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Kim Il-Sung proclaims the formation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and this was supported by the Soviet Union
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Seoul is captured within three days and this starts the Korean war.
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The signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement.
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North Korea falls back on the state policy of "juche," or self-reliance.
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Power is gradually handed over to Kim II-Sung's son Kim II-Jung
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Flooding devastates North Korea's crop-growing regions
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Severe droughts worsen the country's capacity to grow enough to feed its people
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As many as 3.5 million North Koreans stave over the preceding three years, with the peak number of deaths
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Kim Jong-Il's government admits it is developing nuclear weapons.
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The United Nations World Food Program reports that famine conditions are in imminent danger of returning and that millions of people living in the cities of North Korea had been mobilized to help out in rural areas.
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China and South Korea together provide 1 million tons of food aid to the North.
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Kim Jong Il fails to attend military parade to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the country, with intelligence agencies stating he may be "gravely ill."
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Kim Jong-Un, Kim's youngest son is put forward as his father's heir.
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Former US President Jimmy Carter visits North Korea and reports that one third of children are malnourished. The government reduces the amount of food supplied to each person from 1,400 calories per day to 700 calories per day.
