N. Korea, the Stalinist state, threatened to nix the much-talked summit between US President Donald Trump and its top leader Kim Jong Un rejecting US’ unilateral demand of relinquishing its nuclear weapons. Along with other officials, Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State has frequently expressed his hope that N. Korea would comply with permanent verifiable denuclearization procedure.
However, N. Korea welcomed eight Korean Journalists to watch the shutdown activities of the first nuclear site named Punggye-ri dated between May 23 and May 25 as a gesture of its sincerity to be completely denuclearized.
But on Wednesday, N. Korea abruptly nixed the predetermined High level inter-Korean talks just hours before its scheduled timing and it strategically posed a threat to the upcoming summit with the US. N. Korea’s first vice Foreign minister Kim Kye-gwan unequivocally stated, ‘The goal of US in marginalizing N Korea by unilaterally forcing to denuclearize makes the north restless whether to attend the proposed summit in Singapore.’  
Responding to US’s fuzzy economic benefit package in exchange of complete denuclearization, Kim Kye-gwan said in the statement that “we have never developed our economy in alignment of the possible investment plan of US and in near future things remain so.
Just early morning of Wednesday, N. Korea nixed the high level inter-Korean talks citing “Max Thunder bilateral training exercise” a pre-arranged military exercise between Seoul and Washington as a “rehearsal of war”.
This was truly intriguing. Kim Jung-Un hinted hinted in his historic visit to South that this pre-set military drill would not happen to be a big issue in the peace dialogue among the stakeholders. He categorically said that he "understands" Seoul and Washington carrying out annual military drills.
Less than month ahead of Pyongyang-Washington summit, Kim Jung-Un who came out from a cave and showed his mysterious willingness for complete denuclearization, could not stop hiding his tail. Now, the regime is saying the Max Thunder exercise is a deliberate military provocation against the North, posing a blatant challenge to the Panmunjeom Declaration," according to  the North's Korea Central News Agency (KCNA).
Discussions in Seoul and concerned countries so far have not pinpointed on Kim Jung Un's plan of killing many birds by one stone. Discussions of how to dismantle N. Korea’s overt nuclear sites have unnoticeably outrun the hidden agenda behind developing nuclear weapons of this secluded regime. One stone of Kim Jung-Un is his nuclear weapons he mendaciously developed. Two broader specific objectives are behind the development of the nuclear assets. one is for the survival of his regime; second one is trading his nuclear power for recovering the fragile economy and global recognition.
Putting some issues aside, a verbal pledge from USA through Seoul that is the security guarantee of the regime was mainly in his agenda in the meeting with Moon Jee-In, president of South Korea. Consequently, hope generated among North and South Koreans. The unfortunate, but the predictable U-turn of Kim Jung-Un gathered some clouds on the light of hope with the cancelation of high level inter–Korean talks.
It is not yet confirmed whether N. Korea will participate in the much-talked Singapore Summit. The days left for the summit to be held would practically be housed of the speculation and tension on the success of arranging the summit.
As days get closer to summit, the unpredictable psychological patterns of this dictator will be manifested either in the overt or covert bargaining deals. Security guarantee for his regime is not last one; he will come out two additional agenda.
One is economy. It is significantly speculated that Kim Jung-Un rationally aspires the concrete promise from U.S. of lifting up all sorts of embargoes attributed on his regime. Without this surety, alternatively saying ignoring these confidence building measures, expecting Kim Jung-Un’s hundred percent sincerity and easy-arrival in Singapore to the summit is simply a gain-less brain exercise.
Centering on how geopolitical risks Kim Jung-Un is strategically taking in the recent times could be the best approach to understand of how he will be using every single bargaining chip before Singapore summit if takes place. We wisely understand that what Kim Jung-Un is doing after being in power, either developing nuclear weapons and threatening to attack U.S.A or being involved in dialogue by trading his nuclear weapons,  his father and grandfather dared not to do the same.
Second one is the withdrawal of U.S. military and its military hardware equipment, if not, at least reducing military boots in Korean Peninsula. The reaction of N. Korea to the Max Thunder, the on-going military drills, delivered a jolt of reality, but it was merely unforeseen as Kim Jung–Un presumably showed a favorable mood to this pre-set military exercise.
The hasty change of Kim Jung-Un’s position is more likely concentrating on two motivations.
One is to gain the lead in the talk with Donald Trump and to put the maximum pressure to get relief from economic embargo, the first additional agenda.
Second one is to placate China and pressurize U.S.A at the same time. The position of China in the newly formed geopolitical equation is definitely not cozy; China is viewing every single bites of it apples and behaving clam and quite with high level of mental agony.
None other than China is enduring the localized agony for the physically absence of the issue of U.S. military withdrawal in Punmunjeom Summit and the on-going issues possibly discussed in Singapore summit. China’s tension for losing influence on N. Korea and controlled resentment just after Panmunjeom summit was manifested in the visit of China’s foreign minister in N. Korea and in that of Kim Jung-Un in China.
Raising the issue of military exercise before Singapore Summit, Kim Jung-Un is killing two birds: one is placating and ensuring China that there is no room for you to be worried for me; other one is pressurizing U.S.A. to withdraw all sorts of embargoes attributed on it. This is how nuclearized N. Korea is exercising denuclearization diplomacy.    

Bijon Sarker is a Political Analyst and Researcher