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July 1, 2010: ROK Foreign Ministry spokesman Kim Young Sun states that South Korea rejects North Korea‟s proposal for direct military talks on the Cheonan incident. July 1, 2010: South Korea turns down North Korea‟s proposal to hold direct military talks concerning the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan, stating that this situation should be dealt with under the Korean Armistice Agreement. July 6, 2010: DPRK refuses to discuss the Cheonan incident with the United Nations Command (UNC) Military Armistice Commission. July 7, 2010: DPRK threatens to start a “death-defying war” if the UN Security Council adopts any statement that blames North Korea for the sinking of the Cheonan. July 8, 2010: China‟s Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang says that China “resolutely opposes” joint naval exercises that South Korea and the US plan to conduct in the Yellow Sea. July 9, 2010: United Nations Security Council releases a Presidential Statement on the sinking of the Cheonan, which condemned the attack but does not directly blame North Korea. July 15, 2010: Military officials from North Korea and UNC hold talks at Panmunjom. July 21, 2010: The inaugural US-South Korea “two plus two” security talks are held in Seoul with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and ROK Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan and Defense Minister Kim Tae-young as lead participants. July 22, 2010: The UNC and North Korea hold a colonel-level meeting in Panmunjom. July 25-28, 2010: The US and South Korea conduct a large-scale naval exercise codenamed Invincible Spirit in the Sea of Japan, that includes the aircraft carrier USS George Washington and 20 other ships and submarines, 100 aircraft, and 8,000 personnel from the US and ROK armed services. July 30, 2010: Military officials from North Korea and the UNC hold their third round of talks since the sinking of the Cheonan. * With assistance from Alex Bartlett, Soo Kook Kim, Jeonhoon Ha, Anna Park, Jenny Jun, and Nick Anderson US-Korea Relations 47 October 2010 Aug. 2, 2010: Special Advisor for Nonproliferation and Arms Control Robert Einhorn and Treasury Deputy Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes Daniel Glaser visit Seoul to discuss new US sanctions on North Korea. Aug. 5, 2010: South Korea kicks off one of its largest-ever naval exercises on in the Yellow Sea near the disputed western sea border with North Korea. Aug. 6, 2010: South Korean government officials express concern that US sanctions on Iran will hurt Korean firms. Aug. 9, 2010: DPRK fires some 130 rounds of artillery into the Yellow Sea near its border with the South. Aug. 10, 2010: A fourth round of talks at Panmunjom ends without progress. Aug. 13, 2010: President Obama issues a statement congratulating the Republic of Korea on the 65th anniversary of its independence from Japan. Aug. 16-26, 2010: South Korea and the US conduct the annual Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) exercise, a computer-based simulation involving about 56,000 ROK and 30,000 US troops. Aug. 25, 2010: Former President Jimmy Carter arrives in Pyongyang on a mission to release Ajalon Gomes detained in North Korea. Aug. 26-28, 2010: China‟s Special Representative on the Korean Peninsula Affairs Wu Dawei visits Seoul to discuss ways to resume the Six-Party Talks. Aug. 27, 2010: Former President Carter leaves North Korea with US detainee Aijalon Gomes. Aug. 30, 2010: President Obama signs an executive order mandating new financial sanctions on North Korea. Sept. 1, 2010: China starts a four-day artillery exercise in waters off Qingdao. Sept. 3, 2010: ROK top nuclear envoy Wi Sung-lac visits Washington and meets US counterparts to discuss the North Korean issue. Sept. 7, 2010: North Korea releases the Southern squid boat Daeseung 55 and its crew of seven on humanitarian grounds. They sail back to Sokcho port. Sept. 8, 2010: ROK Foreign Ministry spokesman Kim Young-sun announces new sanctions on Iran over its disputed nuclear program. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley says that the US welcomes the South Korean government‟s decision to impose sanctions on Iran. US-Korea Relations 48 October 2010 Sept. 12, 2010: US Special Representative for North Korea Policy Stephen Bosworth and US Special Envoy for the Six-Party Talks Sung Kim arrive in Seoul to meet with Shin Kak-soo, the acting foreign minister, and Wi Sung-lac, the ROK‟s chief nuclear envoy. Sept. 13, 2010: North Korea‟s ruling party delays the start of a rare conference of the ruling Workers‟ Party. Sept. 13, 2010: US Special Representative for North Korea Policy Stephen Bosworth and Special Envoy for Six-Party Talks Sung Kim meet Japanese diplomat Akitaka Saiki in Tokyo. Sept. 15, 2010: California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger visits Seoul and calls on the US Congress to pass the KORUS FTA. Sept. 16, 2010: Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee, making it clear that the State Department won‟t get ahead of Seoul in engaging North Korea. Sept. 16, 2010: The Chicago Council on the Global Affairs releases a new report on U.S. attitudes towards the Republic of Korea. Sept. 16, 2010: US Special Representative for North Korea Policy Stephen Bosworth visits Seoul and meets with his counterparts. Sept. 22, 2010: White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says that North Korea will continue to face strong punitive sanctions unless it abides by its commitment to denuclearize. Sept. 27, 2010: South Korea and the US launch joint anti-submarine military exercises in the Yellow Sea. Sept. 27, 2010: Kim Jong-un and Kim Kyong-hui are promoted to the rank of general in the Korean People‟s Army. Sept. 28, 2010: North Korea holds the Workers‟ Party of Korea Conference. Sept. 28, 2010: Kim Jong-un is named Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Korean Workers‟ Party.