Scene appears set for a final U.S. proposal to reboot talks before North Korea's deadline

U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun arrived in Seoul on Sunday following the second consecutive DPRK rocket engine test in two weeks, to what can only be described as a “last chance saloon” for U.S.-North Korea talks.

With Friday night’s test plainly linked to the development of Pyongyang’s “strategic nuclear deterrent,” the North’s choice to issue two related statements on Saturday added a final measure of diplomatic pressure before Biegun’s arrival.

Ahead of Kim Jong Un’s December 31 deadline and a forthcoming but extraordinary Plenum – at