Reuters news agency says North Korea has once again taken out its nuclear bargaining chip to attract the attention of U.S. President-elect Barack Obama.

Citing expert opinions, the news agency said Pyongyang's threats of military action are aimed at coercing the Obama administration into holding direct talks with the communist state.

Reuters said the Obama administration should not expect to see Pyongyang ever fully abandon its nuclear ambitions no matter how many negotiations take place. The key for the North is to maintain its current relationship with the U.S. because peace with its capitalist enemy would invalidate its military regime.

The latest controversy involves the details of Pyongyang's nuclear verification agreement.

North Korea said Wednesday the North Korea-U.S. verification plan does not include provisions on the collection of nuclear samples and is confined to on-site visits, document inspection and interviews with scientists.

The North's position differs from that of the U.S. The U.S. State Department said early last month that the agreement includes all verification aspects Washington has been pursuing.