Trump has said the US may have no choice but to "totally destroy" North Korea over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. Last year, the communist regime carried out numerous tests in pursuit of a nuclear-tipped missile capable of striking the mainland US.

Pak, currently the SK-Korea Foundation chair in Korea studies at the Brookings Institution, said both South and North Korea are concerned about the possibility of a military conflict on the peninsula.

But she also suggested North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had a personal interest in sending a delegation to the Feb. 9-25 Games in South Korea's alpine town of PyeongChang.

"There's also a reason that Kim Jong-un developed these ski resorts," she said, referring to the resorts in the North. "He's a sports fan, too. There might have been a desire to participate in the Olympics and to show the skills of the orchestra, the skills and the beauty of the dancers, and use this as a platform."

North Korea has said it will send artists to perform during the Games, a move analysts say is meant to improve its global image. (Yonhap)