1979, Manager Kim is Inheriting Dictatorship! - Chapter 113



Only Krnovel

Episode 113

It wasn’t even 30 minutes later when the phone rang again.

‘It’s a bit urgent.’

I’m worried that I might change my mind in the meantime.

In terms of territory, China was still much larger than Korea.

Even if we say that Baekdu Mountain is Chinese territory, it is really a tiny amount of space compared to the entire territory of China.

There, Baekdu Mountain is a mountain with great national significance in Korea, but it does not have that much significance in China.

Within China, Baekdu Mountain is less famous than mountains like Taishan or Huangshan.

Of course, it would shatter the ‘One China’ that China holds most important as a value, but even so, there was no way that a leader of China would just pass by something like the national seal.

Chairman Jiang Zemin’s voice is heard over the phone.

“I’ve decided. But before that, can I ask you one thing?”

“Yes. Feel free to ask.”

“Why was the national seal there?”

I answer appropriately.

It wasn’t a problem I knew about in the first place.

When you develop something, you always come across countless cultural assets.

If we investigate why it was there, we will find out the reason.

But I didn’t want to spend that much money on another country’s cultural assets.

“Well, someone must have taken it and run away to Haesung City. And then they died there. Later generations didn’t know its value, so they left it there until now. After all, since it was a remote area, not many people lived there in the past, so they might have just thought of it as an old antique.”

“You don’t know the details?”

“Yes. We just discovered it while developing Haesung City. We didn’t do it based on any information.”

‘But how long do I have to listen to stories like this?’

I couldn’t stand the half-assed story any longer and asked Chairman Jiang Zemin.

“Your Majesty, I think the story is getting too long. So what are you going to do?”

President Jiang Zemin is silent for a moment, then seems to have made up his mind and answers me.

“Okay. Let’s do as you said. I will transfer all the territory related to Baekdu Mountain to Korea. However, I have one request.”

“Haha. That’s a good idea. But what do you mean by a favor?”

I was thinking of listening to you as long as it wasn’t too much.

That is how much meaning Mt. Baekdu had for Koreans.

‘If I don’t want to hear nonsense about Changbai Mountain or anything later, I have to make sure I do it now.’

“Let’s just say that this deal is ostensibly about exchanging resources from Block 7 for territory.”

The plan was to keep the fact that the national seal had been found a secret from the public.

Perhaps it was meant to be a symbol of the Chinese leader, or perhaps he was secretly keeping it for himself, but either way, it was no longer our concern.

The entire territory of Baekdu Mountain falls into Korean hands.

I didn’t care what happened to that kind of seal anymore.

It was none of our business whether the national seal went to the museum or to Jiang Zemin’s office.

‘Whether you boil the soup or make porridge, it’s up to you… ‘

“Yes, that’s fine. Let’s do that. Then, would you like to send someone separately on the day of the negotiation?”

“Yes. I think that would be a good idea. I think it would be tiring for many reasons if the truth about the existence of the National Seal were to become known.”

“Okay, then I’ll make an appointment. Oh, and I trust that China will take care of the people living in the ceded territory.”

President Jiang Zemin shouts, “Don’t worry.”

“Don’t worry. Of course, we will take care of that. We also have no intention of forcing our citizens to live in a place that will become Korean territory. And until the day of transfer, please take good care of the national seal. The national seal is a very meaningful item to China.”

“Yes. Don’t worry. We have tight security.”

President Jiang Zemin sighs and speaks with a voice that seems suspicious of something.

“Whew, I always lose money in my dealings with Korea, but I hope this time I can make some gains.”

“That’s right. There’s nothing special about the mountain. It’s just that it’s a mountain of national importance to Korea, so we’re negotiating like this, even if it means taking a loss.”

“Okay, I’ll see you later then.”

President Jiang Zemin is about to hang up the phone.

‘Now that I think about it, I think it would be better to tell this story now.’

I stopped him as he was about to hang up the phone.

“Oh, Your Majesty. Now that I think about it, there’s one more thing I need to say.”

“What else is left?”

I started to bring up a story that I had to tell at least once.

“Um… It’s not a serious problem right now, but I’m telling you this in case something like this happens in the future. I wish our government would stop claiming Korean culture as its own.”

“Huh? What do you mean? I don’t understand, but what do you mean by Korean culture?”

President Jiang Zemin asks again, as if he does not understand.

At this time, there were still only a few people making such claims.

It was after 2010 that China began the Northeast Project, especially the cultural ones.

Of course, even if that time comes, Korea’s status will be much different from its original history, and China’s status will not be the same as its original history, so I don’t think there will be many people who make such claims, but we had to clearly draw the line in advance.

“There are occasional cases where some Chinese people insist that unique Korean cultures, such as hanbok or kimchi, are their own culture.”

President Jiang Zemin answers with a laugh as if he finds it ridiculous.

“Haha. How could that be? I know that hanbok and kimchi are unique Korean cultures. And in the first place, aren’t Korean culture and Chinese cultures more different than you might think? Is there really anyone who would make such a claim?”

“Of course, as you said, there are only a very small number of people who make such claims now. However, there are some cases where they really insist that cultures like kimchi and hanbok are both Joseonjok culture and Chinese culture at the same time. This is a very unpleasant experience for Korea.”

“Hmm, is that so? There really are people like that… … .”

I continued the story.

“It’s not that China doesn’t have its own culture, and we can’t understand their attitude of trying to treat Korean culture as their own culture when they have so many of their own cultures. Even if they are a minority now, if China’s leader changes in a few decades, there will definitely be countless people who behave like that.”

President Jiang Zemin thought for a moment, then agreed with what I said, saying it made sense.

“That doesn’t mean it’s unreasonable. There are certainly people within the Communist Party who have strong nationalist tendencies that border on fascism… … .”

“Your Majesty, we do not intend to claim Chinese culture as our own. However, shouldn’t there be mutual respect for each other’s cultures?”

President Jiang Zemin asks directly:

“What can we do for you?”

“In order to prevent this from happening again, I ask that China, at the government level, properly educate students about the cultures of other countries, not just our own culture, but also the cultures of neighboring countries, when teaching history to students. Of course, we will also properly educate about the cultures of other countries, such as China, Japan, and the United States. Shouldn’t there always be mutual respect when it comes to culture?”

President Jiang Zemin immediately accepts my story without hesitation.

“Okay, I’ll take care of that from now on.”

You may think that this is an issue that will never happen, but if China rises again as a great power in the distant future and a fascist leader comes to power as in history, there is no reason why the same unfortunate events in history will not repeat themselves.

‘It would be better to take precautions in advance.’

“Thank you. I hope that all AEU countries will become a union where they respect each other’s cultures.”

“Don’t worry. There aren’t many idiots like that in China. Anyway, I’ll see you when the date is set.”

“Yes. I’ll see you soon.”

* * *

Not long after, a date for the summit was set, and President Jiang Zemin came to Seoul to sign the agreement.

The surface content was the provision and export of some of the resources coming from the 7th mining area and the transfer of 5,000 square kilometers of Chinese territory near Mt. Baekdu.

The area itself wasn’t that large.

Five thousand square kilometers was about half the area of ​​Gyeonggi-do, so it was not very large compared to the current territory of Korea.

Most of the territory transferred there was mountainous, so it did not have much economic value.

Fortunately, the Chinese people showed little reaction compared to the content of the negotiations.

In the first place, it wasn’t reported well, and even when it was known, the only response was anger at the fact that territory had been handed over to another country.

In a communist country, there was nothing that ordinary citizens could do for the state, so in a way it was a natural reaction.

But the reaction in Korea was quite explosive.

I could see how much love Koreans have for Mt. Baekdu.

[South Korea-China summit. In exchange for South Korea’s resource support, China transferred territory related to Baekdu Mountain. Now, all territory within Baekdu Mountain is South Korea’s territory. Another great feat by President Kim Jong-guk! – Tongil Ilbo]

Mr. Kim, a member of the mountaineering club who was reading the newspaper, asks the president of the mountaineering club who was drinking makgeolli in front of him.

“Chairman, so now we can go beyond the heavens and the earth?”

The mountaineering club president drinks the makgeolli in one gulp and answers while still heavily intoxicated.

“Of course! Now, it is possible to cross Mt. Baekdu, beyond the heavens and earth!”

“Hey… Then shouldn’t we go to Baekdu Mountain again? Last time, we went all the way to Cheonji and came back.”

“Yeah! I said the procedure will be over soon, so let’s take a break and go on a 3-day, 2-night trip once it’s over! What do you think?”

People are excited to see another side of Baekdu Mountain that they have never seen before.

Mr. Kim also answers while drinking makgeolli.

“Of course it’s good! What about 2 nights and 3 days? How about 3 nights and 4 days… … .”

At that moment, a man comes into the store.

“The person who called the proxy!”

The chairman waves his hand, saying he is here.

“Oh, here it is! I’ll go in first!”

“Yes. Come in. Oh, I’m here anyway.”

In the original history, 1999 was still a time when drunk driving was common, but in Korea today, it has been over ten years since the punishment for drunk driving became stricter, and using designated drivers has become a given for most people.

“I’m here as a proxy!”

“Ah, here it is! Let’s go!”

So, Mr. Kim of the mountaineering club got into the car with the driver, still slightly drunk.

‘Wow, crossing Mt. Baekdu is really going to kill me!’

* * *

“Wow… …! This is the famous Heaven and Earth. It’s really amazing.”

When I see the magnificent Baekdu Mountain and Cheonji, I can’t help but be amazed.

It wasn’t a vacation, but I went to see Mt. Baekdu.

I took some time to climb Baekdu Mountain’s Cheonji with the Blue House staff.

“Yes. It is truly a mountain worthy of being called one of the world’s most famous mountains.”

The chief secretary, who came up first, was also amazed by the magnificent sight of Baekdu Mountain’s heavenly lake.

I drink the water I brought with me and take a moment to admire the magnificent view of Mt. Baekdu.

“Of course, Mt. Geumgang is good, but Mt. Baekdu is just as good.”

“Yes. This is all thanks to the President. Even 20 years ago, we could not have imagined that both Geumgangsan and Baekdusan would become our territory.”

This man’s loyalty hasn’t changed even after 20 years.

I don’t know if it was my loyalty or the loyalty that Kim Jung-guk developed during his time as the head of the Central Intelligence Agency, but he was a truly consistent person.

“What have I done? It was all done by the people. I always say that. The president is someone who only sets the direction. In the end, it was the people of Korea who made all this happen.”

“That’s true, but Mr. President, you underestimate yourself too much. It’s hard to find someone like you in the history of the Korean Peninsula.”

I just smiled and answered.

“Haha, thank you. But don’t be so quick to blow the plane. It’s always when leaders go down a foolish path that they hear only such nice words.”

At that time, the physically weak employees below were barely able to walk up, panting for breath.

The first ones to come up were me, the chief secretary, and the security service staff.

All the employees are not in good physical condition because they sit at their desks for long periods of time.

“Haha. Everyone needs to exercise. You have to be in better shape than this old man.”

The chief economic adviser, who came up barely out of breath, looked at me and said.

“Haa, haa, Mr. President. You have great stamina.”

“Thank you. Haha. Thank you for your hard work. Here, have some water.”

I handed the water bottle to the chief economic officer.

The economic chief, who had been drinking water in a hurry, asked me while barely catching his breath.

“Mr. President, aren’t you going to develop Baekdu Mountain separately? Scholars say there may be quite a bit of resources buried there.”

I shook my head in response to his question.

“Well, is it really necessary to develop Mt. Baekdu? Isn’t it a mountain of historical and national importance on the Korean peninsula?”

The chief economic official also nodded in agreement with my story.

“Even if we don’t develop it, we will still be able to generate a lot of revenue from tourism.”

According to information confirmed by smartphone, there was no oil or natural gas.

I don’t know about other underground resources, but I don’t think it will be significant.

Rather, tourism revenue would be more meaningful.

Now, more than a decade after unification, Geumgangsan is Korea’s premier national park, with tens of millions of foreign hikers coming to climb the mountain each year.

And this will not be much different for Baekdu Mountain.

‘Well, if it’s not really meaningful, then there’s no need to develop this place.’