Seoul WorldMUN 2015
The John Cabot University Model United Nations Society had the unique opportunity to take part in the WorldMUN 2015 conference in
Seoul, South Korea in March 2015.
Read the reflections of three of the participants:
Asia Colombo
The beauty of traveling is the ability to experience and explore the vast differences that make up this planet. Being a member of the JCU MUN Society, I was fortunate enough to get the chance to attend the World MUN Conference in Seoul, Korea.
The conference hosted over 2400 delegates from all over the world. As a representative of The Republic of Ghana, our aim was to be as clear as possible regarding the potentially positive elements our representative Republic had to offer in the debate of indigenous people.
Participating in the conference allowed me to test certain skills and limits, not only amongst fellow JCU students, but also in relation to the delegation as a whole. The Legal Committee of the conference was extremely interesting, since it truly illustrated the importance of a strong public speaking skills.
The overall experience was fun and engaging. Being able to appreciate the culture and history of the city first hand gave me new insights into the North/South issue. Seoul also unraveled a whole new lifestyle in terms of cuisine, greetings, daily life, as well as economical, political, and social structures.
Federica Bindi
The week I spent in Seoul was the best experience I've had in my academic life; the city was beautiful and captivating, and the conference itself was exceptional.
WorldMUN 2015 marked my first experience attending such an important and vast conference, with particpants hailing from over 118 countries. Thanks to my committee and the club members, I overcame my initial anxieties and was able to participate actively in SPECPOL, the Special Political and Decolonisation Committee and to enjoy this new and amazing experience.
The topic discussed by my committee (Marine Migrants and Refugees) is a topic that directly affected and continues to affect not only the Republic of Ghana, but also Italy, my country of origin. Hence it was very useful and interesting to learn what other countries thought about this issue.
In hindsight I was also able to learn about a totally different culture from my own, as it was the first time that I experienced a way of life that was so completely different from that of a typical western city.
I would like to thank the JCU MUN Club for the wonderful opportunity that it gave me and also to all of our team for the fantastic experience.
감사합니다 kamsahamnida
Neal Huddon-Cossar
From the stimulating debates during committee sessions, to time spent exploring life in a vibrant Asian megacity, participating in WorldMUN 2015 was a myriad of intellectually and culturally enriching experiences condensed into one truly unforgettable week.
Representing Ghana in the International Monetary Fund’s Board of Governors, Lulù Huang and I had the pleasure and privilege of working with a diverse group of extremely bright and tactful students from all over the world. The topic of debate was complex and highly controversial: how the Fund’s structure and policies influence development and economic growth in the world, and what reforms might better achieve these ends. Our discussion was intense and dynamic with many innovative propositions being developed. In the process, I learned a great deal about the key issues surrounding the IMF (especially as they relate to Ghana) and was inspired by the group’s capacity to come up with creative and substantive solutions.
Besides the conference itself, traveling to South Korea was an illuminating experience that has broadened my perspective on the world and deepened my knowledge of Korean politics, society and culture. It was fascinating to finally get to visit one of the so-called “Asian Tigers” that I have heard my Economics and Political Science professors talk so much about. The city of Seoul is an ultramodern and high-tech urban jungle that still manages to maintain a connection to its rich cultural heritage. Some highlights of the city were Changdeokgung, a 600-year-old royal palace and UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Cheonggyecheon Stream, a public park that is the result of an ingenious urban renewal project. However, by far the most memorable and profound experience was the tour we took of the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). By actually seeing the barbed wire fences, military checkpoints and minefield warning signs, and having the chance to actually peer into North Korea from a mountaintop, my “textbook” understanding of the conflict has now been augmented by a taste of its real-life, human dimension.
I am forever grateful to John Cabot University and the MUN Society for providing me the opportunity to take part in WorldMUN 2015. It is yet another example of the many doors this university opens to its students for first-rate academic, professional and personal development.