Joint Crisis Committees on the Korean War Abstract
MUNAA 2017
“If the best minds in the world had set out to find us the worst possible location in the world to
fight this damnable war, the unanimous choice would have been Korea.”1
—Dean Acheson, U.S. Secretary of State under President Harry Truman
Introduction
Greetings, Delegates! Welcome to the Joint Crisis of MUNAA. We hope these committees will offer
a combination of dynamic and in-depth debate around an event that influences East Asian
geopolitics to this day.
Though each delegate will be assigned to one of the two committees (the North or South), there will
be significant interaction between them. Any action taken by one committee will affect the situation
in the other, so cross-committee interaction will be common.
The Crisis experience at MUNAA involves some changes in standard MUN procedure. A modified
version of parliamentary procedure will allow for more personal interactions. Each committee will
have around 15 positions assigned to it—far fewer than a standard plenary committee. Instead of
drafting and debating working papers and resolutions, we will be using directives, press releases, and
communiqués to create battle plans, disperse propaganda, contact foreign powers, and more.
Individual delegates will be given access to portfolio powers—unilateral actions, like personal
directives and individual communiqués—to singlehandedly influence the war’s outcome. (Generals,
for example, will have the ability to move forces and materiel assigned to them.) It is important to
note, however, that all delegates will play a significant role—regardless of their position—in
reshaping the story of the Korean War.
History
The most crucial events to the Korean War occurred immediately following World War II.
As Japan surrendered in August of 1945, the Allied Forces were tasked with working toward an
independent Korea, which lacked a governing body since it was no longer a protectorate of Japan.
Finding no better alternative, two U.S. State Department aides agreed to split Korea along the 38th
1
History.com Staff. (2009). Korean War.
parallel between the U.S., who would occupy the southern region, and the Soviet Union, who would
occupy the northern.2
Tensions rose between the U.S. and the Soviets, especially after Great Britain and China joined the
former two states to become the leaders of the “four power trusteeship,” a coalition with the
purpose of making Korea an independent nation. Problematically, Korea split itself into two groups:
a right-wing, pro-Western party led by Syngman Rhee, and a left-wing, communist party, with Kim
Il-Sung at its helm by 1946.3
Despite the U.N.’s work through the United Nations Temporary Commission on Korea
(UNTCOK), which was established in 1947, conflict was inevitable. By early 1950, over 10,000
Koreans had already died as a result of skirmishes near the 38th parallel. The South formally
declared itself a separate entity from the North, as the South Korean National Assembly passed its
constitution on July 17, 1948 to form the Republic of Korea on Aug. 15, one month later. The
North followed suit soon after: on Sept. 9, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) was
formally established.
Deemed ineffective, UNTCOK ended its mission on Dec. 12. By late June 1949, both the U.S. and
the Soviet Union had withdrawn their troops.
Date: June, 1950
Current situation: the DPRK is starting to plan its invasion
The DPRK is poised to strike. Since the Soviet withdrawal from the Korean Peninsula in 1948, the
DPRK’s Korean People’s Army has benefitted from Soviet technology—including tanks, like the
T-34—while the U.S. left the South Koreans only light arms. Northern civilians have been trickling
out and away from the 38th parallel, and there is a significant buildup of military forces along the
border.
Even so, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency believes that these movements are only defensive
measures, and that the DPRK would never attack without Soviet assistance in a larger communist
offensive. Since there has been no troop movement on the borders between Eastern and Western
Europe, any notion of an invasion has been largely discredited by the intelligence community.
2
History.com Staff. (2009). Korean War.
3
University of Central Arkansas. (n.d.). Japan/Korea (1907-1948).
Nevertheless, the U.S. has maintained their commitment to contain communist threats in all nations,
including Korea. Will the North swiftly conquer the lower half of Korea, or will the South drum up
an international response to reinforce their border before it’s too late?4
Further research
B, A. (2011, November 28). George Kennan’s cold war policy of containment. Retrieved from
http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2011/11/quick-study-george-kennan%E2%80%99scold-war-policy-containment
History.com Staff. (2009). Korean War. Retrieved from http://www.history.com/topics/korean-war
Millett, A. R. (n.d.). Korean War. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/event/Korean-War
Rose, P. K. (2008, June 27). Two Strategic Intelligence Mistakes in Korea, 1950. Retrieved from
https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/
studies/fall_winter_2001/article06.html
University of Central Arkansas. (n.d.). Japan/Korea (1907-1948). Retrieved from http://uca.edu/
politicalscience/dadm-project/asiapacific-region/japankorea-1907-1948/
4
Rose, P. K. (2008, June 27). Two Strategic Intelligence Mistakes in Korea, 1950.