The timelines below present significant events that have influenced the ROK-U.S. Alliance Post-Korean War. We have divided these events into 2 categories: North Korea and ROK-U.S. Alliance.
KDVA is currently in the process of researching Post-Korean War significant events and will be continuing to add more events from the 1953 to present day era. We welcome your feedback!
NORTH KOREA
| 1985: | Dec: DPRK signs Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and discloses the existence of the Yongbyon facility |
| 1991: | Aug: DPRK and ROK join the United Nations |
| 1992: | Jan: DPRK and South Korea agree to denuclearize the Peninsula
May: IAEA begins inspections, says DPRK has processed more plutonium than reported |
| 1993: | Mar: PRK refuses IAEA’s inspector requests and threatens to leave the NPT |
| 1994: | June: DPRK quits the IAEA
June: Former President Jimmy Carter has a private visit to DPRK and meets with Kim Il-sung July: Death of Kim Il-Sung. Kim Jong-il becomes the new leader of DPRK. July: The United States and DPRK sign the Agreed Framework, where the US promises aid in exchange for DPRK halting its nuclear activities |
| 1996: | Severe famine and an estimated three million North Koreans die of starvation.
Sept: A DPRK submarine runs ashore in Gangneung. All but one person on board is killed in a skirmish with ROK forces. 17 South Korean soldiers died. |
| 1998: | June: A DPRK submarine is captured in South Korean waters. All crew are found dead.
The Geumgangsan Resort is open to South Korean tourists in DPRK. |
| 2000: | June: Kim Jong-il and South Korean president Kim Dae-Jung meet in Pyongyang.
Aug: Separated-family reunions are held. Nov: Second separated-family reunions are held. |
| 2001: | Feb: Third round of separated-family reunions are held. |
| 2002: | Jan: President Bush includes North Korea in the ‘axis of evil’ mentioned in his State of the Union address.
Sept: DPRK admits to kidnapping Japanese nationals in the 70s and 80s Dec: DPRK states they will restart Yongbyon |
| 2003: | Jan: DPRK leaves the NPT; Creation of the Party of Six
May: DPRK leaves agreement with ROK to denuclearize the peninsula |
| 2004: | Kaesong Industrial Complex opens |
| 2005: | Feb: DPRK publicly admits it has nuclear weapons for self-defense
Feb: US freezes DPRK funds; DPRK abandons resolve to obtain nuclear weapons |
| 2006: | Oct: DPRK conducts first nuclear weapons test |
| 2007: | Feb: DPRK promises to disable and declare nuclear facilities
Oct: Second Inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang between Roh Moo-hyun and Kim Jong-il |
| 2008: | New ROK President Lee Myung-bak takes hardline stance on DPRK
June: DPRK demolishes cooling tower at Yongbyon July: Geumgangsan Resort closes to South Korean tourists after one is shot by North Korean military personnel after straying into a military area Aug: DPRK says it will reverse dismantlement of Yongbyon because US will not take DPRK off terrorism list Sept: DPRK hosts a military parade for their 60th anniversary, Kim Jong-il is not present Oct: US agrees to take DPRK off terrorism list, DPRK opens up for IAEA inspections |
| 2009: | April: DPRK walks out of Six Party Talks
May: DPRK conducts second nuclear weapons test Aug: Two American journalists are released from DPRK after Former President Bill Clinton negotiates their release |
| 2010: | Feb: DPRK relaxes free market restrictions after previous year’s currency revaluation sparks unrest
March: DPRK sinks the ROK warship Cheonan Nov: DPRK reveals new centrifuge for nuclear development |
| 2011: | Dec: Kim Jong-il dies, Kim Jong-un takes power |
| 2012: | DPRK promises to halt uranium enrichment process
DPRK conducts several ballistic weapons tests |
| 2013: | Feb: DPRK’s third nuclear weapons test
Dec: Kim Jong-un’s uncle, Chang Song-taek, is executed for attempting to overthrow the state |
| 2014: | Dec: DPRK and US fight over alleged cyber-hacking of Sony Pictures |
| 2016: | Jan: DPRK announces first hydrogen bomb test
Feb: Kaesong Industrial Complex’s operations close down indefinitely May: First Workers Party Congress is held in over 40 years, Kim Jong-un is officially elected leader |
| 2017: | Feb: Kim Jong-nam, Kim Jong-un’s half-brother, is killed in Malaysia
July: DPRK fires a long-range ballistic missile Aug: DPRK threatens to fire on Guam; President Trump threatens military action against DPRK |
| 2018: | Jan: DPRK and ROK have joint participation in the Winter Olympics, held in Pyeongchang
April: Chairman Kim and President Moon Jae-in meet at Panmunjeom; promise formal peace and shared goal of denuclearization May: DPRK announces dismantlement of Punggye-ri nuclear testing site June: Trump and Kim meet in Singapore; pledge to denuclearize the peninsula Aug: Satellite imagery shows DPRK starts dismantling missile testing site at Sohae |
|
2019:
|
Feb: President Trump and Chairman Kim meet in Hanoi; no agreement was reached
April: Kim Jong-un travels to Russia for the first time and meets Putin June: President Trump becomes the first sitting US President to take a step on DPRK soil when he met briefly with Chairman Kim at the DMZ. Nov: ROK sends back two DPRK fisherman accused of killing other crewmembers of their boat Nov: Movement of railcars at the Yongbyon facility suggests possible movement of radioactive material Dec: DPRK conducts rocket testing at Sohae. Chairman Kim states that DPRK is no longer bound by their self-imposed nuclear moratorium |
| 2020: | President Moon suggests allowing South Korean tourists to visit North Korea; Ambassador Harris urged Seoul to be in consultation with Washington with regards to the issue |
Created and updated by Ms. Julie Huynh and Ms. Stacey Scholten, KDVA Interns
ROK-U.S. ALLIANCE
| 2018: | Jan: United States and Republic of Korea agree to postpone military exercises until after the Olympics
Feb: United States agrees to meet with North Korea April: Panmunjom Declaration for Peace is signed by Kim Jong Un and Moon Jae-In May: North Korea criticizes US-ROK military exercises and refuses to continue talks with South Korea June: United States and South Korea agree to indefinitely suspend major military exercises to encourage ongoing talks with North Korea June: US and North Korean leaders meet in Singapore, historically marking the first meeting between a US President and North Korean leader; the topics discussed included the possibility of peace between the two nations, denuclearization and POW/MIA remains Sept: United Nations authorizes ROK troops and material to cross the line of demarcation to repair communication infrastructure between North and South Korea Oct: North and South Korea meet alongside United Nations Command, led by the United States, to begin disarming the shared border of the two countries Oct: The 43rd US-ROK Military Committee Meeting was held by General Joseph F. Dunford Jr., US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and General Park Hanki, ROK Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Oct: The 50th Security Consultative Meeting was held in Washington D.C., by ROK Minister of National Defense Jeong Kyeongdoo and US Secretary of Defense James Mattis leading their delegations |
| 2019: | Feb: South Korea and the United States agree on a deal to increase the burden sharing on the side of South Korea in regards to US military personnel stationed in the country
Feb: US and North Korea meet in Hanoi for the second time to discuss North Korea’s nuclear weapon and missile programs Mar: South Korea discusses possibly reinstating economic projects aimed at assisting the two Koreas to incentivize North Korea’s nuclear disarmament compliance Mar: ‘Key Resolve’ and ‘Foal Eagle’ US-ROK joint military exercises are discontinued and replaced with shorter exercises Apr: Special Measures Agreement, signed by South Korea goes into effect, temporarily increasing the allocated ROK funding for US troops May: United States State Department approves the future sale of air defense missiles to South Korea, amid rising tensions between North and South Korea June: A South Korean general is expected to eventually take over US-ROK military command following the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington to Seoul June: United States military personnel in the process of moving from Yongsan Garrison (located in the capital of Seoul) to Camp Humphreys (south of capital) Aug: United States and South Korea proceed with annual military exercises despite opposition from North Korea Nov: The smaller scale exercise ‘Combined Flying Training Event’ is set to replace the once annual ‘Vigilant Ace’ aerial exercise, one of the major exercises suspended in December 2018 The 44th Military Committee Meeting held with ROK Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Park Hanki, and US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley The 51st Security Consultative Meeting was held in Seoul with ROK Minister of Defense Jeong Kyeongdoo and US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper Dec: United States Forces Korea returned four military installations to South Korean control and will make arrangements to return 13 others in accordance with an agreement reached during the 200th Status of Forces Agreement Joint Committee meeting |
Created and updated by Ms. Nicole Ruiz, KDVA Intern
