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September 19, 2026Sep 19, 2026

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Mintaro Oba

Mintaro Oba

Mintaro Oba is a contributing analyst to NK Pro. He is a former Korea Desk Officer at the U.S. Department of State and has served in governmental roles in the Biden-Harris and Obama-Biden Administrations, as well as at the International Monetary Fund.

More articles by 'Mintaro Oba'

Trump-Kim diplomacy may look unlikely. Seoul should prepare anyway

Trump-Kim diplomacy may look unlikely. Seoul should prepare anyway

South Korea needs stronger political ‘scaffolding’ before another US-DPRK summit becomes a real possibility

Trump-Kim diplomacy may look unlikely. Seoul should prepare anyway
Mintaro Oba
Mintaro Oba September 10, 2026
How Lee’s foreign policy team will manage Trump’s volatile North Korea approach
NK PRO

How Lee’s foreign policy team will manage Trump’s volatile North Korea approach

Experienced advisers helped ROK president avoid clash at first summit, with public diplomacy key to long-term success

How Lee’s foreign policy team will manage Trump’s volatile North Korea approach
Mintaro Oba
Mintaro Oba September 2, 2025
What US-North Korea policy will look like if Joe Biden gets elected president
NK PRO

What US-North Korea policy will look like if Joe Biden gets elected president

A Biden White House would likely do a "factory reset" back to the Obama-era approach for dealing with Pyongyang

What US-North Korea policy will look like if Joe Biden gets elected president
Mintaro Oba
Mintaro Oba August 10, 2020
Great expectations: four ways a Trump-Kim meeting could happen in 2020
NK PRO

Great expectations: four ways a Trump-Kim meeting could happen in 2020

From “go big or go home” to a more symbolic meeting, here's how another DPRK-U.S. summit could pan out

Great expectations: four ways a Trump-Kim meeting could happen in 2020
Mintaro Oba
Mintaro Oba July 14, 2020
From Voice of America to Voice of Trump? The future of U.S. radio in North Korea
NK PRO

From Voice of America to Voice of Trump? The future of U.S. radio in North Korea

In order to effectively bring about change in North Korea, the U.S. must avoid hyper-political programming

From Voice of America to Voice of Trump? The future of U.S. radio in North Korea
Mintaro Oba
Mintaro Oba July 3, 2020
John Bolton’s impact on North Korea policy: nasty, brutish, and short

John Bolton’s impact on North Korea policy: nasty, brutish, and short

The former national security advisor's memoir reveals just how damaging his influence really was.

John Bolton’s impact on North Korea policy: nasty, brutish, and short
Mintaro Oba
Mintaro Oba June 22, 2020
Five ways the U.S. could respond to recent tensions on the Korean peninsula
NK PRO

Five ways the U.S. could respond to recent tensions on the Korean peninsula

Washington can do very little to respond to Pyongyang's provocations this time, especially give the looming election

Five ways the U.S. could respond to recent tensions on the Korean peninsula
Mintaro Oba
Mintaro Oba June 18, 2020
Fail to prepare, prepare to fail: getting ready for instability in North Korea
NK PRO

Fail to prepare, prepare to fail: getting ready for instability in North Korea

Plans don't always go to plan, and flexibility is needed to deal with a variety of potential scenarios in the DPRK

Fail to prepare, prepare to fail: getting ready for instability in North Korea
Mintaro Oba
Mintaro Oba May 22, 2020
How the United States can get the upper hand in talks with North Korea
NK PRO

How the United States can get the upper hand in talks with North Korea

Washington must be realistic about what it hopes to achieve in the short-term

How the United States can get the upper hand in talks with North Korea
Mintaro Oba
Mintaro Oba August 20, 2019
U.S.-North Korea diplomacy: how to move beyond missed opportunities
NK PRO

U.S.-North Korea diplomacy: how to move beyond missed opportunities

The rhetorical gap between Trump and his advisors has stymied talks for months — that needs to change

U.S.-North Korea diplomacy: how to move beyond missed opportunities
Mintaro Oba
Mintaro Oba June 17, 2019
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