Kyle Baek
iaea@worldmun.org
Kyle Baek is a sophomore in Quincy House from San Diego, CA pursuing a double concentration in Government and History with a language citation in Mandarin Chinese. Outside of WorldMUN, he is involved in the Crimson, Harvard Undergraduate Law Review, and Research in the Government Department. In his free time, he enjoys traveling with friends, exploring new cuisines, and reading Supreme Court cases.
Topic: Nuclear Security Cooperation in Northeast Asia
In 2013, the international community witnessed an unprecedented escalation of nuclear tensions in Northeast Asia, specifically on the Korean Peninsula, with North Korea conducting a series of nuclear tests and missile launches. These provocative actions by North Korea have raised concerns about the stability and security of the region, as well as the potential for nuclear proliferation. Colloquially referred to as the “2013 Korean Crisis,” this period oversaw increased tensions among key actors such as North Korea, South Korea, the United States, China, Russia, and Japan. Following the passage of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2087, which broadened sanctions against North Korea in response to an unwarranted satellite launch in December 2012, the international community faced the challenge of managing a string of nuclear threats from North Korea. On February 12, 2013, North Korea state media announced it had conducted an underground nuclear test, its third in seven years. About a month later, on March 13, North Korea unilaterally ended the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement, declaring that it “is not restrained by the North-South declaration on non-aggression and warned that the next step was an act of ‘merciless’ military retaliation against its enemies.” On April 2, in response to ongoing tensions and escalating threats, the United States announced plans to deploy U.S. Army Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) advanced ballistic missile defense to Guam in order to protect U.S. allies in the region. The escalating tensions in Northeast Asia, particularly on the Korean Peninsula, have significant implications for regional and global security. These tensions have the potential to initiate drastic crises, including armed conflict, nuclear proliferation, and the destabilization of the entire Northeast Asian region.