Home Is Where The Inheritance Is: Lee Family Dinner, 2014
잘 다녀왔어요! It’s so nice to see my family all together again!
The Lees are on the precipice of crisis. With its elderly patriarch, Lee Kung-hee, on death’s door, the family must resolve what is to become of his great fortune upon his passing. Lee Kung-hee is the owner, chairman, and head honcho supreme of Samsung, a company that dominates over 20% of the South Korean economy. Now, that vast wealth is under siege. South Korean law imposes a tax of nearly 50% on all inheritances, threatening to topple the family empire unless something can be done. Cue the family drama. Cousins fighting cousins. Brothers who no longer speak to one another. Activist investors howling at the door, screaming for blood. Worst of all, Lee Kung-hee has yet to choose a successor. Over the course of a lovely, intimate family dinner, secrets are spilled, enemies are made and unmade, and familial love is tested beyond all reasonable bounds— who will gain even more power and wealth, and who will be forced to leave the dinner table?
Our committee will be situated in May 2014, immediately after the heart attack of Lee Kung-hee. Seated around the family dinner table, delegates will take on the role of the Lee family, its friends, and its close advisors, all of whom are seeking to protect their profits— and maybe snatch a bigger piece of the pie for themselves, if they can get away with it. Mired in corruption scandals, the noble reputation of the Lees hangs by a thread. With Samsung’s death grip over the hearts, minds, and economy of South Korea, delegates are challenged with maintaining their near-royal status within the corpo-nation. Who will delegates choose to take over from grandpa? How will they navigate this web of partial ownership spanning hundreds of subsidiaries amidst South Korea’s byzantine inheritance laws? Can crafty delegates turn this strife into an opportunity to expand the family empire?
We welcome you all to decide the fate of one of the world’s richest and most powerful families. Come quick – dinner is hot!
Audrey He
Chair
Audrey is a third year in the college studying Business Economics and English Literature. She’s been doing MUN since she was 13 years old, and it has truly been a life-changing experience, where she’s found confidence, community, and a venue for her passion for politics and debate. After staffing committees at NCSC and NAIMUN (as a transfer from Georgetown!), Audrey served as an AC for Big Problems, Jurassic Solutions: InGen Board of Directors at ChoMUN XXVIII.
Outside of MUN, she is involved in The Blue Chips investment club here on campus, and also enjoys writing, yoga, and yapping about books. Audrey can’t wait to be your chair at ChoMUN XXIX, and you can reach out to her at amh13@uchicago.edu.
Noah Burdick
Crisis Director
Noah is a second year in the college studying physics and probably philosophy. He started doing MUN in 10th grade, and it’s been a fabulous chance to hone his argumentative and rhetorical skills in an immersive diplomatic community—quite a vibe. In college, he’s competed on the travel team, and helped run a committee in ChoMUN last year, serving as an AC on the Merchant Madness committee at ChoMUN XXVIII.
Outside of MUN, he likes to do debate, audit random classes, and lurk in common rooms to inflict philosophical hot takes on unsuspecting passersby. He’s also active in the Society of Physics Students. Noah is thrilled to be a Crisis Director for ChoMUN XXIX, and if you have any questions, you can reach out to him at noahburdick@uchicago.edu.
Noah Springhorn
CRISIS DIRECTOR
Noah Springhorn is a second-year student studying Public Policy and Economics. He has been doing Model UN for 5 years now, and beyond ChoMUN, he competes on the UChicago MUN team and runs a committee for MUNUC. Last year, he served as an AC for the Ad Hoc Committee of ChoMUN XXVIII.
Outside of Model UN, he is involved with a few different political organizations, and he runs a political comedy publication. He’s super excited to be a Crisis Director for this committee at ChoMUN XXIX! You can reach out to him at nspringhorn@uchicago.edu.
Secretariat oversight:
Zoe ZHU, Under-secretary-general