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26 March: South Korean warship, Cheonan, sinks, killing 46 sailors. 20 May: Panel says a North Korean torpedo sank the ship; Pyongyang denies involvement. July-September: South Korea and US hold military exercises; US places more sanctions on Pyongyang. 29 September: North holds rare party congress seen as part of father-to-son succession move. 29 October: Troops from North and South Korea exchange fire across the land border. 12 November: North Korea shows US scientist new - undeclared - uranium enrichment facility. 23 November: North shells island of Yeonpyeong, killing at least four South Koreans . 27 Nov-1 Dec: South Korea and US hold joint military drills. 6-12 Dec: South Korea stages live-fire military exercises

Newly appointed South Korean defense minister Kim Kwan-jin took office Saturday and vowed a strong military response that would force rival North Korea to surrender if it attacks the South again. Newly appointed Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin salutes during his inauguration ceremony at the South Korean Defense Ministry in Seoul on Saturday, "If North Korea carries out a military provocation on our territory and people again, we must retaliate immediately and strongly until they completely surrender," Kim Kwan-jin said in a speech Saturday to senior military officials. Kim also called for military readiness, saying North Korea would plot new provocations. He later visited the island targeted by the North Korean attack and vowed to take strong measures to ensure North Korea would not dare to make more provocations. He said the military would quickly hold firing drills if the weather permits, according to the Yonhap news agency. Before this, during a confirmation he