A chronology of key events:
1945 - After World War II, Japanese occupation ends with Soviet troops occupying area north of the 38th parallel, and US troops in the south.
South Korean veterans mark the anniversary of the Korean War In Depth: The Korean War
1948 - Republic of Korea proclaimed.
1950 - South declares independence, sparking North Korean invasion.
1953 - Amistice ends Korean War, which has cost two million lives.
1950s - South sustained by crucial US military, economic and political support.
1960 - President Syngman Ree steps down after student protests against electoral fraud. New constitution forms Second Republic, but political freedom remains limited.
Coup
1961 - Military coup puts General Park Chung-hee in power.
1963 - General Park restores some political freedom and proclaims Third Republic. Major programme of industrial development begins.
1972 - Martial law. Park increases his powers with constitutional changes.
After secret North-South talks, both sides seek to develop dialogue aimed at unification.
Kwangju massacre: Hundreds died as troops fired on 1980 rally 2005: Lingering legacy of Korean massacre
1979 - Park assassinated. General Chun Doo-hwan assumes power.
1980 - Martial law declared after student demonstrations. In the city of Kwangju at least 200 killed by the army, causing resentment that has yet to fade. Fifth republic and new constitution.
1981 - Chun indirectly elected to a seven year term. Martial law ends, but government continues to have strong powers to prevent dissent.
1986 - Constitution is changed to allow direct election of the president.
Return to democracy
1980s - Increasing shift towards high-tech and computer industry.
1987 - President Chun pushed out of office by student unrest and international pressure in the build-up to the Sixth constitution. Roh Tae-woo succeeds Chun, grants greater degree of political liberalisation and launches anti-corruption drive.
DEMILITARISED ZONE
1988 - Olympic games in Seoul. First free parliamentary elections.
1991 - North and South Korea join the United Nations.
1993 - Roh succeeded by Kim Young Sam, a former opponent of the regime and the first civilian president.
1995 - Corruption and treason charges against Roh Tae-woo and Chun Doo-hwan.
1996 North Korean submarine runs aground in South, 11 crew found shot dead in apparent mass suicide and 13 killed by South Korean forces during massive search operation.
South Korea admitted to Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.
1998 - Kim Dae-jung sworn in as president and pursues "sunshine policy" of offering unconditional economic and humanitarian aid to North Korea.
South Korea captures North Korean mini-submarine in its waters. Nine crew inside found dead.
Landmark summit
Labour unrest flares up regularly 2003: Korea's president takes on big business
2000 June - Summit in Pyongyang between Kim Jong-il and South Korean President Kim Dae-jung. North stops propaganda broadcasts against South.
2000 August - Border liaison offices re-open at truce village of Panmunjom.
South Korea gives amnesty to more than 3,500 prisoners.
One hundred North Koreans meet their relatives in the South in a highly-charged, emotional reunion.
Kim Dae-jung awarded Nobel Peace Prize.
2001 - Opening of Incheon International airport, built on tidal land off port of Incheon.
2002 March - Group of 25 North Koreans defect to South Korea through Spanish embassy in Beijing, highlighting plight of tens of thousands hiding in China after fleeing famine, repression in North.
Naval battle
2002 June - Battle between South Korean and North Korean naval vessels along their disputed sea border leaves four South Koreans dead and 19 wounded. Thirty North Koreans are thought to have been killed.
Kim Dae-jung: Former president won Nobel Peace Prize 2002: Kim Dae-jung's tainted legacy
2002 December - Roh Moo-hyun, from governing Millennium Democratic Party, wins closely-fought presidential elections.
2003 October - Biggest mass crossing of demilitarised zone since Korean War: Hundreds of South Koreans travel to Pyongyang for opening of gymnasium funded by South's Hyundai conglomerate.
2004 February - Parliament approves controversial dispatch of 3,000 troops to Iraq.
Impeachment
2004 March-May - President Roh Moo-hyun suspended after parliament votes to impeach him over breach of election rules and for incompetence. In May the Constitutional Court overturns the move and President Roh is reinstated.
2004 June - US proposes to cut by a third its troop presence. Opposition raises security fears over the plan.
Dispute over Dokdo, known as Takeshima in Japan, sours ties 2005: South Koreans vent fury at Japan
2004 August - Yeongi-Kongju area selected as site for new capital, to replace Seoul by 2030.
2004 September - South Korea admits that its scientists carried out an experiment to enrich uranium in 2000. In November the UN's nuclear watchdog rebukes Seoul but decides not to refer the matter to the Security Council.
2004 December - Parliament votes to extend the deployment of South Korean troops in Iraq.
2005 March - Japan restates its claim to a small group of islands whose sovereignty is disputed by Seoul and Tokyo. South Korea says the move seriously damages relations.
2005 June - Kim Woo-choong, the fugitive former head of Daewoo, returns and is arrested for his role in the industrial giant's $70bn-plus collapse. In May 2006 he is sentenced to 10 years in jail.
2005 December - South Koreans are shocked by revelations that cloning scientist and national hero Dr Hwang Woo-suk faked landmark research on stem cell research. He goes on trial in June 2006, charged with misusing funding.
2006 February - South Korea and the US launch talks on a free trade agreement, potentially the largest free trade deal involving the US in Asia.
South Korean at UN helm
2006 October - Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon is appointed as the UN's new secretary-general. He takes office in January 2007, becoming the first UN chief to disclose his finances publicly.
2006 November - Government approves one-year extension of military mission in Iraq.
2006 December - Prosecutors charge five people with spying for North Korea in the largest such case since the political reconciliation of the two Koreas in 2000.
Trains from North and South crossed the border in 2007 Korean trains in historic link-up
2007 February - South and North Korea agree to restart high-level talks suspended since July 2006 in wake of North's nuclear test.
Head of the largest South Korean car maker, Hyundai, is jailed for three years for embezzlement.
South Korea agrees with US to assume operational control of its own military forces, in the event of war, from 2012.
2007 April - South Korea and the US agree on a free-trade deal after 10 months of talks.
Thaw gathers pace
2007 May - Passenger trains cross the North-South border for the first time in 56 years.
2007 May - Group of 23 South Korean church workers is taken hostage in Afghanistan.
2007 October - The presidents of North and South Korea pledge at a summit to seek talks to formally end the Korean war.
2007 November - Prime ministers from North and South Korea meet for the first time in 15 years.
2007 December - Lee Myung-bak wins landslide victory in presidential election.
2008 February - The country's greatest cultural treasure, the Namdaemun Gate, is destroyed by fire.
Thaw stalls
2008 April - North Korea hits out at new South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, warning that his tough stance could lead to "catastrophic consequences".
President Lee's Grand National Party wins a slim majority in parliament.
2008 May - Announcement that US beef imports are to be resumed as part of free trade deal sparks weeks of street protests. Seoul blocked most imports of US beef in 2003 because of fears over BSE.
2008 June - Faced with plummeting approval ratings, President Lee issues public apology for failing to heed public concerns.
2008 July - First shipment of US beef in five years arrives after Seoul negotiates further safeguards in its import deal with Washington, in response to street protests.
North Korean soldier shoots South Korean woman in the North's Mount Kumgang special tourism area, leading to tensions between the two sides.
Financial crisis
2008 October - South Korean banks become vulnerable to global credit crisis as result of having taken on high levels of foreign debt. Government announces $130bn financial rescue package to shore up banking system and stabilise markets.
2008 November - North Korea tells South Korea to halt traffic across the land border from 1 December due to what it says is a policy of "confrontation" from Seoul.
2009 January - North Korea says it is scrapping all military and political deals with the South over its "hostile intent", as ties worsen.
2009 February - South Korea's central bank cuts interest rates to a record low, amid forecasts that the economy is likely to suffer its first annual contraction for more than 10 years.
2009 August - Former South Korean president Kim Dae-jung dies; North Korea sends a senior delegation to Seoul to pay its respects.
In further sign of thaw in relations, North Korea announces easing of restrictions on cross-border traffic, and talks on family reunions - suspended since early 2008 - restart.
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