HISTORY IN THE MAKING
The following is a chronology of major events leading up to the first-ever summit between sitting US and North Korean leaders yesterday in Singapore.
1945 The Korean Peninsula is liberated from Japan's colonial rule with its World War II surrender. 1948 The peninsula is divided into Soviet-backed North Korea and US-supported South Korea.
1950 The Korean War begins.
1953 The three-year war ends in an armistice.
1985 N Korea becomes a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
1992 North and South Korea sign a joint declaration on denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.
1998 N Korea test-fires a long-range Taepodong-1 ballistic missile.
2003 N Korea withdraws from the NPT. The first round of six-party nuclear talks involving the two Koreas is held in Beijing.
2005 N Korea declares it has nuclear weapons. The six countries adopt a joint statement that commits N Korea to giving up its nuclear programme.
2006 N Korea conducts its first nuclear test.
2009 N Korea says it will quit the six-party talks and carries out its second nuclear test.
2011 N Korean leader Kim Jong-il dies and is succeeded by his youngest son, Kim Jong-un.
2012 N Korea agrees to implement a moratorium on its nuclear and missile programmes in return for food aid from the US.
2015 N Korea announces restart of all its nuclear facilities.
Jan 2016 N Korea announces its first hydrogen bomb test or fourth nuclear test.
Jan 2017 Kim Jong-un says North Korea is in the final phase of preparing to test-launch an intercontinental ballistic missile. Donald Trump takes office as US president. Aug Mr Trump and N Korea begin to exchange increasingly fiery rhetoric. Sept N Korea conducts sixth and most powerful nuclear test. Nov N Korea announces its launch of a new ICBM capable of striking anywhere in the United States with a nuclear warhead.
2018 Jan 9 North and South Korea hold their first official talks in more than two years.
Apr 9 Mr Trump says he will meet Mr Kim in May or early June.
Apr 20 N Korea shuts its Punggye-ri nuclear test site and suspends ICBM tests.
Apr 27 Mr Kim and Mr Moon meet on the southern side of the truce village of Panmunjom for the first inter-Korean summit in over a decade and agree to work toward "complete" denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.
May 10 Mr Trump says he will meet Mr Kim on June 12 in Singapore.
May 16 N Korea threatens to cancel summit with Mr Trump.
May 24 Mr Trump cancels the scheduled summit with Mr Kim.
May 26 Mr Moon and Mr Kim hold a surprise meeting in the N Korean side of the truce village.
Jun 1 Mr Trump meets the top N Korean official at the White House and is given a letter from Mr Kim. Mr Trump reinstates his summit with Mr Kim for the original date in Singapore.
Jun 12 Mr Trump and Mr Kim meet in Singapore.