It is a shame that, despite their repeated, constant claims of commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the key stakeholding countries are once again in danger of looking on with folded arms as Pyongyang pushes the envelope.

Now that the People's Democratic Republic of Korea has conducted its fourth nuclear test and launched another carrier rocket, nuclearization of the peninsula has crossed a dangerous threshold. The threat of a nuclear-armed DPRK is more real than ever.

The stakeholders' conflicting geopolitical agendas and calculations have prevented them from forming a meaningful united front to contain Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions. Further foot-dragging may allow the latter's nuclear program and the security landscape of Northeast Asia to cross a hazardous Rubicon.