Following the recent launch of several short-range missiles test from 2020-2021 by North Korea, observers are worrying about whether Pyongyang will go back to war or play the brinkmanship game, to increase its bargaining chips. But recent reports suggest the regime of Kim Jong-un may have dozens of nuclear warheads in its arsenal. Looking into the nature, however, it can be identified as a typical balance-of-power case. This paper argues that, although there have not been any substantial agreements on denuclearization, the current condition, or stall perhaps, can be taken as the result of interactions among the US and the two Koreas. This paper concludes that given the lack of progress after three summits, a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula still has a long way to go. What can be assured is tentative de-escalation of the conflict on the Peninsula. The resolution of North Korea’s nuclear weapons seems to have returned to the US old policy. The United States has not regarded the North Korea nuclear issue as its top priority during the US-China strategic competition. A summit between Biden and Kim Jong-un will not be held in the short term before North Korea has expressed its attitude towards the US-South Korea joint statement and close cooperation.

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