Here is a timeline of the North's nuclear programme.
SEOUL: North Korea on Monday announced it had carried out its first nuclear test.
Here is a timeline of the North's nuclear programme:
1989: US satellite pictures reveal a nuclear reprocessing plant at North Korea's Yongbyon complex. Washington accuses North Korea of actively pursuing nuclear weapons. Pyongyang denies the charge.
1994: North Korea and the US sign the "Agreed Framework" accord. Pyongyang vows to freeze and dismantle its nuclear program in return for the construction of safe light-water nuclear reactors and fuel oil shipments while construction goes on.
2002
October: The United States says Pyongyang has admitted running a secret uranium enrichment programme in violation of the 1994 agreement.
December: North Korea rejects a call to open its nuclear facilities to inspection and asks the International Atomic Energy Agency to remove seals and surveillance equipment from its Yongbyon plant.
2003
January 10: North Korea says it will quit the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
August 27-29: The first round of six-party talks is held in Beijing and involves the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States, but fails to resolve differences between Washington and Pyongyang.
February: Second round of six-party talks in Beijing ends without major breakthrough.
June 23: The third round of talks is held in Beijing, with the United States offering North Korea fuel aid if it drops its nuclear programme.
September 28: North Korea announces it has completed processing 8,000 spent nuclear fuel rods.
2005
January 19: Condoleezza Rice, US President George W Bush's nominee as secretary of state, names North Korea as one of six "outposts of tyranny".
February 10: North Korea announces that it has nuclear weapons and says it will boycott six-party talks until Washington drops its "hostile" policy.
May 11: North Korea says it has completed extraction of spent fuel rods from the Yongbyon reactor as part of plans to "increase its nuclear arsenal".
August 7: Fourth round of talks in deadlock and a recess is called.
September 19: After six-party talks resume, in a joint statement North Korea agrees to scrap its nuclear programme and return to the Non-Proliferation Treaty while the other five countries agree to provide a security guarantee and energy aid. The five also agree to discuss providing of a light-water reactor at an appropriate time.
November 9-11: The fifth round of six-party talks take place in Beijing, reaffirming the principles of the September 19 joint statement.
December 6: North Korea threatens not to return to the six-party talks unless the US withdraws financial sanctions against it.
2006
January 18: Nuclear envoys from North Korea, China and the United States meet in Beijing to try to revive the stalled nuclear talks, but the meeting ends without a breakthrough.
July 4-5: North Korea test-fires seven missiles, including a long-range Taepodong-2 despite warnings from the international community.
July 15: The UN Security Council unanimously votes to impose sanctions on North Korea over the missile tests.
October 3: North Korea says it will conduct a nuclear weapons test in response to threats and sanctions from the United States.
October 6: The UN Security Council unanimously adopts a statement urging North Korea to abandon its test plans and return to the six-party talks.
October 9: North Korea says it has conducted its first ever nuclear test.
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