Position Paper for the MUN Office on the Security Council

Position paper for the MUN Office on The Security Council

The topics before the Model United Nations Office on the Security Council are: The North Korean nuclear threat, the Syrian Crisis and its effect on other countries in the world. Addressing the North Korean nuclear threat: What Measures Can We Imagine to limit North Korea’s use of nuclear weapons?

1. The North Korean nuclear threat

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is a genuine workers' state in which all the people are completely liberated from exploitation and oppression. The workers, peasants, soldiers and intellectuals are the true masters of their destiny and are in a unique position to defend their interests. The DPRK’s opinion to disarmament is known. They do not want to let go of their nuclear weapons program nor do they want to let of their weapons of mass destruction. As Kim Jung-Un “The days are gone forever when our enemies could blackmail us with nuclear bombs.”In August 2012, the DPRK pledged to increase its nuclear deterrent to counter the perceived U.S. threat through expanding its nuclear weapons resources. This is one of the main reasons why North Korea wants to continue making nuclear weapons. The DPRK have signed many treaties: North Korea acceded to the NPT on April 18, 1985, announced its withdrawal from the NPT in 2003, is state party to the PTBT (Partial Test Ban Treaty), but it has not signed the CTBT (Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty) and they do not have a formal commitments to disarmament, and no progress on Six-Party talks in several years. The United Nations Security Council has adopted five major resolutions since 2006 that impose and strengthen sanctions on North Korea.states are prohibited from using force to carry out the obligations of the resolutions. The resolutions call upon North Korea to rejoin the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which it acceded to in 1985 but withdrew from in 2003 after U.S. allegations that the country was pursuing an illegal uranium enrichment program. The Security Council also has called for North Korea to return to negotiations in the Six-Party Talks, which include South Korea, North Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States. The talks began in 2003 and aim to peacefully dismantle North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.The Objective is to safeguard our Sovereignty against “U.S. Reckless Campaign for a Nuclear War against the DPRK”. This is an official statement that proves the purpose of North Korea’s nuclear program.

1. The impact of the Syrian crisis

While the Syrian crisis has been a tragedy for millions of people including refugees fleeing the violence and locals caught in the crossfire. But for North Korea, it has been a good thing. Since the 1960s, North Korea has sold arms and equipment to Syria, and provided other sorts of military-to-military assistance, such as training and technical assistance. Of particular importance, Pyongyang has helped develop Syria’s chemical weapons and ballistic missile programs.Evidence has emerged suggesting that in one way or another, via front companies and elaborate logistics, war materials from North Korea have ended up in Syria, ultimately enriching the Kim regime.“It’s a gold mine for North Korea,” Bruce Bechtol.Pyongyang has needed to get creative to deliver goods to its customers, which it does mostly through shipping. In 2012 a UN report said that North Korea was still sending materials like artillery components to Syria.North Korea has become a key aspect of the support that the current Assad regime needs to survive and fight on against the rebels. The DPRK is also benefitting a great deal from the civil war in Syria. If a nation is fighting a war, it must use artillery, tanks, ballistic missiles, small arms of all kinds, ammunition. Thus, Syria has gone from being one of North Korea’s most important customers for many years, to being almost on par with Iran as an important customer for North Korea. Pyongyang has reportedly also supplied troops and advisors, who have gained valuable real-world experience from the Syrian conflict. Any lesson learned by the North Koreans in Syria, of course, could be applied to future battles on the Korean peninsula.