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INTRODUCTION
Please keep in mind that the Historical Security Council on the
issue of the Korean War takes place in January, 1951. This means
that all events that occurred after January cannot be considered
in the debate. The main purpose of this committee is to attempt
to rewrite history by going back in time, rather than to follow the
exact path that was laid out sixty years ago. Nonetheless, the use
of contemporary sources in order to figure out a nation’s policy
during the Korean War is highly encouraged although you should
always remain aware that you are arguing from your country’s view during the Korean War, not from
its current perspective.
When DPRK invaded ROK on the 25th of June, 1950, they did so with the support of the USSR and
the RC. USA was alarmed because they saw this attack as a way to spread communism to the
world. President Harry Truman of USA said “If we let Korea down, the Soviet will keep right on going
and swallow up one [place] after another.”
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The Korean War has so far caused 150,000 casualties from USA, 400,000 casualties from RC,
3,000,000 casualties from ROK, 500,000 casualties from DPRK and about 1,000,000 casualties from
UN troops. With recent developments in the war, such as the entrance of RC and the potential threat
of atomic bombs, a solution to prevent further deaths is urgently required.
Communism: “A theory or system of social organization in which all property is owned by the
community and each person contributes and receives according to
their ability and needs.” The USSR is the leading communist state
and multiple nearby states are adopting communism.
Chinese Revolution: A revolution that has been going on since 1949. Mao Zedong (the leader of the
Chinese Communist Party) wished to help peasants, who, in the beginning of the revolution, stood
for 97% of the Chinese population, whilst Jian Jieshi (a nationalist leader) wished to help the cities
and industrialize China. Their opposing views caused a revolution.
Cold war: Sustained political and military tension between powers (Eastern Bloc and Western Bloc)
that has been going on since 1947. Both sides possess nuclear weapons and are threatening each
other with mutually assured destruction although there has not been any direct military combat yet.
The Korean War has intensified the situation greatly because of the USSR’s dislike of capitalism and
its aim of spreading communism and the USA’s fear of a communist attack.
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Mao Zedong: The leader of the PRC as well as one of the founding members of the
Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He declared that USA is PRC’s biggest enemy.
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from the DPRK and the ROK begun to become more and more frequent. A resolution was passed on
the 21st October, 1949. It recognized the ROK as the only legal government, causing the DPRK to
retaliate by questioning the legality of the UN’s activity in Korea and threatened to drive the UN
troops out of the country. The DPRK and the ROK both sought to increase the influence of their
government on the other side of the border. Furthermore, tension begun to rise as the Cold War
began. On 25th of June, 1950, the DPRK initiated its first major attack on the ROK. This attack served
as a catalyst for the war and soon numerous major world powers started joining in (more details in
“Major countries and organizations involved” and “Timeline of events”).
Current situation:
Although peace talks have begun to reduce the number of casualties, the Korean War continues.
With the extensive loss of life and injuries, as well as the imminent global threat of perhaps nuclear
bombings from any party, most probably USA, a treaty to end this war is urgently required.
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Republic of Korea
The ROK has been subjected to numerous occupations: first by Japan
and later on by the USA. Soon after ROK gained its independence, the
DPRK launched its first attempt of an invasion. ROK called on the USA
and the UN since they did not have a strong enough army to match
the DPRK’s army. While ROK was the country that contributed the
largest number of troops to the UN mission, the country still depends heavily on foreign aid.
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resolutions will signify drastic steps against the DPRK. While the USSR has so far not taken an
active part in the Korean war, the already existing tension between the USA and the USSR is likely to
induce the latter to take a more important part in the future.
Republic of China
Republic of China, not to be confused with the People’s Republic of
China which is the current name of Republic of China, is taking an active
part in the Korean War. Since Mao Zedong proclaimed the RC in 1949,
RC has been in a revolution. Being occupied, the RC could not aid with a
military force from the start, however, they felt indebted as the DPRK
had provided extensive help during the revolution in order to support
communism. The RC therefore joined the Korean War on the 25 th October 1950. This was perhaps
also partly because of the fact that the ROK’s army and the UN troops were moving too close to the
Chinese border. The Chinese population refers to the Korean War as the “war to resist America and
aid Korea,” and Mao Zedong is suspected of having approved of Kim’s plan to invade the ROK.
The following countries have helped the United Nations Command (UN.C.) by providing military
aid:
UK, ROK, USA, Australia, Belgian United Nations Command, Canada, Colombia, Ethiopia, France,
Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand, Turkey and the Union
of South Africa
The following countries have provided medical units and hospitals for the UN.C:
Denmark, India, Norway, Sweden and Italy
TIMELINE OF EVENTS
24, June, 1910 Japanese colonialism in Korea begins
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10, January, 1949 Mao Zedong says that USA. is the Republic of
China’s (RC.) most dangerous enemy
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This resolution was a measure adopted by the UNSC on the day that the invasion suggested that the
war was coming to an end. It demanded an immediate end to DPRK’s invasion of the ROK. At the
time, the UN considered the ROK to be the only lawful government. This resolution was seen as a
political victory for the USA because the DPRK was identified as the aggressor in the conflict. The
USA delegation encouraged the USSR delegation to use its influence over the DPRK to pressure the
country to comply with the resolution but the USSR refused. This resolution was in fact criticized as
one of the ten worst UN resolutions in history by a certain magazine. Since this resolution proved to
be ineffective, the UNSC convened on June 27th to come up with a more effective solution.
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- Having noted from the report of the United Nations Commission on Korea that the authorities in
North Korea have neither ceased hostilities nor withdrawn their armed forces to the 38th parallel,
and that urgent military measures are required to restore international peace and security,
- Having noted the appeal from the Republic of Korea to the United Nations for immediate and
effective steps to secure peace and security,
Recommends that the Members of the United Nations furnish such assistance to the
Republic of Korea as may be necessary to repel the armed attack and to restore
international peace and security in the area.
This resolution was created since the UNSC Resolution 82 was ineffective in putting an end to the
Korean War. As in the prior resolution, this resolution encourages all nations to help the ROK. drive
the DPRK.’s army above the 38th parallel. However, this resolution did not have much effect in
rallying troops together or in driving the DPRK’s army back.
This resolution further reminded nations that military aid is needed in the ROK since the DPRK was
seen to had breached the peace. A little more than a month after this resolution was passed, the
United Nations Command (organization formed to provide military help to the ROK) saw an increase
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in the number of members joining the Command. In this resolution, the Council also requested USA
to designate the commander of the organization.
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
The war has been going on for a while without any progress from both sides. Both sides have
experienced severe loss and are looking for a way to end this war. The DPRK and the ROK were
originally created with an eventual unification in
mind. Would it be possible to unify the two Koreas?
One of the main reasons for the continuing conflict
between the DPRK and the ROK is because the
DPRK has signed an armistice agreement with USA
rather than with the ROK. The delegates of the
Historical Security Council should attempt to come
up with a more sustainable solution that will lessen the probability of a future conflict arising but
which is still likely to be accepted by both sides. The delegates should also consider if an armistice
or an end to the war will be less detrimental to world peace.
In order to avoid going against the delegate’s country’s policy, the delegate should research his/her
country’s policy regarding capitalism and communism as well as the country’s relations with the
DPRK, the ROK and other major countries involved in the war. Lastly, the delegate should check, if
possible, how his/her country has voted on previous resolutions involving the Korean War to acquire
an accurate point of view of the country.
Bibliography:
• http://asianhistory.about.com/od/warsinasia/tp/Korean-War-Timeline.htm
Date of access: 27.11.2013
• http://www.history.com/topics/korean-war
Date of access: 27.11.2013
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15292674
Date of access: 27.11.2013
• http://www.timelines.ws/countries/KOREASOUTH.HTML
Date of access: 27.11.2013
• http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/capitalism?q=capitalism
Date of access: 28.11.2013
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/38th_parallel_north
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Appendices:
• http://www.history.com/topics/korean-war (summary of the Korean War)
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/0/22033825 (summary of the Korean War)
• http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/3b00f15960.html (full UNSC Resolution 82)
• http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/3b00f20a2c.html (full UNSC Resolution 83)
• http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/3b00f1e85c.html (full UNSC Resolution 84)
• http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/North_Korea.pdf (overview of Korean history and the
history of the D.P.R.K.)
• http://asianhistory.about.com/od/warsinasia/tp/Korean-War-Timeline.htm(detailed timeline
of the Korean War)
• http://journals.hil.unb.ca/index.php/jcs/article/view/368/582 (very detailed account of the
relations between the D.P.R.K., the R.C. and the U.S.S.R. during the Korean War)
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Korean_war_1950-1953.gif (nice visual representation of
the war)
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