2000 BC
Rice is by now grown in the Indus Valley civilization, in the region of Lothal in modern Pakistan, and in parts of China and Korea

57 BC Three kingdoms in Korea
Silla becomes the first of the three kingdoms of Korea, followed by Koguryo in 37 BC and Paekche in 18 BC

538 Buddhism reaches Japan
A Buddhist image, sent as a gift from Korea, introduces the religion to Japan

935 Wank Kon rules Koryo
Wank Kon changes the name of his kingdom to Koryo, meaning 'high and beautiful', thus providing the rest of the world with the name Korea

1231 Mongols in Korea
The Mongols conquer the Korean peninsula, subsequently using it as a base for two expeditions against Japan

1380 Movable type in Korea
Koreans establish the first type foundry, casting movable type in bronze

1392 Yi dynasty in Korea
Yi Song-gye founds the Yi dynasty, which rules in Korea until the twentieth century

1894 Neighbours fight over Korea
Japan and China go to war over Korea, with disastrous results for China

1910 Japan colonizes Korea
Japan annexes Korea as a colony, to be controlled by a Japanese governor-general

1935 Kim Il Sung leads guerrilla war
Kim Il Sung leads a Communist guerrilla campaign against the Japanese occupation of Korea

1945 August 12 Korea divided by Japanese surrender
The Japanese in Korea surrender to the Russians in the north and to the Americans in the south

1948 Kim Il Sung governs North Korea
Kim Il Sung becomes prime minister of North Korea on the withdrawal of the Soviet occupying force

1950 North Korea invades the south
North Korean troops cross the 38th parallel to invade the southern half of the region

1950 North Koreans capture Seoul
North Korean forces press far enough south to capture the South Korean capital of Seoul

1950 UN troops in Korea
UN troops are sent to defend South Korea, as the invasion from the north rolls on

1950 UN troops cross 38th parallel
UN troops push north across the 38th parallel in a major Korean counter-offensive

1950 China enters Korean conflict
Incursions by UN troops far into North Korea give China the pretext to enter the war

1951 Stalemate on 38th Parallel
UN and Chinese forces reach a stalemate in Korea, facing each other from fixed positions on either side of the 38th Parallel

1953 Korean War ends
An armistice ends the Korean War, leaving several million dead and a country divided either side of a military zone along the 38th parallel

1954 Moonies are founded
Korean evangelist Sun Myung Moon launches the Unification Church, a mission to unify world Christianity

1994 Kim Jong Il follows Kim Il Sung
North Korean dictator Kim Il Sung dies and is succeeded by his son, Kim Jong Il

2006 North Korea test-fires missiles
North Korea test-fires seven missiles, of varying ranges and with varying success

2006 Nuclear test by North Korea
North Korea announces that it has tested a nuclear weapon

2007 North Korea withdraws from nuclear brink
North Korea agrees to begin shutting down its nuclear facilities in return for an ongoing programme of fuel aid

2007 Ban Ki-moon is UN secretary-general
South Korea's Ban Ki-moon becomes the UN secretary-general, following the retirement of Kofi Annan

2008 New York Philharmonic in North Korea
The New York Philharmonic performs in North Korea, in the first significant cultural contact between USA and North Korea since the Korean War

2009   May 21
North Korea announces that it has carried out a second successful nuclear test

2010  November 23
North Korea shells the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong, causing four deaths and a dangerous deterioration in relations with South Korea

2011 December 17
Kim Jong-il dies and is succeeded by his 28-year-old son Kim Jong-un, the third member of the Kim dynasty to be declared Supreme Leader of North Korea

2012  April 13
The rocket Kwangmyongsong-3 breaks up less than two minutes after its launch, in North Korea's third attempt to put a satellite into space

2012  December 12
North Korea successfully launches a powerful rocket, alarming the world with a new sign of military potential

2012
In The Orphan Master's Son Adam Johnson follows the central character in a successful and increasingly terrifying career through the horrors of contemporary North Korea

2013  February 12
North Korea carries out its third underground nuclear test

2013 December 12
Jang Sung-taek, uncle and mentor of the young North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un, is executed after public humiliation

2014 February 17
The UN publishes a report on the atrocities committed against the North Korean people and calls for those responsible, including Kim Jong-un, to be brought to justice

2014 March 26
North Korea test-fires into the sea two medium-range ballistic missiles, capable of reaching Japan or China

2014 April 16
More than 300 people die when a South Korean ferry, the Sewol, capsizes and sinks due to gross irresponsibilty leading to the arrest of surviving crew members and owners of the company

2016 September 9 North Korea tests nuclear weapons
North Korea conducts its fifth and reportedly biggest nuclear test

2017 February 11 North Korea condemned for missile firing
North Korea prompts international condemnation by test firing a ballistic missile across the Sea of Japan

2017 February 13 Assassination of brother of North Korean leader
The Assassination of Kim Jong-nam, the half brother of the current North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, is the first in the process of Kim-Jong-un killing all rival family members

2018 April 27 Meeting of Korean leaders from North and South
Kim Jong-un crosses into South Korea to meet with President Moon Jae-in, becoming the first North Korean leader to cross the Demilitarized Zone since its creation in 1953

2019 April 25 Kim Jong-un meets Vladimir Putin
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visits Russia to hold a series of summits with Russian leaders, including President Vladimir Putin