The Democratic People's Republic of Korea was proclaimed in 1948, followed by the withdrawal of Soviet troops.

1950 - South declares independence, sparking North Korean invasion.

1953 - Armistice ends the Korean War that claimed two million lives.

1969 - US reconnaissance plane shot down.

1994 - Kim Il-sung dies and is succeeded by Kim Jong-il.

2005 September - North Korea agrees to give up its weapons in return for aid.

2006 October - North Korea claims to have tested a nuclear weapon for the first time.

2007 May - Passenger trains cross the North-South border for the first time in 56 years.

2009 May - North Korea says it successfully carries out an underground nuclear test.

2010 March - Sinking of South Korean warship Cheonan, allegedly by the North.

2011 December - Kim Jong-il dies and Kim Jong-un takes over.

2012 December - A North Korean rocket launch puts a satellite into orbit.

2013 February - North Korea carries out a third nuclear test.

2013 March - UN Security Council approves fresh sanctions over North Korea's nuclear test.

2013 April – North Korea threatens attacks against South Korea and US targets in the region.

Source: BBC