the United States of violating the spirit of the 1992 Joint North-South Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, calling the agreement a “dead document." Loading ### August 9, 2003 ## Six Party Talks Begin The United States, China, Russia, South Korea and Japan held the first of several rounds of negotiations with North Korea in Beijing aimed at resolving the nuclear crisis. The talks marked a reversal of the Bush Administration's prior policy of nonengagement with Pyongyang. North Korea proposed a phased approach to resolving the situation, suggesting that the United States sign a "non-aggression treaty," establish normal diplomatic relations, cease hindering North Korea's economic cooperation with other nations, fulfill its commitment to construct the reactors agreed upon under the Agreed Framework, resume the shipment of suspended fuel oil, and increase food aid. In return, North Korea pledged to dismantle its nuclear facilities, halt missile testing and exports of missiles and related components. For the first time, North Korea explicitly denied the existence of a uranium enrichment program. The initial talks achieved no significant breakthroughs though the parties agreed to further talks. Loading ### November 6, 2003 ## North Korea Possesses Workable Nuclear Device North Korean ambassador to the United Kingdom, Ri Yong Ho, told Reuters that North Korea possessed a workable nuclear device. *Photo credit: Associated Press* Loading ### November 21, 2003 ## KEDO Suspends Light-Water Reactors Construction The Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) declared a one-year suspension of the construction of two light-water nuclear reactors in North Korea, starting on December 1st. This suspension was a result of North Korea's failure to fulfill the "conditions necessary for continuing" the project. *Photo credit: Jeong-Ho Roh* Loading ### September 19, 2005 ## North Korea Says it Will Abandon Nuclear Efforts After multiple rounds of negotiations, the Six Party Talks culminated with North Korea agreeing to abandon efforts to produce nuclear weapons, rejoin the NPT, and allow the reentry of IAEA monitors in exchange for food and energy assistance. The accord also paved the way for Pyongyang to normalize relations with both the United States and Japan and negotiate a peace agreement for the Korean Peninsula. Negotiations hit a snag one month later when the U.S. Treasury Department imposed restrictions on Banco Delta Asia based in Macao, as it was believed to be involved in laundering millions for North Korea. In response, the Macau government froze approximately 50 accounts belonging to Pyongyang. As the talks failed, North Korea increased its provocations, conducting a long-range rocket test and carrying out its first underground nuclear blast in the latter part of 2006. *Photo credit: Guang Niu/Getty Images* Loading ### December 19, 2005 ## North Korea Announces it will Construct Graphite-Moderated Reactors North Korea announced that it would “pursue” the construction of larger graphite-moderated reactors. This statement appeared to refer to the two reactors that had been under construction and were frozen under the Agreed Framework. Loading ### June 1, 2006 ## KEDO Terminates LWR Project The KEDO Executive Board announced that it had formally terminated its project to build two light-water nuclear reactors in North Korea. The board says its decision was based on the “continued and extended failure” of North Korea to comply with its relevant obligations under the 1994 Agreed Framework. *Photo credit: Jeong-Ho Roh* Loading ### July 5, 2006 ## Seven Missiles Fired Over Japan On July 5, 2006, North Korea launched seven missiles over the Sea of Japan, including a new long range Taepodong-2 model. The Taepodong-2 missile exploded soon after launch. The UN passed a resolution condemning the missile tests. *Photo credit: Ahn Young-joon/Associated Press* Loading ### October 8, 2006 ## North Korea Conducts First Nuclear Tests On October 8, 2006, North Korea shocked the international community when it carried out its first nuclear test. The test occurred underground and the explosion casued a tremor of 4.2 magnitude on the Korean Peninsula. The test came just two days after the country was warned by the United Nations Security Council that the action could lead to severe consequences. *Photo credit: Jung Yeon-je/AFP/Getty Images* Loading ### October 14, 2006 ## UN Security Council Condemns North Korea’s First Nuclear Test On October 14, 2006, UN Security Council [Resolution 1718](https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N06/572/07/PDF/N0657207.pdf?OpenElement) condemned North Korea’s first nuclear test and imposed sanctions, including on the supply of heavy weaponry, missile technology and material, and select luxury goods. Loading ### October 31, 2006 ## Six Party Talks Resume After a hiatus of more than one year, the Six Party Talks resumed after North Korea returned to negotiations, easing tensions following Pyongyang's nuclear test earlier in the month. *Photo credit: Frederic J. Brown/Associated Press* Loading ### February 13, 2007 ## New Accord During a sixth round of talks in February 2007, the United States and four other nations reached a tentative agreement to provide North Korea with \$400 million in fuel oil and aid and the release of the Banco Delta Asia funds in return for North Korea disabling its nuclear facilities and allowing nuclear inspectors back into the country. Among the agreed actions was that "the DPRK will shut down and seal for the purpose of eventual abandonment the Yongbyon nuclear facility, including the reprocessing facility" and that the DPRK "will invite back IAEA personnel to conduct all necessary monitoring and verifications as agreed between IAEA and the DPRK." *Photo credit: Cyprien Hauser* Loading ### July 14-18, 2007 ## Shutdown of Nuclear Facilities IAEA inspectors arrived in North Korea to verify the closure of five nuclear facilities in Yongbyon: Yongbyon Experimental Nuclear Power Plant No. 1; the Radiochemical Laboratory; the Yongbyon Nuclear Fuel Fabrication Plant; the Yongbyon Nuclear Power Plant No. 2; and the Nuclear Power Plant at Taechon. The inspectors implemented the required measures for monitoring and surveillance and applied seals. Loading ### June 2008 ## United States Releases \$25 million in Frozen Assets; Six Party Talks Resume In June, following the release of \$25 million in frozen North Korean funds by the United States, the Six Party Talks resumed and the participants issued a joint statement. The statement outlined North Korea's commitment to disclosing all its nuclear programs, disabling its facilities, and ending the export of nuclear material and technology. In return, the country would receive 900,000 tons of oil, and the United States would remove it from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. *Photo credit: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters* Loading ### June 27, 2008 ## North Korea Demolishes Cooling Tower at Yongbyon North Korea invited foreign television crews to witness the demolition of the cooling tower at the Yongbyon nuclear facility. *Photo credit: Kyodo/Reuters* Loading ### September 2008 ## IAEA Removes Seals from Plant in Yongbyon In September 2008, the IAEA Director General reported that North Korea had asked the IAEA to remove seals and surveillance from the reprocessing plant in Yongbyon. The work was subsequently done, after which no more IAEA seals and surveillance equipment were in place at the reprocessing facility. North Korea stated that IAEA inspectors would have no further access to the reprocessing plant. Loading ### December 2008 ## Six Party Talks Collapse After four days of talks in Beijing, negotiations reached a stalemate as North Korea refused to consent to a verification system to confirm the end of its nuclear activity. The North Koreans opposed various measures, including taking of soil and air samples near nuclear facilities and shipping them overseas for testing. *Photo credit:* *Elizabeth Dalziel/Associated Press* Loading ### January - December 2009 ## Effort to Revive Diplomacy by Obama Upon taking office, President Barack Obama signaled a desire to restart the Six Party Talks. These efforts were initially dismissed by North Korea, which launched a rocket believed to be a modified long-range ballistic missile. In April, the country also expelled international monitors from its nuclear facilities and conducted a second nuclear test the following month. In December, officials from the Obama administration held their first bilateral meetings with North Korean representatives. Photo credit: KCNA/Reuters Loading ### April 9, 2009 ## North Korea Launches Rocket Over the Pacific On April 4, 2009, North Korea defied the United States, China, and multiple United Nations resolutions by launching a rocket that it claimed was intended to send a satellite into space, but was widely perceived as a demonstration of its progress towards the capability of firing a nuclear warhead on a long-range missile. *Photo credit: Kim Jae-Hwan/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images* Loading ### April 16, 2009 ## IAEA Inspectors Asked to Leave North Korea IAEA inspectors at the Yongbyon nuclear facilities removed safeguards equipment and left the country on April 16, 2009, following North Korea's decision to cease all cooperation with the IAEA. *Photo credit: Kyodo News/AP* Loading ### May 25, 2009 ## North Korea Conducts Second Nuclear Test On May 25, 2009, North Korea announced that it had conducted a successful second nuclear test, defying international warnings and significantly raising tensions. The North Korean News Agency stated that the device had increased explosive power and improved control technology. In response, the Obama Administration concluded that it could no longer engage in any dealings with the North Korean government and effectively put a hold on their relationship. *Photo credit: Do Kwang-hwan/Yonhap, via Associated Press* Loading ### May 26, 2009 ## More Missiles Launched A day after its second nuclear test, North Korea test-fired three short-range missiles, sparking widespread condemnation. The South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported that American spy satellites detected signs of activity at a North Korean plant that converted spent nuclear fuel into weapons-grade plutonium, seeming to confirm North Korea's recent claim that it had restarted the reprocessing plant. These developments took place shortly after South Korea announced its participation in an American-led effort to curb the spread of unconventional weapons. In response, North Korea warned that it would view such actions as an act of war if South Korea were to stop and inspect any of its ships as part of the initiative. *Photo credit: KCNA/Reuters* Loading ### June 12, 2009 ## UN Resolution Strengthens Sanctions Following Second Nuclear Test On June 12, 2009, the UN Security Council passed [Resolution 1874](https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R40684/11), strengthening sanctions following North Korea’s second nuclear test. *Photo credit: Kyodo News, via Associated Press* Loading ### March 27, 2010 ## South Korean Navy Ship Sinks in Disputed Waters On March 27, 2010, a South Korean Navy patrol ship sank near the contentious western maritime boundary with North Korea, after sustaining damage to its hull. The incident quickly sparked speculation about North Korea's potential involvement, as its navy has previously engaged in conflicts with South Korean vessels in the waters around the Korean Peninsula. North Korea denied that it was responsible. Loading ### December 2010 ## U.S. Concludes North Korea Has More Nuclear Sites New satellite images of a North Korean nuclear site and a [recent visit](https://fsi9-prod.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/HeckerYongbyon.pdf) to the North by two American experts suggested that North Korea had begun work on a new reactor at the Yongbyon complex. These findings strongly implied that North Korea had successfully avoided multiple layers of economic sanctions and efforts to stop its sea and air shipments, despite initiatives started during the Bush administration and amplified following the passage of a United Nations Security Council resolution in response to the country's second nuclear test. *Photo credit: Stephen Jaffe/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images* Loading ### October 24-25, 2011 ## Effort to Restart the Six Party Talks Officials from the United States met with a North Korean delegation in Geneva, Switzerland, in an effort to restart the Six Party nuclear arms talks that broke down in 2008. This meeting followed a series of denuclearization talks between the nuclear negotiators from South and North Korea, as well as a meeting between the United States and North Korea in late July in New York. Loading ### December 2011 ## Kim Jong Il Dies and is Succeeded by Kim Jong Un On December 18, 2001, KCNA, North Korea's state-run news agency, reported that Kim Jong Il had died of a heart attack. On December 29, North Korea declared Kim Jong Un is “supreme leader” after two weeks of national mourning for his father. *Photo credit: KCNA/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images* Loading ### February 29, 2012 ## North Korea Agrees to Suspend Nuclear Tests As part of an agreement that involved a promise from the United States to deliver food aid, North Korea agreed to put a halt to its nuclear weapons testing and uranium enrichment and to permit international inspectors to oversee operations at its primary reactor. This was the first significant policy decision made by Kim Jong Un. The agreement was reached after two days of discussions with American representatives in Beijing. Ultimately, the deal fell apart after North Korea launched a rocket and displayed road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles at a military parade. *Photo credit: KCNA, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images* Loading ### April 12, 2012 ## North Korean Missile Test Fails North Korea disregarded international warnings and launched a rocket, which the United States and its allies deemed as a provocative act and a disguise for developing an intercontinental ballistic missile with potential to carry a nuclear warhead. However, the launch turned out to be a significant setback for North Korea and its leader, as the rocket broke apart mere moments after takeoff and debris from the rocket fell into the sea without causing any harm. After a period of silence, North Korea's state-run media acknowledged that the satellite the rocket was carrying "failed to enter its designated orbit." *Photo credit: David Guttenfelder/Associated Press* Loading ### April 13, 2012 ## North Korea Amends Constitution, Institutionalizing its Nuclear Status During the Fifth Session of North Korea's 12th Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) on April 13, 2012, the country's constitution was amended to include a reference to North Korea as a "nuclear state" in the preamble. Loading ### May 2012 ## North Korea Resumes Construction of Nuclear Reactor Satellite imagery of the building site showed that North Korea resumed construction of a nuclear reactor that could be used to expand the country’s nuclear weapons program. Analysts warned that North Korea might conduct another nuclear test or ramp up its uranium enrichment to try to regain its leverage in talks with Washington following the failed April missile test. *Photo credit: GeoEye/Associated Press* Loading ### December 12, 2012 ## North Korea Successfully Launches Long Range Rocket Analysts suggested that North Korea had overcome technical challenges in building an intercontinental ballistic missile, as evidenced by its surprise launch of a rocket that traveled beyond the Philippines and appeared to place an object into orbit. This development provoked both the Obama administration and the Chinese to some extent. The UN Security Council unanimously condemned North Korea for launching a rocket, with China taking an uncommon step by joining the criticism. Loading ### January 2013 ## North Korea Says New Nuclear Test Will Be Part of Fight Against United States North Korea announced its intentions to conduct a fresh nuclear test and additional long-range rocket launches as part of a new phase of conflict with the United States. The country's National Defense Commission indicated that these actions would contribute to an "impending all-encompassing operation" aimed at the United States, which it considered to be the "sworn enemy of the Korean people." *Photo credit: KCNA/Reuters* Loading ### February 12, 2013 ## Third Nuclear Test North Korea confirmed that it conducted its long-anticipated third nuclear test, presenting a new challenge for the Obama administration's efforts to prevent the country from becoming a fully-fledged nuclear power. American officials closely monitored the situation for indications that North Korea had conducted a uranium-based test, a capability it had been pursuing for over a decade. *Photo credit: Kyodo News/Associated Press* Loading ### March 7, 2013 ## UN Resolution 2094 Imposes Further Sanctions in Response to Third Nuclear Test In response to North Korea's third nuclear test, the UN Security Council unanimously passed [Resolution 2094](https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N13/253/06/PDF/N1325306.pdf?OpenElement), imposing additional sanctions on the country. Resolution 2094 was the fifth UNSCR against North Korea since 2006 for the country’s nuclear and ballistic missile activities in violation of previous Security Council resolutions. United States Ambassador to the UN Susan E. Rice stated that Resolution 2094 wa designed to “significantly impede North Korea's ability to develop further its illicit nuclear and ballistic missile programs, as well as its proliferation activities.” *Photo credit: UPI* Loading ### March 11, 2013 ## North Korea Declares 1953 War Truce Nullified North Korea carried out a longstanding threat and declared nullified the 1953 Korean War armistice, amid increasing tensions with South Korea. This action occurred while the United States and South Korea were conducting two months of joint military drills that began on March 1st, and also commenced another planned joint exercise, which involved the deployment of 2,500 troops from the United States. Loading ### March 15, 2013 ## U.S. to Enhance Missile Defense to Deter North Korea To counter the expanding range of North Korea's weapons and its recent aggressive behavior, the Pentagon decided to deploy additional ballistic missile interceptors along the Pacific Coast. *Photo credit: Win Mcnamee/Getty Images* Loading ### March 27, 2013 ## North Korea Cuts Off Remaining Military Hot Lines With South Korea North Korea disconnected the final military hotlines with South Korea, citing President Park Geun-hye's pursuit of a hard-line policy that the North blamed for the prolonged strain in inter-Korean relations. The situation was already tense due to North Korea's third nuclear test in February 2013, which led to UN sanctions, and the prior shutdown of Red Cross hotlines with South Korea and a communication line with the American military command in South Korea. However, the disconnection of the military hotlines was seen as more significant in Seoul, as these four telephone lines were used to regulate daily cross-border traffic of workers and cargo traveling to the North Korean border town of Kaesong. *Photo credit: Reuters* Loading ### March 29, 2013 ## North Korea Orders Missile Readiness In response to a U.S. practice sortie over the Korean Peninsula the day before, Kim Jong Un ordered his missile units to be ready to strike the United States and South Korea. Loading ### April 2013 ## Yongbyon Reactor Restarted North Korea announced it would restart its heavy water reactor at Yongbyon, able to produce bomb-grade plutonium. In August 2013, satellite imagery indicated the reactor, which had been shut down since 2007, was back online. Loading ### April 9, 2013 ## North Korea Warns it is on Brink of Nuclear War with South On April 9, 2013, North Korea warned foreigners that they might want to leave South Korea because the Korean Peninsula was on the brink of nuclear war. There were no signs of panic in South Korea, and the American Embassy in Seoul noted that the State Department’s travel notice about South Korea was unchanged. ROK President Park Geun-hye said she remained determined not to succumb to North Korea's efforts to escalate tensions. *Photo credit: Lee Jae-Won/Reuters* Loading ### April 11, 2013 ## Pentagon Concludes North Korea May Have Nuclear Missile Capability The Pentagon’s intelligence arm, the Defense Intelligence Agency, said it was moderately confident that North Korea had learned how to make a nuclear weapon small enough to be delivered by a ballistic missile, an assertion that President Obama later dismissed. Secretary of State John Kerry said that the United States was prepared to reach out to Kim Jong Un if he made the first move to abandon his nuclear weapons program. North Korea responded by stating that it would not return to negotiations without the lifting of United Nations sanctions and an end to joint American-South Korean military exercises. *Photo credit: Paul J. Richards* Loading ### April 13, 2013 ## North Korea's Nuclear Doctrine Enshrined On April 1, 2013, the 7th Session of North Korea’s 12th Supremem Peoples Assembly (SPA) adopted the law “On Consolidating the Position of Nuclear Weapons State for Self-Defense,” also known as the April 1st Nuclearization Law. The law asserted that North Korea would maintain nuclear weapons on a permanent basis, until the world is completely denuclearized, but only intended to use them defensively and would only use nuclear weapons if it was attacked first by the United States or other nuclear-armed states. The law also reaffirmed North Korea's view of nuclear weapons as essential for the survival of the regime and the Korean people, and as a national treasure that would not be surrendered under any circumstance. Loading ### May 18, 2013 ## Three Days of Missile Launches North Korea launched short-range guided missiles into waters off its east coast for three straight days, despite warnings from the United States and South Korea against increasing tensions. *Photo credit: Lee Jin-Man/Associated Press* Loading ### May 24, 2013 ## China Bluntly Tells North Korea to Return to Talks During a meeting in Beijing, Xi Jinping told North Korean envoy Vice Marshal Choe Ryong-hae that North Korea should participate in diplomatic talks aimed at eliminating its nuclear weapons. The China News Service reported that Xi spoke firmly to Choe, stating that the Chinese position on the matter was clear and that all relevant parties should continue to work towards the goal of denuclearization through dialogue and consultation, while safeguarding the stability and peace of the Peninsula. Xi's remarks also included an insistence that North Korea return to the negotiating table with the United States and other parties. *Photo credit: Rao Aimin/Xinhua/Associated Press* Loading ### June 7 - 11, 2013 ## South and North Korea Agree to Meet at Panmunjom On June 7, 2013, South and North Korea announced that they would hold logistical talks in the border village of Panmunjom to prepare for their first cabinet minister-level meeting in six years. The announcement came shortly after the cross-border hot line was restored. After months of aggressive rhetoric and raised tensions, North Korea's proposal for government-to-government dialogue marked a sudden change of heart and raised optimism for a potential de-escalation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula. By June 11, the plan collapsed after a dispute over who should lead their respective delegations. Loading ### August 7, 2013 ## North Korea Doubles Area Devoted to Uranium Enrichment The Institute for Science and International Security in Washington [reported](https://isis-online.org/isis-reports/detail/recent-doubling-of-floor-space-at-north-korean-gas-centrifuge-plant/10) that North Korea apparently doubled the size of the area dedicated to uranium enrichment at the Yongbyon reactor complex. This development raised concerns that North Korea might be seeking to increase production of weapons-grade fuel despite its stated desire to ease tensions with the United States and South Korea. The Institute based its findings on comparative satellite imagery of the Yongbyon complex. An image from June 10th showed that the uranium-enrichment building had expanded in size, with new construction that began in March adding roughly the same length and width as the original building. Loading ### March 31, 2014 ## North and South Korea Exchange Fire On March 31, 2014, military tensions between North Korea and South Korea escalated as both sides fired hundreds of artillery shells across their disputed western sea border. The exchange took place a day after North Korea threatened to conduct more nuclear tests and was the most serious episode along the border since a 2010 artillery duel. The incident came less than a week after North Korea conducted its first tests of midrange projectiles in nearly five years, raising concerns about the country's military intentions and the potential for further provocations. Loading ### October 2014 - May 2015 ## North Korean Nuclear Program Advances On October 14, 2014, General Curtis Scaparrotti, commander of United States forces in South Korea, said he believed it was possible that North Korea had achieved its goal of reducing the size of a nuclear weapon to make it suitable for deployment on a ballistic missile. In May 2015 North Korea claimed that it had this ability, though some officials in the United States continued to be skeptical. *Photo credit: KCNA* Loading ### January 26, 2016 ## North Korea Conducts Fourth Nuclear Test On January 26, 2016, North Korea reported that it had carried out its fourth nuclear weapons test, claiming to have detonated a hydrogen bomb for the first time. On state television, Kim Jong Un said the explosion came from a miniaturized hydrogen bomb and called it a “spectacular success.” Seismic activity detected by monitoring stations from the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization appeared to confirm that a test did indeed take place. However, there is uncertainty about the type of device that was tested, and some experts doubted that it was actually a hydrogen bomb, based on the seismic evidence. In the months afterward, the United States Congress passed a law empowering the administration to sanction individuals who import or export goods and money to North Korea. Loading ### March 2, 2016 ## UN Imposes Further Sanctions Following North Korea's Fourth Nuclear Test On March 2, 2016, the UN Security Council passed [Resolution 2270](https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/126/2270.pdf), tightening sanctions in addition to condemning North Korea’s fourth nuclear test and its 2015 test of a submarine-launched missile. The resolution banned North Korea from conducting “launches using ballistic missile technology.” The resolution also required member states to “inspect cargo to/from the DPRK or brokered by the DPRK that is within or transiting their territories.” *Photo credit: AFP* Loading ### September 9, 2016 ## North Korea Conducts Fifth Nuclear Test North Korea reported that it had conducted a "higher level" nuclear warhead test explosion, which it claimed had finally allowed it to build "at will" an array of stronger, smaller and lighter nuclear weapons. A 5.3-magnitude tremor, detected in a remote area of North Korea near the Punggye-ri test site, was the first sign of the test. At the time, Seoul estimated it had produced the North's biggest-ever explosive yield. Loading ### November 30, 2016 ## UN Security Council Imposes Further Sanctions Following Fifth North Korean Nuclear Test Follwing North Korea's fifth nuclear test, President Obama collaborated with the United Nations to impose more stringent sanctions as a countermeasure and affirmed that the U.S. would not recognize North Korea as a nuclear state, vowing to cooperate to eliminate any gaps in the current sanctions. UN Security Council [Resolution 2321](https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/126/2321.pdf) banned exports of minerals, helicopters, and other items. Loading ### 2017 ## Trump Administration Takes Belligerant Approach to North Korea Throughout 2017, the Trump administration adpoted a belligerant approach towards North Korea, in response to the continued testing of missiles and rockets. The administration's "maximum pressure" strategy resulted in the UN Security Council, which included China and Russia, passing three additional sanctions resolutions. These resolutions expanded the obligations of UN member states to decrease or end their military, diplomatic, and economic dealings with North Korea. Trump administration officials, including the President, made multiple public statements emphasizing the potential for a preemptive military attack on North Korea. In August,Trump threatened to unleash “fire and fury” against North Korea if it endangered the United States. In September, Kim Jong Un reacted by threatening to use nuclear weapons to “sink” Japan and reduce the United States to “ashes and darkness.” Loading ### July 2017 ## North Korea Tests ICBMs On July 4, 2017, North Korea fired its first intercontinental ballistic missile. The regime declared itself a “proud nuclear state” and claimed the ICBM had a range of at least 3,500 miles and would be capable of reaching Alaska. On July 28, the regime followed up with a second intercontinental ballistic missile. It flew approximately 1,000 kilometers and landed in the Sea of Japan within Japan's exclusive economic zone, according to the Pentagon. Loading ### August 5, 2017 ## UN Responds to North Korean Tests with New Sanctions The UN Security Council gave unanimous approval for severe new sanctions as a penalty for North Korea's expanding nuclear and missile projects. These sanctions encompassed a prohibition on exports of coal and other goods, amounting to more than \$1 billion, a significant portion of its \$3 billion in exports from last year. U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley called the sanctions "the largest economic sanctions package ever implemented against the North Korean government." She also described them as "the strictest collection of sanctions placed on any nation in recent history." *Photo credit: Mary Altaffer/Associated Press* Loading ### September 3, 2017 ## In Sixth Nuclear Test, North Korea Detonates Hydrogen Bomb In its sixth nuclear test, North Korea detonated a hydrogen bomb intended for an intercontinental ballistic missile. According to state-run media, the test was successful, and the resulting earthquake indicated that it was the most potent explosion conducted by the regime to date. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff and weather agency observed an artificial earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 in Kilju, a northern Hamgyong province where North Korea had previously carried out nuclear tests. The United States Geological Survey classified the seismic activity as an explosion with a magnitude of 6.3. Loading ### September 11, 2017 ## Further Sanctions Following North Korea's Sixth Nuclear Test Five days after North Korea’s sixth and largest nuclear test, the UN Security Council passed [Resolution 2375](https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N17/283/67/PDF/N1728367.pdf?OpenElement), expanding sanctions. The Resolution included the strongest sanctions ever imposed on North Korea, targeting North Korea’s last remaining major exports by fully banning the export of textiles, preventing overseas workers from earning wages that finance the regime, reducing about 30% of oil provided to North Korea, and banning all joint ventures with North Korea to cut off foreign investments, technology transfers, and other economic cooperation with North Korea. On September 19, in his first address to the UN General Assembly, President Trump threatens to “totally destroy North Korea,” if the United States is forced to defend itself or its allies, adding “Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime.” *Photo credit: AFP/Getty Images* Loading ### November 2017 ## November 2017 Developments On November 6, 2017, President Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met, vowing to boost trilateral cooperation with South Korea to address the North Korean nuclear threat. Trump underscored the commitment of the United States to provide Japan with defensive equipment, including ballistic missile defenses. On November 8, Trump met with President Moon Jae-In and in a [joint statement](https://www.c-span.org/video/?436838-1/president-trump-makes-sense-north-korea-negotiating-table) released after the summit, the two leaders emphasized that they would work together to counter the threat posed by North Korea and call on China to use its leverage to achieve a diplomatic solution. On November 20, Trump returnedNorth Korea to the list of state sponsors of terrorism and on November 29, North Korea launched its third intercontinental ballistic missile of the year, traveling 1000km and landing in the Sea of Japan. The U.S. State Department released a statement condemning the test but declaring that "diplomatic options remain open and viable, for now." *Photo credit: Stephen Crowley/The New York Times* ### December 22, 2017 ## UN Resolution 2397 Imposes Additional Sanctions The UN Security Council unanimously adopted [Resolution 2397](https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/s/res/2397-%282017%29), imposing additional sanctions on North Korea, including cutting refined petroleum imports by nearly 90 percent, limiting crude oil exports to 4 million barrels and mandating the expulsion of North Korean workers from other countries in two years or less. Loading ### January 1-9, 2018 ## The Two Koreas Talk Ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics Kim Jong Un started the new year by declaring North Korea's nuclear forces capable of countering any U.S. nuclear threat and promising to produce more warheads and missiles. He also proposed sending a delegation to the Olympics and proposed talks with South Korea. South Korea agreed to meet at Panmunjom, and North Korea restored the hotline between the two countries. To avoid conflict during the Olympics, President Trump and President Moon Jae-in postponed planned joint military exercises. At the inter-Korean talks, the first since 2015, North Korea agreed to participate in the Winter Olympics, though the North Koreans expressed displeasure after the South Korea representatives proposed resuming talks on denuclearization. *Photo credit: Petr David Josek/Associated Press* Loading ### March 5-6, 2018 ## North Korea Expresses Willingness to Begin Talks on Denuclearization Two top aides of President Moon Jae-in met with Kim Jong Un on March 5, 2018, marking the first visit by South Korean envoys to North Korea in 11 years. South Korean officials announced on March 6 that North Korea was willing to begin serious negotiations about denuclearization with the United States, on the condition of a five-point agreement that included ensuring North Korea's security. Additionally, the agreement included a summit between North and South Korea at the end of April, a hotline between Moon and Kim, a halt to North Korea's missile tests during U.S.-North Korean talks, and a pledge from North Korea not to use nuclear or conventional weapons against South Korea. After briefing President Trump, Chung Eui-yong, ROK National Security Office Chief, announced that Trump accepted Kim Jong Un's invitation to "meet Kim Jong Un by May to achieve permanent denuclearization." *Photo credit: Yonhap* Loading ### April 2018 ## North Korea Announces End to Nuclear Tests In advance of the summit with Moon Jae-in and the Trump-Kim summit, the North Korean regime announced that it had achieved its testing goals and would no longer conduct nuclear tests. The regime said it would close its Punggye-ri testing site and destroy the entrance tunnels. Ultimately, outside inspectors were not permitted to conduct inspections and the IAEA reported in March 2022 that the tunnels were being reconstructed. *Photo credit: News1-Dong-A Ilbo/Getty Images* Loading ### April 27, 2018 ## First Moon-Kim Summit and Panmunjom Declaration Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong Un had their first high-level summit at the border in Panmunjom, which was the third meeting ever between the two countries' leaders. They issued a [joint declaration](https://www.mofa.go.kr/eng/brd/m_5478/view.do?seq=319130&srchFr=&srchTo=&srchWord=&srchTp=&multi_itm_seq=0&itm_seq_1=0&itm_seq_2=0&company_cd=&company_nm=&page=1&titleNm=), agreeing to advance inter-Korean relations and to eliminate the threat of war on the Korean Peninsula, as well as to work together to establish a permanent peace regime there. *Photo credit: New York Times* Loading ### May 26, 2018 ## Second Moon-Kim Summit at Panmunjom Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong Un met unexpectedly for a second time in Panmunjom. The two sides agreed to host high-level inter-Korean talks on June 1, to follow with talks between military authorities to reduce tensions and between the Red Cross to push forward scheduled family reunions, to accelerate the April 27 Panmunjom declaration and to ensure that the June 12 U.S.-North Korean summit would go ahead. *Photo credit: Xinhua/Blue House* Loading ### May 30, 2018 ## North Korean Ex-Spy Chief Meets with Pompeo in New York On May 30, 2018, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with North Korean General Kim Yong Chol in New York to discuss the anticipated summit between Trump and Kim Jong Un. Pompeo emphasized the objective of the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. On June 1, General Kim met with President Trump at the White House and delivered a letter from Kim Jong Un. In a separate event on the same day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang. Lavrov expressed support for a gradual lifting of sanctions on North Korea in exchange for steps toward denuclearization. *Photo credit: Andrew Harnik/Associated Press* Loading ### June 12, 2018 ## Singapore Summit The first-ever summit between sitting leaders of the United States and North Korea took place on June 12, 2018 in Singapore. Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un signed a [joint declaration](https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/joint-statement-president-donald-j-trump-united-states-america-chairman-kim-jong-un-democratic-peoples-republic-korea-singapore-summit/) in which they agreed to establish new relations between their countries, build a stable peace regime on the Korean peninsula, and repatriate the remains of prisoners of war and soldiers missing in action. Additionally, Kim pledged to work towards the complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, while Trump promised to provide security guarantees for North Korea. At a press conference following the summit, Trump also revealed other commitments that he and Kim had agreed to, which were not part of the joint statement. These included the cancellation of U.S.-South Korean military exercises. *Photo credit: Doug Mills/The New York Times* Loading ### July and August 2018 ## North Korea Continues Its Nuclear Program On July 13, 2018, *The Diplomat*, in collaboration with the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, announced that it had identified a secret North Korean uranium enrichment site, which was referred to as Kangson by U.S. intelligence. This was the second North Korean clandestine uranium enrichment site to be publicly reported, following a May 2018 article in *The Washington Post*. In August, the IAEA's annual report stated that the continuation and further development of North Korea's nuclear program, as well as related statements by the country, were a significant cause for concern. On August 24, Trump called off Secretary of State Pompeo's scheduled trip to Pyongyang with new Special Representative Biegun, citing insufficient progress on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Loading ### August 15, 2018 ## Moon Jae-in's Goals Toward Denuclearization In a speech to commemorating South Korean National Liberation Day, President Moon Jae-in announced that during his planned meeting with Kim Jong Un in September, the two leaders would take a bold step towards declaring an end to the Korean War, signing a peace treaty, and achieving complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. *Photo credit: Kim Hong-ji/Reuters* Loading ### September 18-20, 2018 ## Kim Hosts Moon For Summit Talks In Pyongyang Kim Jong Un and Moon Jae-in held their third summit in Pyongyang and agreed to the [Pyongyang Joint Declaration](https://www.ncnk.org/node/1633), which included several key agreements including the expansion of the cessation of military hostilities between the two countries and the advancement of economic, humanitarian, and cultural cooperation and exchanges. The leaders also committed to pursuing complete denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, with Kim promising to dismantle the Dongchang-ri missile engine test site and launch platform under the observation of international experts. The Pyongyang Joint Declaration also stated that Kim would visit Seoul "at an early date." North Korea also agreed to take further steps towards denuclearization, such as dismantling the nuclear facilities in Yongbyon, if the United States took corresponding measures in accordance with the spirit of the June 12 U.S.-DPRK Joint Statement. *Photo credit: Pyongyang Press Corps/Pool/Reuters* Loading ### January 1, 2019 ## Kim Jong Un New Year Address In his N[ew Year's address](https://www.ncnk.org/resources/publications/kimjongun_2019_newyearaddress.pdf/file_view),Kim Jong Un stated that he was willing to meet Donald Trump at "anytime" and committed that North Korea "would neither make and test nuclear weapons any longer nor use and proliferate them," although it is unclear what Kim means by promising not to "make" nuclear weapons. *Photo credit: KCTV* Loading ### February 2019 ## North Korea Continues its Nuclear Program According to a report by the Stanford Center for Internaional Security and Cooperation, North Korea continued to produce bomb fuel throughout 2018, while in denuclearization talks with the United States. The report concluded that North Korea may have produced enough to add as many as seven more nuclear weapons, estimating the size of its arsenal at 37 weapons. Loading ### February 27-28, 2019 ## Trump and Kim Meet in Hanoi Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un held a second summit in Hanoi with the aim of discussing North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, and establishing a new relationship between the two countries. Talks broke down and the Hanoi summit ended early, with the cancellation of a scheduled lunch and joint statement ceremony. Despite the premature ending, Trump and U.S. officials claimed that the two leaders parted ways amicably, and expected that discussions would resume at a later date. North Korea's state-run media also presented the summit positively, mentioning that the leaders agreed to continue productive dialogue. Both sides attributed the breakdown of the summit to their inability to resolve differences over the scope and sequencing of concessions, specifically with regard to North Korea's denuclearization measures and sanctions relief. *Photo credit: CNN* Loading ### May 9, 2019 ## Wise Honest Seized The United States announced that it seized a North Korean ship, the Wise Honest, for sanctions evasion. The vessel had been detained in 2018. According to prosecutors, the carrier ship was engaged in exporting North Korean coal, which is a crucial part of the country's economy and subject to heavy sanctions imposed by the United States and the UN to compel North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program. Additionally, the ship was used to import large machinery. The Justice Department stated that this is the first time that the United States had seized a North Korean cargo vessel for violating international sanctions. Officials explained that the seizure was part of a comprehensive strategy to enforce the sanctions and compel North Korea to dismantle its nuclear program. North Korea described the seizure as a "complete denial" of the Singapore summit statement. *Photo credit: U.S. Justice Department/Associated Press* Loading ### June 30, 2019 ## Trump Becomes First U.S. Sitting President to Visit North Korea After emerging from their conversation, Donald Trump said he and Kim Jong Un had agreed to designate negotiators to resume talks in the next few weeks, four months after they collapsed at a summit meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam. *Photo credit: Erin Schaff/The New York Times* Loading ### October 1, 2019 ## North Korea Launches Missile Hours After Agreeig to Resume Talks North Korea launched at least one ballistic missile toward waters near Japan, just hours after announcing it had agreed to resume long-stalled talks with the United States over its nuclear weapons program. *Photo credit: KCNA* Loading ### October 6, 2019 ## North Korea Ends Talks with the United States At the working-level talks in Stockholm, the first since February 2019, officials from the United States and North Korea were unable to come to an agreement. A representative from North Korea's Foreign Ministry stated that Pyongyang would not engage in further negotiations until Washington took a "substantial" action to end what it sees as "hostile" policies, including the enforcement of strict sanctions and military exercises conducted in conjunction with South Korea. This led to a period of nearly complete silence between United States and North Korean officials. *Photo credit: Kyodo/AP Photo* Loading ### April 6, 2021 ## President Biden Signals Willingness to Restart Talks During a speech to a joint session of Congress, President Joe Biden discussed his approach to North Korea, which he characterized as a combination of "diplomacy, as well as stern deterrence." The administration planned to adopt a "calibrated, practical approach," falling between the previous policies of Obama's "strategic patience" and Trump's "grand bargain." The Biden Administration's objective remained the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, but the administration would not be pursuing a grand bargain, nor would it be relying on strategic patience, given that neither approach had been successful in achieving this goal over the past four administrations. Pyongyang did not express reciprocal interest. *Photo credit: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters* Loading ### September 28, 2021 ## North Korea Tests Hypersonic Missile North Korea tested its first hypersonic missile, the Hwasong-8, a “strategic weapon” that state media claimed successfully demonstrated the country’s development of hypersonic-glide technology. Hypersonic weapons, which fly at speeds in excess of Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound, could pose crucial challenges to missile defense systems because of their speed and maneuverability. Loading ### October 20, 2021 ## North Korea Launches SLBM On October 20, 2021, North Korea confirmed it test-fired a new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), a day after South Korea reported the launch of what it said appeared to be an SLBM from North Korea’s east coast. Pyongyang has been gradually improving its military arsenal since talks on denuclearization broke down in 2019 following the collapse of the Hanoi summit between Kim and then President Donald Trump. *Photo credit: KCNA/Reuters* Loading ### March 8, 2022 ## Intelligence Community Forcasts Continued Weapons Development As part of its annual threat assessment released on March 8, 2022, the U.S. intelligence community forecast that North Korea would increase its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) capabilities and remain a disruptive force in the region and on the global stage. The report indicated that the economic strain resulting from sanctions and pressure from the COVID-19 pandemic were unlikely to dissuade Kim Jong Un from pursuing nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles, which he perceives as essential to his autocratic rule of North Korea. *Photo credit: KCNA/Reuters* Loading ### March 24, 2022 ## North Korea Ends ICBM Moratorium Pyongyang ended its four-year-long moratorium on ICBM missile testing, firing what Japanese and South Korean military officials call a “new ICBM” off its east coast. The move was part of a pressure campaign aimed at compelling the United States and other adversaries to acknowledge North Korea as a nuclear power and lift the devastating sanctions. In response, South Korea carried out its own live-fire missile drills from land, a fighter jet, and a ship, highlighting the renewal of tensions as nuclear negotiations remain at a standstill. South Korea also confirmed its ability to carry out precise strikes on North Korea's missile launch sites and support facilities. *Photo credit: KCNA* Loading ### April 6, 2022 ## President Yoon Suggests South Korea Might Host U.S. Nuclear Weapons Aides to the Yoon administration indicated that the incoming president was contemplating the possibility of bringing back U.S. nuclear bombers and submarines to South Korea. The deployment of these strategic assets is seen as a crucial step in strengthening extended deterrence. *Photo credit: John Angelillo/UPI* Loading ### May 26, 2022 ## China and Russia Veto New Sanctions China and Russia vetoed a United States draft resolution that would have imposed more sanctions on North Korea, including bans on tobacco and oil imports into North Korea, splitting the UN Security Council for the first time since it started punishing Pyongyang in 2006. The remaining 13 council members all voted in favor of the drafted resolution. The vote came a day after North Korea fired three missiles, including one thought to be its largest ICBM, following President Joe Biden's trip to Asia. *Photo credit: Xinhua/Sipa USA* Loading ### September 9, 2022 ## North Korea Adopts New Law Hardening Its Nuclear Doctrine On September 9, 2022 in a speech to North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly, Kim Jong Un said his country would never again entertain denuclearization talks with foreign powers and will “never give up” nuclear weapons. The day before, North Korea passed [new legislation](https://kcnawatch.org/newstream/1662687258-950776986/law-on-dprks-policy-on-nuclear-forces-promulgated/) governing its use of nuclear weapons. The new law stipulated that the country will launch a nuclear strike "immediately and automatically" in the event that the command and control system for its nuclear forces is threatened. The law further asserted that while North Korea's nuclear weapons are primarily intended to serve as a deterrent, they may also be deployed if there is an attack involving weapons of mass destruction or if there is an imminent non-nuclear attack on the country's leadership. Additionally, the weapons may be used to prevent "the expansion and protraction of a war." *Photo credit: KCNA/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images* Loading ### October 23, 2022 ## North Korea Fires Powerful Missile Over Japan North Korea launched a weapon over Japan, marking the first time that has happened since 2017 when Donald J. Trump was President of the United States and Kim Jong Un seemed intent upon escalating tensions with Washington. The missile, which flew approximately 2,800 miles, represents the longest distance that a North Korean weapon has ever traveled, as reported by officials in Tokyo and Seoul. Loading ### 2022 ## Record Number of Missile Tests North Korea began 2022 with a series of short-range ballistic missile tests, including two hypersonic missiles and some launched from train cars. By the end of the year, the regime had conducted at least 95 missile launches, including ballistic missiles, surpassing its previous annual records. This was part of a continuous strategy to utilize nuclear and missile brinkmanship, despite the severe international sanctions imposed on the regime. Each of these launches was a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions that prohibit the country from conducting any ballistic missile or nuclear tests. *Photo credit: KCNA* Loading ### January 1, 2023 ## North Korea Begins 2023 with Missile Launch North Korea's launch of a missile on New Year's Day conveyed their intention to continue developing weapons throughout 2023. *Photo credit: KCNA/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images* Loading ### January 13, 2023 ## South Korea Declares Nuclear Weapons a Policy Option President Yoon Suk-yeol stated that if North Korea's nuclear threat increases, South Korea may consider building its own nuclear weapons or asking the United States to redeploy them on the Korean Peninsula. Yoon emphasized that building nuclear weapons was not an official policy and planned to strengthen the country's alliance with the U.S. to handle North Korea's nuclear threat, including increasing the reliability of Washington's commitment to protect South Korea. Yoon's remarks were the first time since the U.S. withdrew its nuclear weapons from the South in 1991 that a South Korean President has officially mentioned arming the country with nuclear weapons. South Korea is a signatory of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and also agreed not to manufacture or possess nuclear weapons in a joint declaration with North Korea in 1991. *Photo credit: Doug Mills/The New York Times* Loading ### February 23, 2023 ## North Korea Conducts Third Missile Test in a Week North Korea launched four strategic cruise missiles towards the Sea of Japan, demonstrating its "war posture" and nuclear combat force, according to state media. The drill showcased the country's lethal nuclear counterattack capability against hostile forces, and followed previous missile tests in the week prior. The missile launches came as the United States, South Korea and Japan began joint military exercises in the region, including flying long-range supersonic bombers, and a simulation at the Pentagon on February 22 that was focused on the possibility of a North Korean nuclear attack. *Photo credit: KCNA* Loading ### March 12, 2023 ## North Korea Fires Cruise Missiles from Submarine North Korea fired two cruise missiles from a submarine, its first such test, as South Korea and the United States were about to begin a major joint military exercise. The missiles flew for more than two hours, according to the North Korean state news agency. They were fired from the 8.24 Yongung, the only submarine capable of launching missiles that North Korea is known to possess. The launch was North Korea's sixth missile test of 2023, and the first time the country had tested cruise missiles from a submarine. The country last launched a short-range ballistic missile from a submarine on May 7, 2022 off its east coast. Photo credit: Jeon Heon-Kyun/EPA, via Shutterstock Loading ### Aoril 13, 2023 ## North Korea Tests Solid-fuel ICBM North Korea tested a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), called the Hwasung-18, for the first time. South Korea’s military said it had detected the launch of one “medium-range or longer” ballistic missile on an elevated trajectory from near the North Korean capital Pyongyang. The U.S. National Security Council described it as a long-range missile, while Japan’s government said it likely had an intercontinental range. The missile launch triggered a scare in northern Japan, where Hokkaido residents were told to take cover, though there turned out to be no danger. *Photo credit: Rodong Sinmun* The Origins of North Korea's Nuclear Program 1950s Previous Date [Timeline JS](http://timeline.knightlab.com/) ## The Origins of North Korea's Nuclear Program ## North Korea's Indigenous Nuclear Program ## Fission Experiments ## Expansion ## North Korea Explores Acquisition of LWR Technology ## North Korea Joins NPT ## Nuclear Construction Detected at North Korean Nuclear Complex ## START Treaty Signed and Removal of U.S. Nukes From South Korea ## Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula ## South-North Joint Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula ## North Korea Signs Accord on Inspections ## North Korea Sumbits Declarations on Nuclear Material to the IAEA ## IAEA Demands Access; North Korea Announces Withdrawal from the NPT ## North Korea Tests Midrange Missile ## North Korea Suspends Withdrawal from NPT ## North Korea Signals Willingness to Discuss IAEA Inspections ## CIA Reports North Korea May Have Bomb ## North Korea Grants Access to Nuclear Facilities ## North Korea Raises Tensions; U.S. Contemplates Military Response ## IAEA Inspectors Return to North Korea ## North Korea Tests Cruise Missile ## North Korea Leaves IAEA ## Former President Carter Visits North Korea ## Death of Kim Il Sung ## United States and North Korea Sign the Agreed Framework ## Construction at Two Nuclear Facilties Halted ## KEDO Founded ## North Korea Stalls on Obligations to Declare Plutonium Stores ## United States and North Korea Hold Bilateral Missile Talks ## Second Round of Missile Talks ## North Korea Launches Taepodong-1 Missile Over Japan ## Third Round of Missile Talks ## U.S.-North Korea Talks on Kumchang-ni Nuclear Facility ## Fourth U.S.-North Korea Missile Talks ## Defense Secretary William Perry Visits Pyongyang ## North Korea Agrees to Missile Testing Moratorium ## KEDO Signs Contract to Begin Construction of LWRs ## U.S. Relaxes Some Sanctions Following South-North Summit ## Fifth Round of Missile Talks End Without Resolution ## North Korean Vice Marshal's Visit to Washington Signals Commitment to Improved U.S.-North Korea Ties ## No Agreement After Seventh Round of Missile Talks ## Bush States Willingness for Dialogue with North Korea with Preconditions ## Kim Jong Il Commits to Missile Test Moratorium Extension ## Bush Administration Completes Review of North Korea Policy ## Bush Describes North Korea as Part of "Axis of Evil" ## First LWR Foundations Laid ## North Korea Admits to Having a Nuclear Program ## KEDO Ceases Heavy Fuel Oil Deliveries to North Korea ## North Korea Plans to Restart Reactor it Claims is for Generating Electricity ## North Korea Orders IAEA Inspectors to Leave ## North Korea Leaves the NPT ## North Korea Restarts Reactor ## North Korea Reveals it Has Nuclear Weapons ## North Korea Raises the Stakes ## Six Party Talks Begin ## North Korea Possesses Workable Nuclear Device ## KEDO Suspends Light-Water Reactors Construction ## North Korea Says it Will Abandon Nuclear Efforts ## North Korea Announces it will Construct Graphite-Moderated Reactors ## KEDO Terminates LWR Project ## Seven Missiles Fired Over Japan ## North Korea Conducts First Nuclear Tests ## UN Security Council Condemns North Korea’s First Nuclear Test ## Six Party Talks Resume ## New Accord ## Shutdown of Nuclear Facilities ## United States Releases \$25 million in Frozen Assets; Six Party Talks Resume ## North Korea Demolishes Cooling Tower at Yongbyon ## IAEA Removes Seals from Plant in Yongbyon ## Six Party Talks Collapse ## Effort to Revive Diplomacy by Obama ## North Korea Launches Rocket Over the Pacific ## IAEA Inspectors Asked to Leave North Korea ## North Korea Conducts Second Nuclear Test ## More Missiles Launched ## UN Resolution Strengthens Sanctions Following Second Nuclear Test ## South Korean Navy Ship Sinks in Disputed Waters ## U.S. Concludes North Korea Has More Nuclear Sites ## Effort to Restart the Six Party Talks ## Kim Jong Il Dies and is Succeeded by Kim Jong Un ## North Korea Agrees to Suspend Nuclear Tests ## North Korean Missile Test Fails ## North Korea Amends Constitution, Institutionalizing its Nuclear Status ## North Korea Resumes Construction of Nuclear Reactor ## North Korea Successfully Launches Long Range Rocket ## North Korea Says New Nuclear Test Will Be Part of Fight Against United States ## Third Nuclear Test ## UN Resolution 2094 Imposes Further Sanctions in Response to Third Nuclear Test ## North Korea Declares 1953 War Truce Nullified ## U.S. to Enhance Missile Defense to Deter North Korea ## North Korea Cuts Off Remaining Military Hot Lines With South Korea ## North Korea Orders Missile Readiness ## Yongbyon Reactor Restarted ## North Korea Warns it is on Brink of Nuclear War with South ## Pentagon Concludes North Korea May Have Nuclear Missile Capability ## North Korea's Nuclear Doctrine Enshrined ## Three Days of Missile Launches ## China Bluntly Tells North Korea to Return to Talks ## South and North Korea Agree to Meet at Panmunjom ## North Korea Doubles Area Devoted to Uranium Enrichment ## North and South Korea Exchange Fire ## North Korean Nuclear Program Advances ## North Korea Conducts Fourth Nuclear Test ## UN Imposes Further Sanctions Following North Korea's Fourth Nuclear Test ## North Korea Conducts Fifth Nuclear Test ## UN Security Council Imposes Further Sanctions Following Fifth North Korean Nuclear Test ## Trump Administration Takes Belligerant Approach to North Korea ## North Korea Tests ICBMs ## UN Responds to North Korean Tests with New Sanctions ## In Sixth Nuclear Test, North Korea Detonates Hydrogen Bomb ## Further Sanctions Following North Korea's Sixth Nuclear Test ## November 2017 Developments ## UN Resolution 2397 Imposes Additional Sanctions ## The Two Koreas Talk Ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics ## North Korea Expresses Willingness to Begin Talks on Denuclearization ## North Korea Announces End to Nuclear Tests ## First Moon-Kim Summit and Panmunjom Declaration ## Second Moon-Kim Summit at Panmunjom ## North Korean Ex-Spy Chief Meets with Pompeo in New York ## Singapore Summit ## North Korea Continues Its Nuclear Program ## Moon Jae-in's Goals Toward Denuclearization ## Kim Hosts Moon For Summit Talks In Pyongyang ## Kim Jong Un New Year Address ## North Korea Continues its Nuclear Program ## Trump and Kim Meet in Hanoi ## Wise Honest Seized ## Trump Becomes First U.S. Sitting President to Visit North Korea ## North Korea Launches Missile Hours After Agreeig to Resume Talks ## North Korea Ends Talks with the United States ## President Biden Signals Willingness to Restart Talks ## North Korea Tests Hypersonic Missile ## North Korea Launches SLBM ## Intelligence Community Forcasts Continued Weapons Development ## North Korea Ends ICBM Moratorium ## President Yoon Suggests South Korea Might Host U.S. Nuclear Weapons ## China and Russia Veto New Sanctions ## North Korea Adopts New Law Hardening Its Nuclear Doctrine ## North Korea Fires Powerful Missile Over Japan ## Record Number of Missile Tests ## North Korea Begins 2023 with Missile Launch ## South Korea Declares Nuclear Weapons a Policy Option ## North Korea Conducts Third Missile Test in a Week ## North Korea Fires Cruise Missiles from Submarine ## North Korea Tests Solid-fuel ICBM 1760 1770 1780 1790 1800 1810 1820 1830 1840 1850 1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060 2070 2080 2090 2100 2110 2120 2130 2140 2150 2160 2170 2180 2190 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2031 2032 2033 2034 2035 2036 2037 2038 2039 Columbia Law SchoolCenter for Korean Legal Studies, Mail Code: 4024, Box A-19, 435 West 116th Street · New York, NY 10027 ## 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North Korea's Nuclear Program: A History The Origins of North Korea's Nuclear Program 1950s The Origins of North Korea's Nuclear Program North Korea's Indigenous Nuclear Program Fission Experiments Expansion North Korea Explores Acquisition of LWR Technology North Korea Joins NPT Nuclear Construction Detected at North Korean Nuclear Complex START Treaty Signed and Removal of U.S. Nukes From South Korea Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula South-North Joint Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula North Korea Signs Accord on Inspections North Korea Sumbits Declarations on Nuclear Material to the IAEA IAEA Demands Access; North Korea Announces Withdrawal from the NPT North Korea Tests Midrange Missile North Korea Suspends Withdrawal from NPT North Korea Signals Willingness to Discuss IAEA Inspections CIA Reports North Korea May Have Bomb North Korea Grants Access to Nuclear Facilities North Korea Raises Tensions; U.S. Contemplates Military Response IAEA Inspectors Return to North Korea North Korea Tests Cruise Missile North Korea Leaves IAEA Former President Carter Visits North Korea Death of Kim Il Sung United States and North Korea Sign the Agreed Framework Construction at Two Nuclear Facilties Halted KEDO Founded North Korea Stalls on Obligations to Declare Plutonium Stores United States and North Korea Hold Bilateral Missile Talks Second Round of Missile Talks North Korea Launches Taepodong-1 Missile Over Japan Third Round of Missile Talks U.S.-North Korea Talks on Kumchang-ni Nuclear Facility Fourth U.S.-North Korea Missile Talks Defense Secretary William Perry Visits Pyongyang North Korea Agrees to Missile Testing Moratorium KEDO Signs Contract to Begin Construction of LWRs U.S. Relaxes Some Sanctions Following South-North Summit Fifth Round of Missile Talks End Without Resolution North Korean Vice Marshal's Visit to Washington Signals Commitment to Improved U.S.-North Korea Ties No Agreement After Seventh Round of Missile Talks Bush States Willingness for Dialogue with North Korea with Preconditions Kim Jong Il Commits to Missile Test Moratorium Extension Bush Administration Completes Review of North Korea Policy Bush Describes North Korea as Part of "Axis of Evil" First LWR Foundations Laid North Korea Admits to Having a Nuclear Program KEDO Ceases Heavy Fuel Oil Deliveries to North Korea North Korea Plans to Restart Reactor it Claims is for Generating Electricity North Korea Orders IAEA Inspectors to Leave North Korea Leaves the NPT North Korea Restarts Reactor North Korea Reveals it Has Nuclear Weapons North Korea Raises the Stakes Six Party Talks Begin North Korea Possesses Workable Nuclear Device KEDO Suspends Light-Water Reactors Construction North Korea Says it Will Abandon Nuclear Efforts North Korea Announces it will Construct Graphite-Moderated Reactors KEDO Terminates LWR Project Seven Missiles Fired Over Japan North Korea Conducts First Nuclear Tests UN Security Council Condemns North Korea’s First Nuclear Test Six Party Talks Resume New Accord Shutdown of Nuclear Facilities United States Releases \$25 million in Frozen Assets; Six Party Talks Resume North Korea Demolishes Cooling Tower at Yongbyon IAEA Removes Seals from Plant in Yongbyon Six Party Talks Collapse Effort to Revive Diplomacy by Obama North Korea Launches Rocket Over the Pacific IAEA Inspectors Asked to Leave North Korea North Korea Conducts Second Nuclear Test More Missiles Launched UN Resolution Strengthens Sanctions Following Second Nuclear Test South Korean Navy Ship Sinks in Disputed Waters U.S. Concludes North Korea Has More Nuclear Sites Effort to Restart the Six Party Talks Kim Jong Il Dies and is Succeeded by Kim Jong Un North Korea Agrees to Suspend Nuclear Tests North Korean Missile Test Fails North Korea Amends Constitution, Institutionalizing its Nuclear Status North Korea Resumes Construction of Nuclear Reactor North Korea Successfully Launches Long Range Rocket North Korea Says New Nuclear Test Will Be Part of Fight Against United States Third Nuclear Test UN Resolution 2094 Imposes Further Sanctions in Response to Third Nuclear Test North Korea Declares 1953 War Truce Nullified U.S. to Enhance Missile Defense to Deter North Korea North Korea Cuts Off Remaining Military Hot Lines With South Korea North Korea Orders Missile Readiness Yongbyon Reactor Restarted North Korea Warns it is on Brink of Nuclear War with South Pentagon Concludes North Korea May Have Nuclear Missile Capability North Korea's Nuclear Doctrine Enshrined Three Days of Missile Launches China Bluntly Tells North Korea to Return to Talks South and North Korea Agree to Meet at Panmunjom North Korea Doubles Area Devoted to Uranium Enrichment North and South Korea Exchange Fire North Korean Nuclear Program Advances North Korea Conducts Fourth Nuclear Test UN Imposes Further Sanctions Following North Korea's Fourth Nuclear Test North Korea Conducts Fifth Nuclear Test UN Security Council Imposes Further Sanctions Following Fifth North Korean Nuclear Test Trump Administration Takes Belligerant Approach to North Korea North Korea Tests ICBMs UN Responds to North Korean Tests with New Sanctions In Sixth Nuclear Test, North Korea Detonates Hydrogen Bomb Further Sanctions Following North Korea's Sixth Nuclear Test November 2017 Developments UN Resolution 2397 Imposes Additional Sanctions The Two Koreas Talk Ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics North Korea Expresses Willingness to Begin Talks on Denuclearization North Korea Announces End to Nuclear Tests First Moon-Kim Summit and Panmunjom Declaration Second Moon-Kim Summit at Panmunjom North Korean Ex-Spy Chief Meets with Pompeo in New York Singapore Summit North Korea Continues Its Nuclear Program Moon Jae-in's Goals Toward Denuclearization Kim Hosts Moon For Summit Talks In Pyongyang Kim Jong Un New Year Address North Korea Continues its Nuclear Program Trump and Kim Meet in Hanoi Wise Honest Seized Trump Becomes First U.S. Sitting President to Visit North Korea North Korea Launches Missile Hours After Agreeig to Resume Talks North Korea Ends Talks with the United States President Biden Signals Willingness to Restart Talks North Korea Tests Hypersonic Missile North Korea Launches SLBM North Korea Ends ICBM Moratorium President Yoon Suggests South Korea Might Host U.S. Nuclear Weapons China and Russia Veto New Sanctions North Korea Adopts New Law Hardening Its Nuclear Doctrine North Korea Fires Powerful Missile Over Japan Record Number of Missile Tests North Korea Begins 2023 with Missile Launch South Korea Declares Nuclear Weapons a Policy Option North Korea Conducts Third Missile Test in a Week North Korea Fires Cruise Missiles from Submarine North Korea Tests Solid-fuel ICBM 1760 1770 1780 1790 1800 1810 1820 1830 1840 1850 1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060 2070 2080 2090 2100 2110 2120 2130 2140 2150 2160 2170 2180 2190 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2031 2032 2033 2034 2035 2036 2037 2038 2039