Navigation in a New Era: Opportunities & Challenges in U.S.–Korea Relations

Navigation in a New Era: Opportunities & Challenges in U.S.-Korea-China Relations

Panel: Dr. Min Jeonghun, The Korea National Diplomatic Academy; Mark Tokola, The Korea Economic Institute of America

Dr. Min Jeonghun is a Professor in the Department of American Studies at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA).  He is interested in the US-China strategic competition, ROK-US relations, North Korea-US relations, and American Politics. He is a policy adviser to the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Unification of the Republic of Korea. Dr. MIN received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Georgia

Mark Tokola is Vice President of the Korea Economic Institute of America in Washington, DC. A retired U.S. Senior Foreign Service Officer, his last posting was as Minister Counselor for Political Affairs at the US Embassy in London. He had served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the American Embassies in Seoul, Republic of Korea; Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; and Reykjavik, Iceland.

Opening Remarks: Lim Jungtaek, Consul General of The Republic of Korea in San Francisco. A career diplomat with over 30 years of experience, he has served in Korean missions in Malaysia, Ireland, Ghana, India, the United Nations, and the OECD. He was formerly the Ambassador to Ghana and held senior positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. He holds a B.A. in Economics from Yonsei University and an M.A. in International Studies from the University of Connecticut.

Moderator: Suisheng Zhao, a Professor and Director of the Center for China-US Cooperation at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver. A Campbell National Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, he is the founder and editor of the Journal of Contemporary China and the author and editor of over two dozen books and hundreds of academic articles. His most recent book, The Dragon Roars Back: Transformational Leaders and Dynamics of Chinese Foreign Policy (Stanford University Press, 2023, was named one of “Best of Books 2024” by Foreign Affairs magazine. He received his Ph.D. in political science from the University of California, San Diego, an M.A. in Sociology from the University of Missouri, and a BA and M.A. in economics from Peking University.