1979, Manager Kim is Inheriting Dictatorship! - Chapter 44
Only Krnovel
Episode 44
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John Paul II.
He ascended to the papacy in 1978 and was a man greatly respected throughout the world.
Catholics boasted a population of over one billion worldwide at this time.
And the religious leader that these one billion people respected and followed was none other than Pope John Paul II.
November 3, 1984.
It was a visit a little later than the original history.
Still, it was a historic visit.
It was the first papal visit to the Korean Peninsula.
This time, the visit was directly requested by Korea.
In the original history, the Jeon Dae-hwan government invited Pope Paul.
However, the reason for the invitation was completely different from the reason given by Korea today.
The reason the Jeon Dae-hwan government invited him was because it had a strong desire to gain recognition for its unstable regime both domestically and internationally.
But this man, John Paul II, was a pacifist and a man who was very interested in human rights.
That is why the Jeon Dae-hwan government, which had maintained an iron fist until 1983, introduced several conciliatory measures to invite him.
Several conciliatory measures were introduced at this time, including the release of political prisoners, the reinstatement of dismissed professors, and the reinstatement of expelled students involved in the democratization movement.
But that was not the reason why Korea invited the Pope.
There were occasional student protests, but they were not suppressed.
When there was a protest, reports came in, but that was it.
If there were any reasonable contents in the protests, some of the contents were discussed and accepted during the State Council meeting.
As a result, there were no cases of students being expelled specifically for the democratization movement, and most of the cases of students who had been unjustly expelled or professors who had been dismissed from school during the presidency of Lee Jung-hwan had already been dealt with during the first year of his term.
There was no need to say anything more about the legitimacy of the government, which was elected through a direct election and had an approval rating of close to 90%.
Now, I wanted to show the world a proper unified Korea.
I wanted to show the world that Korea was a stable country after unification and that it was now a developing country.
Although the Pope’s power was not so great as to directly intervene in politics or control a country as in medieval Europe, the Pope’s influence was usually greater than that of the head of state of an average country.
It was necessary to raise the status of this country to the next level through him.
“Are you going to Yeouido Plaza tomorrow to hold the canonization ceremony?”
“Yes, that’s right. It’s the most important reason I came to Korea this time.”
This canonization ceremony was the first to be held outside the Vatican.
That’s why it was receiving quite a bit of attention overseas as well.
“So what’s your schedule after that?”
“Probably. There will be mass at Myeongdong Cathedral in the afternoon, and the next day I will visit various places in Korea.”
“Is that so… Your Holiness? Then, how about changing your schedule a little after the canonization ceremony tomorrow?”
“The schedule? Well, it’s already been decided, so I don’t think it would be easy to change it like that···.”
It is not easy to suddenly change the schedule when a top-level foreign figure like this visits.
This was because there were many things to prepare, including security.
“Do you have any plans in mind?”
He asks me in a soft voice.
“Yes. I was just wondering if you would like to visit the northern region.”
He asks back in surprise.
“Are you sure that’s okay?”
“Yes, of course.”
In fact, the visit to the North was first requested by the Vatican.
However, they refused, citing safety reasons as public security has not yet stabilized.
In fact, to be exact, it was intended to show a bit more of the current state of the northern region.
If it was a pre-planned schedule, the media wouldn’t cover it in detail.
However, if you suddenly accept an appointment that you had been rejecting continuously, the media’s interest is bound to increase.
The Pope’s path is being covered by media from all over the world, including Korean media and Catholic countries.
And this was actually the biggest national branding advertisement of all time.
“I’m fine with it. Actually, I really wanted to visit North Korea before coming to South Korea. I heard that the North Korean people suffered a lot before unification, so I wanted to heal their hearts.”
“Haha. It is such a great honor. If the Pope comes, it will be a great comfort to the people of North Korea.”
The next day, more than a million citizens gathered at Yeouido Plaza.
Catholics from all over the country came to see the Pope’s face.
The canonization ceremony begins.
Next to the ceremony, you can see the 63 Building, which is almost finished and shining brightly.
The building was originally scheduled to be completed next year, but he ordered construction to proceed quickly from the beginning of his term in preparation for what lies ahead.
Thanks to this, the building, which was originally scheduled to be completed in 1985, was completed a year earlier.
Each of these things being covered in the media will serve as global PR for Korea.
“‘Wasn’t it necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and then enter into his glory?’ These words in today’s Gospel are the words Jesus spoke with two of his disciples as they walked from Jerusalem to Emmaus. .. .. .. ..”
More than a million people gathered, but no one was making any noise.
This part made me realize how much respect Catholics have for the Pope.
“And finally, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to President Kim Jong-guk and government officials of Korea who have helped us greatly with this canonization ceremony.”
They provided many conveniences right from the preparation stage for the canonization ceremony.
And this fact must have reached the Pope’s ears, for he even personally expressed his gratitude at the end.
And this process was also spread all over the world through foreign media.
[1 million people gather for the canonization of the Pope of Unified Korea]
[The 63 Building in Korea seen behind the Pope. Contrary to the perception of Korea in the past, Seoul has developed so much that it was shocking.]
[Korean government. Provided several facilities for the preparation of the canonization ceremony. The Pope personally expressed his gratitude.]
And so, after the canonization ceremony, he left for the northern region with Pope Paul.
Although he could have traveled by plane, he wanted to travel by car. He said he wanted to see the actual scenery of North Korea.
“It’s much cleaner than I expected.”
Pope Paul looks out the car door and says:
It seemed quite different from the North Korea he had imagined.
‘You’ve had a hard time so far···.’
Over the past ten months, massive infrastructure construction has taken place.
The roads and surrounding environments of major cities have already been significantly improved.
“After unification, the first thing that needs to be done is infrastructure such as road facilities. I think we have put a lot of effort into this area after unification.”
“okay···.”
After running for quite some time, we arrived at Nampo, the second largest city in North Korea located below Pyongyang.
Although some degree of control was exercised over the residents, it was only for security purposes and not unconditional control.
Even in North Korea, people were not unaware of the existence of the Pope.
When locals heard that the Pope and I were coming together, they lined up to watch.
“Were there originally Catholics in North Korea?”
“Yes. Of course, there are some cathedrals and churches, although it is only a formality.”
“Is that so?”
“There is a cathedral in Nampo City. Would you like to go there?”
Even just after liberation, there were quite a few religious people in the North.
However, as Kim Il-sung regulated religion like opium with his one and only ideology, virtually all proper religions disappeared.
All that remained were a few controlled religious groups that were created for show, pretending to have religious freedom to the outside world.
“No.. Rather than that.. would it be possible to visit a normal home?”
“It’s a normal family situation.. There’s nothing that wouldn’t work, but the residents living there have to give permission. Is that okay?”
“Yes, that’s obvious. North Korea’s cathedral is nice, but I want to see how North Korean people live after unification.”
He wanted to see.
The appearance of the North, which is not prepared just because he came, is ordinary.
The place we headed with him was a slightly old and shabby house on the outskirts of Nampo City.
One of the employees who was explaining the situation inside runs over and says.
“I heard you’re having lunch right now. Is that okay?”
“Yes. If the people living there are okay with it, I’m fine with it.”
“Then shall we go in?”
As we enter, a North Korean family of four who are having a meal welcomes us.
“Ah.. Hello..! President Kim Jung-guk!! And.. the.. Pope..!”
Among them, a man in his mid-40s who appeared to be the father greeted us with a trembling voice, perhaps because he was very nervous.
“I’m sorry for disturbing you while you’re eating. I’m afraid I’m disturbing you while you’re eating.”
“No! The Prime Minister… No, the President is visiting, so what could be the problem?”
For now, the title of Leader seems a bit more familiar.
The Pope watches their meal and asks:
“Are they eating rice?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The meal they were eating was rice, soybean paste stew, grilled hairtail, and kimchi.
It was a simple but still quite tasty meal.
“Um… Mr. President, the side dishes aren’t that great, but if you don’t mind, would you like to eat them together?”
A woman who appears to be the mother sitting in the seat asks.
“Is that okay?”
“Of course!”
I looked at Pope Paul and asked:
“If it is not too much trouble, would His Holiness the Pope like to share some with us?”
“Is that okay?”
“Yes. Is that okay?”
I ask my family in North Korea.
They nod vigorously and scoop up two more bowls of rice to prepare the meal.
The Pope eats the food prepared.
Then, scoop up some rice with a spoon and take a bite.
And then after a while, he exclaims in admiration.
“This is… pretty good… I’ve definitely eaten rice a few times, but this is definitely the first time it’s tasted this good.”
“Is that so? That’s good. This is a new variety of rice called Shindongjin, which was independently developed in Korea a few years ago.”
“I see.. I used to think that rice didn’t suit me, but this tastes pretty good.”
“Haha. That’s too much praise. Come on, eat. It’ll get cold.”
While they were eating, a little boy who appeared to be the son of a North Korean family suddenly ran towards them holding something.
Before the parents could even catch the child, the child came in front of me and said.
“Are you the president of the South?”
“Hmm.. I guess it’s right to call him the President of Korea now?”
“Mr.. Mr. President! Could you please sign here?”
What the little boy brought was nothing more than an old-looking piece of paper and a pencil.
“Signature? Who? Do you need the Pope’s signature?”
“Ah… no. To be honest, I don’t know this person well… I want the President’s autograph!”
“My signature?”
I am a little embarrassed because I came with a foreign leader and it could be disrespectful to Pope Paul.
The child’s mother suddenly runs over and grabs the child to stop him.
“What rude thing is this, doing in front of your noble people!”
“Mother, let go of this! Mother, you don’t know how popular the Southern President is among your comrades these days!”
“Oh my… That kid… Who does he resemble that he doesn’t listen to people like this!”
I calmed down a mother who was holding her struggling child.
“It’s okay. What’s so difficult about something like a signature?”
Instead of the old paper the boy had brought, I had the secretary hand me a new notebook, signed the first page, and gave it to the boy.
“Thank you, Mr. President!!”
“But kid. Is the old man that popular among his friends?”
“Of course! To be honest, when the southern soldiers first came rushing in, everyone was cursing at them, but after unification, we don’t have to eat barley rice like we used to, and we can eat fish like saury with rice, and everyone loves it!”
The child jumped for joy when he received the notebook with the autograph on it.
And seeing that, the Pope speaks.
“It seems like you are already respected by the North Korean people.”
“Haha.. This is really.. I have to work even harder so as not to disappoint those expectations. The South and the North have now become one country. I ask that His Holiness the Pope bless this family so that they have only good days ahead.”
“That’s right. What’s so difficult about that?”
And after the meal, the Pope personally blessed a North Korean family in an old North Korean house, which was featured prominently in the media around the world.
The image of a unified North Korea living an ordinary life without being persecuted or restricted in any way spread throughout the world, and the world was impressed with the fact that South Korea was now a stable, unified country.
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After the meal, I went out, hesitated for a moment, and then said to the Pope.
“And… Pope, there’s one place I’d like you to go to… Is that okay?”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
“This is a North Korean political prison camp. This is where many North Koreans, as well as South Korean prisoners of war during the Korean War and those kidnapped to North Korea for various reasons, died unjustly. I hope His Holiness the Pope can go there and console their innocent souls even a little.”
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