Issuu

XXII

SEOULITE

Issue 1

November 9, 2019

Feature pg. 12 How lack of internet security affects individuals

Feature pg. 13 The manipulation of internet derived sources QR code issuu.com/sisseoulite

SEOULITE CONTRIBUTORS 2019 Editors-in-Chief

Copy

Sia Cho, Kate Lee Managing Editor

Jennifer You, Hannah Yoo, Isabella Kim, Wendy Kang, Rosa Suh, Emily Oh, Aimee Choi, Riwon Ahn, Christine Yi

Fiona Cho

Layout

Copy Editor

Claire Kim, Eddie Hahm, Eunice Rhee, Justin Choi, Yuzine Yi, Myat Thet Chal

Lyme Cho, Eric Hwang Layout Editor Christine Lee, Seoyun Yoo

Alice Lee, Ashley Kim, Katie Lee, Rachel Lee, Seongyun Jeong, Angela Kyaw, Archie Phyo

Graphics Editor

Advisor

Jessie Park

Ms. Wendy Grant

Photo Editor Angela Ahn, Eileen Kwon

layout by Christine Lee photo by Eileen Kwon

Photo

LETTER FROM THE EICs Dear delegates, We are the editors of Seoulite, the official press publication of SEOMUN. We are honored to serve delegates, chairs, advisors, administrative staff members, directors, and other participants throughout the SEOMUN conference. We hope that all delegates will have the opportunity to engage in fruitful debates on global issues and gain new insights from this conference. Over the next three days, our team of reporters, photographers, and layout artists will be creating a total of three issues of the Seoulite magazine. We will not only document heated debates and potential remedies to global crises but also capture new friendships, personal insights, and reflections that will be formed throughout the days of the conference. We would like to ask the delegates and chairs for three things: First, please take the time to pick up our daily issues and look through--we promise to fill its pages with diverse and engaging content ranging from environmental sustainability to human rights. Second, please make sure to check out the QR codes available on the last page of the printed copies or the SEOMUN website to view our issues in full color! Finally, when a press member approaches you for an interview, please cooperate--we welcome your uncensored and personal opinions. We wish all delegates the best of luck--happy SEOMUN XXII!

Kate Lee & Sia Cho Editors-in-Chief

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99 COMPLAINTS FROM MUN DELEGATES: BOREDOM Disclaimer: This article is all in good fun and is in no way meant to be serious. “I’ve been sitting in this auditorium listening to the Opening Ceremony for the past hour bored out of my mind… Is that a delegate dozing off in the front row? Maybe I should follow his lead…” So it’s the first day of the conference, and I am already counting down the seconds until I go home. Again, I’m not a huge complainer, nor am I a cynic, yet I can’t help but be a little frustrated by how… boring this conference has been so far. I arrived here at eight, only to have to wait for more than an hour before the beginning of the Opening Ceremony. Currently, I’m sitting at a crowded classroom, squeezed between the Delegate of Ethiopia and the Delegate of Germany, waiting once again for the chairs to begin introductions. It all began with the Opening Ceremony. Besides the one hour waiting before the actual ceremony, the entire ceremony is one speech after another, followed by intervals of heartless applause. Coupled by the fact that I’m wearing a stiff button down and slacks, sitting in the same narrow chair for an hour is not exactly the most comfortable or relaxing position. I can’t help but think about how nice it would be to stay in bed all day and catch up on my Nextflix shows… But of course, I’m a hardworking, dedicated delegate, so I don’t voice this complaint out loud to my peers as we make our way out of the Lyso Center and into the classrooms, where we will be participating in our first morning session of the conference. It takes a while for all 50 or 60 of the delegates in my committee to get settled, so there is another considerable period of waiting during this transition. I make awkward eye contact with the delegate next to me to

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see if she is interested in making small talk before the session officially begins, but she averts her gaze and instead scribbles something down on her printed resolution. Great. This leaves me with a whole 20 minutes to kill before the chairs stop talking amongst themselves and address the committee as a whole. During that time, I stare at the wall, stare outside the window, stare at the other delegates, then, bored to the core, start doodling on a post-it note. The next hour is no better—introductions begin, which consists of delegates stating their name and country of representation, a process that takes more than . I immediately forget both the names and faces of all the delegates, save for the female delegate to my left, who rejected my attempts at small talk. Among this sea of nameless faces, I begin my first SEOMUN session. Again, the session isn’t all that bad except for the fact that it’s, well… boring. More waiting, more listening to other people discuss random topics, and more staring at the wall hoping the session will end soon. Hopefully, things will be… less boring tomorrow, and I’ll actually be able to voice my opinion on topics that are actually interesting!

STUFF DELEGATES SAY

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OPENING CEREMONY INSPIRES DELEGATES ON ENVIORMENTAL SUSTANABILITY

Seomun began its 22nd annual conference with a grand assembly of delegates from all over the world. The theme of this year’s conference, The Future We Want, was introduced to the delegates by the secretariat team through influential speeches. “I like the phrase, Working Towards The Future We Want, because it’s associated with our theme this year” said Mr. Jefferey Holcomb, principal of Seoul Foreign School. “I thought about that quite a bit. One of the things that I find very interesting is that humans are biological creatures that are always either growing or dying. As such active individuals, we can take a step forward in creating an eco-friendly and sustainable future we all desire.” Mr. Holcomb made a moving speech about the importance of the theme of this year’s conference, emphasizing the significance of each individual word presented in the theme. The message from Mr. Jeffrey Holcomb seemed to strongly motivate the delegates to work towards the future we want. “The unsparingly giving tree. The tree gives us unlimited resources. It gives us everything it can, until the last mo-

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ments of its life,” said Dr. Choe, guest speaker of Seomun. “Nature gives us everything unsparingly, but now, we have ruined nature so it is not able to provide everything we request. After all, nature has its limits. Seomun XXII is about discussing why such concerns exist and what we are doing in response to these environmental problems.” After Mr. Holcomb’s motivating speech, Dr. Jae Chun Choe presented another environmentally-themed message. In his speech, Dr. Choe mentioned that he created the National Institute of Ecology in Korea 6 years ago to prevent the advancement of climate change. Dismayed by the lack of progress following the organization’s founding, Dr. Choe commented on the role of humans in causing the deterioration of the environment and criticized the lack of responsibility of human polluters. Overall, the opening ceremony clearly encouraged ambition and insight into the theme for this year’s conference. With a warm welcome from the secretariat team followed by inspirational speeches from guest speakers, delegates were greeted to discuss various topics related to the theme The Future We Want.

GA II ADDRESSES THE ECONOMIC SECURITY OF LEDCS

Eugene Ko (Delegate of Vietnam) The General Assembly II (GA II) began its conference on the first day with delegates tackling various issues linked to the economic security of Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs), such as money laundering, brain drain, and e-commerce. As the economy began gaining more control over society, the need for delegates to actively address these issues has grown imperative over the years. Brain drain, which is the emigration of individuals with a background of advanced education from a less developed to a more developed country, poses challenges to nations that need further growth in their social or economic conditions. Although brain drain may benefit the countries that already have many educational and vocational opportunities for their people, delegates expressed the need to prevent such practice in order to reduce the technological and economic gap between different nations. Ian Tan, delegate of Canada, focused on emphasizing education in order to lessen the social and economic consequences of the problem. “The way we’re going to combat the issue of brain drain is investing into education,” Ian said. “We believe that the young generation should have a solid background on what they want to do and what they want to study. With that solid background and education of their nation, they’ll be more encouraged to stay in their country and pursue further education or obtain a job.” Other delegates focused on another globally sig-

nificant economic aspect, e-commerce, which is the exchange of money, goods, and services through the internet. Delegates emphasized the need for LEDCs to expand e-commerce to use for developing their nations’ technological tools as well as buy and sell goods in an honest manner. Many of them approached this topic from a collaborative angle, as they aimed to encourage different nations to cooperate in order to safely bring e-commerce into LEDCs. Max Lin, delegate of Iran, noticed the need for this method because of the LEDCs’ dependence on other, more stable nations. “Directly collaborating with other countries or enterprises is the best way to solve this issue because right now, the LEDCs do not have the resources or the money to set up telecommunication, technology, or other information for the citizens to engage in e-commerce,” Max said. Though delegates show various opinions on how to combat the growing economic issues of brain drain, e-commerce, and money laundering in LEDC nations, they follow the same goal of finding the optimal solutions to support the development of the nations. As they build onto each others’ proposals, delegates look forward to taking further steps in solving the issue with two days of the conference remaining. “I’m looking forward to coming up with new solutions that haven’t been suggested in the current society and discuss with other delegates to devise solutions from various perspectives,” said Jasmine Jeong, delegate of Brazil. “We’re also trying to pinpoint the key issues to solve the main problems at hand.”

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Sharon June Kim (Delegate of Kenya)

Kanon Suzuki (Delegate of Turkey)

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL TAKES INITIATIVE TO FURTHER ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY On the first day of SEOMUN XXII, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) began their session with opening speeches, then transitioned into lobbying sessions. During these lobbying sessions, delegates formed resolutions regarding specific topics linked to sustainability, which included reducing carbon emissions by promoting the use of alternative energy sources in less economically developed countries (LEDCs), empowering women in business through economic and social reforms, and promoting the safe use of Genetically Modified Organisms in LEDCs to improve food security. Of the proposed topics, reducing carbon emissions by promoting the use of non-fossil fuel energy in LEDCs was the major focus. Most delegates considered this topic as the foremost issue among all those discussed and decided to work together to draft a resolution regarding this specific issue. “Saudi Arabia has long been an oil-dependent economy and hopes to capitalize on this chance to extend the country’s economy beyond oil,” said Michelle Bok, delegate of Saudi Arabia.

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“Thus, Saudi Arabia is on track to add 6.2 Gigawatts of installed wind energy capacity over the next 10 years. Like Saudi Arabia’s national statement suggests, the delegate believes that solutions should not force a rapid change within nations. Instead, there should be steady progress to develop research and technology for efficient energy usage and growth.” Along with the busy group of delegates aimed to reduce carbon emissions, another group of delegates debating on the issue of promoting the safe use of GMOs in LEDCs, also worked hard to prepare for debates on day two. “Overall, I was very impressed with how every one of the delegates spoke during all the discussions that took place within the session,” said Andrew Choi, deputy assistant chair of ECOSOC I. “I could tell that all of them were passionate about the topic of environmental sustainability. Their discussions make me hopeful that more fruitful discussions on this subject will take place tomorrow.”

HRC I AND II engage in discussion about privacy and refugees

Caroline Priallia (Delegate of Australia)

gate of the PRC in HRC I. “Each delegate should be able to decide whether he or she personally wants to. It should not be the responsibility of every individual nation to take on the problems of developing countries and aid them in their own issues.” On the other hand, discussion in HRC II seemed less divisive compared to its counterpart. Out of all the various subjects exchanged, the topic of personal privacy was most prevalent within the delegates’ opening speeches. A possible reason for its popularity may be the fact that privacy, as many delegations stated, is a topic much associated with the future—especially to the “Future We Want”, the theme of SEOMUN XXII.

“My agenda revolves around ensuring protection for refugees crossing international borders,” said Nicki Shin, the delegate of France in HRC I. “I have noticed that there are actually a lot of countries receptive toward refugees, especially in the European Union, but at the same time there are nations that cannot or “I think privacy is a popular topic in this comchoose not to receive many refugees, so their stances mittee because technology is getting more and oppose my ideas.” more popular,” said Yoonseo Kim, delegate of Equatorial Guinea in HRC II. “And technology itIndeed, there were many clashes in opinions on the self is related to privacy since people care about first day of the discussion. Reflecting the stances of the information about them that’s on the intertheir governments, the delegations of the People’s net.” Republic of China (PRC) and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) strongly opposed accepting refugees from less developed nations, while the aforementioned delegate of France and Denmark, another EU country, chose to voice support for those fleeing from war or persecution.

Nikki Shin (Delegate of France)

With the commencement of SEOMUN XXII, the Human Rights Councils (HRCs) immediately began tackling various humanitarian issues around the globe. Despite sharing the same name, the discussion within the two committees was vastly different. In HRC I, delegates focused on addressing the ongoing global refugee crisis along with the treatment of women in the sporting industry. There were both positive and negative attitudes toward these topics, which promised an interesting debate in the coming days of the conference.

“I don’t think the acceptance of refugees should be mandatory for every country,” said Anthony Du, dele-

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Stuart Sun (Delegate of Australia)

UNCCC COMBATS AIR POLLUTION On the first day of the conference, the delegates of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNCCC) gathered together to discuss measures to combat the negative effects of air pollution. Air pollution is a prevalent issue around the entire globe that demands action through the cooperation of world leaders, as it harms various countries in different ways. Air pollution has been a long-standing issue, and despite previous efforts to combat it, the situation has grown worse alongside the increasing prevalence of technology. UNCCC delegates proposed and discussed unprecedented solutions that would bring the world a step further to reach the common goal of an environmentally friendly society. The majority of the delegates focused on developing technology to implement energy renewable products. “Technology has improved and the world is capable of producing energy-efficient products that can supply the world with abundant energy resources,” said Soomin Ryu, delegate of Exxon Mobil. “As one of the world’s premier energy companies, we are looking forward to providing countries with free, safe, and reliable energy while mitigating the negative impacts of climate change.” Another group of delegates viewed the issue

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of air pollution with an alternative perspective, directing the primary cause of air pollution in another direction. These delegates attributed the cause of air pollution to livestock and the globe’s growing demand for meat. “Animal husbandry has created 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the previous year,’’ said Tiffany Hu, delegate of Indonesia. “Educating farmers, providing verifications on animal products, and strengthening policies and guidelines will help fight the negative impacts of air pollution.” In line with the previous resolutions proposed, some delegates had resolutions that were specific to their countries. Stuart Sun, the delegate of Australia, wished to cut the ambitious cycle of the Amazon forest, and Victor Xian Ze Liu, the delegate of India, advocated limiting the consumption of animal products near the Nile River. “The cattle ranches that are established in the burnt down amazon forest are very sparsely populated, which will lead to the ranches to burn more,” Sun said. “Some of the problems of deforestation are the acidification of soil and the carbon emissions that are not converted to oxygen.”

Tehee Lee (Delegate of Germany), Samuel Oh (Delegate of UK)

Saransh Mehta (Delegate of Poland)

APQ FOCUSES ON ADRESSING RISING SEA LEVELS On the first day of the conference, a majority of the Advisory Panel Question (APQ) gathered during lobbying time to discuss possible ways to address rising sea levels and its consequences. Focusing primarily on relocating habitants of island nations under the threat of sinking, delegates began fleshing out short term solutions, including cap and trade systems and research programs dedicated to developing new climate change technology. “To effectively combat rising sea levels, we must begin by addressing climate change, the root cause of rising sea levels, and facilitating the relocation of citizens of island states,” said Sean Kim, delegate of Kiribati. “One possible way to do so would be to cut back on carbon emissions under a cap and trade system divided into three phases with increasingly lower quotas, encouraging nations to trade in cuts for monetary resources.” In addition to unanimously addressing the climate change predicament, delegates found further intervention in Somalia necessary for ensuring both the security of its inhabitants and keeping its government in check. However, delegates were reluctant to focus primarily on restoring both security and political stability in Somalia, with a group of only 52 delegates working on drafting a resolution. “The nation of Somalia for the past several years has

been wrapped by conflict. Al-Shabaab, the infamous terrorist group, has entered its territory, and to this day, the separate state of Somaliland continues to take over the north, maintaining its so called independence in defiance of the federal government,” said Tae Yoon Kim, delegate of Somalia. “As such, it is paramount to ensure Somalia’s stability: it is no longer noted for its natural beauty or its location in the horn of Africa. It is noted for its famous piracy and growing instability. Restoring stability to this nation.” A group of two delegates began drafting a resolution to address the unprecedented rise of radical nationalism and far-right wing party agendas in European countries. While some delegates stressed the urgency of the matter, others cited its inherent neutral nature, seeing no need to curb it unless it involved tensions between ethnic groups. “The recent rise of extreme nationalism in rising parties in Europe has been manifested in different fields that create problems for maintaining peace and stability in Europe,” said Tehee Lee, delegate of Germany. “Far right and ultranationalistic parties have been making more remarkable progress in dominating cities in several elections; such progress emboldens right wing organizations. To combat such disorder in Europe, it is necessary to advocate for efficient and immediate methods to cooperate with nations to address the matter.”

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SPIDERS ON THE

INTERWEB As society continues to become increasingly intertwined with the Internet, cyber crimes are growing both in number and concern. Cybersecurity is not a new problem––the first remote PIN verification system, a primitive prototype of ID protection, was created in 1972––but despite its immense relevance in the 21st century, database protection lacks much-needed attention from governments of the world. Thus, as legislative bodies turn a blind eye away from the problems of the Internet, cyber crimes are allowed to flourish. A recent study conducted by Verizon revealed that data breaches have risen over 200% since 2009, many of which have catastrophic consequences like identity theft and the leakage of private information from the government, corporations, and most of all, ordinary individuals. The government’s lack of response to these crimes has resulted in a decline of trust in governments and social media sites—such as Facebook—among the common people. In early 2018, Facebook and its CEO Mark Zuckerburg went to court for allegedly allowing Cambridge Analytica, a British political consulting firm, to illegally sell the personal data of millions of Facebook users. This scandal, along with a plethora of other legal transgressions the social media giant has tangled with, has prompted a large portion of the public to delete their Facebook accounts. Along with the termination of social media, lack of confidence has led to hesitance in using internet resources like credit card transactions. The impacts of not

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utilizing these means can be incredibly inconvenient in a world where almost everything is digitalized and can create a rift between those that do and do not use them. In addition, not engaging in social networks and using the Internet can prevent individuals from participating in political discourse, which has grown increasingly digital, or be exposed to a variety of different opinions, which is considered crucial by many in developing a rational mindset about the status quo. According to the Internet Society, the most common reason for distrust in the government is the lack of transparency, which inevitably causes people to believe that the system is exploitative by design. In addition, the shocking absence of cohesive laws regulating cybersecurity and cyber crime makes sure that the Internet is underregulated and thus, dangerous. The government is in desperate need of catching up; in order to assure the safety of the Interweb, one must first kill the spider. The Internet and other digital platforms are the new reality of interaction and daily living, with many relying on it as a means of survival, and our legislatures should reflect that.

DECEPTION

INFLUENCING THE

GENERAL PUBLIC The modern era of limitless and instantaneous information has often been praised as a revolution of human development. While the benefits of the information age have been highlighted, the inevitable equilibrium effects of digital technology have often been brushed aside. In particular, the usage of technology for political gain has recently posed challenges for the proliferation of honest and fair elections. Reliance on digital technology has made political institutions vulnerable to attacks on national scales, challenging the validity of the democratic process in the modern age. As elections enter a transitional phase between older, physical, and analog technologies to digital programs and vote counters, security has often posed concerns. The 2018 American midterm elections raised eyebrows when many counties faced issues with digital voting machines, whether it be via breakdowns, a lack of power, or other technological malfunctions. Some have claimed that these machines, which forced voters to wait in unreasonably long lines, were used to suppress voters in counties that encouraged vote manipulation. While no evidence has directly found evidence of voter suppression, similar tactics could be used in countries with less robust political institutions to target and suppress particular areas of voters. Electronic voting machines themselves have also been demonstrated to be hackable, raising additional concerns for manipulation.

The misuse of modern social media has also raised concerns for political institutions. The dissemination of misleading narratives via platforms such as social media has most famously been implemented in the 2016 American presidential elections. Not only do these fake stories mislead voters into making misinformed decisions, but they also decrease public trust in credible sources of information. As a result, companies such as Facebook and Twitter have come under intense scrutiny for their role in misleading the public. Facebook creator and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before the American Congress regarding privacy breaches and methods taken to counter misinformation. In addition, two former Twitter employees have recently been convicted of using their positions and access to information to spy for the Saudi Arabia government. These findings and developments have raised concerns over the security of modern social media technologies, especially due to their privatized nature. Increasing national cyber and technological threats to politics have threatened national security and the demographic process. As threats grow bolder and larger in scale, an international response may be warranted to address growing concerns. How the international community responds to regulate and bolster digital technology in society and politics will be crucial to the evolution of security, integrity, and privacy for the generations of the future. layout by Justin Choi copy by Jennifer You

CSTD DISCUSSES THE EFFECT OF TECHNOLOGY ON AGRICULTURE On the first day of the conference, delegates of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) convened and initiated debates regarding the rise of technology use in farming. Delegates discussed the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in farming, as well as ensuring food and agricultural security. With vigorous debates, delegates thoroughly discussed how to promote a more sustainable way of incorporating technology in agriculture. “In today’s world, more and more technology that isn’t exactly sustainable is being implemented in farming, said Isaac Wong, delegate of the USA. “In the USA, the main system of farming is industrial agriculture, which is really bad for the environment. I think that through collaboration with other countries, we can reach solutions for this issue in farming.” Some delegates noticed that even without much technological influence on agriculture, some countries have not resorted to using correct farming methods nor reached food security. In response to this, delegates directed their attention to promoting the appropriate usage of modern technology to ensure healthy agricultural production. They also focused on the ways of farmers’ production, discussing the influence of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) on food security. “Most of the farmers in Turkey tend to stick to traditional agricultural methods, rather than using modern technology,” said Daniel Shin, delegate of Turkey. “This is something we want to improve on because even with traditional farming methods, we still haven’t properly assessed soil, terrain, and correct methods. Turkey also banned all domestic production of GMOs until 2019, but it also al-

lowed some imports of GMO products, so it’s a rather strange loophole that we want to work out of.” The usage of AI in farming was also an important topic of the CSTD that some delegates expressed optimistic views on. Their resolutions aimed to promote the safe implementation of AI technology in farming, which would be achieved by teaching younger generations that the future agriculture will show a faster and more substantial growth with the help of AI. Since AI technology allows accurate collection and analysis of farm data, its prevalence rises in today’s farming, which delegates support. “Our resolution says that AI is very useful for future generations, even though there are many misconceptions [of AI] in social media and movies,” said Clair Lim, delegate of Estonia. “Since many people don’t know how AI can be useful, our resolution is about trying to educate young people about all the possible uses of AI by familiarizing them with this new technology.” Delegates of the CSTD spent the first day of the conference discussing the impact of technology on the products and food of citizens’ everyday lives. They used information about their own countries to bring insight into the pros and cons of using technology in farming methods. Despite the often negative connotation of modern technology, delegates showed rather positive views on its usage.

Yinghan Tian (Delegate of Israel)

Daniel Shin (Delegate of Turkey)

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Phoebe Edgley (Delegate of Brazil)

ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSIONS STRIVE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY On the first day of the conference, Environmental Commissions (ENV) I and II gathered together to express ongoing concerns about various environmental issues threatening current society. In particular, their concern for issues such as sustainable agricultural farming techniques in developing countries and the growth of marine litter incited many of the opinions in this conference. Many delegates also proposed their solutions to these pressing environmental issues at hand. “The accumulation of waste in the ocean is an extremely pressing issue because it can severely harm marine life, which contributes to the biodiversity of species living underwater,” said Yoonjung Choi, delegate of New Zealand in ENV I. “World leaders should effectively discuss these concerning issues, which currently are not being effectively resolved. They should also emphasize that these issues affect everyone, not just environmental activists. Because world leaders have the most power and authority, they also have the greatest potential to mitigate this issue.” In their opening speeches, the majority of delegates mentioned concerns regarding marine waste in oceans, further establishing the necessity of preserving the environment through eco-friendly practices. In order to promote sustainability, many countries announced their stance to initiate such actions by arguing for more developed countries to implement policies preventing further deterioration of the environment.

“There should be specific actions carried out in order for the resolution of these issues to take into effect,” said Jae Hyeok, delegate of Japan. “More awareness of the extent of these severe problems that impact the environment should be set and solutions should be set into place. It is crucial to implement many new methods and practices that would allow sustainability to happen.” Having more strictly enforced policies to directly resolve these issues may be the best chance at improving the stagnant society in terms of the environment. Such activities include monitoring the seas with more caution through discussions with the ocean management internationally. “Most of the delegates had a common goal, but the way in which they wanted to achieve it was very divided,” said John Jeon, delegate of Vietnam. “This conference focused on many issues, one of the main being decarbonization. Every delegate aspired for a better environment and attempted for the sustainability.” Succeeding the resolutions proposed by the delegates, a consensus was drawn. The delegates proposed their final statements by deciding to prioritize the importance of finding new solutions, which included careful and precise planning of underwater monitoring, reduction of waste through various programs, and more initiatives taken to preserve marine life. Lastly, they agreed that established guidelines should be used as a foundation towards solving these environmental issues and be integrated within whole societies, not just among governments.

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ICJ EXPRESS HARMONIOUS CONCLUSIONS ON NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT Mo)

On November 8, the first day of the SEOMUN conference, the International Court of Justice began debates on the issue of legality and morality of nuclear weapons. The judges formed resolutions individually, but many of them agreed on similar ideas. The majority of the delegates emphasized the devastating consequences of nuclear weapons and advocated for total nuclear disarmament worldwide. “In order to prevent the drastic repercussions of these weapons of mass destruction, we must work towards transparency,” said Judge Abigail Chung. “Careful deliberation and firm, legally binding measures placed on perpetrating member states must also be emphasized in order to advance towards negotiations in hopes of one day reaching the goal of nuclear disarmament.” In addition to addressing the effects of nuclear weapons and their goals of denuclearization, judges further elaborated on specific methods on how to ensure international cooperation while negotiating with nuclear-armed nations for denuclearization. “There are various solutions that could be explored,” said Judge Ally Huang. “Treaties that create nuclear-weapon-free-zones (NWFZs), legal safeguards implemented by the International Atomic Energy Agency, and sanctions imposed on the DPRK by the Security Council are specific ways to effectively denuclearize the planet.” As representatives of their own personal opinions rather than the often conflicting interests of nation-states, the judges were able to reach surprisingly similar sentiments early on in the conference. This sentiment of harmony clearly resonated among the judges, who worked together as a single group during lobbying sessions. “International peace conferences are necessary because it can allow delegates with different beliefs and ideologies to cooperate and set a global manual which countries can follow regarding nuclear weapon usage,” said Judge Chhavi Kumar. “In order to achieve global peace and set clear regulations, all countries need to agree and set feasible operations for all nations whether to ban or not eliminate nuclear weapons.”

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SPT DISCUSSES AIR POLLUTION IN NORTHEAST ASIA On the first day of the conference, delegates of the Six Party Talks (SPT) opened the floor with speeches regarding the global issues plaguing their nations. With three agendas to debate over the course of only three days, delegates were conflicted with which agenda to cover first in order to initiate a fruitful debate. Many delegates opted to address the issue of air pollution in North East Asia, as this is a prevalent issue especially in South Korea. With microparticle levels rising and affecting the lives of many nations’ citizens, delegations called for debate upon the rising problem. “Air pollution and rising microparticle levels are a significant topic that affects all of North East Asia,” said Bin Ma, delegate of Japan. “Clouds of microparticles cause a multitude of problems such as respiratory diseases. Therefore, this delegate would like to call upon the attention of other delegates to draft effective resolutions through fruitful debates and discussions which can move humanity towards a common solution.” The general consensus between the other delegates was that the issue of air pollution should be prioritized before other agendas. Even delegates representing the worst offenders of global air pollution supported a motion to address the pressing topic. “China acknowledges that the country has the worst air conditions compared to the other nations,” said

Viv Srinath, delegate of China. “This delegate believes that this can be solved through strict regulations within individual nations such as the restriction of high pollution resources. The main problem lies within individual nations being unable to act on a national level, and he hopes that a productive and meaningful debate will ensue.” Moreover, the delegates in the committee agreed that environmental problems were rooted from miscommunication between nations. The competing economic and environmental statuses of delegations have loomed over the upcoming negotiations. “Although sustainable solutions may be proposed by the nations, the problems lies within economic feasibility,” said Dongchae Shin, delegate of DPRK. “The inability of nations to afford sustainable energy options, especially for third world countries, is impeding on our global progress. In order to combat this problem, environmental measures should be focused on providing economic aid for these nations so that sustainable regulations can be met. ” Following a productive set of opening speeches, delegates proceeded with a lobbying session in order to draft solutions and specify an agenda full of debates regarding environmental concerns for the next three days.

Dongchae Shin (DPRK) Bin Ma (Japan) layout by Justin Choi copy by Wendy Kang photo by Katie Lee

SECURITY COUNCIL UTILIZES PRE-EXISTING SOLUTIONS TO REACH NEW CONCLUSIONS On the first day of SEOMUN XXII, delegates of the Security Council came together to discuss and debate on a series of pressing international political conflicts. Over the course of three days, the delegates hope to cooperate on proposing solutions to three distinct topics: global nuclear stockpiles, China’s maritime aggression in the South China Sea, and the Cyprus crisis. Taking into consideration the different aspects of these global issues, the delegates proposed resolutions that aimed to satisfy the interests of the majority and generate the most effective and plausible outcomes. One faction of the delegates focused on tackling nuclear stockpiles, recognizing the catastrophic humanitarian consequences that would result from the use of any nuclear weapon. The delegates focused on the role of large nuclear stockpiles within the P5 countries—the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and China—who each have warheads numbering in the hundreds. “Discussing the controversy on nuclear stockpiles is essential in establishing general principles of cooperation in the maintenance of international peace and security,” said Megan Lee, delegate of France. “From there on, we can urge countries to sign and reinforce treaties, create a centralized organization that oversees the storage and usage of nuclear weapons, and spread awareness on this issue.”

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Meanwhile, another group of delegates lobbied on the situation in the South China Sea, an enclosed body of water in the western Pacific Ocean. The dispute arose as a result of aggressive Chinese claims to a maritime boundary, which has since been contradicted by the territorial claims of seven different nations. “We acknowledge the pressure China is exerting on other nations who have claimed territories within the South China Sea,” said Yoonsung Kim, delegate of the United Kingdom. “Accordingly, we deplore their use of military training, the creation of artificial islands, and hard power as a means of acquisition of the region.” Finally, the last group of delegates worked to find a permanent solution to hostilities between different ethnic groups in Cyprus, an island located in the Mediterranean Sea. However, the lack of discussion and execution on this topic left the conflict with a dearth of realistic solutions, exacerbating the situation. “We strongly believe that the conflict has taken place long enough and should be resolved immediately in a strategic and secure manner,” said Ye Yint Win, delegate of South Africa. “What we delegates want to do is to diminish tensions between the Greeks and the Turkish in Cyprus as much as possible. That way, an effective negotiation can be achieved.”

SPECIAL COMMITTEE FOCUSES ON CYBER TERRORISM On the first day of the conference, delegates began a fruitful discussion regarding the three agendas at hand, including the issue of combating cyber warfare in the digital age. Many delegates began by focusing on the cyber terrorism problems within their own nations and transitioned to emphasize its effect on other nations as well. “Cyber terrorism mainly works by influencing the younger generation. The youth, who are the core of each nation, are the unfortunate stakeholders,” said Haemin Kim, delegate of Ethiopia. “There have been numerous incidents of propaganda, especially on the Internet, with terrorists influencing the youth to join their group. As nations, we must deliberate new solutions to protect our citizens from being fed with this misinformation. This is a pressing issue that must be Kevin Lee (Delegate of Somalia) solved immediately.” Andrew Sung (Delegate of Indonesia)

Although many delegates agreed upon the fact that terrorist groups used the Internet to pressure the minds of the younger generations, they also focused on cyber-terrorist attacks on a nationwide level.

“On February of 2018, the government of Germany was attacked by cyber warfare, and numerous cyber-attacks have followed,” said Joseph Lim, delegate of Germany. “This delegate believes that terrorist attacks can affect businesses, third parties, and governments, by increasing the security and insurance costs of running businesses and compromising government records. This is a looming problem that will eventually affect all nations sooner or later. There must be measures taken to solve this issue by enhancing the cybersecurity of nations.” Delegates, concurring that cybersecurity was the most important issue at hand, began to propose new solutions that could be incorporated into the resolutions and debated upon over the next three days. “With the rise of the digital era, cyber warfare attacks have been increasing in both number and frequency,” said EJ Names, Delegate of France. “This problem affects the citizens of our nation by infringing upon their money and privacy. This delegate proposes that Internet surveillance should be increased, as it would be much more effective in catching these cyber terrorists through advanced technologies.” Although cyber terrorism is a fairly recent global issue, it may become a more imminent threat in the future with the increase of technological advancements. By starting off with a balanced discussion, delegates of the Special Committee began the first day of the conference with much promise for tackling cyber warfare.

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QUOTE BOX: DELEGATE’S GOALS FOR SEOMUN XXII Leonard Lee, President of ECOSOC I “This is my last SEOMUN, and I noticed that along with the venue change to SFS, the secretariat was able to thoroughly prepare the facilities, schedules, crisis committees, and food incredibly. I’m excited to make the most out of the new and unique facilities and opportunities that wouldn’t have been available at Coex.”

Suhana Jacky Khiani, President of GA II “I am looking forward to chairing in general because I have never chaired a committee as large as this one, which has 60 delegates. I have noticed that this SEOMUN is the first conference for a lot of delegates, and I hope I can make it a memorable one for them.”

Aileen Kim, delegate of South Africa, GA III “My committee has discussed a diverse set of topics, ranging from the refugee crisis in Sudan to racial profiling to air pollution. Among these subjects, I am particularly interested in exploring the topic of air pollution, and I am looking forward to drafting a resolution that focuses on holding countries accountable for releasing an excessive amount of pollution.”

Joanne Yang, Deputy Assistant President of GA II “I am looking forward to participating in a sustainable conference. Since this year’s theme is sustainability, I hope the debates and discussions we have to go beyond the topics themselves and focus on the future we want. Since there is a mix of inexperienced and veteran delegates, I hope they focus on cooperation—which is what MUN is primarily about—rather than bickering over who will be main submitting.”

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