Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC)
North Korean Nuclear Conflict
United States of America
The Haverford School
In the post-Cold War era, nuclear non-proliferation is important to prevent the escalation of tensions between multiple nuclear weapon states. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s recent actions threaten to bring about a new era of hostility between nations. North Korea began developing its nuclear program in the 1950’s, under the supervision of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The USSR agreed to help North Korea build four light water reactors; in exchange, North Korea signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. However, North Korea covertly began to enrich uranium used to make nuclear weapons, claiming that nuclear weapons forms a part of its self defense. The United States of America responded by suspending oil shipments to the country in 2002, to which North Korea withdrew from the NPT a month later. North Korea conducted its first nuclear test in 2006. Since, then, North Korea has conducted five further tests, with the most recent one being on September 3, 2017. Pyongyang has also developed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that are capable of launching a nuclear device to neighbors South Korea and Japan and possibly the United States mainland. These recent actions threaten an era of peace and prosperity the world has never experienced since the dawn of civilization.
