April 5, 2013: North Korea moves a medium-range missile to its east coast, according to South Korean government officials.
April 3, 2013: Access to the joint industrial complex of Kaesong is delayed as tensions between the north and the south increase. The complex is an important diplomatic and economic venture for both nations. It lies 10 kilometres inside the border of North Korea.
April 2, 2013: The United States positions a destroyer capable of shooting down missiles off the North Korean coast.
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March 30, 2013: North Korea declares a 'state of war' with South Korea, and warns Seoul and Washington that any provocation will be met with retaliation. The United States said it would take the threat seriously, while South Korea dismissed the claims as renewed posturing.
March 29, 2013: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un orders preparations for strategic rocket strikes on the US mainland and military bases.
March 28, 2013: North Korea cuts its military “hotline” with South Korea, breaking the last direct communication link between the two countries.
March 26, 2013: Media reports from North Korea indicate the military is entering a combat-ready status, with its rockets pointed towards the US mainland.
March 21, 2013: North Korea threatens US military bases in Japan and Guam, but stops short of naming any specific targets.
March 11, 2013: South Korea and the US launch a joint military exercise, prompting North Korea to sever a Red Cross hotline between Seoul and Pyongyang.
March 8, 2013: North Korea scraps peace pacts with the South, as the UN Security Council ramped up sanctions against the rogue state over its nuclear threats.
PAST THREATS AND ACTIONS
Recent escalations between the north and south are just the latest in a historically tense relationship. Although an armistice was signed in 1963 to signal the end of fighting, the Korean War has technically never ended.
Some of the more significant events:
March 29, 2010: North Korea torpedoes a South Korean Navy ship, killing 46 sailors. The Cheonan warship sank after an explosion ripped through its hull. Pyongyang denied involvement in the sinking.
November 23, 2010: One South Korean marine is killed and 13 injured when North Korean artillery shell the border island of Yeonpyeon.
November 19, 1987: A Korean Air passenger jet explodes mid-air after a bomb was placed on board. All 115 people on board were killed. The bomb was later found to have been planted by two North Korean agents.
August 18, 1976: Two US military officers are hacked to death by North Korean soldiers with axes. The incident occurred over a disagreement over a tree that was being chopped down in the Joint Security Area on the border of North and South Korea.
April 15, 1969: A US Navy aircraft is shot down by North Korean aircraft over the Sea of Japan.
