SPECIALIZED
AGENCIES
Behind the Lightstick:
Boardroom for Idol Advocacy and Safeguarding (BIAS)
K-pop is everywhere. Topping charts, selling out stadiums, driving billions in global revenue, and shaping pop culture worldwide. But beneath the flawless visuals and sold-out tours lies an industry powered by exploitation. Behind every comeback is a system built on overwork, relentless schedules, invasive surveillance, the pressure to maintain a flawless image, and contracts signed before idols are old enough to vote. The world is watching, and they’re starting to ask questions.
In response, the South Korean Ministry of Culture has launched the Boardroom for Idol Advocacy and Safeguarding (BIAS)–a high-level summit bringing together government officials, media managers, entertainment executives, and even ex-idols.
As K-pop continues to function as a major soft power tool and economic force for South Korea, delegates must now confront the darker realities hidden behind studio doors. Debate will focus on contract exploitation, idol burnout, mental health, trainee systems, and the blurred lines between management and manipulation.
While fan unions boycott comebacks and sponsors threaten to pull out, this boardroom must decide whether to preserve the system or protect the people within it.
And if the industry profits off idols, then it’s time to ask: Who’s protecting them when the cameras stop rolling?
CTRL+ALT+PANIC:
The Y2K Millennium Bug
It’s the end of 1999, with the turn of a new millennium just moments away. Yet a tiny flaw buried in millions of computer systems is threatening to crash the modern world. Known as the Y2K Bug, this coding oversight causes computers to misread the year “2000” as “1900” and could trigger catastrophic failures the moment the new millennium begins. Banking systems could shut down, planes could fall, missiles could misfire, and even nuclear protocols are at risk.
In Washington. D.C, an emergency task force has been assembled. The most powerful figures in global tech, government, and defense have one critical job: stop the bug from ending the world. Delegates must coordinate emergency patches, decide what to prioritize, and navigate cover-ups, leaks, corporate greed, and geopolitical tensions, all while preventing hysteria within the public.
Some want transparency. Others want silence. But the bug doesn’t care who’s in charge.
The countdown has already begun. Systems are failing, trust is eroding, and the line between order and chaos is thin. In this room, every decision could change the course of history.
Will the world enter the new millennium unscathed, or collapse before the clock strikes twelve?
NOTE: This committee will include light to medium crisis elements.
From Wire Transfers to Welcome Letters:
Operation Varsity Blues
You didn’t write the SATs, didn’t play the sport, and definitely didn’t qualify–but somehow, you still got in. Congratulations! You’ve just been accepted into the backdoor of Ivy League admissions, where money talks and morals disappear.
Behind brochures and billion-dollar endowments lies a system built on bribery, falsified credentials, and deals disguised as donations. The FBI’s Operation Varsity Blues exposed wealthy parents, actors, and lawyers paying millions to secure spots for their children at top universities.
Now, in the scandal’s heated aftermath, a high-stakes emergency summit has been called in Los Angeles. Public trust in higher education is collapsing, and the pressure is overwhelming.
Delegates will debate standardized testing equity, legacy admissions, donor influence, and access for first-generation and low-income students. Discussions will explore whether standardized testing should be abolished, the role governments should play in regulating private institutions, and how privilege continues to distort the concept of merit.
The façade of fairness isn’t just cracking–it's collapsing. This is no longer about one scandal. It’s about the system that made it possible. Can true equity ever exist when access is sold to the highest bidder? The system let them in. Now it's up to you to decide what happens next.
NOTE: This committee will include light to medium crisis elements.
Cut, Clarity, and Conflict:
Revisiting the Kimberley Process
Cut, clarity, colour, and carat–the four C’s used to define a diamond’s value. But the diamond trade continues to be shaped by a fifth C: conflict.
Once praised for eliminating blood diamonds, the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) is now under fire. Two decades later, the system meant to guarantee “conflict-free” diamonds faces growing criticism for being outdated, narrow in scope, and exploitative. It fails to address state-led violence, forced labour, environmental destruction, and systemic abuse. All while giving unethical diamonds a stamp of approval and letting corporations mask abuse as ethics.
In present-day Dubai, global stakeholders have reconvened. Governments, mining states, luxury brands, and human rights advocates must now debate: should the Kimberley Process be expanded, overhauled, or scrapped? Delegates will examine the limitations of the current definition of “conflict,” expose corporate misuse of labels, and reassess supply-chain transparency. They will also weigh the responsibility of diamond-dependent economies and the power imbalance between Global South producers and Global North markets.
As calls for accountability intensify, the fate of the KPCS and the credibility of the diamond industry stands at a breaking point.
Because when exploitation hides behind certification, every diamond carries a cost, and now, that cost is on you.
Maple Syrup, Money, and Markets:
Sticky Fingers & Sweet Deals
The Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist has just occurred, resulting in over $18 million worth of maple syrup stolen from a storage facility run by the Federation of Maple Syrup Producers (FMSP). This heist, not an isolated incident, highlighted the problems in the maple syrup market, thus bringing together this diverse panel to address the issues at hand.
The FSMP is the sole party responsible for the Quebecois Maple Syrup Market, exporting to over 70% of the world. In 1966, the FMSP created an enforced quota giving the Federation authority over production, price, and sales of maple syrup. Believing the quota was harming them, a group of producers, “The Rebels”, act for autonomy in the market, many having turned towards the black market instead.
Maple syrup is both economically and culturally important to Quebec's maple syrup producers. Together, the FSMP, the Rebels, along with other more neutral stakeholders in the maple community, will work together to examine the regulations in the market. Beyond reaching a compromise, they must also address the missing 3,000 tonnes of maple syrup and find a way to apprehend the thieves.
Tomorrow's syrup flows from today's decisions—time to stop the leaks in the barrel.
NOTE: This committee will include light to medium crisis elements.
Bottling Up Liquid Assets:
Fiji Water
February 1st, 2025. A popular brand, famous for its image of “stylish” and "artisan" drinking water, has just been fined a lawsuit. The Plastic Coalition claimed tests show Fiji Water’s products contain harmful microplastics and the chemical BPA.
This scandal strikes at the heart of Fiji’s carefully crafted image, one that has been repeatedly cracked and repaired. It is time for something new. Something better. Delegates will represent company stakeholders, meeting together to discuss their next steps after this most recent accusation. They will examine the environmental, ethical, safety, and territorial concerns in the industry in addition to their branding, marketing, and the idea of “greenwashing”. Long criticized for its environmental impact and ongoing regional disputes, the public’s trust has reached another low. However, with regulators and environmental activists cracking down on these industries, circumstances worsen for many similar brands. Fiji is not alone in its troubles. Offering aid and insight are representatives from Aquafina, Danone, and others.
All eyes are watching, waiting for the company’s response. One question remains: can Fiji Water clean up its act? You have the answer.
The Envelope, Please… Again:
Critics Association for Film and Entertainment (CAFE)
In preparation for the 98th Academy Awards, the Critics Association for Film and Entertainment (CAFE) has assembled to examine Oscars history. From film nominations, public reaction, recipients, snubs, the controversies, and more, CAFE aims to create an adjusted, or even completely new, voting and selection process to use in the next Oscars and to re-evaluate previous choices.
After the re-modelled process, select films chosen by this selection committee will be revealed in CAFE-stival, a film festival publicly displaying the preliminary results of CAFE before the next Oscars. From the role of AI, category boundaries, and historical biases to the art of filmmaking itself, CAFE provides delegates with the chance to examine the journey of filmmaking and film itself. This extends beyond Oscars itself, and draws from public rating sites, blogs, and awards in similar industries with their own share of controversy.
Bringing in a variety of unique perspectives, delegates will represent figures from various careers. This includes actors, behind-the-scenes artists (cameramen, costume designers, editors, cinematographers), cross-industry artists (musicians, animators), former Oscar voters and academy members, popular film critics, and more.
Lights, Camera, Action; welcome to the past, present, and future of cinema!
Not Meant to be Played Alone:
The Gamers League in Optimization, Refinement and Yonder (GLORY)
It has been a decade since the MMORPG game “GLORY” established the Glory Professional Alliance, opening a channel for competitive e-sports. Over the years, it has been one of many video games rising with the professional gaming scene. Now, for the first time, “GLORY” is hosting an international tournament.
Delegates will primarily represent game developers and administration, in addition to Club CEOs, pro-players, and other individuals. To ensure “GLORY” is ready, this committee, bearing its namesake, will work together to update and uplift the game for an even larger stage. This initiative also provides opportunities for publicity and business deals. In the midst of controversy, e-sports is steadily becoming a legitimate profession in the eyes of the masses. Beyond the game, delegates will discuss the rising e-sports industry, gaming regulations, club and player conditions, “smurfing”, debuting ages, further expansion, the integration of business strategies, and more.
Drawing from the web-novel The King’s Avatar, where GLORY is set, real-world cases, and e-sports leagues for games such as Call of Duty, Counter-Strike and Valorant, this conceptual/fictional committee examines the gaming industry in its entirety.
Set the stage. Prove the game’s worth. Establish e-sports as a true career. Come claim your glory.
HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SPECIALIZED AGENCIES?
Reach out to our Co-Directors of Specialized Agencies, Ivy Chen and Sukaina Syed, at specialized@utmun.org.