North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is trying to exert "flexible diplomacy" to ease the hostility between Pyongyang and Washington through a US basketball delegation's visit, two weeks after the country's third nuclear test drew international condemnation, which sparked discussions in the press about the future relationship between China, the US, and North Korea.

The flamboyant former NBA star is visiting the reclusive Communist state with three members of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team and a Vice film crew, to shoot a documentary for HBO.

Former NBA star Dennis Rodman brought his basketball skills and flamboyant style -- neon-bleached hair, tattoos, nose studs and all -- on Tuesday to the isolated Communist country with possibly the world's drabbest dress code: North Korea. Arriving in Pyongyang, the American athlete and showman known as "The Worm" became an unlikely ambassador for sports diplomacy at a time of heightened tensions between the U.S. and North Korea.

After the latest nuclear experiment conducted by North Korea that consisted of detonating a nuclear device underground close to the Chinese border, more and more Chinese people are having second thoughts in regards to the once tight relationship between the two countries. China is considered to be the biggest supporter of the North Korean state and one of the only friends they have left in world politics.

Some commentators have posited that the test was a signal aimed at China, designed to demonstrate North Korea's independence from its great-power patron. Others think that Kim Jong-un was sending a message to the newly elected president of South Korea, Park Geun-hye. Still other North Korea experts have suggested that the test was actually meant for domestic consumption, to lift the sagging morale of a deprived public or for the regime to curry favor with the military.

Some said that Seoul should seek to bring in tactical weapons and could propose to the North mutual nuclear arms reductions. But others argue the disadvantages of bringing nuclear weapons to the South would outweigh the advantages. They cautioned that Seoul could face strong resistance not only from its ally the US but also from the international community upholding the non-proliferation principle, and that its soft power accumulated through its active participation in global issues such as green growth and anti-piracy efforts would be undermined.

North Korea has reacted defiantly to a new round of United Nations sanctions, saying it will boost its military power and nuclear program. Korean specialist Dr. Leonid Petrov from the Australian National University says the UN Security Council's touch approach on North Korea is a mistake. He told Radio Australia's Connect Asia that instead of making threats, the international community should use soft power on Pyongyang.

The White House was quick to describe the humanitarian mission — led by former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to North Korea Jan. 7 — as “unhelpful.” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland called it “ill advised.” The administration’s reaction shows its main focus is on seeking U.N. Security Council support for sanctions against North Korea because of that country’s long-range missile launches, presumed to be part of a nuclear program.