Were the latest North Korean attacks aimed at forcing peace on the peninsula? It may be an ugly paradox but it's also a legitimate theory, according to some longtime North Korea watchers - after Pyongyang called for the United States to pave the way for a peace agreement last week.

That means US President Barack Obama is faced with the tough decision of calling North Korea's bluff, as the world calls on him and China president Hu Jintao to find a way beyond the seething status quo when they meet in Washington on Wednesday.