1979, Manager Kim is Inheriting Dictatorship! - Chapter 133



Only Krnovel

Episode 133

Kuwait’s Prime Minister Zayed bin Salman enters the conference room.

Minister Yoo Sung-kook greets Prime Minister Zayed in a short Arabic greeting.

Although Minister Yoo did not major in Arabic, it was a skill he had acquired over several decades of experience as a diplomat.

Usually, if you greet people in their native language like this, 100 out of 100 countries will like it.

“Assalamu alaikum (Peace be upon you).”

Kuwait’s Prime Minister Zayed also shook hands with the Asian and responded, not seeming to be offended by the Arabic he heard from the Asian.

“Wa alaikumussalam (Peace be with you too).”

Minister Yoo first asks about the King’s well-being.

Prime Minister Zayed was the nephew of the current Emir of Kuwait.

Although it is a constitutional monarchy, unlike other constitutional monarchies, the Emir of Kuwait holds enormous power, and most of the key government positions are held by members of the royal family.

In fact, it was a country close to an absolute monarchy.

“How is your Emir (King)?”

“Yes. He is doing well without any health problems. He wanted to come out, but he couldn’t because he had other plans. I’m sorry.”

“No. If the Prime Minister comes, isn’t it the same as the Emir coming?”

Minister Yoo Seong-guk’s unique tongue technique is activated.

Prime Minister Zayed laughs broadly, his mood lifted.

“Hahahahaha. Is that so?”

The Kuwaiti Prime Minister laughs heartily, then calms his expression and asks Minister Yoo.

“So, why did the Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs suddenly come to Kuwait?”

It’s not that the relationship between Kuwait and Korea was bad.

In fact, it was one of the best among the Middle Eastern countries.

However, that does not mean that the two countries were so close that the minister would come in person without even telling us why.

Minister Yoo Sung-kook reveals all about why he came all the way to Kuwait.

“Actually, the reason why I came here so suddenly is… … .”

.

.

.

After a while, Prime Minister Zayed nodded and asked after hearing the whole story.

“So, Minister, what you are saying is that Korea wants to improve relations with Iran, and Kuwait should play a role in that process?”

“Yes, that’s right. Our president is willing to go to Iran himself and hold a summit if relations improve.”

Prime Minister Zayed asks with a puzzled look.

“But it’s so sudden. Is there a reason for doing this all of a sudden? I thought Korea had no interest in the Middle East, including Iran.”

That wasn’t a wrong statement.

Korea has not had much interest in the Middle East so far.

Even though Korea became a great power, its interests were limited to Asia and the United States, and it paid little attention to whether there was a war or not in the Middle East.

It was natural to be puzzled when he suddenly said he wanted to improve relations with Iran.

But I couldn’t talk honestly.

Although I do not know the exact reason, I heard from President Kim Jong-guk that the purpose of restoring relations with Iran was to assassinate the leader of the extreme Islamist group Al Qaeda.

Since we can’t honestly say here that we are trying to restore relations in order to assassinate the leader of Al Qaeda in Iran, Minister Yoo is beating around the bush.

“During the past Iranian Revolution, the hostage escape process, the relationship between Korea and Iran became very bad, and it has continued to this day. But that was 20 years ago. We also want to establish diplomatic relations with Iran and reestablish relations.”

Prime Minister Zayed thinks about something for a moment, then asks Minister Yoo a favor.

“It’s not difficult for us to step forward to improve relations with Iran. But we also have one request to make.”

“Please?”

Minister Yoo Sung-kook had received full authority from the President.

I was willing to listen to anything, as long as it wasn’t anything too big.

But the request the Kuwaiti Prime Minister made was something that Yoo Seong-guk had never thought of.

“We want Korea to protect us.”

“Protection… … ? Ah… … !”

Minister Yoo wondered for a moment what was going on, but then understood.

“Oh, are you talking about the problem with Iraq?”

“Yes, that’s right. I still can’t sleep at night just thinking about those hateful guys.”

Prime Minister Zayed is busy with this.

There was hardly a single country in the Middle East that was not intertwined with one another to the point that one could say they were on good terms, but Iraq and Kuwait in particular had a particularly bad relationship since the Gulf War, to the point where they could almost be called enemies.

“Can I assume you mean a military alliance?”

Prime Minister Zayed nods in response.

“That’s right. And beyond a simple military alliance, I would like to see Korean troops stationed in Kuwait permanently. Of course, we will bear the cost of stationing them.”

Even if it were just a military alliance, it would be impossible for the minister to make a decision, let alone an overseas military base. Even if he had been given full authority, it was not an issue that could be decided here.

Minister Yoo looks as troubled as possible.

“Hmm, even just military alliances are not easy to judge on my own… I don’t think overseas military bases are something a single minister can judge.”

“Minister Yoo, didn’t you clearly say that you received full authority from President Kim Jong-guk?”

It was Yoo Seong-guk who had told me before that I had been given full authority to speak freely.

“That’s true, but… … .”

“And a military alliance with us would not be entirely detrimental to Korea. It would certainly be an opportunity to expand our influence in the Middle East.”

That wasn’t a wrong statement.

It may seem easy to talk about overseas military bases, but in reality, there are many cases where countries refuse to accept them no matter how much money is offered.

And of course, building a military base in Kuwait could significantly expand South Korea’s influence in the Middle East, an area it had previously ignored.

“Whew… But Mr. Prime Minister, isn’t there already an American military base in Kuwait? Why are you trying to bring in the Korean military?”

Prime Minister Zayed calmly tells his story.

“I am worried about the US alone. The US has many interests intertwined with the Middle East. We may leave us at any time. But Korea is not like that. It does not have many interests with the Middle East, and recently it has hardly imported crude oil. If we make an alliance first, it will be a great way to prepare for when the constant called the US disappears.”

“That would mean we should not have any relations with Iraq.”

He nods.

“Yes. Of course, later on, if the horrible people who are currently in Iraq leave and our relationship with Iraq improves, that may not be the case, but for now, that is the case. Of course, I am not asking Korea to come forward and fight Iraq. I am just asking that Korea stand on our side when war breaks out again.”

“… … .”

“What will you do, Minister Yoo?”

* * *

“Mr. President, Prime Minister Zayed has accepted. He says he will begin talks with Iran tomorrow.”

“Thank you for your hard work. You really worked hard!”

“But, there’s something I have to tell you.”

“Yes? What is it? Feel free to speak.”

Minister Yoo speaks with great tension.

“Kuwait wants to form a military alliance with South Korea. Kuwait wants South Korea to build a military base in Kuwait like the United States.”

“Hmm… a military alliance… … ?”

It was a little disconcerting, but it wasn’t just a bad suggestion.

‘Military alliance… Is it because of Iraq?’

I asked Minister Yoo.

“Is it because of Iraq?”

“Yes, that’s right. The US is there, but the dynamics in the Middle East are so complicated that the US is worried that it might leave at any time. So it seems that they want Korea, which has almost no interests in the Middle East, to come.”

In short, they were asking for some protection from Iraq.

Now it seems that they are thinking of adding one more insurance beyond simply relying on the United States.

“What about things like stationing costs?”

“They confidently told me not to worry about that.”

“Well, that country isn’t one to worry about having that much money.”

Even though oil prices are falling due to the 7th mining district, Kuwait is still a wealthy country.

The country produces a lot of crude oil, but its population is small, so it is one of the countries with an insane GDP per capita.

‘It’s not bad… um… … .’

They said that the cost of stationing troops would be borne by the other side, and from the other side’s perspective, Korea was protecting their country, but for Korea, it was actually one of the opportunities to expand its influence in the Middle East.

‘But… it turns out Iraq is involved.’

Since Korea’s military power has always been a concern second only to the economy, a country like Iraq was not a problem, but having an enemy country was a burden in any case.

“Are you worried about Iraq, Mr. President?”

Minister Yoo Sung-guk knows my true feelings.

“Yes, that’s right. I think it’s provoking Iraq for no reason. It’s good to expand Korea’s influence there, but I don’t know if it’s right to intervene in the Middle East.”

The Middle East is called the world’s powder keg.

No matter how bad the relationship between the three Northeast Asian countries is, these three countries never go into an all-out war, whereas the Middle Eastern countries are practically always full of all-out wars to the point where there is always a war in one region. They are literally like gunpowder countries that could explode at any moment, or to be precise, they are already exploding.

‘What should I do… … .’

At that moment, Minister Yoo Seong-guk suddenly apologized to me in a loud voice.

“I’m sorry, Mr. President. Actually, I have already given Kuwait some answers. They kept asking for answers… … .”

“Oh, is that so?”

Minister Yoo eased my worries.

If we had already talked about it, there was no need to worry about it any further.

If we bring this issue back here, it will create a problem of international credibility.

Minister Yoo apologizes to me as if I were a criminal.

“I’m sorry. This is something that should have been approved and carried out, but if you don’t want to, I will go and see Prime Minister Zayed right now… … .”

I reassure him that it’s okay.

“It’s okay. Rather, Minister Yoo has eased my worries. And what is there for me to be angry about? Didn’t I say it clearly? I handed over full authority to you. You went to Kuwait on behalf of me, the president. Don’t blame yourself too much.”

If this had happened without me handing over full authority in the first place, it wouldn’t have been strange to fire him immediately, but I sent him away after handing over full authority.

This was now entirely my responsibility.

I was just curious about his opinion.

“Minister Yoo, why did you decide that it was okay to build a military base in Kuwait?”

“I’m sorry… … .”

“No, I’m not saying anything. I’m just curious about what the Minister’s opinion is.”

Only then did Minister Yoo regain some of his energy and begin to speak his mind in a slightly brighter voice.

“In fact, I think stationing Korean troops in Kuwait is not a bad choice, even excluding relations with Iran.”

“Why do you think so?”

“For Korea to rise to the same level as the United States in the near future, expanding its influence through overseas military presence is essential. Overseas military presence can contribute to protecting national interests and strengthening cooperation with allies, but if we station troops in Kuwait, it will cause friction with neighboring countries, just as relations with Iraq will deteriorate. However, despite this, overseas military presence will help Korea expand its influence in other countries and protect its national interests. I thought this was an essential choice for Korea to become a G1 in the near future.”

I smiled and asked him back.

“Minister Yoo, do you think Korea will surpass the United States to become a G1?”

“I don’t think it’s impossible if the president is there.”

I laughed again at his flattery.

“Haha. As expected from Minister Yoo. Oh my, I’d be fooled if I forgot.”

“I’m not a flatterer… … .”

His voice sounded like he was really being treated unfairly.

“Yes. Anyway, thank you for your hard work. Now all that remains is the negotiations with Iran.”