United Nations Security Council (UNSC) 5 November 2016 Emergency Session Regarding the Military Mobilization of the DPRK

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Hillary Singleton
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Introduction United Nations Security Council (UNSC) 5 November 2016 Emergency Session Regarding the Military Mobilization of the DPRK UNSC DPRK 1 The face of warfare changed when the United States

Ever since, the race for nuclear weapons by nations around the world has driven fear, and the threat of their use has driven the pursuit of peace.

1 Introduction United Nations Security Council (UNSC) 5 November 2016 Emergency Session Regarding the Military Mobilization of the DPRK UNSC DPRK 1 The face of warfare changed when the United States tested the first nuclear weapon on July 16, 1945, and subsequently used it against the Japanese Empire exactly three weeks later. Ever since, the race for nuclear weapons by nations around the world has driven fear, and the threat of their use has driven the pursuit of peace. Despite this, with the use of nuclear or chemical weapons considered war crimes, conventional warfare has nonetheless marred the Earth in the decades since. The Security Council, formed as the highest governing body of the United Nations is specially equipped to handle emergency situations that arise as a result of military conflict. It attempts to keep or create the peace between nations, can establish international sanctions, and has the authority to issue binding resolutions to member states. The Korean peninsula has a storied history of confrontation from invading powers and domestic insurrections. Ever since the divide between the Democratic People s Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) in 1945, the nation s continually face off across the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) with shows of force and threats of attack. Global superpowers keep a keen eye on the peninsula for any developments, because the fragility of the relationship between these two rivals is not one to take lightly. Background and History From 1910 until the unconditional surrender of Japan in 1945, Korea had been controlled as an annexed territory. Following the victory in the Pacific, the United States and the Soviet Union agreed to partition the peninsula along the 38 th parallel, geographically dividing the occupying forces in the post-war years. Less than half a decade later, war broke out when the North invaded the South.

2 UNSC DPRK 2 The South was aided primarily by the United States and to a lesser degree Great Britain, both under the UN flag; the North was supported by China and minimally from the Soviet Union. Seoul, the South Korean capital, changed hands four times, the UN forces pushed nearly to the northern border with China, and well over half a million soldiers killed, with 2.5 million civilians lost. The following three years resulted in a stalemate closely along the original partition line, and an eventual armistice creating the DMZ, the most heavily guarded border in the world. The United Nations acted against the invasion from North Korea as a direct result of Security Council Resolutions 82 and 84, and is considered to have only passed because the USSR was boycotting the non-recognition of the People s Republic of China as having the veto-power instead of the Republic of China. For the next six decades, there were innumerable border incidents across the DMZ resulting in countless deaths of soldiers and civilians on both sides. From propaganda loudspeakers causing artillery fire, to a ship sinking sparking international investigations, the hostility between these two nations threatens life and global peace. Current Situation In the center of the Sea of Japan (aka East Sea), in the early morning of 3 November 2016, a nuclear explosion was simultaneously detected by the United States Defense Support Program, Russia s Oko satellites, and Japanese fishermen in deep waters. Despite the P5, India, Pakistan and Israel declaring that no such nuclear tests have been launched, seismic activity showed the power of the weapon to have a powerful 1 megaton yield. The only remaining country not declaring from the nuclear club, the Democratic People s Republic of Korea, has not responded to confirmation requests from China. This Emergency Security Council session was called at the behest of the United States and China following the worldwide news publication of the nuclear test. Prior to convening, both the American and Chinese intelligence agencies jointly decided to share classified information with Security Council member states to better inform their (hopefully) unified action.

3 UNSC DPRK 3 Since 25 October, satellite imagery along the demilitarized zone has shown a clear and rapid movement on the Northern side. While the DMZ is 4km wide, there have been barracks and suspected attack staging-points constructed 3km behind the Northern edge. The two main points where North Korean troops appear to be stationed are close to the locations of the first and fourth invasion tunnels in the DMZ. The Security Council, having the ability to pass binding resolutions on UN member states, has the potential to prevent conflict before it arises, or remain neutral in a regional conflict. Bloc Positions The 15 members of the Security Council for the year of 2016 are: China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, the United States, Angola, Egypt, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Senegal, Spain, Ukraine, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The President of the Security Council for November 2016 is Senegal, and as a result, will chair the emergency committee. They are generally known for not having a stance on North Korea s actions and willing to actively listen to reasonable debate. Five states do not have formal diplomatic relations with the North: the US, France Japan, Ukraine and Uruguay, and are most unwilling to cede any ground against the North s actions. They all have very good relations with the South, and populations with significantly high negative perceptions of North Korea, which both reflect in the sanctions against the North and other foreign policy aims. A couple western countries have had longstanding issues with North Korea, but embassies were established since 2000: the UK and New Zealand. Both the UK and New Zealand played crucial roles in the United Nations force during the Korean War, but recently attempted to normalize relations. They are nevertheless very critical of the North and unlikely to allow any extreme actions by them. Some members hold normalized relations with cooperation between tourism and business: Malaysia, Spain and Venezuela. They have mostly worked towards better

4 UNSC DPRK 4 tourism and business relations. Spain only established an embassy in 2014, but has worked well on becoming international partners. The last remaining Security Council members tend to be ardent supporters of the North: Russia, China, Angola and Egypt. Russia and China share the only other border other than the DMZ, and continue to prop up authoritarian regimes, following more closely with the current leaders of states rather than what they stand for. Angola has long been provided military aid, and North Korea avoids UN sanctions to give it. Egypt has long been supported by the North with exchanging military aid and construction of infrastructure. Structure of the Security Council and Crisis The Council passes documents called resolutions which have full enforcement effect, as the UNSC is the most powerful body of the United Nations. In order to pass a resolution, all five veto powers (France, China, Russia, UK, US) need to either vote yes or abstain, and in addition to passing these five, half of the overall members present need to vote in the affirmative. If any of the veto powers vote no, or half of all present members is not reached, then the resolution would be rejected. Beyond this special voting structure, the Council will function as a normal crisis. Compared to a normal General Assembly committee, a crisis is a faster-paced and utilizes crisis drops and crisis notes to further the changing events in the committee. The committee frequently runs in a constant moderated debate without a Speaker s List. Every time there is a crisis drop, debate is paused so the delegates can listen to the updated information. Further information on notes and drops will be explained the day of the conference. Sources for Further Research Research Tools: Crisis Preparation: North Korea Profile: About the Security Council:

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