Seoulite xx issue 2 by Seoulite

SEOULITE XX feature: international implications of trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s asia tour and foreign policies

2017 THEME: Global Populism and National Identity ISSUE 2 November 12 2017

SEOULITE 2017 STAFF

Editors-in-Chief

Advisor

Marie Park, Alice Lee

David Coleman

Managing Editor

Reporters

Justin Chang

Sarah Jung, Dawn Kim, Yejune Park, Fiona Cho, Lyme Cho, Sia Cho, Eric Hwang (9), Alice Lee (10), Kate Lee, Samuel Oh, Min Chiang, Steven Chung, Eric Hwang (10), Wendy Kang, Emly Oh, Hannah Yoo

Assistant Editor Kirsten Huh Layout Editor Jiwon Chung Photo Editor Andrew Lee

Layout Artists Jaywon Yi, Andrew Kim, Catherine Cho, Eugene Song, Eddie Hahm, Erin Lee, Seoyun Yoo, Christine Lee Photographers Joanne Lee, Yujin Lim, Katie Ahn, Brian Chun, Anna Ganus, Allyson Kim, Angela Ahn, Eileen Kwon, Yunseo Jung

SEOULITE 2017

Letter from the

editors Hello Delegates,

We are the editors of Seoulite, the official press publication of SEOMUN. We are honored to serve delegates, chairs, advisers, administrative staff members, directors, and other participants throughout the SEOMUN conference. It is our utmost hope that all delegates have fruitful debates on various worldly topics and that they learn something new from this conference that they had previously been unaware of. Over the next three days, our team of reporters, layout artists, and photographers will be creating a total of four issues of Seoulite. We will not only document the heated debates and potential remedies to global crises, but also capture the new friendships that were formed throughout this conference. We would like to ask the delegates and chairs for two things: First, please pick up our carefully made issues every day and read through the pages--we promise to fill our issues with interest content ranging from migrant crises to nuclear proliferation along with a couple pages of pure, simple entertainment. Second, when a press member approaches you for an interview, please cooperate--feel free to offer staff members your uncensored and personal opinions. We wish all delegates the best of luck-- Happy SEOMUN XX! Editors in Chief Marie Park, Alice Lee

SEOULITE 2017

Blast from the Past

by Kirsten Huh

The challenge of gun violence has always been a major concern. Over the span of just the past two years, the two deadliest mass shootings in America erupted: the shootings in Orlando in 2016 and in Las Vegas 2017. These devastating events resulted in a total of 107 deaths, tearing the hearts of millions. On June 12, 2016 in Orlando, a frightening attack in a gay nightclub, Pulse, broke out. Omar Mateen gunned down the crowds in the nightclub for three hours until he was shot dead by the Orlando Police Department officers. After announcing his allegiance to the Islamic State (IS), the shooter claimed to have initiated the killing because of America’s interventions in Syria and Iraq.

Reports from FT illustrate that the American citizens have polarizing views on the issue, generally divided along the party lines of Democrats and the Republicans. While many Republicans demand that it is necessary to protect the rights of citizens to own guns, many Democrats oppose them with claims to regulate gun ownership. This split indicates that the challenge of mass shootings will be difficult to resolve in the near future. The problem of mass shootings has been continuing over the past few decades with great controversy surrounding the issue. However the challenge must be tackled immediately, as the current situation demonstrates that there will certainly be obstacles in the way to a better America.

Nearly one year after the Pulse shooting, another mass shooting in Las Vegas occurred. Stationed in a hotel room on the 32nd floor, high enough to initiate the shooting, perpetrator Stephen Paddock fired at the masses of people enjoying the Route 91 Harvest music festival. After the shooting, Paddock pulled the trigger on himself and was found dead in the hotel room by the police. It is important to note that, though shootings are prevalent throughout the world, no other nation has civilian gun ownership and shooting rates as high as America. According to the Small Arms Survey and the Guardian, Americans own 48 percent of the 650 million civilian-owned guns worldwide, and there are mass shootings every nine out of ten days in America. On the other hand, Australia has not had a single mass shooting for 20 years. Canada, too, rarely has shootings—in the past two years, there have been just three. This stark difference between the nations has sparked intense debate from the US public concerning the gun control policies of America.

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Faux by Justin Chang

The recent release of new documents concerning the JFK assassination has re-sparked controversy theories on the final minutes of the former President’s life. The files have also brought to light every and all mysteries throughout history. In one of the more shocking sections of the document, the Harry Potter series has been revealed to be based on truth. According to J.K. Rowling, who was newly revealed to be a witch, magic is prevalent in today’s society and has influenced international politics for decades. In fact, Harry Potter was a dear friend of hers who killed Voldemort nearly two decades ago. “I’m real,” said Harry Potter, renowned wizard. “I killed Voldemort.” Along similar lines, fiction came to life again when it was revealed that Star Wars was also a documentation of the truth. Reports suggest that Darth Vader, sith lord, was an estranged father who had to leave his two children due to financial concerns. In addition, Vader has revealed that he was unable to have children, and therefore neither Luke nor Leia Skywalker his biological children.

after the recent President’s election, they have determined that neither Earth nor humanity was worth any of their efforts and therefore left in peace. In the political sphere, secrets about both former President Barack Obama and current President Donald Trump have been revealed. Obama was a long term member of Illuminati, a secret organization whose objective is to secure the long term survival of the human race, and has been affiliated with the organization since his early years in Kenya, in addition to being a lizard. Trump has also been revealed to be a silicon based organism originating from the Russian Federation. Due to these documents, the people of the world are currently protesting against their governments in a bid to overthrow those in power. Chaos reigns in the streets as many try and fail to comprehend this new reality. As every previously held belief, all knowledge, and the world is put into question, the worlds of citizens all over the world have been turned upside down.

“Luke,” Vader said. “I’m not actually your father.” The new document also revealed that the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything is 42. For those pursuing the true meaning of life, the answer was apparently only a calculator away. Aliens are also real creatures who have visited the Earth for centuries. They assisted humanity as they built the pyramids, invented the wheel, and discovered plutonium. However, after seeing the desperate state of humanity

SEOULITE 2017

GA 1 Experiences A Heated Clash by Samuel Oh

The current build-up of public debt in the European Union (EU) has been a significant issue. Unable to repay their financial debts without the assistance of third-parties and unable to fund their budget deficites at sustainble interest rates, Eurozone member states, specifically Portugal, Ireland, Greece, and Spain, have been forced into taking emergency loans from other Eurozone countries, the EU government, and the International Monetary Fund. Taking this into account, Eileen Jeong, delegate of Botswana, submitted a resolution outlining numerous potential solutions to this issue, where it was met with challenge and a call for reform.

sis is that countries are in debt. I would also like to mention that if we keep pouring money to countries that are in debt, they will keep spending and this will lead to another debt crisis.”

Some delegates emphasized that the subclauses regarding the renewal of unemployment policies were not specific enough, as they failed to discuss detailed measures that would be taken to actaully assure the outcome of the solution. In response, delegates proposed solutions that would help increase the specifiity.

“I believe that the economic model the Swiss government is using should be implemeneted within the EU,” said April Yoon, delegate of Switzerland. “Even though it can not be enforced as of right now and may not be a feasible short-term solution, it can be a sucess in the long-term because it will allow for free trade and movement, greater parternships, and ultimately improve the economy.”

“Reducing occupational immobility is not specific enough to show how it will be able to counter austerity measures more effectively” said Riya Devgan, delegate of Republic of Korea. “Because there are already a lot of committes that are being suggested to be created in the resolution, it could possibly also cover specific ways to decrease unemployment.”

Still other delegates called for more radical measures to be taken. They believed that the EU’s implementation of a new economic model would be beneficial to the countries currently suffering from the debt crisis in the long-term, despite the fact that it could cripple the EU economy in the short run due to it requiring amending EU policies or even possible secssion of European unions.

Despite a long session of amendments, the resolution neverthless failed to pass with six votes for and 24 votes against it.

Other delegates had different issues with the resolution. They claimed that, depsite the resolution having some potential, subclauses involving job unemployment and stepping in for countries in serious debt lacked not only in feasibility and practiacility, but also in being more effective solutions than those implemented before. “The delegate of Botswana mentioned that the UN has infinite funding and that this issue is not regarding financial concerns,” said Hyejun Ahn, delegate of Ukraine. “However, I strongly believe that this itself is unrealistic when the whole point of this cri-

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Failed universal health cover age initiative by Emily Oh

Deeply disturbed by the fact that over 400 million people in the world still lack access to basic healthcare and unsatisfied with organizations such as the Word Health Organization (WHO), delegates of General Assembly 2 (GA2) gathered to discuss the resolution proposed by Sohit Gatiganti, delegate of the Republic of Turkey targeting the issue of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Sohit recognized that many underlying health care risk factors are associated with social and economic conditions, and therefore provided social and economic protection mechanisms in his resolution. While presenting his resolution, Sohit encouraged other delegates to acknowledge that healthcare is a basic human right for all individuals regardless of their financial status. “We must recognize that health care is not just another commodity in the market,” Sohit said. “It is not a gift that should be given to those who can pay for it. It is time to make UHC a national priority. Though there are multiple ways to tackle this issue, this resolution provides a reasonable, efficient, and straightforward solution. There is no reason to be against this very implementable resolution designed to save lives. In other words, going against this resolution would simply be inhumane.”

Some delegates opposed the resolution, claiming that there were some aspects remained too impractical. “This resolution is a mere repetition of the status quo,” said Sungho Park, delegate of the United Mexican States. “The delegate simply talked about education, believing that educating certain individuals will suddenly and instantly turn them into professional doctors and bring an end to the lack of doctors, but this is not how health care systems work. In addition, the delegate talked about increasing income taxes without thinking of the ramification when the increase of income taxes take place. This resolution simply relies on new systems and new committees that have repeatedly failed, hence, passing it is pointless.” Other delegates’ stances on the resolution were similar, if not completely identical, those of Sungho Park. “The resolution was far too general,” said Hannah Lee, delegate of the Russian Federation. “The clauses alongside the subclauses were quite repetitive as well. If the resolution conveyed more specific and concrete evidences and objectives, then I believe the resolution could have passed in the end.” With thirteen votes for and twenty four against, the resolution ultimately did not pass.

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The Security Council Supports Easement of Blockade by Hannah Yoo

On the second day of SEOMUN, the Security Council (SC) continued to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip, which put Egypt, Israel, and Palestine in complex situations. The delegate of the Russian Federation proposed that the Israel should support a weaker blockade, but still allow for its continued existence by allowing certain Gaza residents such as physicians and ill patients to leave the area and give Gaza access to resources. “By passing the resolution we are trying to stress the importance of looking at both sides of the conflict,” Jason said. “I strongly support the Gaza Strip, but the delegate of United States of America who is pro Israel, has different opinions. We had to compromise since Russia considers the laws to be a territorial organization and America does. We had to construct the resolution carefully in order to make the message neutral.” As the third resolution was conferred, Jason Hyun, delegate of Japan, made an amendment that Israel does not abide by the clause, and that Israel would face consequences in forms of diplomatic, military, and economic sanctions. The delegate emphasized the fact that Hamas should be sanctioned and that the relocation of refugees should be the first priority.

“I think that restricting the flow of refugees in the region of Gaza has nothing to do with religious freedom, even if a lot of religious people to come in and out of Gaza, which contains very sacred areas such as Jerusalem,” Jason said. “However, I think that the well being of refugees are more relevant to our topic than religious freedom in general.” Although the majority showed support for this amendment, there were also delegates who were against the delegate of Japan. Carissa Wu, delegate of Senegal, broke down the amendment in detail mentioning that economic sanctions were ineffective in the face of Israel’s economic power. “The Palestine conflict is a conflict of enormous humanitarian weight,” Carissa said. “However, I believe that many countries will not be willing to sacrifice their economic trade in order to further this clause, because there are other ways to help these people.” With eight vote for and four votes against, the resolution passed. The delegate of the Russian Federation succeeded in asserting his resolution about the easing of sanctions to the delegates of the SC.

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ECOSOC I addresses the exploitation of migrant worerS by Kate Lee

Delegates of ECOSOC I opened the day’s debate with a resolution proposed by Joyce Lim, delegate of the United Kingdom, emphasizing the need to create an incentive-based working system with stricter amendments to prevent the exploitation of migrant workers in the Middle East. With migrant workers losing hope due to the rising severities of brutal working conditions and lack of judicial protection, delegates fervently debated about whether it is right to depend upon companies supporting the stoppage of labor to solve the crisis. “It is important that we take measures to incentivize the resolution by implementing projects such as the labor sponsorship system, and depending upon anti-labor companies to raise awareness of this issue, since previous punitive measures have not worked,” Joyce said. “Through such methods, the companies would also benefit due to a future increase in tourism and better reputation. The only problem is that such companies we wish to depend upon need to be aware of our plans to mitigate exploitation in the Middle East with their assistance.” Some delegates expressed their approval, commenting that receiving support from companies would not only raise awareness, but also address many of the unhygienic working conditions, irregular wages, and undefined working hours that laborers in the Middle East face every day. With numerous failed

attempts to mitigate the exploitation in the Middle East in the past, delegates expressed hopes for this new resolution. “This resolution would definitely help increase the awareness of the harsh working conditions in the Middle East with the support of big companies, and raising awareness is extremely important in assisting individual migrant workers since it is one of the first steps to actually stopping the exploitation of laborers,” said Joy Lee, delegate of Vietnam, “As a result, in general, I have great hopes for the resolution.” Some delegates, however, showed their concerns, saying that the resolution was too broad to the extent that it did not make clear which actions should be taken. In addition, parts of the proposal were deemed to be impractical for giving too much hope in solving this issue by merely focusing on companies to spread awareness or handle the crisis. “My biggest reason for going against this resolution is that there are major loopholes in this resolution,” said Jun Won Hwang, delegate of Germany. “Not only does this resolution lack specificity, but it is also impractical in a sense that it proposes such vague and simple solutions to solve this crisis when there is actually very high political tension at the moment in the Middle East due to terrorism.”

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ECOSOC II specifies methods to mitigate the effects of global warming by Alice Lee

“As the delegate of Russia, clause 10 was ideal since Russia, currently, is not a mass producer of deforestation,” said Alex Schrader, delegate of Russian Federation. “Thus, the clause would not have hindered Russia while curbing global warming at the same time. I would have voted for the clause in the end because it proposed important steps to mitigating the effects of global warming.”

Clause 10 presented in the first resolution on the second day of debates endorsed member nations to decrease deforestation through governmental and economic measures. Specifically, the clause aimed to implement stricter policies to register for legal deforestation processes, undergo land fertilization by planting trees in unused lands, and replant 70 percent of the deforested land with native plants and employ 30 percent of the land to build sustainable energy plants. “Clause 10 has three subclauses that aims to prevent companies from cutting down trees and plant trees in areas that have already been deforested for commercial means,” said Alex Lee, delegate of Brazil. “I believe this clause is effective in mitigating the impending effects of global warming because the implementation of this clause would certainly decrease the perilous levels of carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere that encourage global warming.”

However, Bharat Sachdev, delegate of Ireland, proposed an amendment to the clause, stating that the financial means by which countries will be provided necessary funds for this clause to be in effect is unclear. He was concerned with the vagueness of implementing sub clause c of clause 10. “The reason that I proposed my amendment was original clause 10, sub clause c was too ambiguous in that it stated that all deforested land should be replanted,” Bharat said. “However, this was not possible because all of the land currently used for commodities such as hospitals and education centers were covered with forests, qualifying all land as deforested in that sense. This meant that every commodity that humanity has would have to be destroyed, which is not applicable.” The majority of the delegates believed that the amendment was indeed necessary due to the lack of specificity in the original clause. Thus, with an overwhelming majority of votes for the amendment, the amendment was passed.

Other delegates agreed with Brazil’s stance that replanting trees is a key factor in reducing the amount of carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere. They believed the clause was relevant to the resolution as a whole.

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Advisory panel faces irony regarding necessity of education by Lyme Cho Andrea Ho, advisor of France, submitted the second resolution, which suggested that all member nations restructure their education system in order to enlighten students on the issue of Islamophobia and counter it through a variety of ways. “I believe that people should be well informed of Islamophobia by their school community,” Andrea said. “We should provide mandatory training for teachers, hopefully preventing potential violence. It is also important that we adjust a school’s student intake to accommodate students of different races and culture, thus improving cultural diversity.”

Advisory Panel began the second day of SEOMUN with a debate to pass amendments regarding religious extremism. Sang Kim, advisor of UK, submitted the first amendment, which supported the education of the public for countries that already advocated for equality to ensure that citizens act toward the elimination of extremism. Some countries agreed to the general consensus of targeting schooling to lower class members, impeding their prevalence in society. “It is necessary to analyze past incidents in order to understand the necessity of education,” said Arit Sharma, advisor of the Syrian Arab Republic. “According to a survey regarding religious extremism, the issue was severely prevalent among low status men, due to their poor schooling and lack of knowledge. It is important that education is provided to these people so that they do not resort to extremism in the future.”

Some advisors agreed that diversity was beneficial, but also indicated the purpose of schools to allow students to fulfill merit as individuals, not as mere mechanisms to boost bonds between different cultures. Many argued that it would be a difficult process to accept students solely depending on their skills if private schools distinguished wealth and a majority criticized the burden of costs. Despite the focus on education that the Advisory Panel held for the two consecutive conferences, the majority of delegates disagreed to the amendments that supported modified schooling systems, and both amendments failed to pass.

However, many advisors questioned the amendment handling international education and dealing with countries that did not tolerate equality. In addition, they stated that education should be executed through a collective system between member states, also pointing out that the amendment was too abstract. “Such clauses are necessary in a resolution,” said Paya Hosseini, advisor of the USA. “However, this clause does provide a framework for goals that should be achieved through the systems of the member nations and I believe that such clause is too idealistic.”

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What Trump's visit means for the future of Asia by Fiona Cho

All eyes were on President Donald Trump as he travelled to South Korea on Nov. 7 for a state visit amidst record-high tensions within the Korean peninsula. Constant nuclear threats from North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong-un, coupled with rumors of newly developed North Korean ICBMs with the ability to reach the US mainland, meant that there were high expectations for the president to appropriately represent the United States’ stance on the conflict.

a harsh critic of President Trump, especially during his campaign trail, but now that they have had time to discuss their personal opinions, there is a possibility of the two leaders developing an amicable relationship and influencing each other’s opinions.

“To be honest, I think this visit impacts the US’s relationship with South Korea much more than it “Even before the visit, I had a lot of doubts beimpacts North Korea,” said Leonard Lee, Depcause I thought [Trump] was coming to Korea just uty Assistant President of General Assembly II. to have more control over the whole situation,” “Before the visit, I felt like President Moon was said Andie Kim, a judge of the International Court trying to take a more peaceful, negotiating stance of Justice. “If you look at some of the president’s regarding the possibility of nuclear conflict, but past speeches or decisions, he only says and takes after it, I feel that he is shifting to a more proactive actions that favor the United States’ position, and standpoint.” he never thinks about what other countries want to pursue as well.” Most importantly, President Trump’s visit may serve as a turning point regarding alliances between However, President Trump remained firm and East Asian countries. Through these state visits, confident during the joint press conferences. He President Trump hopes to secure alliances with advised South Korean President Jae-in Moon to Korea, China, Japan, and Russia and work together increase his country’s supply of weapons and mili- to fight against North Korea. He expressed hope tary equipment in order to reduce the trade deficit that all countries would unite and settle their difbetween the two countries and to combat possible ferences so that they can focus on the real problem North Korean attacks. Furthermore, President at hand: North Korea and its nuclear program. Moon encouraged the international communiHowever, these may just be empty words. ty to make an effort to resolve the conflict—for instance, he urged countries to stop all forms of “Above all, I think President Trump’s visit displays commerce and support sanctions against the rehis willingness to continue the United States’ strong gime. relationship and involvement in the East Asian area, unlike his previous stances on the issue,” What exactly do President Trump’s words mean for said Hannah Kim, a judge in the International the two Koreas and its neighbors? First off, it sig- Court of Justice. “It also increases the potential for nifies a closer bond between the South Korea and alliances and connections with the Asian countries the United States. President Moon has always been to be sustained.”

Donald Trump's influence on America

by Lyme Cho

On Jan. 20, Donald Trump was elected as the 45th President of the United States with the slogan ‘Make America Great Again.’ As his first year as president is reaching the end, President Trump’s several foreign policies and his visits to foreign countries question the promise he made 11 months ago: to make America great again. Could it be that President Trump is weakening America more than he is strengthening it?

a strategic move as the nation is the central power of the Middle East. Also, despite his revolving diplomacy around Syria, his actions of refusing refugees are inadequate. I can say that some good he has done is not refraining to fight fire with fire, if we relate to the incident regarding the threat of the Syrian government and their use of chemical weapons. Unlike Barack Obama, President Trump did not falter at the input of chemical weapons and didn’t hesitate to use missiles.” President Trump may be praised for his consistent confidence, but at the same, the policies he is setting forth is proving questionable when strengthening US economy. In addition, according to The Guardian, President Trump’s actions of insulting other countries have led to raised eyebrows.

“I think that President Trump’s visits and foreign policies are working in favor of Trump’s position,” said Andie Kim, judge of International Court of President Trump’s “America first” policy has had Justice (ICJ). “I am unsure about the US citizens, a massive impact on the world. His attitude was covered extensively in French news during his visit but President Trump himself is definitely benefitting from his foreign policies because his visits to the nation. Germany has shown disapproval toward the President’s leadership and South Kore- showed compliance and acceptance from leaders ans remain under pressure ever since his shocking from other countries that could not have been achieved otherwise.” response to North Korea’s ICBM development. Many around the world find his determination to protect America to be distorted into an isolationist In contrast to those who criticize President Trump policy rather than a collaborative alliance to sustain as an inadequate figure to handle the politics of the US, there are some who support his skills as a good foreign relations. mediator. “Personally, I do not agree with President Trump’s “I believe President Trump is a great businessman visits to foreign countries because he is not considerate of international affairs, which is necessary and skilled at negotiations,” said Andy Yoon, chair of UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNbecause US plays a major role in world economy HCR). “This quality could play a very efficient role and politics,” said Leonard Lee, chair of General Assembly II. “I applaud his visit to Saudi Arabia as in the diplomacy between the US and foreign countries.”

HSC tackles Mobutu Sese Seko's legitimacy as president

by Dawn Kim

On the second day of conference, the Historical Security Council (HSC) first debated a clause regarding the Mobutu Sese Seko administration of the Democratic Repulic of the Congo. Mobutu Sese Seko was charged with the assassination of former Prime Minister Patrice Lamumba as well as the circumvention of political procedures on his rise to presidency. Debate arose when delegates began to debate on the legitimacy of Seko’s presidency, which had resulted from a military coup that expelled the Soviet Union’s influence on the Congo. “The clause in general was meant to ensure that not only from a standpoint of justice but also for the civility of the country,” said Mateus Norton, delegate of the Soviet Union. “The supporters of Mobutu Sese Seko such as the US and UK believed that there was no evidence of his human rights violations and took a stance against the clause. However, that is a very ironic position to take since western imperialistic powers initially created instability in the Congo. It would be unfair to say that neither party was [neutral] in this situation.” The clause incited disapproval from other delegates, who argued that the Seko administration was indeed legitimate, and that the clause used overtly biased language by describing Seko as a dictator. The delegates’ opinions remained divided even after Logan Choi, delegate of Cuba, submitted an amendment to mollify the clause’s prejudiced language. Despite receiving 10 votes for, the amendment received five votes against. As three of these nations, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, were P5 member nations, the amendment did not pass. “The language of this clause was not effective in pleasing all member nations present,” Logan said. “It was important to fix this issue, however well executed it was. I thought that acknowledging that some states may consider the Congo dictator a president would please P5 nations. I stand corrected.” All in all, the clause received mixed responses, with six delegates for, six against, and three abstaining. Due to the veto power of United Kingdom and the United States, members of the UN Security Council’s five permanent members referred to as the P5 nations, the clause ultimately did not pass. “The meaning and language of the clause did not comply with the committee’s values,” said Lee Jae Kim, delegate of the United Kingdom. “If the wording of the amendment had lessened its bias, it would have changed my mind. But it was just the same content with the same biased opinion behind it, phrased in softer words. Vetoing the clause was better than vetoing the entire resolution.”

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Dc votes for denuclearization of the Middle East

by Sia Cho

On Nov. 11, the Disarmament Commission (DC) gathered once again to resume the debate on the topic of denuclearization in the Middle East. With the central concern of the issue being the threat of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons on international peace and security, the delegates of the DC put forth a myriad of perspectives to formulate effective solutions. As main submitter, Chris Lee, delegate of the Russian Federation, proposed his resolution with six major clauses regarding the creation of nuclear non-proliferation agencies and the reinforcement of border security within the Middle East. “Acknowledging the ethical imperatives for nuclear disarmament and the urgency of achieving a nuclear-weapon-free world, Russia asks for the creation of a joint task force between the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism and IAEA,” Chris said. “Extending the current public announcement mechanism to notify citizens in times of crises, such as educating citizens on necessary procedures of evacuation, will ensure that emergency protocols are effectively orchestrated in the case of nuclear terrorist attacks.” Though the majority of delegates reached an accord with the general outlook of the resolution, others found areas for improvement. A few concerns addressed its need for increased security measures on fissile materials and the fortification of prevention efforts on potential nuclear terrorist attacks. Delegates proposed amendments that emphasized the protection of existing nuclear stockpiles to enable peace and security within both the Middle Eastern and member nations.

“The delegate recommends nuclear states to further secure its nuclear stockpile, technology, and fissile materials,” said John Cho, delegate of Japan. “Such steps for reinforced security can be taken through abiding by IAEA standards during disarmament to ensure the proper disposal of fissile materials, along with collaboration with law enforcement agencies to track nuclear black market activity.” Other delegates concurred with the sub clauses of the amendment, ultimately leading to its passage with 17 votes. The halt of the proliferation and development of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) in worldwide countries were considered to be unachievable without the elimination of threats posed on each nation’s citizens, and initiatives of disarmament were prioritized by each of the delegates. “The resolution was very effective, as it provided a comprehensive solution for all member nations to abide by,” said Jeong Moon, delegate of USA. “For example, clause 1 specifically focused on plans to create eased tensions between Saudi Arabia and Israel in the Middle East. Such diplomatic approaches, followed by the development of more comprehensive solutions, provided the first steps towards international peace and security.” By directly targeting nuclear states, the proposed points successfully tackled the issue of disarmament in the Middle East, and were deemed to be on the right track. With an overwhelming majority, the first resolution of the day was passed.

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HRC diverges on the topic of tackling persecution in the Middle East by Kirsten Huh

On the second day of the conference, the Human Rights Council (HRC) started with a fruitful deliberation on one of the three primary topics of the committee: ways to combat intolerance based on religion or belief in the Middle East. The resolution included multiple solutions to tackling the matter at hand, such as providing education and aid to victims, raising awareness of the issue, and bringing change to legal structures in Middle East Countries. “I believe the resolution currently being discussed is fairly effective,” said Yash Talekar, delegate of Brazil. “However, there are certain points of concern that undermine its practicality. Focusing on the aspect of educating children is not beneficial as parents shape values as well. Overall, the resolution is well thought out, but difficult to enforce.” After an extensive debate on the resolution, Lexy Change, delegate of US, proposed an amendment. The delegate offered an amendment regarding operative clause one sub-clause b. With the clause focusing on educating students with the help of organizations on the aspects of different religions, how to respect them, and the importance of abiding to the rules, the delegate believed it was a necessary change to the submitted resolution. In acknowledgment of the amendment suggested, the floor was opened up to several delegates expressing their favor for it. “I agree with the delegate of US; an amendment to the resolution is certainly necessary,” said Winnie Choi, delegate of Libya. “The amendment makes 1.b.ii. (funding for textbooks) plausible, and it provides clarifications to the resolution. Before the addition of this amendment, the resolution lacked specific information that is imperative.” Following the claims of those in favor of the amendment, other delegates expressed their disapproval. Specifically, delegate of Australia JB Oh

spoke against the amendment, listing major problems. “The delegate believes that it is necessary that help be unconditional from the UN to all member nations,” JB said. “The resolution merely states that the “areas in need” will be helped. However, because the phrase “areas in need” is subjective, meaning that the word “need” can be defined in various ways, the resolution lacks clarity. The MUN spirit in general is to provide opportunities and resources, such as monetary aid, for all nations. The resolution implies that not every nation will receive help—this suggests that a significant population may be excluded.” As the chairs asserted that there be no abstentions, all delegates either supported or rejected the amendment. Despite the strong disagreement exhibited by some delegates, the amendment passed with a fair majority of 22 votes for and 15 votes against.

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UNHCR discusses Issue of Ensuring Humanitarian Aid Within Refugee Camps by Min Chiang

Discussing the issue of ensuring humanitarian aid within refugee camps, UNHCR has begun to cooperatively make amendments to the resolution submitted by Alex Kim, the delegate of U.S.A and co-submitted by Alexis Lee, the delegate of Sweden. Delegates in favor of the resolution, as well as those who opposed it, presented a number of amendments. Jiyeon Kim, delegate of DPRK, submitted an amendment regarding operative clause five sub-clause b. The delegate proposed that the committee must cooperate with member states to determine an appropriate amount of international donations to be allocated to obtaining medical resources for the refugees. “Medical condition directly correlates with the lives of the refugees,” Jiyeon said. “It is an urgent and important matter, as activities will be hindered if medical support is not given to refugees. Setting a certain amount for money for each refugee camp will result in ensuring a better living condition for the refugees.” Jin Ah Jeon, delegate of Austria, showed strong support for the amendment. She claimed that different refugee camps have different needs including funds and aids, meaning that the amendment will resolve issues regarding medical resources. However, not all delegates agreed, and showed their opposition to the conceptions. Alexis pointed out that one third of the budget will be used for medical purposes, since medi-

cal services are one of the most urgent factors in providing a standard living condition for the refugees. “Can’t the money be used for a more efficient matter?” Jiyeon said. “Shelter and food should come prior to medical resources. If money is allocated specifically, then what will happen when different amount of money is needed at different times?” In response to Jiyeon’s questions, Alexis clarified that when members have their own needs, they might be biased, meaning that the amount of money used should be specified. She continued to emphasize the need of having a set amount to prevent corruption and misuse of the funds. “Having a set amount of mon-

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ey would be too inflexible,” said Jiwon Lee, delegate of Afghanistan. Multiple delegates agreed with Jiwon’s idea, as having an appointed standard of funds can lead to various consequences. Jin Ah, the delegate of Austria, also questioned what would happen if budgets need to be increased or money is left over. Alexis responded that corruption and other possible problems can be prevented by having an allocated amount of money for each refugee camps, despite the fact that this clause has some binding power. She stated that medical resources are urgent, since diseases are contagious, emphasizing the need of medical aid and budgets. As a result, the amendment passed with an overwhelming majority vote.

Environmental Commission Reviews climate insurance by Eric Hwang

The second day of the conference opened up another round of debate for Environmental Commission, as delegates discussed the issue of developing climate insurance solutions. Brian Ham, delegate of Netherlands, addressed the resolution in three parts: implementing defense mechanisms and infrastructure that will limit the damage of climate change, increasing the protection and organization of citizens currently experiencing a disaster, and preventing the loss of future property of citizens, especially of developing countries, and improving their resilience. “I believe that all of these issues can be solved by simply improving public-private sector cooperation, which will result in a mutual benefit: the private sector will gain crucial credibility needed for insurance policies and will also gain access to critical data that will enhance their services,” Brian said. “However, in order to incentivize countries to comply with the resolution as a whole, certain actions, such as creating initiatives must be made to help the international community understand that some countries may be hesitant to fully support alternative energy sources as a solution to climate change.” Despite its strengths, the resolution was met with ambivalence. Some delegates were deeply concerned of its extremities, and presented many amendments in order to address their concerns. More specifically, Harry Yi, delegate of the USA, proposed an amendment to strike the operative clause regarding placing bilateral sanctions, in case any agreements are unfulfilled or broken.

“I believe that this operative clause is sufficient in encouraging countries to comply with the goals of the resolution,” Harry said. “Furthermore, I strongly believe that the economic and trade sanctions are too extreme, and also is a infraction upon the country’s rights. This clause proves to be impractical, and would greatly increase the disparity and animosity between nations and would fail to combat the issue at hand.” Some delegates argued that the amendment could potentially counter the entire resolution by discouraging commitment and cooperation amongst nations to provide climate insurance for the world as a whole. “Both the delegates of the United States and Saudi Arabia have mentioned that financial rewards are enough for the countries to cooperate, but I believe that this clause is only in extreme conditions,” said Juwon Jung, delegate of the United Kingdom. “Furthermore, I believe that the clause proposed by the delegate of the USA can be deemed as effective, as it can serve as a negative incentive.” At the end of the day delegates were able to come to a consensus that the clause should not be removed from the resolution through a series of discussions. With an overwhelming majority of delegates voting against the implementation of the amendment, the amendment proposed by the delegate of the USA failed to pass.

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ICJ discusses Ukraine's accusations against Russian Federation by Steven Chung

On Jan. 16, Ukraine called upon the International Court of Justice (ICJ) with allegations that the Russian Federation was financing terrorists with its military intervention Ukraine, violating millions of Ukrainians’ human rights. Most of these claims stemmed from the Russian government allegedly breaking two international treaties: the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) and the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism (Terrorism Financing Convention). “Firstly, the International Court of Justice has the jurisdiction over this case because we couldn’t come to a conclusion with our negotiations and that is why we brought this case to the court,” said Kristin Kim, delegate of Ukraine. “Russia also violated many of the treaties that they were legally binding to Russia. For an example, Russia had financial ties with LPR and DPR who are terrorist groups that had been terrorizing Ukraine.” On the other hand, the Russian Federation claimed that these were all false accusations and misinterpretations and that ICJ did not have any jurisdiction over this case. To the point that Russia “illegally” militarily intervened in Ukraine, the Russian Federation responded that the Russian population in Ukraine was being discriminated against by the provisional Ukrainian government, which is comprised mostly of anti-Russian, right wing politician. Advocates of Russian Federation also stated that President Putin was invited to intervene in Ukrainian affairs by the former President Yanukovych, who was “unlawfully” impeached. “The accusations are not true due to the fact that there is no evidence at all,” said Karthik Vempati, delegate of Russian Federation. “Those evidence show no connection between LPR, DPR and other terrorist groups and our country, Russia. Numerous Russian weapons that these terrorist groups gained hold of doesn’t prove that Russia helped them out as there are multitude of platform through which you could still disseminate weapons, such as black-market and illegal international trade.” Although the Ukrainian and Russian government could not settle the negotiation for six months, giving the Ukrainian

government the right to bring this case to the ICJ, the advocates of Russian Federation argued that unsettled negotiations take the case out of ICJ’s jurisdiction, and that the case should be brought to the Supreme Court of Russia due to Russia’s jurisdiction over Crimea. The debate of whether Russia is guilty or innocent continues on as both sides have provided the judges with a multitude of evidence that corroborated their claims. Tomorrow, the judges of ICJ will debate and determine whether Russia is responsible for multiple violations or innocent.

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Six delegations keep the inner fire of debate burning by Sarah Jung

With the floor open for speeches on the resolution establishing new protocols to prevent the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) from further violating human rights, Kristian Noll, delegate of China, began the second day of conference by discussing operative clause one. Kristian proposed the need for a definition of human rights matching the specificity of United Nations (UN) document of human rights. He expressed how the examination of particular details of the document would make every nation guilty of violating human rights too. As the debate proceeded, the delegates of the DPRK and China increasingly showed their support for one another. “China is the second the largest country in the world and we have a lot of power in the eastern hemisphere,” Kristian said. “One of our concerns is that USA will take advantage of the situation in North Korea to get stronger and get more influence in the eastern hemisphere. We do not want North Korea to turn on us because they have a large nuclear arsenal and there is a possibility that they will attack.” Kristian expanded upon the idea, saying that the delegate of China did not want the US to gain any more economic power in the Pacific. Overall, he stated how China was making an effort to prevent further conflict between other nations by maintaining a good relationship with North Korea. The two delegates continued to share similar viewpoints regarding the operative clauses proposed in the committee.

better labor conditions and improved economic standards to be established in DPRK.” The delegates of ROK and China mainly disagreed with the delegate of DPRK and therefore the delegation of China as well. Paul Chua, delegate of ROK, explained that he would aim to debate for his specific goals and ideas, apart from other delegates that also showed disagreement. “I think that this resolution is pretty vague,” said Austen Maung, delegate of DPRK. “The other delegations are trying to propose clauses without incentives and the consent of North Korea. They are trying to westernize North Korea and it will not work. As I mentioned yesterday, other delegations are not offering resources such as oil and nuclear power. Therefore I have not seen any reason to vote for any clauses so far. I do not think this resolution will pass.” As the center of the debate in Six Party talks, Austen voiced his opinion on how the clauses so far were not helpful to addressing the topic at hand. The resolution passed with three votes for, two votes against, and one abstention.

“My goal for the topic of establishing appropriate protocols is to open DPRK access to the international community, and, through such access, allow admonition from other international sectors to stop DPRK from its regular human rights abuses,” said Irene Kim, delegate of the Republic of Korea (ROK). “Also, I wish there were more measures for DPRK to cooperate with International Labor Organization for

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Resolution passes despite early resistance in the Special Conference by Eric Hwang

Delegates of the Special Conference began the second day of conferencing by questioning the logistics of implementing the clauses in the first proposed resolution. The resolution, main submitted by Nakul Sharma, delegate of China, tackled the problem of the lack of accessible, unbiased, and quality education in third world or developing countries. “This resolution not only helps ensure equality in access to education, but also solidifies the quality of the education,” Nakul said. “Clause one helps set goals and benchmarks we can strive for. Clause two and three tackle the issue of funding, making sure that lesser economically developed countries have the infrastructure to implement the resolution’s proposals. Clause four works on improving teaching quality. Clauses five, seven, and eight work on ensuring accessibility of education to all members of society. Clauses six and nine work to remove corruption and radical ideologies from educational programs.” Countering Nakul’s points that the resolution ensures accessible and quality education, delegates questioned its heavy reliance on member states to independently remove corruption. They challenged the lack of incentives to provide unbiased education as well as providing honest reports to the UN regarding their progress. “[Relying too heavily on member states] may become a problem if a government is corrupt or has a subjective view on what education should be like,” said Emma Lee, delegate of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. “For example, operative clauses six and eight say that member nations are encouraged to strengthen existing bodies to improve education. However,

many governments have subjective views on their country’s state of education, and may send misinterpreted reports on the quality of their education.” With other delegates raising similar concerns over the resolution’s dependency on member nations to remove corruption, amendments were proposed to make the regulators of education to be unbiased third parties. “Trusting member nations to ensure that education is free from radical influence is simply infeasible and unreliable,” said Geo Yoo, delegate of Australia. “Therefore, adding a third party such as Transparency International as a regulator to remove corruption is necessary. In hopes to create a more secular and well rounded education, this delegate encourages all nations to vote in favor of this amendment.” After the aforementioned amendment was approved, resistance to the resolution faded. Delegates found reassurance with the fact that the resolution’s educational overhauls would be free from corruption and subjectiveness, and would be used to help provide quality education to those less fortunate. With its most major flaw addressed, the resolution passed with fifteen votes for, four votes against, and four abstentions.

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How delegates from different schools prepare for SEOMUN “In Korea International School, people are divided up into groups depending on what committee they are in and students in each group practices with the designated advisor,” said Jiyeon Kim, delegate of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). “Our advisory helps us with the procedures and gives us process pertaining to our committees, ultimately getting us prepared for SEOMUN.”

“In Fukuoka International School, everyone who is going to SEOMUN takes classes and after school clubs, where we practice debating and procedures,” said Jeong Ho Yun, delegate of Germany. “They introduce us to techniques that we can utilize during the debate and help us prepare accordingly to our own committees.”

“In Seoul International School, each person gets a schedule where we take turns to debate about individual resolutions and gets feedback from our peers,” said Emma Lee, delegate of DPRK. “This is where we get to learn the procedures and techniques. After the feedback, we also get time to revise our resolutions and inspirational speeches from our advisors.”

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by Kate Lee

Advisors get ready for SEOMUN XX

To a great conference, there always is thorough preparation. From the first day of SEOMUN XX, you probably saw an excess of passionate delegates confidently debating on current issues along with chairs and advisors coaching the students. All this active participation comes from one aspect: the devoted preparation for the conference by not only the students but also the advisors. The advisors of SEOMUN XX guided delegates in practicing representing their country or presenting a resolution before arriving to the conference. “In order to prepare for SEOMUN, we had meetings once a week where we matched each student up with different advisors so that they could have a key advisor to talk to as they are working on their research,” said Anu Dean, an advisor from Kent Foreign School. “Through these practice sessions, students were able to focus more specifically on their countries and ask teachers questions about the conference.” Apart from having coaching sessions with delegates, the advisors also aided in setting up the interior of the conference rooms to welcome the delegates with facilities, including neatly arranged tables, chairs, and a podium. “There was not a whole lot we, as the advisors, had to do with the help of students who were so capable and self-governing,” said Mary Ghadimi, an advisor from Seoul International School. “However, as an advisor of the host school for this year’s SEOMUN, I still focused mostly on running the whole event by getting necessary facilities in place to establish a setting in the conference rooms that is open for debate for the delegates.” Due to actively instructing students and preparing comfortable facilities for the delegates to debate in, the advisors grew busier as the SEOMUN conference approached. Nevertheless, the advisors expressed their willingness to assist students and set up the conference. “We have had numerous practice sessions during lunch time and break time, in which we gave students a lot of guidelines in terms of what they need to include and research,” said Amy Rice, an advisor from Singapore International School. “With some students even coming for extra practice sessions, we got busier as the conference got nearer, but I was still happy to coach them and answer questions.” Many may never have noted the great commitment of the advisors. Nevertheless, considering all the effort they put in to set up the conference, they deserve more than simple praise for their hard work.

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ISSUE 1 November 12, 2017