The Imjin War

About the Committee:

It is 1592 and Japan has begun its invasion of the Korean peninsula at the southern city of Busan. Japan desired to use the peninsula as a stepping stone into Chinese territory but after failed talks between King Seonjo of Korea and Daimyo Hideyoshi of Japan, the island country decided to use force. For the peninsula, it seems like there is no hope; the Korean king decided to flee from the capital city of Hanyang, causing the morale of the Korean people to drop immensely, and Japan has far greater weaponry. However, the Koreans also have some advantages. Ming China is willing to aid the Koreans so the Japanese do not invade Chinese land and Korea has new advancements in naval technology. With the invasion in full swing, the fate of the Korean peninsula lies at the hands of the Korean military generals and authorities.

A LETTER FROM THE DaiS:

Dear Delegates,

My name is Ji Hoon Choi, and I am excited to welcome you to MUNUM XXXVII! I will be serving as your director for the crisis committee of the Imjin War. I am so excited to dive into this complex topic. I have been doing Model UN since middle school and since then I have been to conferences in the United States and outside such as Qatar and Malaysia. Outside of MUNUM, I am a sophomore studying political science and I am hoping to apply to law school in the future. I write for the Michigan Daily and for the Michigan Foreign Policy Council. There are so many things I love about a crisis committee, from the complex topics to the creativity each delegate brings to the conference. The Imjin Wars is an important topic in understanding the history of Korea-Japan relations and how it still plays a role in the two countries’ politics today. We hope you will enjoy researching on the topic as well as participating during the conference. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. See you all in January!

My name is Eleanor Schlick and I will be acting as assistant director for the Imjin War crisis committee. This is my second year with MUNUM and I’m very excited to see what you all do with this fascinating topic! In addition to helping run this conference, I’m a facilitator for a model UN conference of elementary and middle school students that takes place in New York. Otherwise, here at University of Michigan, I’m a sophomore planning to double major in political science and Spanish, with an interest in research and the non-profit sector. I believe model UN is a truly incredible educational experience and a great chance to meet new people. I look forward to MUNUM XXXVII and seeing you all!

We’re super excited to welcome you to our committee and look forward to meeting you in January!

Best,

The Staff of the Imjin War

Ji Hoon Choi: jicho@umich.edu

Eleanor Schlick: eschlick@umich.edu