I Became Park Jeong-ui’s Nephew - Chapter 136



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He became Park Jeong-ui’s nephew. – (136)

[Hello viewers. We bring you today’s 9 o’clock news. President Park Sang-geun has retired after 17 years of presidency. From now on, he will remain as the symbolic figure of this country as the head of state…]

This is Gyeongseong, and Koreans are listening to the news.

I had no idea, but the president really resigned. So what will happen to this country in the future?

Will the President really remain merely a symbolic figure as the head of state?

Everyone listened to what followed.

[Former President Park Sang-geun returned to his parents’ home immediately after leaving office. However, as a former president, he plans to move to Changgyeonggung Palace soon to receive security, and he expressed his intention to continue to fulfill his role as head of state even after leaving office.]

What exactly does head of state mean here?

The public, accustomed to the concept of a president, was confused about how to accept this, and the broadcasting station arranged a special broadcast to help the public understand.

“Professor, what is the concept of a head of state and what does he do?”

“I also received the data released by the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs… First of all, I don’t think the concept of a king is what many people think of as a head of state.”

“You’re not the king?”

“Yes, let me give you an example. In the book ‘Essay on War and Punishment’ published by Cesare Beccaria in 1819, there is this passage: Crimes against humanity are common enemies of mankind and should therefore be subject to a ‘universal curse.’”

What does the ‘universal curse’ advocated by Cesare Beccaria mean?

In pre-modern times, kings repeatedly started wars and killed people.

No, there is no need to go all the way to the king. How much plunder and massacre did the so-called crusaders commit in Constantinople?

Isn’t it a war crime since they killed and plundered pagans?

Cesare Beccaria argued that those who commit massacres and commit inhuman acts, no matter how justified the war may be, deserve to be cursed by humanity.

Even if he is the ‘king’ of a country.

This is where international refereeing started.

When the Nazis massacred Jews and the Japanese massacred tens of millions in Asia, the international community brought them to justice. But was there any legal basis for this?

In fact, if you look at international law at this time, the ‘universal curse’ is indirectly mentioned.

[Until World War II, the crimes to which universal curses could be applied were limited to piracy, slavery, and the slave trade. However, World War II expanded this scope to provide grounds for punishing war crimes.]

Until then, the universal curse was only applied to anti-human slavery, but now it has begun to expand its scope.

That is why the heads of state who started the war could not be free from punishment.

Mussolini was captured and killed by an angry mob before he could stand trial, and Hitler committed suicide by shooting himself with a pistol, so he never stood before a court.

Had they survived, the international community would have brought them to trial under universal condemnation.

Of course, there are cases where people, like Emperor Hirohito, are excluded from the trial according to the intention of the United States, but these are only exceptions.

President Park Sang-geun will represent the country as the head of state in the future. Let’s assume that Korea committed war crimes and was defeated.

So who do you think will end up on trial?

The head of state ascends to the throne.

This is something that Koreans cannot understand. Hirohito, who was the Emperor and head of state of Japan, did not take any responsibility for war crimes.

But can the head of state of Korea do that?

Koreans regarded President Park Sang-geun as a king, and naturally they could not imagine that a king could be subject to judicial punishment.

But that’s democracy,

If the head of state is exempt from legal action, does that mean the head of state can do whatever he wants?

The professor continued his explanation.

“But there is something ambiguous. In Britain, you can sue the government, but not the monarch. If Korea followed that concept, it could grant immunity to the head of state. But the president doesn’t want that. He wants to be punished if he has done something wrong.”

“Well… the law is difficult and ambiguous. Anyway, does that mean that President Park Sang-geun is not a king in the pre-modern sense?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Although the broadcasting station issued an explanation, the public was still confused.

He is the head of state, but not the king, and can be subject to legal action. So what should we call the former president in the future?

Your Majesty? Or your King? Your Highness?

The political world simply agreed to make him the king, but mistakes were repeated on the ground.

***

“Your Majesty, is there anything that is bothering you?”

“No. It’s a place I used as my villa, so there’s nothing particularly inconvenient about it.”

This is Changgyeonggung Palace,

After I retired from the presidency, I moved here.

Changgyeonggung Palace is the villa I have used since I was president. It still has the same items I used and there is nothing particularly inconvenient about it.

If there is anything inconvenient, the title,

We’re not filming a historical drama right now, so why are you calling me Your Majesty?

To put it bluntly, I am not in a position of freedom from the law like the King of England, and it is more convenient for me to be called the head of state.

“Just call him your enemy. Calling him king is a bit much.”

“No… That’s something the National Assembly decided, so we can’t change it at will….”

“If I don’t like it, what are you going to do in the National Assembly? And I’m leaving for Incheon right away, so get ready.”

“All right.”

Although my residence was confirmed to be Changgyeonggung Palace, I had no intention of staying there for long from the beginning.

The head of state is the supreme commander of the armed forces,

Since then, I have been the supreme commander of the military as president.

But it is true that I have not been able to pay attention to the military because I have also been serving as the head of the administration. The Korean military has now grown to 500,000 people, and if we control this well, won’t the country be stable?

Administration can now be left to the politicians, and now we will only worry about the military.

It was decided that the inauguration ceremony would be held at Incheon Air Force Base, not at the government building.

As soon as we arrived at the base, a parade began without our permission.

“Salute to His Majesty the King of the Republic of Korea!!!!”

“Loyalty!! Seong!!”

Soldiers who have trained hard and have a clear perspective,

But I ignored all those formalities and went up to the podium.

“Everyone, I am now the head of state of the Republic of Korea. Do you know what this means? If the Korean army is defeated, I will stand trial before an international court.”

The elders nearby flinched.

The elders are very excited now,

The Korean military has fought three wars in the past 17 years and has won them all.

Even from a social perspective, soldiers are treated at the highest level, which is why they have a strong desire to achieve more military achievements and receive corresponding treatment.

There is nothing wrong with that, but there are officers in the military right now who are shouting things like, “Let’s attack Manchuria and liberate the Korean people,” and “Let’s launch a preemptive attack on China.”

As the head of state, I have the power to appoint military officers – generals.

Should I leave these things there?

Moreover, two years ago, several generals went so far as to incite cadets to kick the vehicle carrying the US President.

If I leave these things alone, I will become the second Hitler and end up in the international court.

Did I become the head of state just to end up like that?

I made it clear that I had no intention of doing so.

“The reason I built an air force base here is clear. The Korean military must now conduct military operations not only on the Korean Peninsula but also in Shanghai and Taiwan. In the process, unwanted conflicts may occur. I do not want conflicts with neighboring countries. However, if a fight is to be fought, we must win. Why am I saying this? Because I am the head of state. If you lose, this country will be shaken and my life will be in danger. Who would want me to stand before an international court?”

The parade ground became quiet.

The soldiers probably thought that they could suppress the enemy with the overwhelming firepower of the Korean army, so they only thought about gaining merit.

But will future wars be like that?

The only countries that Korea has fought and won against so far are China and Iraq, which do not even have proper modern weapons.

We haven’t even defeated the Soviet Union or the United States, so what confidence does it give to attack Manchuria, liberate the Korean people, and then attack China if necessary?

It was because of the misconduct of such officers and generals that Japan caused the Manchurian Incident and fell into the category of a war criminal nation.

What I want from my soldiers is complete obedience and control.

In order to prevent Korea from becoming a second Nazi, military control was a priority, so I actively swung the sword in my hand.

“I will tell you clearly that any officer or general who goes against my will will be immediately dismissed. As the head of state, I have the authority to dismiss and appoint officers and generals. We do not need an army that does not follow our control. It is only a target for purging. Whether you will become a hero who protects the country or a traitor depends on your actions. This is not a request, but advice and a warning.”

The parade ground became quiet once again.

If you think that the military’s power has grown because I became the head of state, you are mistaken.

First, as an example, the generals who incited military cadets to threaten the U.S. President were dismissed.

He had been quiet for a while, just waiting for the purge to happen, and once the purge was over, he headed to the Taiwan Air Force base that was soon to be completed.

Taiwan is an island that is an aircraft carrier in itself.

Now, the range of aircraft has increased dramatically, making it possible to bomb mainland China from Taiwan.

Although that is unlikely, if China succeeds in modernizing in the future and attacks Shanghai, wouldn’t Korea also have to deploy air forces from each region to respond?

We also thought about introducing an aircraft carrier, but the number of fighters that can be loaded onto an aircraft carrier is at most about 150.

It would be more efficient to establish air force bases in Incheon, Shanghai, and Taiwan.

In fact, when I ran a simulation, I found that operating an aircraft carrier would allow for about 1,200 sorties with 150 fighters.

Could this level of bombing be enough to neutralize China?

However, if we set up air force bases in Incheon, Taiwan, and Shanghai, we can conduct up to 25,000 bombings with 2,200 fighter planes.

Of course, if you build an air force base on land, you are exposed to enemy guerrilla operations, but that weakness can be resolved by deploying troops around the air force base.

I am no longer the president, but the head of state,

First, the expansion of air force and navy power was given top priority.

After repeated discussions with experts, we seriously considered introducing an aircraft carrier, but this has been put on hold for now.

The advantage of aircraft carriers is that they can conduct operations secretly, but considering the vastness of the West Sea, it is uncertain whether aircraft carriers will really be effective.

It would be more profitable to use that money to build another air force base.

It was decided to build another base in Shanghai that could accommodate 500 fighter jets and 3,000 air force personnel.

Now, South Korea’s air force targeting China and the Soviet Union consists of 2,600 fighter planes and 37,000 airmen, which is more than 80% of the Soviet air force’s strength.

To this extent, we can prevent an unpleasant war,

In any case, even though he was retired, he maintained control over the military.