It's an international chess game.

NK gets nukes
US+World sanction
NK gets long range missiles
US sends over a few more warships near NK waters
NK threatens US+ Allies with nukes
US promises to retailiate in kind
NK wants to join the Winter Olympics
NK calls SK via DMZ hotline (first time in more than 2 years)
NK joins the Winter Olympics
NK invites SK president to visit
US more sanctions on NK shipping trading
SK officials goes to NK, meets with Kim
NK says okay to talk to US about denuclearization
Trump agrees to meet Kim
Kim goes to China for the first time to talk to Xi
CIA Director goes to NK

From there on, it will most likely be:

Trump and Kim becomes best friends
Trump takes sole credit of solving NK Peninsula issue
Kim and Xi secretely laughs at Trump
US eases most sanctions against NK
NK improves just enough to quell internal strife

NK emerges as a nuclear country friendly to the US.