Motions
9th HAFS Debate Conference
Elementary school division
Health
THW legalize the buying and selling of organs.
THW legalize all drugs.
THW mandate organ donation after death.
Culture
THBT K-Pop idol groups have done more harm than good for Korean culture.
THW create a screen quota for Korean movies at cinemas.
THBT major film and television awards shows should abolish awards categories separated by gender.
Animal Rights
THW ban all ownership of pets.
THW subsidize vegetarians.
THW ban the use of animals for sports and entertainment.
Crime Justice
THW implement trial by jury in all cases.
THW require on-duty police officers to wear body cameras.
THW allow prisoners on a life sentence to choose the death penalty.
Education
THW assign students to different classes based on academic ability starting from elementary school.
THW abolish all religious primary and secondary schools.
THBT schools should actively instill patriotism in their students.
Gender Equality
TH, as the Korean Government, will provide its female national sports teams with equal pay as its male teams.
THW abolish all single-sex universities.
THW subsidize corporations with female executives or chief officers.
Technology
Assuming the technology exists, THW allow individuals to sell years off of their lives to others.
Assuming the technology exists, TH prefers a world where memory is permanent and perfect.
Assuming the technology exists, THW eliminate lying.
Middle School division
Religion
THW tax religious institutions.
THW legally punish parents who don’t vaccinate their children for religious reasons.
THW choose to live in a world without religion.
Culture
(information)
The Huichol are an indigenous people of Mexico that use peyote, a psychoactive hallucinogen, for ritualistic and medicinal use as a visionary sacrament to approach their deity. Many other indigenous Northern Americans use similar substances for religious purposes.
(motions)
THW authorize indigenous Northern Americans to use illegal substances for religious purposes.
THW grant two votes to indigenous people.
THW ban the privatization of state-owned cultural heritage and historic sites.
Education
THS the rising trend of homeschooling for minority communities.
THW abolish standardized testing (i.e.수능)
THW force public university graduates to work locally for a certain number of years.
Corporations
(information)
The “996” (named for a 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. schedule, six days a week) is a schedule designed by Alibaba’s CEO Jack Ma that has become an unwritten rule for many tech firms in China.
(motions)
TH, as the CEO of a start-up company, would employ Jack Ma’s 996 schedule.
THR the creation of Facebook.
THBT large tech companies should refuse to provide data on their customers to governments, even if it involves refusing to comply with a law which compels them to do so.
Environment
THW abolish patents for green technology.
THBT it is justifiable for environmental organizations to actively use eco-terrorism against corporations that cause severe pollution.
THW significantly increase efforts to find and colonialize hospitable planets by shifting resources away from efforts towards environmental solutions.
Fantasy
(information)
Motion 1: Climate change has affected the world to the extent where there are no resources to sustain the entire world population. Poverty is at an all-time high; electric shortages are prevalent; many regions of the world are experiencing freezing temperatures and/or sinking.
Motion 2: Bruce Wayne is a billionaire industrialist that has a secret identity of being Batman, the superhero protector of Gotham City.
Motion 3: In the Harry Potter universe, a Muggle is a person who lacks any sort of magical ability and was not born in a magical family. Muggles will almost always live their entire lives with no awareness of the existence of magic. However, when one displays talent in magic, one will be invited to learn at one of the wizarding schools to defend the world from the grasps of dark magic, although this might mean that one would have to sacrifice his/her life.
(motions)
TH, as Thanos, will snap his fingers.
TH prefers a world where Bruce Wayne is a philanthropist instead of Batman.
TH, as a Muggle child, will reject a Hogwarts invitation letter.
International Relations
TH welcomes the Trump administration’s trade sanctions against China.
TH, as the Korean government, would place tariffs on Japanese goods.
THBT countries with a history of colonialism should open their borders to any migrant from their former colonies.
8th HAFS Debate Conference
Elementary school division
Children
THBT children should learn Harry Potter instead of classics.
THW ban children from becoming professional models.
THW ban the sale of war toys for young children.
Entertainment
THW abolish zoos.
THBT the movie industry should increase representation of women.
THW abolish audition programs.
International Relations
THS open immigration.
THBT US troops should be withdrawn from the Korean peninsula.
THS the goal of Korean reunification.
Social Justice
THW ban alcohol.
THW allow companies to refuse to hire smokers.
THW get rid of the age limit for using Facebook.
Sports
THW include e-sports in the Olympics.
THW ban animals from being used in sports.
THBT developing countries should not host the Olympics.
Science and Technology
TH supports the use of GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms).
THW stop sending humans to space.
THBT the use of nuclear energy does more harm than good.
Criminal Justice
THW torture terrorists.
THW prosecute teenagers as adults for serious crimes.
THW arm police officers with deadly weapons in Korea.
Middle school division
Children
THW ban teenagers from playing violent video games.
THW make parents take classes on parenting before having a child.
THBT parents should be able to choose whether to have a boy or a girl.
Entertainment
THW ban gossip magazines.
THW introduce a tax on “lowbrow” entertainment in order to pay for “highbrow” art.
THW allow free distribution of music on the Internet.
International Relations
THW grant dictators asylum if they agree to give up their power.
THBT Korea should accept foreign refugees.
THBT every country should have the right to possess nuclear weapons.
Social Justice
THS conscientious refusal for military service.
THS a universal wealth cap (putting a limit on individual wealth).
THW never censor faces of criminals in media.
Sports
THBT we should legalize performance-enhancing drugs in sports.
THW provide equal financial support for male and female sports.
THW require major broadcasters to assign equal importance on media coverage of female sports games as male sports games.
Science and Technology
Assuming that the technology exists, THW allow the use of mind-reading machines in courts.
THS the colonization of the moon.
THW tax companies that replace human resources with AI (Artificial Intelligence).
Criminal Justice
THBT prisoners should be granted the right to vote.
THW require all criminal defendants to use a government-provided lawyer.
THW criminalize all forms of racist speech and acts.
7th HAFS Debate Conference
Education
THW decrease subsidies given to university education and invest more in elementary education
THW mandate politics education in every school
THBT students should elect the president of their universities
Minority
THW ban commercial advertisements that promote gender stereotype +
THW ban the hijab (face veil).
THW lower the voting age
Culture
THW mandate radio stations to play the music of local artists
THBT the government should end its subsidies of the arts
In multi-ethnic countries, THW set minimum ethnic diversity quotas in residential areas
Media
THBT certain news should be censored for minors
THW ban movies based on real-life heinous crimes
This house would ban international aid charities from using sensational, graphic or overly-emotional images of suffering
Criminal Justice System
This house would allow prisoners to raise their babies behind bars.
THW allow prisoners to choose death over life sentence.
THW allow prisoners to vote.
Health
THW make organ donation compulsory after death v
THW follow the will of the patient with an incurable disease for euthanasia.
THW require deaf parents to send their kids (whether deaf/hearing) to mainstream schools for their primary & secondary education.
Assuming
Assuming the technology exists, THW actively use time machines
Assuming that it is possible, THW get rid of all borders between nations
Assuming the technology exists, THW replace the military with robots
Elementary School division
Education
THBT university education should be free+
THW ban all religious schools
THB parents should choose not to send their children to private school
Media
THW ban anonymous posting and commenting on internet
THW ban media reporting the private lives of public figures
THW punish cyberbullies like crimes committed by adults
Criminal justice system
THW grant prisoners the right to vote
THW allow prisoners to volunteer for drug trials in exchange for lighter sentence
THS the death penalty.
Health
THW not offer national health care to people that risk their own health
THW allow parents to refuse certain medical treatments to their children
THW ban fast food companies from attracting minors with toys
Beauty
THW ban students from using makeup
THW ban cosmetic surgery
THW ban beauty pageants (e.g.미스코리아)
Fantasy
THBT the Avengers should compensate for the damage they caused
THBT superheroes should be registered and regulated by the government
THBT superheroes should wear body cams.
Technology
THBT AI development does more harm than good
TH regrets the development of robots
THW ban smartphones for minors
6th HAFS Debate Championship
Elementary School Division
Round 1
Life & Rights
TH supports euthanasia (안락사)
THW allow the sale of organs
THW ban animal testing
Round 2
Education
THW ban hagwons (private academies)
THW have a vacation every season
THW include sign language as a language option in CSAT (대학수학능력평가)
Round 3
Criminal Justice System
THW grant prisoners the right to vote
THW allow prisoners to volunteer for drug trials in exchange for lighter sentences
THW punish homeroom teachers for crimes committed by their students
Round 4
Media
THW ban media from reporting the private lives of public figures
THBT schools should punish students for cyber-bullying
THBT the Internet helps the development of journalism
Round 5
Health
THW ban the sale of junk food to minors
THW make smoking illegal
THS the privatization of hospitals
Quarter Finals
Sports
THBT the Olympics does more harm than good
THW not allow military exemption as a reward for sports events
THBT e-Sports (ex: League of Legends, Over Watch, StarCraft) should also be part of the Olympics
Semi Finals
Beauty
THW ban students from using makeup
THW ban cosmetic surgery
THW ban beauty pageants
Finals
Science
THBT the government should invest more money for space exploration
THS the development of cloning technology
THBT science education should be emphasized more than humanities education
Middle School Division
Round1
Family
THW celebrate the culture of tiger parenting
TH regrets the rise of giryegi parents (기러기부모)
THBT parents should install program to montior their children's online activity and communication
Round 2
Education
THBT students should be given the power to choose their own in-school curriculum
THBT schools should not require community service hours
THW allow students to vote for their provisional educational superintendents (지역교육감)
Round 3
Imagination
Assuming it is feasible, THW allow prisoners with a death sentence to instead participate in risky experiments
Assuming it is feasible, TH prefers a world without gender
Assuming the technology exists, THW replace the military with robots
Round 4
Media
THBT the rise of K-Pop has done more harm than good
THW ban advertisements that promote gender stereotypes
THW ban the media from reporting terrorist attacks in times of crisis
Round 5
Technology
THW ban the sale of violent video games to minors
THW limit the development of artificial intelligence
THW end the shutdown policy(게임셧다운제)
Quarter Finals
International Relations
THW not give development aid to non-democratic governments
TH regrets the deployment of THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) in South Korea
THW allow countries to send refugees to other countries in exchange for money
Semi Finals
Justice
THW ban companies from acquiring criminal records
THBT allow private gun ownership
THBT the home countries of terrorists should compensate for the damage caused by the terrorists
Finals
Social Minorities
THBT the police should represent the racial composition of the community
THS schools specialized for LGBTQ
THW mandate female quotas for university departments
5th HAFS Debate Championship
Elementary School Division
Round 1
Animal Rights
THBT animals should not be used for scientific experiments
THW allow whaling
THW ban zoos
Round 2
Technology
Assuming that there exist robots that have the same level of intelligence with humans, THW grant the robots the same rights as humans
THBT computers should replace teachers
Assuming that there exists a machine that allows the user to have any experience, THW ban the machine
Round 3
Health
THW ban children from eating fast food
THBT schools should encourage vegetarianism
THW punish parents who do not make sure their children eat healthy meals
Round 4
Education
THBT year-round schooling is unnecessary
THW allow students to choose the subjects they take
THBT teachers should prioritize the happiness of their students over learning
Round 5
Society
THW guarantee a minimum number of seats for minorities in national legislatures
THW stop investment in space exploration
THBT society should prioritize conformity over creativity
Quarter Finals
Child Rights
THW ban children from acting in television advertisements
THW require CCTVs in classrooms
THW allow children to work in family businesses
Semi Finals
Government
THBT a government is right to exaggerate the harms of an epidemic disease
THBT dictatorships can be justified for economic growth
THBT governments should pay welfare in the form of goods and services instead of cash payments.
Grand Finals
Thought Experiment
Assuming that it is possible, THW allow people to sell and buy time
Assuming that it is possible, THW eliminate lies
Assuming that it is possible, THW remove violence from human behavior
Middle School Division
Round 1
Free speech
THW ban online anonymous speech
THBT a citizen has the right to publicly defend the enemies of his or her nation
THW punish users of extremist websites
Round 2
Education
THBT competition makes a person realize his potential sooner
THW not require students to write down their dreams in school
THBT schools should be able to freely set their own curriculums
Round 3
Korea
THBT South Korea should actively side with China in its island disputes with Japan
THW recognize North Korea as a nuclear power
THW allow alternative service for conscientious objectors of military duty
Round 4
Democracy
THBT democracies should extend voting rights to resident migrant workers
THW require citizens to pass a basic test in order to vote
THBT the United Nations has the obligation to encourage democracy in every country
Round 5
Religion
THBT religions should not make any claims of being able to cure illnesses
Assuming proof that God does not exist is discovered, THW destroy that proof
THBT religions should actively combine
Quarter Finals
Society
TH regrets the world’s focus on global warming
TH regrets the market revolution
THW include females in mandatory military service
Semi Finals
Asylum
THBT the decision to receive refugees should be made by a third party
THBT rich countries should accept more refugees
THBT it is a human rights violation to keep asylum seekers in prison-like conditions
Grand Finals
Thought Experiment
Assuming feasibility, THW allow people to voluntarily erase their memories
Assuming that it is possible to predict failure, THW ban failure
Assuming that the technology exists, THW revive those who have committed suicide
4th HAFS Debate Championship
Round 1
Education
THW put more emphasis on science and math education over other subjects
THS tiger parenting (tiger parenting:
THW make physical education optional for students
Round 2
Sports
THBT South and North Korea should have an unified national sports team
THW ban children from playing violent sports
THW offer citizenship to outstanding athletes
Round 3
Economy
THW double the minimum wage
THW impose a flat tax
THS Super super-markets.
Round 4
Entertainment / Pop culture
THBT korean idol groups have done more harm than good for korean culture
THW ban music containing lyrics that promote violence and criminal lifestyles
THW not give major entertainment awards to celebrities who have committed crimes of violence
Round 5
Technology
THBT social networking sites do more harm than good for teenagers
THW make a genetic database
Assuming that technology exists, thw make a train tunnel to Japan
Quarter Finals
Law / Society
THS the death penalty
THW ban online gambling
THW detain terrorist suspects without trial
Semi Finals
Religion
THW ban religions that actively promote self harm
THW not give government funding for religious schools
THW tax religious institutions
Grand Finals
Health
THBT all companies should offer at least one year of parental leave
THW ban medical tourism
THW give doctors, not parents, the final say for all medical decisions for children
3rd HAFS Debate Championship
Round 1
Society
THW set a higher tax on fast food.
THW ban plastic surgery.
THW allow smoking in all outdoor areas.
Round 2
Science
THW encourage space exploration.
THW ban animal testing for beauty products.
THW not develop machines with human level intelligence.
Round 3
Education
THW abolish school examinations.
THW reintroduce physical punishment in schools.
THBT hagwons have done more harm than good for South Korean education.
Round 4
Korean Politics
THW remove United States troops from South Korea.
THW allow presidents to run for reelection for a second term.
THW require voters to pass a basic political knowledge test in order to vote in South Korea
Round 5
Entertainment
THW ban violent video games.
THW allow use of performance enhancing drugs in professional sports.
THW ban beauty pageants.
Quarter Finals
Religion
THBT organized religion has done more harm than good.
THW ban students from wearing religious symbols to school.
THW allow parents to refuse medical treatment for their children based on the parents' religious beliefs.
Semi Finals
Economy
THBT free trade has done more harm than good for developing countries.
THW place a higher tax on rich people.
THW ban the trade of products made by child labor.
Grand Finals
International Relations
THW make a permanent military force for the United Nations.
THW give immunity to dictators who voluntarily step down
THW acknowledge China as a superpower.
2nd HAFS Debate Championship
Round 1
Education
THW include disabled students in standard school classroom
THW ban student protests
THW provide free lunches for all students
Round 2 (Prepared)
Ethics
THW ban procedures that attempt to change racial characteristics - M
THW end all affirmative action policies - E
Round 3
Environment
THW ban eating meat
THW ban neon signs
THS a tax on greenhouse gas emissions
Round 4 (Prepared)
International Relations
THW intervene in Syria - M
THW return to the sunshine policy - E
Round 5
Economy
THW tax 100% of an individual's wealth upon death
THBT the government should not save failing companies
THW not allow strikes by public employees
Quarter Finals
Religion
THBT religious leaders should be banned from making political speeches
THBT state religion is detrimental to democracy
THW not recognize public religious holidays
Semi Finals (Prepared)
Science and Technology
THW ban the use of cyber weapons - M
THW implant tracking devices in children - E
Finals
Democracy
M
THW give prisoners the right to vote
THBT civil disobedience is essential for liberal democracies
THW end presidential pardons
E
THBT economic development should take priority over democratization.
THW lower the voting age to include high school students
THBT all election campaigns should be publicly financed
1st HAFS Debate Championship
Round 1
THW ban school uniforms
THBT single sex schools are more effective than coeducational schools
THBT students should be placed in classes according to their ability
Round 2 (Prepared)
THW ban smoking in public places
Round 3
THS the death penalty
THW ban the use of torture in times of war
THW legalize euthanasia
Round 4 (Prepared)
THBT corporations should create quotas for female executives
Round 5
THS increasing the use of nuclear energy to replace fossil fuels
THBT we should end factory farming of animals
THW prioritize environmental protection over economic development
Quarter Finals
THBT the government should censor harmful speech on the internet
THW create a curfew on online gaming for minors
THS a three-strikes policy for illegal file sharing
Semi Finals
THW make voting mandatory in democratic nations
THW allow presidents of Korea to run for re-election
THBT polticians have a right to private life
Finals (Prepared)
THW negotiate with terrorists - M
THW allow the sale of human organs - E