Seoulite xx pre issue

SEOULITE XX FEATURE: Trump’s Radical Measures Against North Korea

2017 THEME: Global Populism and National Identity PRE-ISSUE November 10 2017

2

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

3

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

9

Seomun xx Opens with Theme: Global Populism and National Identity

by Kate Lee

Recently, tensions regarding global populism have risen to not only cause greater political isolation, but also an increased sense of nationalism among numerous countries. In order to address the possible rising dangers of populism, SEOMUN XX implemented the theme: “Global Populism and National Identity” with the goal of judging recent trends in global politics, discussing the role populism plays in several places, and most importantly, pointing out how prevalent this topic is in our society today.

“It makes sense for this to be the theme of this year’s SEOMUN, because we are seeing a vehement rise in arguably populist leaders,” said Andrew Yoon, Deputy Assistant President of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). “Although every leader can arguably be considered a populist to a certain extent, it takes discussion and debating to decide to what degree we should permit this appeal to the public. With so many world issues surroundings these leaders’ decisions, this year’s theme really makes for an interesting conference.”

The recent surge of populism has been influencing several political and economic decisions greatly in several crises, such as the Eurozone crisis and the decision regarding universal health care. Furthermore, political leaders, especially in Europe, have been using populist methods to benefit their own country’s national identity while gaining more support from citizens.

“With the rise of globalization achieved through rapid advancements in technology, a

distinguished national identity has become crucial for making a presence in the status quo,” said Michelle Ahn, Administrative Director. “In this paradoxical situation, light is shed onto populism to highlight the true stakes of the problems at hand.”

Delegates have expressed hopes to discuss current conflicts regarding the increase of populism, and the certain risks populism could cause when manipulated to merely strengthen one’s own national identity rather than benefit the world as a whole. With delegates from different countries, SEOMUN is expected to meet diverging perspectives of certain debatable issues as well as insightful debates that will lead to a consensus of the theme.

“I hope that our debates will go into depth about the multiple determining factors that affect global populism and national identity,” said Andie Kim, judge of International Court of Justice.

“I also hope we can compromise on means to finding the right measure that solidifies and reconciles the diverging perspectives into a peaceful resolution.”

Being a controversial topic today in society, global populism has not only stepped up in society as a source of national identification for several countries, but has also become widespread across the world. While populism could possibly have its benefits, it is also considered a risk since it could be used in corrupt ways, or merely for the benefit of a few. With this theme guiding the debates, this year’s SEOMUN conference is expected to bring many new perspectives to the table.

SEOULITE 2017

5

faux news: Trump to be GUEST Speaker at SEOMUN Conference

by Justin Chang

President Donald Trump started his 13 day tour of Asia in Japan this past Saturday in hopes of visiting the Tokyo Disneyland. Trump will then attend the SEOMUN conference where he will speak about how, with enough money, anything is possible.

On his way to Tokyo, Trump stopped by Hawaii, in hopes of acquiring a more natural tan, tired of constantly using orange spray tan in secret before appearing in front of the public, according to an anonymous insider.

In Japan, President Trump engaged in a friendly match of golf with Prime Minister Abe Shinjo. According to bystanders, Mr. Trump constantly shouted “Look at me; I’m Obama!” before every swing in order to throw shade at the former president. As Trump began to lose, he excused himself, went to phone Russian President Vladimir Putin, and was reportedly overheard saying, “I’m losing again, do something about it.”

During the state dinner between President Trump and Prime Minister Shinjo, Trump tweeted that the sushi was “inedible and disgusting.” He then demanded that the cooks bring him a meal that was more familiar to his palette; more specifically, “a Grade A ribeye seasoned with edible gold with a side of broiled asparagus.” Prime Minister Shinjo’s spokesperson stated that the Prime Minister “felt so lonely” because of the President’s constant tweeting throughout the dinner.

stay in South Korea. He had made plans to observe the DMZ and figure out how it was so effective in keeping foreigners out so that he may implement what he learns to his wall. Trump is also expected to cause some kind of international catastrophe while in Korea, the nature of which is currently unknown.

Nearing the end of his Korea visit, President Trump gave a speech at the SEOMUN conference, where he discussed critical issues including his twitter follower count and the beautiful Ivanka. He then began to go off-script, forcing his aides to order the Secret Service to escort the President off the stage.

At China, President Trump will be sitting down with President Xi-Jinping to discuss the feelings of anger that the latter evoked in the former during the election. Of President Xi the US President said, “Sometimes you make me very angry inside and I really want to express what I feel to you so that we can work things out.” He received no reply.

President Trump was heartbroken after hearing the news that he will not be visiting the DMZ during his

*Disclaimer: all information provided in Faux News is, as the title states, fake, and written in good humor.

SEOULITE 2017

4

Blast from the past

by Kirsten Huh

The issue of teenage violence has always been a dominant challenge, in South Korea especially. Recently, this menace has grown incredibly, as reflected by the noticeable surge of juvenile brutality in multiple regions of South Korea. An increasing number of people, even outside of Korea, are sharing their concerns on such horrifying accounts of teenager violence.

On July 17 in Gangneung, a frightening incident erupted in which six middle school girls assaulted another student for seven hours. From burning the girl with cigarette stubs to threatening her with knives, their abuse went to extreme measures. Unfortunately, this was just one of the many cases of teenage violence. In Busan on Sept. 1, a nearby alleyway’s CCTV footage showed that four middle school girls had beaten one of their classmates with chairs, metal pipes, and wooden sticks.

The victim was left bleeding on the floor until she was found by a passerby. Shortly after the Busan incident, there was, yet again, a similar case of assault in Cheonan.

These incidents were not the first prominent occasions of adolescent violence; Koreans can still vividly recall the dreadful crisis in Daegu back in 2011.

A middle school boy had become a victim to extreme and continuous bullying and was eventually driven to commit suicide. His will exposed the terrifying, unthinkable actions of the perpetrators, such as attempting to light his arm on fire and taunting him with knives.

What is of utmost importance is the fact that there have been no less crimes from adolescents since the 2011 assault in Daegu. Many Koreans contend that this inefficacy in reducing the number of teenage crimes can be attributed to the controversial Korean law that holds different standards in punishing teenage and adult perpetrators. In other words, adolescents are treated far more leniently than adults are, even when the crimes are similar in magnitude. Though it may seem reasonable that minors and legal citizens are tried differently, the laws may, in fact, be acting as the springboard for juveniles to committing such horrendous crimes.

Perpetrators of teenager violence cases may attempt such crimes because they know they will be punished relatively lightly.

Calls to address the challenge of adolescent violence with stricter measures have been continuing—more and more members of Korean and international communities are demanding new legal punishments for juveniles. Citizens are arguing that young age should not alleviate people from their necessary punishment. This desire for revised laws has reached sufficient support, as noted by South Korean President Jae-In Moon.

President Moon claimed that, following the surge of juvenile aggression cases, 260,000 people signed a petition advocating for strengthened laws regarding teenagers that do not compromise punishment for young citizens.

Juvenile violence has remained a major difficulty since the past few decades, regardless of the public’s antagonisms towards it. It is crucial that such brutality is immediately tackled with whatever measures it may take for a better future for South Korea.

SEOULITE 2017

6

Behind the Scenes of Setting up for SEOMUN Conference

by Eric Hwang

The day of the SEOMUN Conference may be an exhausting experience for delegates, as all students are required to cooperate with one another to propose the ideal resolution. However, the days before the conference is just as rough, as students organizing the event must collaborate efficiently and devote much of their time, in order to ensure that there are no faults on the day.

Considering that SEOMUN is a student-led event, the Secretary General, Deputy Secretary Generals, Administrative Director, Technology Director, and Design Director are in charge of the organization of the event.

The members of the Secretariat are not only chosen for their experience within the MUN community, but also are chosen for their leadership and cooperative qualities.

“My role is working with the Secretariat to ensure that we organize logistical information and overall visions,” said Nicholas Kim, Secretary General. “For instance, we are currently renting out rooms, inviting guest speakers to come talk about how it is like to work at the United Nations, organizing crises, and coordinating Seoulite, SEOTV, and any other MUN clubs across the region, so that we can all come together and have discussions on world events, so that we can understand what it is like to be a delegate representative for a country.”

Although the Secretary General has the most important task of overseeing the entire conference, other members of the Secretariat are responsible for other crucial duties. Such members include Amy Kim, Design Director, who is in charge of formatting and setting up the SEOMUN XX website.

“I have the role of designing pretty much everything regarding the conference,” Amy Kim said. “The ostensibly negligible things, such as the font that goes on the handbook or the background picture of the website, are actually chosen after thoughtful consideration. ” While the SEOMUN conference lasts only three days, it required an eight-month long period of preparation behind-the-scenes and the full effort, dedication, and cooperation of all members of the Secretariat.

“As Technology Director, I am in charge of communication between the secretariat and all delegates through the website and other forms of communication,” said Sophia Song, Technology Director. “As this is my fourth and final conference, I will make the most out of this experience and I also hope that all the delegates attending the SEOMUN XX conference will all have a meaningful time.”

SEOULITE 2017

7

Top Restaurants of coex

by Eric Hwang

Side Show is a modern restaurant famous for cooking tteokbokki at the table in a delicious beef brisket in a style reminiscent of Japanese shabu shabu. There are a variety of toppings and side dishes also available, including butter garlic fries or the popular choice of adding ramen to the rich gochujang and beef brisket broth. The restaurant has a friendly superhero themed atmosphere, with the interior walls and aprons given to each customer decorated with the likes of Superman, Batman, and Spiderman. At Side Show, you can get a great meal for 10,000-15,000 won, but keep in mind that if you have another debate left, you may not have time to stop by.

Location: 10 minute walk from Coex Business Hours: 11:30-21:30 Line/Wait: Typically No Wait Style of Food: American Diner/Burgers Cost: 13,000-20,000 won

Location: Coex Building Business Hours: 10:00-22:00 Line/Wait: 15-30 Minutes Style of Food: Tteokbokki Cost: 7,000-13,000 won

Brooklyn the Burger Joint is often praised for having some of the best burgers in all of Korea. In addition to great burgers, the restaurant serves generous portions of fries that are both crisp on the outside and smooth on the inside. Brooklyn the Burger Joint also boasts a plethora of amazing milkshake flavors, ranging from classic chocolate to nutella and burnt marshmallow milkshakes. A classic combo of a burger, fries, and a drink will set you back around 20,000 won, a bit pricier than the Side Show. However, the food is definitely more than worth it.

The popular pizza franchise California Pizza Kitchen has a vast selection of both old and new Italian dishes, such as vintage pastas, or more contemporary dishes, such as the popular bbq chicken pizza. Although the restaurant may not have a niche that it excels at such as Side Show or Brooklyn the Burger Joint, its entire menu is extremely solid, from mouth-watering pastas served in bread bowls to delicious, cheese-oozing thincrust pizzas. This wide range of solid menu options in combination with low prices (around 15,000 per person) makes California Pizza Kitchen the ideal place to take groups of delegates.

SEOULITE 2017

Location: Coex Building Business Hours: 11:00 -22:00 Line/Wait: Typically No Wait Style of Food: Modern Italian Cuisine Cost: 10,000-15,000 won

8

Perspectives of Inexperienced members in seomun

by Hannah Yoo

For most delegates, SEOMUN XX may simply be one of the many conferences. Yet, for many first-time delegates, this conference may last as one of the most challenging and nerve-wracking, but at the same time, memorable experiences in their whole MUN-careers.

“Because it is my first MUN conference, I feel very anxious overall,” said Joanne Yang, delegate of France. “I am especially scared that the other delegates will not listen to me when I propose a resolution or during lobbying.”

Despite their worries, inexperienced members are finding solutions to overcome such hardships. In fact, inexperienced members came up with some tactics, such as participating diligently in regular MUN meetings, preparing potential resolutions, and negotiating with other delegates.

“I believe I am improving as a delegate by actively participating in all MUN club meetings, where they encourage younger members to step up,” said Brian Ham, delegate of Netherlands. “Through mock trials of the real MUN debate, I am becoming more comfortable with the topics dealt within my committee.”

In addition to such practice, the more experienced delegates who participated in multiple MUN conferences did not hesitate to lend helpful advice. According to Joanne, such advice helped her decrease the impending feelings of unease and agitation.

“Experienced members of MUN gave me technical advice in public speaking and made me familiar with the MUN rules,” Joanne said. “Specifically, they suggested giving frequent POIs, being the main submitter of the resolution, and being a leader of the conference. Moreover, the experienced members encourage many inexperienced members to overcome the barrier of fear and be confident.”

In the end, inexperienced delegates learned useful tips to deliver their resolutions effectively and how to face their biggest fears of public speech. Hopefully, SEOMUN XX can become a significant stepping-stone in the delegates’ MUN careers.

SEOULITE 2017

10

Meet your deputy secretary generals

by Wendy Kang

Meet Deputy Secretary Generals, Sky Park and Andrew Ham. Trained veterans in the MUN field, the two seniors are part of the the team that ensure that the conference runs smoothly.

“I was rejected from the club in my freshman year,” Sky said. “Thankfully, I had more success as a sophomore, and began my career in MUN. I will always remember the crisis resolution that I drafted and passed in my first SEOMUN conference. It had to do with North Korea’s invasion, and I proposed that we impeach Geun Hye Park, which surprisingly became a reality last year. That was a good laugh amongst some old MUN friends from that committee.”

With years of experience under his belt, MUN has come to mean more to Sky than just a club that he is a part of. MUN provided the Deputy Secretary General with multiple invaluable benefits, such as improved skills in speaking and debate and becoming well versed in global issues. As commendable and helpful these benefits are, according to Sky, one of the best benefits of MUN is not one that can be seen personally.

“Some may say that MUN is ‘useless’ because it only involves discourse on hypotheticals, but to me, that is exactly what makes MUN great,” Sky said. “All great action and innovative ideas come from discussion. In a world where we as individuals move through issues quickly, it is invaluable to slow down, discuss and explore.”

Like his fellow Deputy Secretary General, Andrew was initially rejected from the club in his freshman year. Not to be deterred by the let down, he participated in Yale MUN. In the following year, Andrew joined the SIS MUN team as a sophomore and continued to prove his prowess by winning best delegate awards at SEOMUN, BEIMUN, and Yale MUN and holding leadership positions.

“During one of the breaks during BEIMUN, my friends and I were enjoying the city as tourists,” Andrew said. “We were freezing on top of the Great Wall of China and balancing precariously on top of one of the towers for a photo, but ended up getting shouted at by a guard. He might have been a tour guide, but I would not know—he was yelling at us in rapid Chinese. I kind of wished that I had taken Chinese, not Spanish, at school.”

Though he has more than one fun memory from both domestic and foreign conferences, at the heart of Andrew’s passion for MUN lies the true significance of the club.

“MUN is the unique opportunity to tackle global issues head-on not by ourselves, but through diplomacy and cooperation with other like-minded, politically ambitious students,” Andrew said. “It is the opportunity to forge mutual solutions through hours of constructive debate and negotiations that ultimately illustrates how working together on issues, one at a time, can help improve the world.”

SEOULITE 2017

11

The journey of secretary general nicholas kim

by Alice Lee

Long before his journey to become the Secretary General began, Nicholas Kim (12) had always been absorbed in current events and politics. His interest in expressing himself more clearly to others motivated him to join a MUN camp hosted by Stanford University in the summer of his fifth grade year.

Encouraged by his first taste of MUN, Nicholas continued his journey, starting as a delegate within the SIS MUN club and eventually becoming the Secretary General of SEOMUN XX. Nicholas’ backstory clearly demonstrates how he was able to achieve such an honorable position. His diligence, preparation, and willingness to contribute were key to his gradual ascent in MUN. As he advanced from delegate to chair to Assistant Deputy Presiden and, finally, to the Secretary General, Nicholas was given increasingly more responsibilities. His vigorous research and thorough organization were determining factors that contributed to his success in each of his positions.

“As the Secretary General, I was faced with the responsibility of making sure that the theme of the conference, which is giving students a platform to discuss global populism and national identity, as well as other logistical challenges,” Nicholas said. “I delegate tasks and help with logistics. For instance, I organize chair dinners and create delegate and student officer rules of procedure booklets. I also help coordinate and communicate with other international schools.”

Although Nicholas will be graduating in the following spring, his endless journey of learning worldly and international issues will not come to a close. His invaluable MUN experience over the past six years has influenced him as a person in significant ways that are otherwise difficult to attain.

“My MUN experience changed me as a person since it allowed me to be more informed about current issues,” Nicholas said. “When I read news, now I am no longer simply a receiver of that news. Instead, I have acquired the appropriate skills of analysis to truly understand the event in depth,” Nicholas said. “It has also influenced my values in that I’ve come to understand the positions of other countries and advocate for them, even if I might not readily accept their stances. Though that might be a hard thing to submit, at the end of the day, I have come to empathize with them.”

As a lesson for not just himself but also potential delegates looking toward a similar future, Nicholas recommends thorough planning above all else.

“When you’re planning something, plan it early,” Nicholas said. “Make sure that you go through with your plan earlier since there may be intricate details that you may not have expected beforehand.”

With this palette of skills Nicholas had acquired through MUN, Nicholas hopes to make an impact during SEOMUN XX.

SEOULITE 2017

Companies in Countries Help North Korea Make Move

by Steven Chung

Tensions in the Korean peninsula have grown to unprecedented levels as the rogue state, North Korea, has demonstrated that their nuclear capabilities have developed into alarming levels. North Korea’s latest missile test is estimated to be five or six times stronger than their previous missile tests, according to US Geological Survey, and it is evident that their nuclear capabilities have progressed throughout the years. With stronger threats coming from both sides, international community and North Korea, North Korea has been subjected to multiple sanctions from the international community, destroying North Korea’s economy. However, if North Korea is subjected to sanctions, where does it get all the money to pursue the costly nuclear program?

The current state of North Korea’s nuclear program is frightening, posing a greater threat than ever. It is highly plausible that North Korea’s claim about its capability of fitting missiles with a nuclear warhead is authentic, referenceto the US intelligence in the article from the Washington Post. This is a huge problem for the nearby Southeast Asian countries and other foreign nations. Experts believe that North Korea now has the capability of launching an ICBM (Intercontinental ballistic missile) that would reach Hawaii or Alaska as reported

by BBC. The problem with these launches is that they are very frequent, and North Korea isn’t afraid to show the international community what it is capable of doing. A CNBC article states that North Korea spends about one to three billion dollars on its nuclear program, which shows that sanctions haven’t stopped North Korea from earning money.

“North Korea is now capable of creating mass destruction, and I believe harsher measures need to be taken in order to mitigate the situation because the current method is not working,” said Alex Kim (9), the delegate of USA. “ The problem with sanction is that many international countries do not stop trading with North Korea even if those countries are funding for a dangerous cause. If we don’t stop North Korea from trading with other nations, it will still be able to pursue its nuclear program.”

Countries that still trade with North Korea include China, India, Pakistan, Thailand, Philippines and Russia. All of these countries allow North Korea to earn tremendous amounts of funds in order to support its nuclear program. In 2015, according to Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s respected Observatory of Economic Complexity (MIT OEC), North Korea made about 2.8 billion dollars worth of exports and about 3.5 billion dollars of imports. Many nations point their fingers towards China for supplying North Korea with funds to continue on with their arms race because China accounts for nearly 85 percent of North Korea’s exports and imports as stated in MIT OEC. “I believe we need to pressure China to stop trading with North Korea because if it continues, North Korea may not have enough funds to supports its nuclear program,” said Shawn Yoon (9), the delegate of South Korea. “This would also mean that they won’t have the funds to show them off to the international community and invoking fear.”

In the midst of the maelstrom of antagonistic dialogue and ongoing missile tests, the implementation of new sanctions on North Korea by the US has reignited tensions once again.

Despite earlier warnings to “totally destroy” the nation if it continued to threaten the US and its allies, the Trump Administration opted for more diplomatic measures instead, issuing an executive order warranting the passage of drastic economic sanctions on Oct. 19. In times of escalating financial pressure on North Korea, the sanctions open the door for more radical measures that may or may not promote conciliatory negotiation between the involved countries.

“The addition of economic sanctions to Trump’s previous military threats definitely tightens the noose on North Korea,” said Andie Kim, judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). “However, working together, the two approaches may only be triggering along the war of words between Trump and Kim Jong-un. Thus, I believe that in the end, such actions, however ‘radical’ they may be, are not really helping to resolve the issue at hand.”

Although sanctions enforced on North Korea are not helping to stop Kim Jong-eun’s regime to cause terror to the world, the international community has been making progress in limiting North Korea’s power. Recent abrupt actions taken by the Kim’s regime has aggravated international relationships, such as with China. The 2016 tests brought international condemnation, including China’s according to BBC. This is a major step towards restricting North Korea’s powers because China has been North Korea’s biggest business partner.

“There are several ways to go about this issue,” said Christopher Shin (9), the delegate of Japan. “One is to take the route South Korea’s new administration is taking, and make an attempt to reopen diplomatic relations between North Korea through humanitarian aid and easing tension. Another way is to take a hardline stance like the United States in order to deter North Korea from further provocations, such as increasing sanctions and military practice drills on the peninsula.”

With North Korea’s rapid development in their nuclear program, the world awaits its next move, as the international community is forming new resolutions. Although it may be unclear when this problem will be resolved, the international community is making progress towards reconciliation.

by Sia Cho

A radical approach to North Korean nuclear threatS

By expanding the authority of the US Treasury, the executive order targets multiple industries that engage in trade with North Korea, including banks, textiles, and manufacturing.

Under the new measures, the Treasury Department has the power to freeze the assets of such companies, in addition to barring ships and aircraft that go to North Korea from entering the US for 180 days. According to CNN, Trump also indicated that China’s central bank had directed other financial institutions throughout the country to terminate their business with North Korea. Though the Chinese government has yet to publicly confirm this action, such a step would considerably contribute to US efforts in cutting off support for Pyongyang.

“Within the context of international relations, China holds an interesting position,” said Chris Lee, delegate of Russia. “As a unique country to the issue, it has both options open: to support or condemn North Korea. Nonetheless, as seen in its attempt to freeze the nation’s business assets, it now seems like China takes the latter stance. As one of North Korea’s biggest trading partners, this action may prove to be effective in posing significant constraints on the regime’s economy.”

However, though radical measures have undoubtedly been taken by the US, the question of whether they will lead to the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula still remains largely unanswered. In previous months, the United Nations Security Council had similarly approved multiple rounds of sanctions on North Korea; yet, this had not stopped Kim Jong-un from maintaining the unceasing torrent of ballistic missile tests, along with a colossal nuclear test earlier in September. As Trump has already emphasized the availability of military options for the US, the continuation of the nuclear threats may leave various global implications for the future.

“I am not necessarily for Trumps’ decisions of tightening economic sanctions for two reasons,” said Andy Yoon, deputy assistant president of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

“First, he is contradicting his sentiment toward the impotence of ‘strategic patience.’ Second, I simply doubt that these measures will convince North Korea, a nation that has been beset with such restraints for more than a decade now, to abide by them. Although I do support his more pacific approach to this issue, at the core, it seems to be merely politics and words.”

14

An emerging refugee issue centered committee: UNHCR

by Sarah Jung

New emotions of excitement and anxiety pervade MUN debates. Like the past years, each delegate delves into researching international issues pertinent to the overarching topic of Global Populism and National Identity. Amidst the existing committees, United Nations High Council for Refugees (UNHCR) made the list for SEOMUN XX. The new committee aims to address the problems related to refugees around the world, as refugees are frequently making the headlines. By taking advantage of the current global significance of refugee crisis, this committee will strive to contemplate about the economic, political, and social issues that are tied to the problems regarding refugees.

“By creating a separate committee that focuses on refugee crisis around the world, the conference has opened up new possibilities of potential resolution topics in committees like ECOSOC and HRC,” said Sky Park, Deputy Secretary General of SEOMUN. “Previously, the aforementioned committees would have had a topic on measures to deal with the refugee crisis, but now with a specialized committee, they have free reign to explore other pressing issues around the world.”

The creation of a committee is expected to open doors for other committees, allowing the conference as a whole to extend out to more global issues. With fewer restrictions due to the presence of the UNHCR, delegates of other committees will be able to expand upon their opinions. Expectations of increased freedom for resolution topics is also linked to more innovative solutions to pressing international problems.

“I think the UNHCR will play a critical role in the upcoming conference,” said Mary Ghadimi, MUN advisor at SIS. “I hope it will help students empathize with the plight of millions of people who find themselves forced from their homes. The debate in this committee has the potential to be especially rich since delegates need to consider humanitarian issues in addition to political and economic interests.”

As a new advisor, Ms. Ghadimi believes that the UNHCR will have one main goal of helping delegates improve their understanding of refugee issues around the world. This will allow for a multi-purpose conference to occur and enable various contributions of ideas from international delegates.

“I believe that it will allow me to learn in more detail about the refugee crisis in different nations,” Ms. Ghadimi said.

“Knowing that I will get to see delegates come up with a solution that is applicable internationally is the most exciting thing I think I will see in the upcoming conference.”

SEOULITE 2017

15

REVISED RULES OF PROCEDURE USED IN

The handbook is threefold: it highlights the guidelines, approval and printing process, and debate process. For example, the “vetting guidelines” provides general rules as to how to format resolutions and gives examples of pre-ambulatory and operative clauses.

Similarly, the second section “approving and printing process” underscores the editing cycles and requirements to keep in mind when submitting resolutions.

The “printing process” delineates actions each delegate must take when printing their resolutions in terms of using the USB, going back and forth between the committee room and printing room, and relying on administrative staff who will help them along the

O K D BO H AN

SUCCESSF

CE EN

“We added the United Nations high commission on refugees to the handbook because of the increasing importance of discussion on refugee crisis around the world,” said Nicholas Kim, Secretary General. “Other than that, the vast majority of the procedures—ways to make points of information, quorum, formatting—largely remained the same. The conference is similar to the THIMUN style of debate in several ways. Unlike other formats like the UNAUSA style, where delegates are placed on a speaker list and can call for moderated and un-moderated caucuses, the THIMUN style has no speaker list, and caucuses have preset times that are determined by the Secretariat and chairs.”

OMUN CON SE F

ER

For SEOMUN XX, which follows the THIMUN style of debate, Secretariat Nicholas Kim created a newly revised handbook to provide further clarification on debate procedure for delegates to follow during the session. Passed on from previous Secretariat members, the handbook contains basic information about the duties, rules of procedure, lobbying process, and phrases that should be used during the debates.

UL

by Yejune Park

way. The last section of the handbook, “debate process,” details the general procedure and flow of the debates starting from the opening to closing speeches.

“I used similar handbooks that told me the rules, schedule, and duties during previous SEOMUN conferences, and I strongly believe that they were really effective,” said Angela Choe, chair of Environmental Commission. “I think these types of booklets are really important and useful for a conference like this because they tell exactly what a delegate should do and eliminate possible confusions.”

In essence, the handbook for SEOMUN XX is the key to the conference. Without it, the conference itself will not be able to flow in a smooth manner, and chairs will continuously be bombarded with countless questions that could easily be answered with a glance booklet. Delegates are recommended that they read a copy of this booklet in preparation, as it will accustom them to the flow of the conference.

SEOULITE 2017

16

Overseas Experience Aid Delegates’ Performance in SEOMUN

by Lyme Cho

On Nov. 10, the SEOMUN conference will open, inviting delegates from different schools to share new ideas on resolutions. Often times, overseas experiences help delegates develop as public speakers and come up with resolutions for worldly issues.

“My overseas experience at BEIMUN allowed me to get a gist of how an official and large scale MUN conference functioned,” said Andie Kim, judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

“I was able to properly understand legitimate MUN procedures and methods of interaction with others.”

One of the privileges of participating in international MUN conferences is discussing a wider range of resolutions with more diverse people. Not only do these experiences promote developing interaction skills, but they also ensure a better understanding of rules within an MUN conference.

“Overseas experiences helped my interaction with other delegates from different schools, and I even got to meet friends from my previous school,” said Sophia Song, director of technology. “I would definitely say that overseas experience encouraged cooperation, which I consider the most important

Japan China

skill needed in MUN conferences.”

In providing opportunities for international interaction, overseas conferences may cause certain delegates some difficulty. According to Andrew Yoon, Deputy Assistant President of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), delegates can be intimidated to make critical remarks due to clashing perspectives.

Nevertheless, this allows students to approach notions with distinct logic and generates broader ideas.

“In BEIMUN, I initially had trouble matching my opinions with others in my team when coming up with a final resolution,” Andrew said. “Yet, after two days, I learned to understand different viewpoints, and this allowed me to come up with an even better resolution together as a team.”

Breaking down language barriers and promoting peaceful negotiations, MUN conferences are always taking place all around the world. Moreover, overseas experiences demonstrate enhanced interacting skills, better logic, and long lasting relationships with other delegates. Hopefully, delegates will reap these invaluable benefits from this year’s SEOMUN conference.

Korea

Myanmar Taiwan

Countries SEOMUN Delegates Are From SEOULITE 2017

17

"Being an admin at SEOMUN is believed to hold great responsibilities during, after, and before the debate."

Ilene park

Helpers of SEOMUN: the Administrative Staff

By Min Chiang

Delegates, student officers, advisors, and the administrative staff cooperate to organize SEOMUN XX. The administrative staffs devote their time and effort to construct a powerful atmosphere for delegates and officers to work in. Most of the administrative members are made up of middle school students, who have actively volunteered to take part.

“I decided to be a part of the administrative staff as a student with interest in MUN and a debater,” said Hannah Kim, administrative staff. “I felt like I would be able to gain more background knowledge and information about MUN. Despite the 2-3 years of Asian Parliamentary debate, I am still not familiar with MUN, and so I believed that participating as an administrative member in SEOMUN will give me more of a detailed picture on the strategies of MUN.”

As administrative staffs, students hold great responsibilities to serve as a backbone of the conference. They complete tasks such as counting votes, showing seats, screening notes, helping set-up, organizing printing, and helping individuals in order to improve the circulation at the event.

“The current responsibilities that a SEOMUN admin holds are note-passing between the delegates and the chair, locking the door when needed, and more,” said Ilene Park, administrative staff.

“You are suppose to stay still during the debate the whole time as you are granted the opportunity to hear several delegates debate through many topics.

Being an admin at SEOMUN is believed to hold great responsibilities during, after, and before the debate.”

Some students decided to participate in the conference with academic aims. Through this experience as an administrative staff, they earn a head start to their attempts on being a delegate or an officer in the future. In addition, the students earn an opportunity to see how the MUN conferences are organized and led.

“Starting last year, I took MUN classes in school and participated in conferences such as JrO- MUN and SKYMUN,” said Katherine Suk, administrative staff. “From these experiences, I realized my interest in MUN. As SEOMUN is the premier MUN conference taking place in Korea, I want to take part and learn.”

Prior to SEOMUN, the staff body assembles together to prepare for the event. Under the directions of the advisor and the organizer, students ask questions and receive additional support to become successful in the conference.

“Before going to the actual conference, all the staff members had several meetings preparing for the event,” said Francisco Choi, administrative staff. “The staff organizer and the advisor came and answered our questions, showed us a video, and also arranged simulations in order to give us an explicit explanation.”

SEOULITE 2017

18

DIFFERENCE SCHOOLS PREPARE FOR SEOMUN IN VARIOUS WAYS

by Fiona Cho

QUO

“One major aspect that helped me to prepare for SEOMUN as a new member of MUN was the advices of the experienced delegates. They gave me substantial feedback on my resolutions as well as useful tips for the conference Additionally, mock MUN conferences were held during weekly activity period meetings, allowing newer members to experience the professionalism and the tension present at an actual MUN conference.”

Simon Lee, UNHCR

“As a second year member of MUN, I think preparations for SEOMUN at SFS were a bit different from those of last year. We tackled specific issues that we wanted to focus on within our committees and concentrated on writing only one resolution instead of two.”

“Delegates at KIS are preparing by utilizing our time during the club meetings to practice writing speeches and resolutions.

I think both experienced MUN delegates and chairs are trying their best to give inexperienced members advices for the conference.”

Joyce Lim, ECOSOC 1

Jinah Jeon, UNHCR

SEOULITE 2017

19

OTEBOX

q. which movie represents seomun?

by Dawn Kim

“SEOMUN reminds me of the movie ‘Silver Linings Playbook.’ Even when discussing the most depressing and remorseful issues, delegates seek hope and optimism within their given circumstances and strive to make the world better by overcoming and resolving [said] issues, thus finding a silver lining in a cloud.”

“SEOMUN is like the movie ‘Confidential Assignment.’ The movie is technically about the negotiation between North and South Korea, just like how SEOMUN focuses on communicating and negotiating with other countries.”

Yoon Lim, HRC

Joanne Yang, ECOSOC

“This year’s SEOMUN is best embodied by ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.’ The film follows its protagonist from his mundane working life to a surreal journey across the globe. Throughout his travels he confronts hardships and rekindles reminiscent joys, which ultimately lead him to realize what he truly loves in life. Similarly, SEOMUN XX’s theme addresses issues pertaining to the clash of nationalism and internationalism—the struggle of finding identity and a sense of unity.”

Ernest Wang, Advisory Panel

SEOULITE 2017

20

MUN CHAIRS’ survival toolkit

by Samuel Oh

They say with great power comes great responsibility.

This is especially true for MUN chairs, who not only lead meetings, but also write chair reports based on various topics of their committee. Such reports require extensive research, professional knowledge, and polished writing. So how do MUN chairs manage their time so effectively?

There are various ways in which MUN chairs manage their time according to their responsibilities. Some MUN chairs allocate their chair work wisely and make sure they do not have to do all the chair work on one day.

“As a chair, I spend at least 30 minutes every day researching my topic, and getting sufficient knowledge so that I can chair effectively,” said Leonard Lee, delegate of Iraq. “This way, I do not have to cram the work, which is going to become extremely burdensome. In the end, I believe that dividing the limited time prudently is the key to success as a chair.”

Other chairs focus more on collaboration in order to save time. In other words, according to Simon Lee, delegate of DPRK, by taking turns leading meetings and helping one another write chair reports, some MUN chairs are able to save hours of time.

“By sharing research and knowledge with each other on our topic, and by splitting up other work we need to do within our conference, I feel like I have been managing my time as a MUN chair incredibly well,” Simon said. “By collaborating, I have significantly less research to do, and the work I have to do as a MUN chair becomes less onerous overall. If I did not choose to cooperate with the other chairs, then I would have received much more stress and anxiety, trying to finish all of the work on time, which is often very challenging.”

MUN chairs also have to manage time during the actual conference. Although it may seem like the only role of MUN chairs is to simply make sure every delegate is aware of what is going on in the committee, these officers have to throughout the conference by moving the debate forward.

“As MUN chairs, we regulate our time during the conference by encouraging certain motions or ruling others dilatory in order to move the debate forward and increase productivity as a result,” said Andy Yoon, delegate of Iran of the Disarmament Committee.

“For example, we might encourage certain motions for delegates so the committee can work on drafting a resolution.”

SEOULITE 2017

21

SIS STUDENTS JOIN SEOTV

by Emily Oh

S E O T V

Individuals who are highly interested in, experienced with, and passionate about filmmaking alongside multimedia convene together throughout the course of SEOMUN XX in order to film and report on the MUN conferences. Four highly competent, capable, and skillful Seoul International School(SIS) students— Jangho Yun, Alex Oh, Meehee Park, and Justin Ro— will be attending SEOMUN to participate in SeoTV. They will collaborate with other students from different schools to work as SEOMUN’s broadcast journalism sector, SeoTV. “It is my first time participating in SeoTV, and I am looking forward to meeting a lot of new people,” said Jangho Yun, member of SeoTV. “I believe I have a strong background in making videos, as I have been making promotion videos for school events as the video editor for my school club, Media Club. As a new member of SeoTV, I hope to gain experience in a professional and engaging environment.”

“Since this is my first year attending the conference as a reporter, I am very excited to experience the organized setup of SEOMUN,” said Meehee Park, member of SeoTV. “As a student who is very interested in Media Studies, I hope this will bring me a deep insight into how videos are produced and directed.”

Like Mehee and Jangho, the other two students, Alex and Justin, also expressed their mixed feelings of anxiety and elation in getting the opportunity to participate in SEOMUN XX as reporters and videographers.

Apart from the four SIS students, Yujin Lim, a videographer who participated SEOMUN XIX as a part of SeoTV, reflected on her past experience and offered a few words of advice.

“My favorite part of SeoTV was the hard working and family-like atmosphere, as well as great teamwork,” Yujin said. “One obstacle I had to face was getting to know students from other schools, as I was the only SIS student who was in SeoTV. I, nevertheless, overOther SIS students are equally, if not more, exhilarated came this challenge, and enjoyed working with the to be attending SEOMUN XX as a part of SeoTV. whole crew in the end. To those who are interested in According to Meehee Park, a new member of SeoTV, joining SeoTV, I highly recommend that you prepare countless honorable opportunities alongside momenyourselves to meet, openly work with strangers, and to tous experiences await these four individuals. simply enjoy this completely new experience that you may not be familiar with.”

SEOULITE 2017

CROSSWORDS! 1

3

2

4 5

6

7

8

9

11

10

13

1 14

DOWN

6. Committee topic includes: combating the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Central African region and issue of provision of universal health care 8. ________ Court of Justice 11. _______ Rights Council 12. Committee topic includes: reducing ongoing nuclear provocations within member nations 14. Committee topic includes: Granting legitimate human rights to LGBTQ citizens 15. Committee topic includes: Question of tackling the rise of religious extremism

1. Conference Name 2. City where Conference is held 3. ______ United Nations 4. Second words of MUN 5. Another word for Country 7. Committee topic includes: maintaining the global economy in the face of terrorism and fortifying international cybersecurity systems against black hat hacking 9. Conference Hall name 10. Month of Conference 13. Committee topic includes: developing climate insurance solution ANSWERS: 1. SEOMUN 2. SEOUL 3. MODEL 4. UNITED 5. NATION 6. GENERAL ASSEMBLY 7. ECOSOC 8. INTERNATIONAL 9. COEX 10. NOVEMBER 11. HUMAN 12. SIXPARTY 13. ENVIRONMENTAL 14. SPECIAL 15. ADVISORY

ACROSS

15

ENTERTAINMENT MAZE

ANS

WER

:

PRE-ISSUE November 9, 2017