Tonight’s Presidential press conference touched on three hot nuclear-diplomacy issues: engaging Iran, launching post-START talks with Russia, and strengthening the nonproliferation treaty regime.

One subject not touched on was North Korea. Intriguingly, though, a revolving procession of U.S. academics and think-tankers in and out of Pyongyang is now underway, with each delegation followed shortly by the next, or so it seems. Two such delegations are mentioned here, and I’ve also heard of another.

This isn’t exactly Track II diplomacy, since the NK interlocutors are government officials — call it Track I and Half.

This sort of thing has been going on for years, actually, but the pace seems to have picked up. The recently concluded visit led by Stephen Bosworth of Tufts University may be of special interest, since he’s allegedly in line to be a special envoy to North Korea.

Update: The reports about Bosworth appear to be pure speculation and rumor.

Update II: Now Bosworth supposedly will be a part-time envoy.

This year’s top wonk memento has got to be an Air Koryo air sickness bag.