Issue 1

november 6, 2014issue i volume xvi

seoulite

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SEOULITE staff page

Layout artists

Reporters

photographers

Sang Ho LeeAlan Huh

Joonhee Han

Sarah DohSuyoung Yang

William SonSarah KimAlice LeeJulie Song

Marie ParkJustin ChangAngie KimAlice Kang

Jane LeeKelly Kim

Brian M. KimBrian S. KimAndrew Lee

Christopher LeeDongwoo LeeDavid Choe

Esther Hwang

Co-graphics editorsYeni Cho

Hollis Hwang

Layout EditorHyewon Kim

assistant layout editorAlice Rhim

Managing editorJean Cho

assistant editorChristine Seo

Copy editorsJoyce KimYeaji Park

Editors-in-chiefCeline Hwang & Yasmin Yoon

meet the Staff

LETTER FROMTHE EDITORS

DELEGATION: BOBCHADDELEGATES: CELINE HWANG AND YASMIN YOON

COMMITTEE: PRESSQUESTION OF: SEOMUN 2014

T H E S E O U L I T EHonored to serve delegates, chairs, advisers, administrative staff members, directors and other participants throughout the SEOMUN conference,

Fully aware that delegates have gathered to discuss and share ideas on worldly matters,

Hoping all delegates will enjoy the four issues of The Seoulite,

Anticipating debates of high quality in all forums,

1)Requests all delegates to pick up an issue of The Seoulite every morning in their committees

2)Suggests that delegates look for their photos in the paper and share a laugh with their friends

3)Proposes that photographed delegates frame the newspaper and hang it up on their wall

4)Encourages delegates and chairs to cooperate with staff members when approached for interviews

5)Wishes that delegates thoroughly enjoy their debates and lobbying sessions

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SEOULITE Letters from editors

stuff delegates sayby jean cho

Please hand this note to the Delegate of India – and don’t

read it, it’s confidential information about the

resolution.

We all know the notes you send to each other aren’t always necessary on worldly topics such as infanti-cide and environmentalism. But we understand, I mean what’s more important than the lunch menu?

This delegate stronglybelieves the notion that

[Insert SAT vocabulary] treatment of children should

be banned.

Your resolution is the only opportunity to flaunt the range of vocabulary words you know. Using big words that no one would actually use in a normal conversation to support an overly idealistic claim: you’re becoming a true politician.

I got to know so many different people at

SEOMUN –it truly is anunforgettable experience.

SEOMUN is the perfect chance to double the number of Facebook friends you have or to find 30 new follow-ers on Instagram. You probably won’t remember any of their names after a couple of weeks and will refer to them as the delegate of Chile or Denmark, not as Julian or Emily but that’s okay, you’re not alone.

Thank you for the excellent speech, delegate!

Yes, truly, thank you for giving me something to talk about – something to rip apart into pieces and criti-cize – that is exactly what I intend to do. I was getting a little antsy in my seat but now there’s something for me to chew on – your excellent speech tastes delicious.


SEOULITE FOCUS

Let’s discard the bad reputation

clichés have for now and examine what makes something cliché. While unoriginality is discour-aged with good reason, the frequent use of clichés in-dicates that they can actu-ally be extremely relevant and therefore, useful. Here is one example in which this is especially true: His-tory repeats itself. It does not take much scrutiny to notice that analogies and parallels are preva-lent throughout history. In many cases, current events today can be traced back to moments in history that we can learn from. Gun shootings, police brutality and racial ten-sions have been reoccur-ring themes that have defined this decade, es-pecially. According to an investigation by non-prof-it organization ProPub-lica, black males are 21 times more likely to be

Blast From the Past: A Glimpse into Racial Shootings

SL

by Christine Seo

fatally shot by police than white men are. On Oct. 9, Vonderrit D. Myers, an 18 year old African Ameri-can, was shot and killed by local police near St. Louis, only two months after the death of Michael Brown Jr., also an 18 year old African American, in Ferguson, Missouri. Both of these incidents, which are only a few among many related to police shootings, can be linked to Trayvon Martin’s case back in 2012. Though it’s debatable whether or not an event from just two years ago should be con-sidered a part of history, it is indisputable that the events surrounding Mar-tin’s death are very similar to those related to Myers’ and Brown’s. All three were black young adult males killed by white police officers. Both Martin and Brown were unarmed at the time of their death, while con-troversy about whether

Myers was still persists. Syreeta Myers, mother of Vonderritt, says that her son was holding a sand-wich, not a gun. “Police lie,” Mrs. Myers said. “They lied about Michael Brown, too.” The deaths of all three boys sparked unrest, with protesters demanding the arrests of the police of-ficers that fired the shots. The protests of all three cases have all been highly publicized, with famous celebrities such as Beyon-cé attending the rallies for Martin. To push for better education and support as a way to find peace and justice, the parents of the late Trayvon, as well as the parents of Michael Brown, spoke at a festival promot-ing peace over violence. Overall, all three cases were notably similar in that the injustice of the victims’ deaths led to nationwide dispute over racial profil-ing and the militarization of the police, themes that

are prominent throughout history. According to a survey conducted by the Pew Re-search Center, 80 percent of African Americans said that Michael Brown’s death “raises important issues about race that need to be discussed, while 47 percent of white adults responded that the black race is “get-ting more attention than it deserves.” These grim sta-tistics clearly demonstrate that whites and blacks are still living in two very dif-ferent Americas. Death should not be taken lightly in any situation, and it is certainly not acceptable to insinuate that those raising reasonable points about an unfair death are looking for attention. Too many innocent African Amer-icans have been killed by a policeman’s trigger to ignore that gun violence is a problem that needs to be addressed immediately and with great resolve.


SEOULITE FOCUS

Meet the dsg: judy kim

Overseas experiences aid delegates’ performance in MUN With the accumulation of overseas travels, del-

egates are able to shape their own cultural identities, which are often reflected in their characters and performances in MUN. Because of previous expe-riences in English-speaking countries, delegates have been able to enhance their commu-nication skills. Having lived in Vancouver, Canada, for six years, Jiwhan Moon, delegate of France in Special Confer-ence, was able to gain confi-dence in his public speaking abilities. “My early exposure to Eng-lish helped me learn how to effectively communicate with the people around me and this has served as a huge advantage in MUN,” Jiwhan said. “I be-lieve that this skill is especially

Everyone has their own way of making friends

in a new environment, but Judy Kim was lucky enough to have an event act as a mediator: MUN. Currently Deputy Secretary General, Judy joined MUN in her freshmen year at Ameri-can School in Japan and continued to her career in Seoul International School. Reaping the many benefits of MUN, Judy was able to connect with her local and global community as a delegate. “MUN has helped me a lot with socializing,” Judy said. “It was the only thing I was sure about in my new school environment.

important to prove a certain level of fluency and skill to other delegates, especially in the professional setting that MUN encompasses.” Furthermore, according to Angela Jang, Advisory Panel chair, exposure to foreign na-tions often enable individuals to witness new cultures and gain insight into prominent global issues. “[Traveling abroad] allows a delegate to understand why certain races have reacted more violently or more subtly to global issues,” Angela said. “This mindset helps me draft the most feasible solutions possible when writing resolu-tions. I learned to study both sides of the debate.” Delegates’ overseas experi-ences can increase their aware-ness of social inclusiveness.

JongWhee Jeon, delegate of Indonesia in Advisory Panel, lived in Boston, Massachu-setts, for 6 years, where he was able to learn about the impor-tance of respecting suppressed opinions. “By living as a racial minor-ity in a white-dominant com-munity, I learned that not all voices are heard and respect-

ed,” JongWhee said. “Living abroad helped me become more culturally sensitive and socially aware, which made me more confident in discussing global issues with others. My past experiences have allowed me to become a more eloquent speaker, not just in MUN but also in everyday life.” SL

MUN almost forced me, in a way, to work with, talk to and share my opinions with different people and allowed me to meet some of my closest friends. Going on the THIMUN Singapore trip during sophomore year was the biggest bonding moment for all of the MUN members.” Apart from developing better social skills, Judy was also able to attain a broader, more international spec-trum of thinking through MUN. “At the conferences, you get to meet many people from so many diverse back-grounds,” Judy said. “MUN has definitely widened my

perspective on global issues. It lets me understand other people’s views from different cultural, political and social surroundings even though they contrast to our own.” Although Judy does not have plans to work for the United Nations, she claims she will definitely remember the knowledge and skills she obtained from her partici-pation in MUN. “Whatever I do, I will use the skills I picked up at MUN,” Judy said. “This probably sounds cliché, but I genuinely think the MUN skills I acquired clearly transferred to everything else I have accomplished. I hope that my current photo by Jane lee

position as Deputy Sec-retary General influences both present and future delegates to enjoy and take away as much from MUN as much as I did.” SL

by Alice Kang

by marie park

photo by David Choe


SEOULITE Point of Interest

Journey as a MUN Delegate: From Struggle to Perfection

Helpers of SEOMUN:The Administrative Staff

gate of India in Human Rights Council I, her first experience at SEOMUN was the greatest milestone in her improvement as a delegate. “Although the practice ses-sions gave me a brief idea about the way a committee runs, I had to interact with other delegates to fully un-derstand what it takes to get my resolution passed,” Elizabeth said. “The dynamics of the debate really forced me to speak up.” Through participa-tion in conferences, delegates are able to develop their social and communication skills. IT Director, Daniel Choi, interacted with numerous delegates to

convince them of the merits of his resolution. “It doesn’t matter whether I am attacking or defending a delegate because the experience of discussing about a resolution is rewarding in itself,” Daniel said. “I learn to scrutinize the

details of each clause, because doing so is essential to perfect-ing the positions and proposi-tions you are presenting. I often encourage new MUN delegates to meticulously inspect a reso-lution before confidently form-ing an opinion about it.” SL

Expected to come up with logical resolutions, most MUN delegates look sweaty

and alarmed during their de-bates. Although such situations can be nerve-racking, delegates such as Clara Sumin Yoon, As-sistant President of General Assembly I, feels that this pres-sure is what encourages her to improve. “When I first started MUN in 8th grade, I was anxious about speaking in front of people who were ready to interrogate me with a stream of POIs,” Clara said. “However, the experience helped me grow into a more confident and outgoing dele-gate.” Delegates overcome the initial pressure they face by partici-pating in large conferences. Ac-cording to Elizabeth Huh, dele-

In the bustling conference room where delegates par-

ticipate in heated discussions, organization and order are key. Essential to facilitating the conference, the administra-tive staff stays on the sidelines, setting up materials, stapling papers and distributing notes. Other than playing manageri-al roles, staff members attend SEOMUN to gain insight into the workings of MUN. “I hope to learn about the general mood and formality

of MUN by attending SEO-MUN,” said Michelle Ahn, administrative staff member. “I strongly believe that this experience will help me in my future by giving me examples of what good speeches sound like and giving me a reference point to deliver better speech-es myself.” The administrative staff, consisting of Seoul Interna-tional School middle and high school students, is also look-ing forward to interacting with

a wide range of individuals to gain more knowledge about current world issues. “As this is the first time I will be seeing students from differ-ent international schools, it is a good opportunity to meet oth-er students from a similar yet different cultural background,” said Rachel Kang, administra-tive staff member. “By listening to the delegates’ discussions and ideas, I hope to gain some perspective on current issues.” For those who hope to be-

come delegates in the future, taking part in SEOMUN ss an administrative staff mem-ber served as an entry into the world of debate. “I was neither interested nor passionate in current issues when I started as an admin staff member,” said Claire Kwon, former administrative staff member and delegate of Sudan in ECOSOC. “But through exposure to world is-sues in SEOMUN, I learned not only the process of the de-bates, but also gained a passion for debating on current events.” SL

by Alice lee

by justin chang and julie song

photo by kelly kim

photo by brian m. kim



PER 100 RESIDENTS

88 %

54.8 %

45.7 %

45.3 %

USA

Yemen

Switzerland

Finland

Highest Gun Ownership Rate

With roughly 270 million citizens possessing guns, the United States

has the highest gun ownership rate among developed countries. Although organiza-tions such as the National Rifle Associa-tion (NRA) have attempted to depict gun ownership in a positive manner, Ameri-can citizens remain divided on the issue of guns control. Recently, however, the argu-ment against gun control has intensified, due to the resurgence of school shootings and cases of police brutality. “I think there are some legitimate rea-sons to support gun rights,” said Seoyoon Choi, International Court of Justice Judge. “However, I see the NRA as an organiza-tion that gains profits from gun sales rath-er than [one] that acts on its beliefs about individual rights. I do not like how the NRA tilts the legislative debate toward its side by influencing members of the Con-gress and aggressively pushing Americans to be angered by gun control laws by over-emphasizing the phrase, the right to bear arms.” Compared to other developed countries, such as Japan or Britain, the US has sig-nificantly higher homicide rates. While the direct cause of this discrepancy is disputable, more people are convinced that the unrestricted use of guns is the main reason for the escalating number of homicides. Moreover, recent acts of gun violence, such as the recent shooting of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old black male, have made people protest and grow increasingly unsupportive of gun owner-ship. “The claim that guns provide self de-fense is not only illogical, but also wrong,” said Jeffrey Park, delegate of China in the Special Conference. “The lives of innocent people cannot be compensated for indi-vidual rights. It is hypocritical to uphold gun rights and neglect a much more im-portant liberty -- the right to live. People should not have to walk in public nervous that someone might point a gun at them. Recently, there has been increasing sup-port for Obama’s gun control proposals and people are turning against the use of firearms. Hopefully, he will help create a safer society.”

expands throughout the U.S.Movement for gun control

Despite the fact that the homicide rate decreased by 51 percent from 1993 to 2012, many Americans’ perception of gun control does not correspond to real-ity. In fact, over 70 percent of the citizens thought gun ownership and crime rates were increasing, despite reports suggest-ing otherwise. “I was quite surprised that the crime rate in the US has decreased over the past years SL

considering the public’s fear over personal property of weapons,” said Woojeong Lee, Deputy Assistant President of the Securi-ty Council. “I do not think that the status quo and the concerns of the public will be shifted by the decrease of crime rates shown in statistics and until the law bans actions such as the private purchase of weaponry which can create a safer nation for the citizens.”

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SEOULITE FOCUS

by yeaji park

Court ruled in United States vs. 124,700 dollars of US currency, that police might seize cash from motorists because “pos-session of a large sum of cash is strong ev-idence of connection to drug activity. As a result of this decision, the man in pos-session of the money, Emiliano Gonzalez, was unable to claim his cash again. Despite the attempts of various libertar-ian law firms and lower courts to elimi-nate the exploitation of civil forfeiture, the problem still persists. To draw more at-tention to the issue, numerous media out-le ts , including Last Week Tonight and

The New Yorker, have recently criticized the police state for abusing

this practice. “It’s unreasonable that

the police is using their authority to steal civil-ians’ prop-e r t i e s , ” said Dan-iel Kim, D e p u t y A s s i s -t a n t

P r e s i -dent of Six

Party Talks. “For all I know,

they could take away my Mac-Book be-

cause my Mac-Book might be to blame for a hacking that did not even happen yet. I don’t see how that is any dif-ferent from rob-bery. Robbery is already wrong in itself, but rob-bing the poor and the weak is unacceptable.”

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SEOULITE FOCUS

By CELINE HWANG and YASMIN YOON

A longstanding practice in many governments, civil forfeiture was

originally intended to punish citizens who are irresponsible and careless with their property. According to English common law, an object must be relinquished to the English Crown if it causes the injury or death of a person. Hence the property, instead of the person, is the perpetrator. With time, however, this policy has been increasingly altered to penalize criminals by denying them the right to property. The purpose of this is to “take the profit out of crime” by seizing property obtained through illicit means. Because ma-terial acquisition, especially regard-ing drugs and money laundering, is a common incentive for criminal

activity, civil forfeiture is justified as an appro-priate means to com-bat crime. “The idea of civil forfeiture itself is not unjust,” said Hee-jin Hong, President of Human Rights Council 2. “Civil for-feiture was not created to give police more power, but was in-itially supposed to be a check on those who acquired prop-erty illegally. However, the concept has been taken out of its original context. The fact that the police use seizures for their own benefit indicates how pressing this issue is.” According to the Washing-ton Post, because the police are often allowed to keep pro-ceeds from the seizures, they may attempt to seize as much property as possible. In fact, the principal difference be-tween civil forfeiture and crim-inal forfeiture is that the police does not need a proper warrant to carry out the charges. “This procedure violates individuals’ constitutional

rights,” said Min Byung Chae, Assistant President of Advisory Panel. “Nowadays, civil forfeiture is not meant to facilitate the process of criminal search, but is just another way for the police to obtain per-sonal benefit. Legal protocols must be im-plemented to regulate this policy.” Currently in the U.S. government, there is no set of laws regarding property rights, which causes ambiguity in civil forfeiture court cases that revolve around property rights instead of individual rights. For in-stance, in 2006, the Eighth Circuit Appeals

SL

Civil forfeiture infringescitizens’ rights

Places to eat

MUN-ers & their UN role modelsBy joyce kim

“I admire Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General because even after his term in the UN ended, he

continued to be active in world affairs by establishing his own

foundation and serving as the envoy for the United Nations.”

The 17th annual SEOMUN conference, held in Samseong-dong, is the perfect opportunity to visit a neighborhood filled with renowned restaurants and cafes. Some recommendations for ideal places delegates should visit are...

“Ban-Ki Moon has really inspired me throughout my MUN career. I

am grateful for the help from other countries and I feel that

Ban-Ki Moon’s leadership demon-strates our gratitude.”

“Phumzile Mlambo-Nacuka, the United Nations Under-Secre-tary-General and Executive Direc-tor of UN women, is a role model who is not only able to empower women but also able use her talents and passions in a myriad of ways.”

Jane hong,SPT assistant president

Lagrillia Dessert Bar is famous for its desserts, which come in various unique forms. for instance, Lagrillia offers gelato, which is a perfect match for other sweets. The restaurant also serves spaghetti and risotto for customers who are looking for more filling meals.

A luxurious environment is set for students who may come with family members or friends. The calm classical music that plays in the background also adds to the serene mood.

Aloha Table is special in that it offers unique Hawaiian dishes such as malasadas, rice bowls and acai bowls along with Kona coffee, natural smoothies and tropical cocktails. Numerous bloggers have reported that the food was not only appealing to the eye but also delicious.

A soothing and relaxing environment is percent for students who want to study or hang out with friends. Because the restau-rant is designed like a cafe, it sets the ideal mood for studying.

Cafe Mamas mainly serves salads, sandwiches and paninis along with fresh juice and coffee. This restaurant is a good choice for those looking for healthy alternatives because it’s famous for using fresh and natural ingredients.

Cafe Mamas is a great place for students who want to grab a quick snack. The loud music provides an exciting environment in which students can socialize with one another.

jaewon choi,administrative director

Soo ho (john) Park,spC president

By william son



When attending confer-ences both in and out of Seoul, delegates are re-

quired to speak about their resolutions in front of a group of strangers. Although con-cealing personal emotions is important to adopting a pro-fessional tone, the individual characters of these delegates often become apparent in their speeches. “I am a pretty nervous per-son, so I often stutter and twiddle my thumbs when I speak in front of a large audi-ence,” said Ashley Kim, dele-gate of the Philippines in Hu-man Rights Council. “As this is my first time attending a more professional conference, I will have to try hard to hide such hindrances that come from my personal habits. Although this will be a challenge for me, it is one that eventually make MUN all the more exciting and rewarding.” Outgoing delegates, such as Katherine Lim, delegate of China in the Economic and Social Council, may also face similar challenges. In serious environments like those of MUN conferences, a dynamic personality can make it diffi-cult to maintain a formal atti-

Dream like a genius, study like a fool. To eighth grader Jaehyun

Park, these words, the title of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s biography, first sparked his interest in MUN. Currently the President of Se-curity Council and a senior at Korea International School, Jaehyun has reaped the ben-efits of MUN and has used them throughout high school. “At the end of the day, MUN is just a simulation, but it still provides a picture of real-life exigencies,” Jaehyun said. “It builds your public speaking skills, and ability to think on your feet. Another core value in MUN is social interactions. Over the past five years of my MUN career, I have forged lasting friendships with many.” As an orator, mathematician and founder of Young Homo Politicus, an organization that provides youth with a channel for political action, Jaehyun devotes a considerable amount of time to his extracurricular activities. Nevertheless, Jaeh-yun has always placed MUN as one of his priorities. “In my freshman year, I spent more time on MUN than studying for exams, spending

hours just completing weekly MUN assignments,” Jaehyun said. “My hard work paid off when I was selected as a stu-dent leader during freshman year. Since then, I’ve held lead-ership positions in domestic and overseas MUN conferenc-es, and was the Secretary-Gen-eral of Korea MUN 2014.” Like many other MUN-ers, Jaehyun looks up to Ban Ki-moon, but also admires Seoul’s mayor Park Won-soon for engaging the civic com-munity. Inspired by such role models, Jaehyun hopes to maintain his mindset when he began his MUN career and re-call the thrill he first felt when debating. “I hope to encourage people to challenge established pa-rameters of thought,” Jaehyun said. “A social prejudice is that ‘immature’ and ‘rebellious’ youth cannot act as the agent of change. This is certainly not the case, as groups of high school students that facili-tated the collapse of the First Republic and led the Occupy Central movement against China. We don’t all have to be demonstrators with slogans, but we certainly can show the world what we’ve got.” SL

Delegates use personalityto advantage in speeches

tude during debates. “MUN conferences are gen-erally carried out in more serious atmospheres,” Kath-erine said. “Because of this, I intentionally hide my bright personality and suppress my laughter as informal behavior often impedes the concentra-tion required to adequately represent my country as a del-egate.” Though delegates often need to hide personal habits to adapt to the atmosphere of debates, many agree that passion is an advantageous trait to show when speaking. According to David Moon, delegate of Ger-many in Environmental Com-mission, eagerness and vigor are key factors in delivering a compelling speech. “I try to exaggerate aspects like enthusiasm because doing so facilitates the delivery of my speech,” David said. “Enthusi-asm and passion better convey my points and also help me better capture the attention of the other people in the room, whether I am debating or lob-bying. I notice that my fellow delegates find it easier to ap-proach me and discuss reso-lutions with me because of my friendly demeanor.”

photo by kelly kim

SL

photo courtesy of jae hyun park

By JEAN CHO AND CHRISTINE SEO

By SARAH KIM

Profile: Jae hyun park



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SEOULITEEntertainment

FREE FOOD COUPONBring your answer to be checked.

Name and Committee

ENTERTAINMENT: MAZE

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SEOULITEEntertainment

ENTERTAINMENT: crossword

1.

2.

3.

4.5.

6.

ACROSS4. basketball player who returned to cleveland 6. the south korean ferry that sunk7. host city of the XXII winter olympic games8. country that rejected independence from the uk9. winners of the 2014 world cup

DOWN1. journalist who was decapitated by ISIS2. winners of the world series3. host city of the 2014 Asian Games5. a disease that is ongoing in West Africa6. host school of the 2014 SEOMUN conference

8.

9.

seoulite

Issue 1

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