More worryingly, the US and the ROK started formal talks on Friday on the deployment in the ROK of a sophisticated US missile defense system, also known as the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense.

This is a rather dangerous move, because it will heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula and hamper the peninsula's denuclearization process. Given the multitude of uncertainties and sophisticated issues involved, relevant parties should refrain from conducting military drills in the region — this is very important for laying the groundwork for peaceful dialogues, especially when harsher sanctions have been imposed on the DPRK.

The continued consolidation of the US' military alliance with the ROK and expansion of its strategic deployment on the peninsula will only prompt the DPRK to go to extremes to confront, which will undermine other regional players' efforts at diplomatic meditation.

China, for instance, has given up some of its economic interests to push through the passage of the latest UN sanctions on the DPRK, which are designed to limit the country's nuclear capabilities. But Washington's increasingly aggressive approach, to some extent, has offset Beijing's hard work and the UN's efforts to maintain the nuclear non-proliferation mechanism.

Restoring regional peace and stability requires more concerted international efforts, not one-sided provocative actions. Therefore, all parties concerned should work closely to resume the Six-Party Talks, the indefinitely stalled multilateral dialogue mechanism, as well as the establishment of a peace mechanism in the region.

The author is an associate researcher at the Center for Northeast Asian Studies in Jilin province.