WHO Committee Chair - Hyun Do Joo(SAP12)
WHO Committee Chair - Jaejun Shim(SAP12)
UNHCR Committee Chair - Sang Jun Lee(SAP12)
UNHCR Committee Chair - Isaac Yang(SAP11)

Honorable teachers, and fellow students,

Today, we would like to share our story and experiences starting, planning for, and preparing for our very first WanBang Model United Nations.

Motivation for Launching WBMUN
I still vividly remember the day when I was listening to the words of my seniors two years ago in front of the fourth-floor dorm, “We are going to open a collaborated MUN with Hatsan, is there anyone who wants to participate?”  Unfortunately, that plan wasn’t implemented, but I always had this small dream in my heart to successfully launch a MUN that is unique to our school. Becoming a sophomore, I started to be interested in International Relations, and to nurture my interest, I decided to take part in MUN conferences. I received awards and greatly enjoyed the experience, but was surprised how MUN was not as popular as Debate or ASDAN in our school. I wanted our peers to also experience this valuable educational opportunity, so it was decided that a school MUN should be launched.

But unlike our collective past MUN experience, instead of focusing on competition, ambitious delegates bordering on fighting with others to introduce the resolution, we planned for WBMUN to be different. Based on the words “cooperation” and “teamwork”, we planned from the beginning to create a MUN unique to the Wanbang values. And having seen how the delegates worked together throughout all sessions, and moderated and unmoderated caucus, we can proudly say that we believe we were successful.

Our Initial Reactions and Reflections on WBMUN
Walking into the conference room for the first day, since this was the very first WBMUN and most of the students were new, the chairs did not have high expectations regarding the quality of the conference; that is, we suspected that it could end in a way that is both messy and disorganized. 

Instead what we observed was beyond astonishing. With activeness that overshadowed any feeling of awkwardness or lack of confidence, our delegates began expressing themselves clearly and concisely from the very first day of the session. Passionate debate ensued during unmoderated caucuses and the moderated caucus brought both eloquent and emotional speeches. We, the chairs, were wrong. We were very wrong. Our biggest concern of if we can successfully open this WBMUN melted away with each session and we were filled with raw emotions of ardor and triumph filling us from the inside out. 
 

A better way we can express our feelings is the word touching. We felt touched because through WBMUN we saw how MUN is no longer a spec that our delegates were trying to pile up. We felt touched because we saw how our delegates regarded this experience as a stepping stone that will allow them to walk towards greater stages. Seeing how our delegates were focused on doing their best and contributing, instead of winning an award, we were genuinely touched by the mental maturity of our school’s delegates.

Looking Forward
Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of America, once said, “ Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” By our teachers, we were told about Model United Nations at first but forgot. When we were taught how MUN is a place to face new challenges during our first MUN experience, we remembered. And now that we used our memories to become involved in opening the first WBMUN, we learned that we have the ability to draw our own history. That we should not be circumscribed by our surroundings in spite of difficult situations like the covid 19-pandemic. 

Somebody once said that life is like an equation; that is, there is a given rule and we only need to follow the designated steps to reach our goal or to succeed. But I tell you today that this statement is not true. We do not have to follow the path which was given by the world, we can improve it with the values we have learned. We should endeavor to walk upright like a man who steps on the pure white snow where no one has stepped on. It is only then that perhaps, our footprints could become a road sign for others to follow or at the least a consolation for the people who are similarly taking challenges. 

Torch bearer, global servant leader, there are many adjectives that describe our students, but to grow into such adjectives you need more than persistence and direction. It is clear to us that taking challenges to express the unique values you have learned is a major step that we should all take in order to become what we seek. WBMUN was our challenge, but know that all of you listening to us have your own personal challenges. We cannot tell you what it is going to be, but we wish you to start your own journey by seeking challenges to further step outside of the classroom and express what it means to be a torch bearer, a global servant leader. Though small, we hope that WBMUN can be that footprint on the hill to remind you all to continue your efforts.

Closing Remarks
The energetic ambiance that we felt during the session by all the delegates still flutters our hearts today, and we wish to thank you for that. Recalling what the delegates have shown us exactly one month ago, we realize that our efforts were paid back ten fold or more. The passion that you all have shown us still motivates us and makes us look forward to future WBMUNs and our continued growth as a community. 

Thank you.