1953 Bare-handed Tycoon - Chapter 392



Only Krnovel

392 – Samgochoryeo (Three Visits to Thatched Cottage)

After being rejected by Kim Dae-jung, Kijo did not go straight to Seoul but stayed in Mokpo for three days.

He showed up at Kim Dae-jung’s campaign sites every day, took the front row seat, listened to his speeches, and applauded them without holding back.

Kim Dae-jung was also surprised at first when he saw Kijo sitting in the front row, but later he looked a little perplexed.

After spending three days like that, Kijo decided to leave Mokpo and contacted Jo Joong-hoon.

“Brother, I’ll take it. I’ll charter the air taxi for a few more days.”

– Really? Where are you going next?

“I’m not planning on going anywhere, I’m just going to leave the plane in Mokpo.”

-What does that mean?

The keynote speech briefly explained the situation.

-There’s someone coming up to Seoul from Mokpo. Who is that?

The keynote speech was to keep Chairman Park and Kim Dae-jung’s secret as much as possible. The two might not meet, but there was a risk that a strange rumor that they did meet could spread.

“It’s a secret right now. I’ll definitely let you know later.”

-Do you have a lover in Mokpo?

Kijo could only laugh at Joonghoon’s question.

After a long laugh, Kijo asked.

“Are there a lot of reservations these days?”

Joong Hoon’s Korean Air Cessna was often used by wealthy people and wealthy newlyweds who had to go to the countryside in a hurry for their honeymoon flights.

It was a time when even if you had a lot of money, you couldn’t even dream of going abroad, and taking a plane and flying in the sky within the country was the ultimate luxury.

―It’s not like I need to turn it twice… .

“Okay then. I’ll pay for one.”

So, they decided to have the Cessna on standby at Mokpo Naval Air Station and Kijo planned to take the train to Seoul.

After packing my bags and leaving the hotel to catch a taxi, Kim Dae-jung’s person came to see me.

“Sir, are you returning to Seoul today?”

“Yes, I’m going up today.”

“Oh, you must have been sworn at. Were you tired of following our President Kim Dae-jung’s speeches?”

“It’s hard. Please tell the candidate that I was impressed every day.”

“Okay, take this.”

The man handed me a large envelope.

“What is this?”

“Oh, this. Our master told me to give it to him. He wrote it with a brush, but I don’t know the Chinese characters, so I don’t know the content. He just said that if I gave it to him, he would understand.”

Kijo smiled and nodded.

It seemed like he was not giving it to himself, but rather giving it to Chairman Park.

He must have felt sorry for following him around for three days. He couldn’t let him return to Seoul without any results, so he was considerate enough to send him with a letter.

The keynote was that he was grateful for the thoughtfulness.

And it was nice to see the romanticism displayed by the big names in politics of the past.

In the past, when politicians could not meet each other, they would leave a handwritten note to convey their intentions to the other party.

It was much more elegant than later generations of politicians who left hasty comments on social media that are open to the public or wrote meaningless words and then hurriedly deleted them.

‘Even though I can’t meet you now, it’s not because I’m ignoring you. I have my own reasons, so please understand.’

It must have been with this feeling that he wrote with a brush.

“Please be sure to tell the candidate that I am grateful.”

“Yes, I understand. You too, sir, be careful.”

Although his speech was rough, he seemed to be a loyal man.

Kijo parted ways with him and headed to Mokpo Station.

* * *

Kijo, who returned to Seoul, went straight to see Chairman Park.

When I handed him the envelope containing Kim Dae-jung’s letter, Chairman Park opened it on the spot and unfolded the paper inside.

Ascending and descending effects

The four letters were written in a soft, powerful font.

It means that subordinates follow what their superiors do, which ultimately means that if a leader sets a good example, the people will follow him.

Chairman Park nodded as he read the words in the letter out loud.

“Kim Dae-jung, this guy may speak harshly, but his writing is gentle.”

Chairman Park would have been informed of Kim Dae-jung’s recent activities through the Central Intelligence Agency and would have also known what he said during his campaign speeches.

Still, it was fortunate that Chairman Park liked his letter.

The keynote was reminiscent of old times.

“Mr. Chairman, do you remember when Mr. Kim Dae-jung came to see you when you were the commander of the 7th Division?”

“I remember. But I don’t know why he came to see me.”

The keynote speech was about an incident that candidate Kim Dae-jung experienced in Inje County during his time in the Liberal Party.

When I told him about the incident where I couldn’t even register as a candidate due to obstruction from the Liberty Party, Chairman Park nodded.

“Was it? That must have been quite unfair. But even if I was in the official residence, I wouldn’t have met you. At that time, I had instructed the division to remain politically neutral.”

Chairman Park recalled that during the Liberal Party era, it was difficult to control the military whenever there was an election.

Instructions for election fraud were basic, and it was said that the police, who had a higher status than the military at the time, beat up officers who went to campaign sites, and even threatened to ban all soldiers in the division from going out or staying out overnight on days when the opposition candidate was campaigning.

It was a story of a time when the police were used as a means of maintaining power and were given preferential treatment over the military in everything.

Chairman Park seemed determined and spoke to Lee Hu-rak.

“Bring me a pen and ink.”

Calligraphy tools were spread out on Chairman Park’s desk.

Chairman Park took off his jacket, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and began to write.

A wealthy country and peaceful people (A wealthy country and peaceful people)

Chairman Park’s handwriting was simple yet powerful.

It was not the handwriting of a skilled writer, but rather the simple handwriting of a warrior.

Looking at Chairman Park’s reply to Kim Dae-jung’s letter titled ‘Sanghaenghahyo’ with ‘Affluent country and peaceful people,’ Kijo could sense the differences in temperament and ideology between the two giants.

In response to the letter that said, “If the upper water is clear, the lower water will also be clear,” I simply replied that I wanted to make the country rich and the people comfortable.

Chairman Park told Lee Hu-rak to deliver the reply to Mokpo.

Kijo felt proud when he saw that sight.

Although they only exchanged four letters, I thought that such trivial things would later greatly help their relationship.

The day after meeting Chairman Park, Kijo went to see Jang Jun-ha.

I thought I would be able to communicate well with Jang Jun-ha.

After May 16, Jang Jun-ha sided with the revolutionary forces rather than the Democratic Party.

He was still hurling venom at the Democrats four months after the revolution.

His sarcasm could be summarized as follows:

『After the April 19 Revolution, the Democratic Party government was launched with the absolute support of the people, with more than 90 percent of the votes.

However, due to division and internal strife, the people’s hearts were completely lost, and the people’s livelihood fell into even more dire straits. As the people’s anxiety grew by the day, the Communist Party took advantage of this gap to extend its reach throughout the country, endangering the nation.

So, the military revolution of May 16 was once again upon us, and the public’s gaze could not help but be cold as they watched the absurd downfall of the Democratic Party, which had lost its moral basis and justification.

He looked at the current situation with these eyes and made sincere efforts for the success of the revolutionary government.

Later, the democratic and progressive forces were busy defending him for his actions, but in Gijo’s view, Jang Jun-ha definitely had high hopes for May 16.

Everything was left as evidence through his writings.

His efforts were also revealed at the reception commemorating the publication of the 100th volume of held at the Sujeong Palace in Changgyeongwon on July 4, 1961.

He invited the U.S. Ambassador and Jang Do-young, then chairman of the revolutionary government, and created a meeting to discuss cooperation.

His pro-American and anti-communist tendencies were proven through his words and actions.

However, the suspicion that he was in league with Jang Do-yeong, who was also from Pyonganbuk-do, and the conflict with the revolutionary government began because of Ham Seok-heon’s editorial published in the Sasanggye magazine.

He was taken to the Central Intelligence Agency and questioned directly by Kim Jong-pil.

However, I was able to safely leave the palace after hearing Kim Jong-pil, who was known for his excellent logic and speaking skills, say, “I hope we can meet and talk often in the future.”

Jang Jun-ha’s ordeals continued after that.

Not only was he investigated as an illicit money grabber, but he was also banned from political activities under the Political Purification Act even though he was not a politician.

In fact, at this point in time, the person who is most oppressed by the revolutionary government is not Kim Young-sam or Kim Dae-jung, but Jang Jun-ha.

Kim Dae-jung was also imprisoned and interrogated for about three months in the early days of the revolution when Democratic Party leaders were arrested on various charges.

He was investigated intensely for embezzlement of Democratic Party election funds and ‘red suspicions’, but was released after his innocence was proven.

However, Jang Jun-ha had been being oppressed without knowing it until recently.

The Central Intelligence Agency was financially undermining him by ordering large quantities of Sasanggye magazines under false pretenses and then returning them.

Nevertheless, the keynote speech placed high expectations on Jang Jun-ha.

He was a great man with pure passion.

When Chairman Park declared that he would not participate in the civil administration despite being the most oppressed by the revolutionary government, he persuaded the public to believe his sincerity.

Despite constant suspicion and sanctions, he never expressed his discontent or cursed the military government.

On the contrary, when the military took power, he did not spare any orders to rectify the country’s corruption and stabilize it.

So, Kijo was able to confirm Jang Jun-ha’s participation.

The keynote speech was correct.

“If Chairman Park Chung-hee wants to meet me, we can meet whenever he wants.”

Jang Jun-ha willingly agreed.

“Thank you, Mr. Jang Jun-ha.”

The keynote speech expressed deep gratitude.

Every time I see Jang Jun-ha, I get the impression that he is a young man with a pure heart.

Although he was only one year older than Chairman Park, he had a much younger and brighter vibe surrounding him.

The keynote asked him subtly about the humiliation he had suffered.

“Have you had any difficulties lately?”

“Was it hard? The hardest time was when I lost my country. Hahaha.”

Jang Jun-ha laughed like a boy.

“How is your wife?”

“Our Heesuk… how are you?”

Jang Jun-ha’s eyes softened.

Kijo also knew about Jang Jun-ha’s love story.

In 1943, Jang Jun-ha married his eight-year-younger disciple, Kim Hee-sook.

During the Japanese colonial period, he was drafted into the Japanese army and his disciple Kim Hee-sook was likely to be taken away as a comfort woman. This was a marriage they decided on, as they thought they should save their disciple even if they died in the war.

At that time, married women were not taken to mental hospitals, so there was no choice but to hurry.

In this way, 24-year-old Jang Jun-ha and 17-year-old Kim Hee-sook tied the knot.

According to testimonies from those around him, there were many women who admired the smart and handsome Jang Jun-ha.

In particular, it was said that three women from good families and with good education followed him around, but when he turned down their advances and married the daughter of a wealthy boarding house owner, no one expected it.

Two weeks after their marriage, Jang Jun-ha enlisted in the Japanese army and left for China.

“Please come visit our house with your wife sometime. It would be better if you both came.”

“I will do that.”

Kijo had a comfortable conversation with Jang Jun-ha and told him about the future meeting method.

There are two more people who will speak with Chairman Park.

It is not known whether there will be three or two, but Chairman Park wants them all to meet in one place.

And a photo article is published in the Hankook Ilbo and part of the conversation is made public.

The entire conversation will not be published in the article.

Jang Jun-ha nodded at the keynote speech.

But he had a look in his eyes that said he hoped it wasn’t just a show-off meeting.

“Since it is our first meeting, it will be in the form of a group meeting, but I think it will also lead to one-on-one meetings.”

“Hmm… that makes sense.”

Jang Jun-ha received the meeting itself positively.

Looking at that, I felt sad as I thought of him who had desperately resisted the Yushin regime and met a tragic end, and of his wife who had endured such a tragedy.

It was Kijo’s intention to prevent such a future from unfolding.

I hope that this time the tragedies of modern history will be reduced.