Eunchong Yim, a sophomore Global Affairs major at Mason Korea, was recently awarded the Best Delegate Award by the Minister of Unification at the 2024 Korea International Model United Nations (KIMUN). This honor is given to one standout student across the four committees at the conference.
The KIMUN conference, held in August at Yonsei University’s Seoul campus, brought together around 120 students from across the globe to discuss “Enhancing International Support and Engagement for North Korean Defectors and Refugees as a Framework for the Peaceful Unification of the Korean Peninsula.” The conference, hosted by the Global Peace Foundation and sponsored by the Ministry of Unification, was part of a summer camp hosted by Global Peace Youth Korea.
As a student fellow at Mason Korea's Center for Security and Policy Studies Korea (CSPS Korea), Yim was already familiar with some of the topics on the conference agenda. Motivated to deepen her understanding, she participated in KIMUN, where her primary focus was on fostering economic empowerment and social integration for North Korean defectors.
“I was incredibly inspired by the passion of my fellow delegates, who held fast to their countries' political stances until the last minute, making it challenging to reach a compromise, just like in real-world politics,” Yim shared. “It was both exciting and eye-opening to collaborate and encounter real potential obstacles.”
While Yim has always been passionate about writing and public speaking, participating in such a large-scale event pushed her to quickly restructure her arguments and draw from various resources. "This experience gave me greater confidence in the MUN format of writing and speaking,” Yim said.
She also expressed gratitude to GMUN (George Mason University Korea Model United Nations) for their support and guidance, adding, “I learned so much through this challenge, and I’m honored to receive the Best Delegate Award, a recognition of the hard work I put in.”
Following her success at KIMUN, Yim is eager to continue focusing on the issues she explored during the conference, particularly improving educational and vocational programs for North Korean youth. “This was my first deep dive into the topic of Korean unification, and I learned about the complexities and solutions surrounding it. I realized that peaceful unification is not just a concern for the older generation—it’s an issue that our generation must also address together.”
September 30, 2024