Committee on North Korea Nuclear Proliferation

Transcription

1 Committee on North Korea Nuclear Proliferation

2 Hello, and welcome to Fairfield University s annual Model UN Conference! It is a pleasure to have so many devoted and dedicated high school students visit our university because they deeply care about the current issues our world faces. My name is Andrew Johnian. I am from Andover, Massachusetts a town 20 miles north of Boston. I am currently a sophomore, majoring in Politics. Following my education at Fairfield, I aspire to attend law school and someday become a politician. I have a wide variety of hobbies ranging from sports, to music, to landscaping and of course my avid consumption of news and current events. All of these hobbies are important to me because they define who I am as an individual. I have been fortunate enough to continue my interests in these hobbies at Fairfield despite the countless hours of studying and hard work. My favorite thing about Fairfield is the willingness of the faculty to extend their knowledge and help to those who seek guidance. I am grateful to say that the faculty at Fairfield is passionate about their fields of expertise and that they always have the student s interests at heart. Aside from academics, Fairfield boasts many other qualities. Among these, is the school s proximity to a beautiful downtown that is composed of stores, restaurants and much more. One of my favorite dinner venues that I suggest you visit is Archie Moore s located close to the railroad tracks in downtown Fairfield. Without further ado, I look forward to chairing the Committee on North Korea Nuclear Proliferation. I decided to pursue this project because of the historical and contemporary political significance it has, not only to the United States and the Pacific Region, but also the entire world. I was first introduced to the history of North Korea when I was in the eighth grade. At the time, my class was studying the Korean War that escalated as a result of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. In essence, the pro democracy United States sought to limit the expansion of communism throughout the world under the Truman Doctrine. During the Cold War, the United States and North Korea rapidly increased weapons manufacturing and continue to do so to this day. While North Korea did not have nuclear weapons during the Cold War, their development and eventual possession of nukes since 2009 has been coordinated because of their contempt for the West. Because this topic is of the utmost concern in terms of the preservation of humanity through peace as outlined in the United Nations charter, I am very much interested in this subject. I look forward to conducting the lively debates that are in the near future. Please feel free to speak up if you have any questions or concerns. Above all, I would encourage all delegates to participate as much as possible because the UN works best when there is transparency and a diversity of opinions. Please do not forget that the deadline to submit position papers is on Monday, November 7, If you could please submit your position papers to my (andrew.johnian@student.fairfield.edu), that would be greatly appreciated. The Committee on North Korea Nuclear Proliferation was called to action because of the recent North Korean nuclear attack on South Korea. The North claimed that over the past few years, South Korean sailors and fishermen have encroached on their waters, thus destroying their fishing industry. The international community has evidence that South Korean fishermen have indeed sailed in North Korean waters. Do to the allies in the region that South Korea possesses such as Japan, Taiwan, China as a key trading and economic partner and in the West and the United States, the North Koreans have made numerous threats against the international community. They have also violated the UN Security Council by not allowing nuclear weapons inspectors into the country to monitor development and proliferation. As a result of the recent events that have transpired, the international community must submit a resolution that is reasonable, constitutional and peaceful. While North Korea s actions are violent in

3 nature, it is important to remember that the United Nations does not wish to solve this crisis in a militant way but rather in a diplomatic yet forceful manner. The structure of this committee will be assembled in a way that demands participation from every country that is involved. The delegates representing the countries that are more closely impacted by the recent events will have the floor first, followed by the rest of the delegates. While the countries not directly impacted by the events may not have the floor first, they are very much important in forming a resolution that will be cohesive and reasonably vested in the ideals of world preservation. General Overview Background: The nation of Korea split in the 1950s during the Cold War. The United States and the pro democracy South Koreans fought in the Korean War against the pro communist North Koreans, the Chinese communists and also the Soviet Union. The Cold War was a time in which communist and democratic/capitalist superpowers battled for influence around the world. The Truman Doctrine (developed by US President Harry Truman) was an initiative aimed at containing the spread of communism. The US and North Korea signed an armistice in 1953 that essentially ended the Korean War. The terms of agreement called for the creation of two states, the Democratic People s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea). Since the split, both countries have pursued and attained nuclear weapons and have often exchanged fire along the DMZ. In addition, leaders from both countries have spoken ill of each other. They have also held joint military practices with their allies, most of which are used as intimidation measures. The two most prominent events between the countries were in March 2010 when a North Korean torpedo sank a South Korean ship and in November 2010 when the North shelled the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong. It has been widely believed that countries such as Iran and Russia have given enriched uranium to develop a sophisticated nuclear program. At the same time, while China supports the politically communist North, they also support the US and the South because of their economic prominence. The US, the EU, Japan, and Taiwan have supported the South because of their pro democracy and pro capitalism structure. Small non-communist Asian nations in the Pacific region largely support South Korea because they fear the militarization of the continent and instability of a nuclear North Korea. Helpful Websites: korean_war_and_its_legacy/

4 Pictures and Graphs

5 North Korean bombing of Yeonpyeong

6 List of Positions Kim Jong Un Sin Son Ho Kim Kyok-sik Supreme Leader of North Korea North Korean Ambassador to UN North Korean General Pro North Korea Pro North Korea Pro North Korea Park Geun-hye Yun Byung Se Hyon Chong Kim President of South Korea South Korean Foreign Minister South Korean Amb. to UN Pro South Korea Pro South Korea Pro South Korea Xi Jinping Wang Yi Yi Baodong President of China Chinese Foreign Minister Chinese Ambassador to UN Neutral Neutral Neutral

7 Shinzo Abe Onodera Itsunori Ma Ying-jeou Prime Minister of Japan Japanese Defense Minister President of Taiwan Pro South Korea Pro South Korea Pro South Korea Barack Obama Chuck Hagel Martin Dempsey President of the United States Secretary of State Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Pro South Korea Pro South Korea Pro South Korea Vladimir Putin Truong Tan Sang Hassan Rowhani President of Russia President of Vietnam President of Iran Pro North Korea Pro North Korea Pro North Korea

8 Carol Kearns (made up) UN Weapons Inspector Neutral George Simms (made up) International Lawyer Neutral

9 I would like to take this time to thank those involved for taking the initiative to intellectually challenge themselves outside of what is required in high school. I know that many of you are extremely busy with school, work, sports, dance, music, etc. and it is pleasurable to know that you care about the future of the world. I hope that the information listed above is of worthy assistance to you as you begin your research. Please feel free to me if you have any questions or comments because I am more than willing to help. I am looking forward to this coming November and I hope to hear from you soon! Best Regards, Andrew Johnian

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