KEI Contributor – Mark Tokola

Ahead of the Summit between President Trump and Kim Jong-un in Hanoi, South Korea's Hankyoreh newspaper quoted KEI Vice President Mark Tokola in an article discussing the merits of partial…

KEI Vice President Mark Tokola spoke with Sky News moments after the White House announced that President Trump and Kim Jong-un will meet for the second time in late February. …

KEI VP Mark Tokola was quoted in a CNN story about North Korea’s overseas workers. Please click here to read the story.

On June 1, NTN 24 News, a Spanish-language TV station that broadcasts across Latin and North America, interviewed Vice President Mark Tokola about Kim Yong Chol's visit to Washington and…

Does the forty-fifth president of the United States, Donald J. Trump, have a foreign policy, not least of all inclusive of the vital Northeast Asian region? The question is not…

With an outbreak of diplomacy under way for the Korean Peninsula, a review of North Korea’s approach to negotiations is timely. A summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and…

For the proverbial visitor from Mars, the political situation in Northeast Asia is inexplicable. Sitting amidst a group of relatively stable, wealthy, and powerful countries, is a small, poor, belligerent…

Today’s relationship between the United States and China is more varied, complex, and cooperative than the accumulation of headlines would lead one to believe. The news media and commentators spotlight…

By Mark Tokola The notion that Korea might be affected by the outcome of the May 7 UK General Election might seem far-fetched. In truth, it would be an exaggeration to say that the outcome is of major significance to South Korea.  However, because it is of some importance, that makes it worthy of some…

By Mark Tokola One March 26th newspaper headline read: “South Korea Seeks Membership in Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.”  Another newspaper’s headline read: “Decision to Join China-Led Bank Tests South Korea’s Ties to U.S.”  The latter probably drew more readers because, face it, stories about multilateral lending institutions rarely stir excitement.  Stories about potential rifts between…

By Mark Tokola Reasonable people, especially people new to looking at policy on the Korean Peninsula, might wonder if the North Koreans may have a valid point when they complain that U.S.-ROK joint military exercises are unnecessarily provocative.  If the goal is to engage in constructive diplomacy, wouldn't it be a good first step for…

By Mark Tokola On Wednesday, January 21, four Korean workers were crushed to death at the Geochung Shipbuilding Company in Busan when the operator’s cabin broke away from a 40-ton crane.  A police officer told the press, “It appears that they were trying to disconnect the cabin without proper safety equipment.”  The police will now…