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Monday, February 17, 2020

Hangul: The Korean War Treaty Negotiation Game Created by Ruth Paget

Hangul:  The Korean Treaty Negotiation Game Created by Ruth Paget

Historical Background:

The conflict in the Korean Peninsula began on June 25, 1950 with fighting ending on July 27, 1953.

No treaty was written or signed to end this war with the result that North and South Korea today are divided with a demilitarized zone (DMZ) at roughly what is the 38th parallel.

North Korean troops are stationed on one side of the DMZ and South Korean and American troops are stationed on the other; the Korean War has never been settled and is still on.

Game Objective:

Write a treaty ending the Korean War that provides the Korean people with:

-food
-clothing
-shelter
-energy resources for heat and cooling
-reunification of families
-self-determination

Level 1: Identify Parties Who Participated in the initial Conflict and Entered Into it through Time

-Use encyclopedias or the online CIA Factbook to determine who started the war and for what reason
-Identify all parties who have contributed to tensions in this region
-Resources you might consult include World Book Encyclopedia, Britannica, and infoplease.com for access to college-level encyclopedias

Level 2: Treaty Language Considerations

-Look up information on the Korean alphabet called hangul
-Hangul has diverged in format between North and South Korea.  How does this situation affect drafting a treaty?

Level 3:  Food Insufficiency Concerns

North Korea experienced famine from 1994 – 1998.

-How does North Korea refer to this period of famine and why?
-Identify what caused famine.  What foods in particular might have been affected?
-Is North Korea self-sufficient in food even with good harvests?
-Could food insufficiency affect North Korea’s foreign policy?

Level 4: Gain Knowledge of Korean Food

Read books about Korean food and think about self-sufficiency versus imports:

-Cook Korean!  A Comic Book with Recipes by Robin Ha

-Everyday Korean by Kim SuniƩ

-Growing Up in a Korean Kitchen by Hi Soo Hepinstall

-Korean BBQ: Master your Grill in Seven Sauces by Bill Kim

-Korean Food Made Simple by Judy Joo

-Korean Home Cooking: Classic and Modern Recipes by Sohui Kim

-Koreatown: A Cookbook by Deuki Hong

-Maangchi’s Big Book of Korean Cooking from Everyday Meals to Celebration Cuisine by Maangchi

-Maangchi’s Real Korean Cooking: Authentic Dishes for the Home Cook by Maangchi

-Seoul Food Korean Cookbook: Korean Food from Kimchi and Bimibap to Fried Chicken and Bingsoo by Naomi Imatome-Yun

-Vegetarian Dishes from my Korean Home by Shin Kim

Level 5: Public Health Issues

-What sanitation systems are in place where the treaty might be negotiated and signed?
-What are medical facilities like?  Are there medical supplies readily available?
-What are hotels like?  Are recycling systems in place to help prevent the spread of disease?
-What rodent control systems are in place.

Treaty negotiators do not want to become sick from bad food or rapid spread of disease.  They also need rest.

Level 6: Treaty Negotiation Procedural Considerations

-What is the Korean War called by the various parties who have participated in it?
-Who would legally represent these countries in negotiation?
-What shape of table would negotiators have?  This was a consideration for signing the treaty to end the Vietnam War.
-What catering considerations have to be taken into account?  North and South Koreans might want their own caterers even though they eat the same food.
-How would interpretation be set up?
-How would translation be set up?
-How would transportation be set up?

Level 7: Read A.H. Maslow’s A Theory of Human Motivation

-Determine what North and South Koreans need in terms of food, clothing, and shelter.  Providing for people might make acceptance of treaties easier.
-Look at both of these regions for climate concerns.
-Research Korean domestic architecture and public transit systems to see if they meet current housing and transportation needs?  How will demographic growth affect these two areas?

Level 8:  Read Getting Past No: Negotiation in Difficult Situations by William Ury

-Use the framework in this book from the Harvard Negotiation Project to identify obstacles to the peace process in the Korean Peninsula

Level 9: Read Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher and William Ury

Use this book as a framework from the Harvard Negotiation Project to identify needs that must be met and to brainstorm various ways of meeting them

Level 10: Treaty Conclusion Meal

Try cooking a Korean meal at home or go to a Korean restaurant and sample some of the following items:

-pan chan: assorted vegetable appetizers that can be sour or savory

-dak gu yi: grilled chicken with sauce

-bul go gi: grilled beef with sauce

-on ji gu bok um: stir-fry squid with vegetables

-Korean sushi

-kalbi: ribs with sauce

-barley tea

Notes:

-Where does beef come from in Korea?  Who owns this region?  How did the beef get introduced there or is it indigenous to the territory?

-Learn how to use Korean chopsticks

Game on and congratulations to Parasite for winning Best Picture!

Hangul Created by Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France