N. Korea’s Nuclear Weapons Development

A timeline of North Korea’s nuclear weapons development:

* December 2001: President Bush warns Iraq and North Korea they would be “held accountable” if they develop weapons of mass destruction.

* Jan. 29, 2002: Bush labels North Korea, Iran and Iraq an “axis of evil” in his State of the Union address.

* Oct. 16: U.S. officials say North Korea admits having a secret uranium enrichment program, key to development of nuclear weapons.

* Nov. 11: The U.S. and its key Asian allies -- Japan and South Korea -- decide to halt oil supplies to North Korea promised under a 1994 deal.

* Dec. 12: North Korea announces it is reactivating nuclear facilities at Yongbyon that were frozen under the 1994 deal with the United States.

* Jan. 10, 2003: North Korea says it will withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

* Feb. 6: North Korea says it has reactivated its nuclear facilities.

* April 23: U.S. and North Korean envoys begin talks in Beijing to try to resolve standoff.

* April 24: North Korea tells U.S officials privately that it has nuclear weapons and may test, export or use them depending on U.S. actions, according a senior American official. The North reportedly offers to give up its nuclear program in return for large amounts of aid.

* May 12: North Korea withdraws from a 1992 agreement with South Korea to keep the Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons.

* Aug. 27-29: North Korea joins the first round of six-nation talks on its nuclear program in Beijing, which include China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States.

* Feb. 25-28, 2004: Second round of six-nation talks.

* June 23-26: Third round of six-nation talks.

* September: North Korea refuses to attend a planned fourth round of six-party talks, accusing the United States of “hostile” policies toward it.

* Jan. 18, 2005: Secretary of State designate Condoleezza Rice refers to North Korea as one of the “outposts of tyranny” in the world.

* Feb. 2: Bush softens his tone on North Korea, making only one reference to it in his State of the Union address: “We are working closely with governments in Asia to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions.”

* Feb. 10: North Korea announces in a Foreign Ministry statement that it has nuclear weapons, says it is staying away from six-nation talks.