1998   North Korea launches its first satellite (Kwangmyongsong). Subsequent analysis of the launch indicates that the satellite did not achieve orbit.

2000   Madeleine Albright holds talks with Kim Jong-il in North Korea. It was the first visit by a U.S. Secretary of State to the country.

2002   The United States State Department releases a report identifying seven state sponsors of terrorism including Syria, North Korea, Iran, Libya, Iraq, Cuba, and Sudan.

2004   Two trains with cargos of explosive materials collide and explode in Ryongchon, North Korea, killing 54 people and injuring 1,249.

2005   North Korea completes its first successful nuclear test and announces to the world that it possesses nuclear weapons.

2005   North Korea agrees to abandon its nuclear weapons program in return for economic and energy assistance.