North Korea Missile Launches, Nuclear Detonations: Timeline

by Dramelin 8:00 PM 0 comments

The North Korean weapons program now testing U.
President Donald Trump stretches back decades, when the regime began reverse-engineering Scud missiles acquired from Egypt.
International efforts to curb North Korea’s nuclear threat were dealt a setback in 2006 with the country’s first successful bomb test, and former leader Kim Jong Il abandoned talks a few years later.
His son and successor, Kim Jong Un, has only accelerated the program, testing more sophisticated technology in defiance of international sanctions.
Here’s a detailed history of North Korea’s weapons programs: 1976-81: North Korea begins missile development using Scud-B from the Soviet Union and launchpad from Egypt 1984: First Scud-B missile test firing 1988: Operational deployment of Scud-B and Scud-C missiles 1990: First Rodong missile test firing July 1994: North Korea’s founding leader Kim Il Sung dies, allowing son and heir Kim Jong Il to assume full leadership 1998: Operational deployment of Rodong missiles, which have a range of 1,300 kilometers (800 miles).
Firing of Taepodong-1 missile, which North Korea says was satellite launch January 2002: U.
President George W.
Bush cites weapons programs in placing North Korea alongside Iran and Iraq in an “axis of evil”  2003: North Korea withdraws from the Non-Proliferation Treaty, begins acquiring weapons-grade plutonium from spent fuel rods.
First so-called six-party talks held to resolve concerns over the country’s activities, including China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the U.
2005: North Korea announces possession of nuclear weapons and its withdrawal from six-party talks aimed at ending its atomic program July 2006: Test firings of Taepodong-2, Rodong and Scud missiles.
The Taepodong-2 is a long-range missile that capable of traveling 15,000 kilometers and striking U.
Even so, analysts say it’s mostly used to launch satellites and would be difficult to convert into a rocket that can deliver weapons October 2006: The official Korean Central News Agency announces a “successful nuclear test” 2007: Operational deployment of Rodong missiles April 2009: Firing of Taepodong-2 missile, which North Korea says was satellite launch.
United Nations strengthens sanctions and North Korea withdraws from six-party talks May 2009: North Korea carries out second nuclear test July 2009: Test-firing of Scud and Rodong missiles December 2011: North Korean leader Kim Jong Il dies, clearing way for Kim Jong Un to take power April 2012: North Korea reports failed Unha-3 rocket launch December 2012: North Korea launches Unha-3 rocket that puts its first satellite into space February 2013: North Korea conducts third underground nuclear test August 2013: North Korea reported to have restarted nuclear reactor to produce plutonium May 2015: North Korea claims to have tested a submarine-launched missile; says it developed technology to mount nuclear warhead on a missile July 2014: North Korea conducts series of missile tests ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Seoul September 2015: North Korea threatens nuclear attack against U.
and reaffirms its main reactor is operational.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye says North will “pay a price” for fourth test December 2015: Kim Jong Un says North Korea is “ready to detonate” a hydrogen bomb Jan.
6, 2016: North Korea says it successfully tests hydrogen bomb Feb.
7, 2016: North Korea launches a long-range rocket that it says successfully put a satellite into orbit Aug.
24, 2016: North Korea successfully launches a ballistic missile from a submarine Sept.
5, 2016: North Korea fires three ballistic missiles about 1,000 kilometers, at least one of which entered Japan’s air defense zone Sept.
9, 2016: North Korea conducts fifth nuclear test Oct.
16, 2016: North Korea fires a ballistic missile that immediately explodes after launch Feb.
12, 2017: North Korea fires an intermediate-range Pukguksong-2 ballistic missile into nearby seas, drawing a joint rebuke from Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who were meeting in Florida March 6, 2017: North Korea fires four ballistic missiles, with three falling into Japan’s exclusive economic zone April 16, 2017: North Korea fired an unidentified ballistic missile that exploded almost immediately after launch, defying warnings from the Trump administration to avoid any further provocations.