I Became Park Jeong-ui’s Nephew - Chapter 18



Only Krnovel

He became Park Jeong-ui’s nephew. – (18)

“Punish pro-Japanese collaborators!!”

“I know what that guy did!!”

“I refuse to vote!!”

This is Jeolla-do,

A group of protesters marched through the streets, raising their voices.

After liberation, the liquidation of pro-Japanese collaborators emerged as a major demand of the people.

Who was pro-Japanese and how did they act as a lackey of Japan?

Since we all live in the same neighborhood, we all know who did what.

However, the work was delayed because the US military government was passive in eliminating pro-Japanese elements and pro-Japanese figures quickly joined the Korean Democratic Party.

But in rural areas, there were constant demands to beat up pro-Japanese landlords to feel better.

In fact, the problem is not that they were pro-Japanese, but that the landlords exploited the farmers. Even if they were pro-Japanese, if they had not harassed the farmers, things wouldn’t have gotten this bad.

Japan implemented a requisition system to take food from the Korean Peninsula, and swept away 9.5 million islands out of 18 million islands. Isn’t this complete robbery?

In 1934, the income tax was suddenly raised by 3.5 times.

Japan squeezed Korean farmers to raise money for the war, but when this was not enough to cover the budget, they declared a general mobilization order and plundered everything the farmers had.

The pro-Japanese landowners who acted as their henchmen

As a result, more than half of the peasants fell into absolute poverty, and many moved to the cities and became low-wage workers.

After liberation, did the pro-Japanese collaborators feel even a little bit sorry about Lee?

Of course, that’s impossible.

“This election will be held in single-member districts?”

“Then can I go out too? Even if the Democratic Party of Korea doesn’t push me, I can do it on my own.”

Pro-Japanese landowners formed political parties in their regions and ran as sole candidates.

The authors who used to exploit the farmers to make their fortunes are now trying to get votes from the farmers. Do you think the farmers will vote in this situation?

There were endless voices saying, “That guy is pro-Japanese,” and “I don’t agree with this kind of election.”

The problem is that the Democratic Party of Korea has no will to solve this problem. How can they prevent pro-Japanese landowners from running for National Assembly seats when their support base is pro-Japanese?

Landowners who did not receive nominations made it clear that they had no intention of giving up power by forming political parties representing their regions or running as independents.

The problem is that the farmers are rejecting it.

Not only in rural areas but also in many parts of society, there were constant calls for the liquidation of pro-Japanese collaborators.

‘So you’re saying we should kill them all?’

‘How many people here are not pro-Japanese?’

Of course, politicians have tried hard to ignore that demand.

How many clean politicians are left in the world that the people want?

The majority of people bowed their heads to the Japanese in order to save their lives, and public officials and journalists were no exception.

That is, left-wing and communist figures who resisted the Japanese until the end gained great support, but their organizations were dismantled due to suppression by the US military government.

In the end, there is no leader who perfectly meets the people’s demands.

The only person of any use was Lee Soon-man, who was waging a diplomatic struggle in the United States.

⁕ First President of the Provisional Government

⁕ No pro-Japanese history

⁕ By writing the history of the independence movement, he emphasized the legitimacy of Korean independence to compatriots and citizens living overseas, and urged the United States to support the Korean Liberation Army.

If we only consider the conditions, where can we find a more perfect leader?

The problem is that Lee Soon-man has no base. How much support would someone who fought a diplomatic war in the United States have in Korea?

The United States did not even consider the Lee Soon-man card at first.

However, since the left-right conflict became too extreme and there was no one to put forward, they chose the chicken instead of the pheasant.

With the general election approaching, public opinion in South Korea is in turmoil, so shouldn’t the US military come up with some kind of plan?

Although I didn’t feel like it, I started fiddling with the Lee Soon-man card.

***

“Everyone!! Don’t be fooled!! Lee Soon-man is a much more authoritarian and self-righteous person than you expected!! He is a person who will treat you all as his servants!!”

This is Gyeongseong, a man continues to give a speech in front of the public.

The main character is Choi Eung-jin,

Choi Eung-jin stayed in the United States from 1917 to 1929 and observed Yi Sun-man’s self-righteousness and authoritarian side.

The reason why Choi Eung-jin hated Lee Soon-man is clear.

Choi Eung-jin evaluated Lee Sun-man as an opportunist rather than an independence activist.

“How can we obtain our independence for free? However, since it is impossible for us to obtain independence by force, we have no choice but to rely on the hatred Americans have for Japan in the future.”

This is what Lee Soon-man argued in 1920.

What kind of nonsense is this that says America has no choice but to rely on its hatred for Japan?

To the independence activists who were preparing for an armed struggle for independence at the time, Yi Sun-man’s claims were nothing more or less than nonsense.

“Under Japanese rule, Korea was transformed in three years from a country ruled by old customs to a bustling, industrial economy. Seoul today is like Cincinnati in the United States, except for the color of its people. – (The Washington Post, November 18, 1912).”

Even Yi Sun-man made statements in the United States defending Japan’s rule over Korea.

Can we really regard this person as a true independence activist?

Aside from this opportunistic aspect, there are many people who feel disgusted by the personal character of Lee Soon-man.

[Dr. Lee Soon-man was very proud of the fact that he was a descendant of Prince Yangnyeong of the Joseon Dynasty. Although he studied democracy while studying abroad in the United States, he had a very strong sense of being a descendant of the royal family. As a result, he only liked people who blindly followed him, and because of this tendency, he could not get along with the members of the provisional government.]

If you hear something like this from your closest confidants, doesn’t that mean you’ve said it all?

Choi Woong-jin raised his voice, saying that if Lee Soon-man runs for election and is elected, all 20 million of his country’s compatriots will become his slaves.

“Everyone!! Don’t be fooled!! I’ve been watching that guy for over 10 years!! He thinks he’s a member of Joseon royalty!! He studied abroad and denies democracy!! He treats the public as slaves!! On the outside…!!”

Beep~!! Beep~!!

Here a group of policemen appeared.

Lee Soon-man is the card that the US has been playing recently. Would the US military government just leave alone someone who directly denies it?

When Choi Eung-jin was arrested, public opinion criticizing Lee Soon-man also died down.

***

“How about putting Lee Soon-man forward as president and taking control of the cabinet? After all, the president is just a puppet, and you are the real power.”

The same routine that repeats itself today,

I negotiated with the US military government regarding the establishment of an autonomous government.

No matter what anyone says, the largest political party in North Korea is the Korean People’s Party, and as its leader, I am qualified to negotiate with the United States.

Just age is the problem,

If a 21-year-old were to become president, would the people accept it? Even in the North, public opinion has formed that criticizes a man under 40 as a leader.

However, Kim Il-sung steadily expanded his influence by winning over Soviet generals, and completely seized power by keeping watch over all areas.

‘There’s no way I can’t do that, right?’

I have no intention of yielding the presidency to Lee Soon-man.

When I think about what he will do to Korea in the future, my hands and feet tremble.

As it turned out, the United States also tried to eliminate Lee Soon-man several times because he was out of control.

Then wouldn’t it be better if I became president from the beginning?

He drew the line, saying he had no intention of electing Lee Soon-man as president.

“General, there is a saying in Joseon that a position makes a person. Even if Lee Soon-man is currently watching the mood of the Korean People’s Party, he will try to create his own power if he becomes president. If that happens, we will not be able to control him.”

“Well… that makes sense too… .”

Lieutenant General Haji let out a faint sigh.

Lee Soon-man is a person who has consistently advocated anti-trusteeship since long ago.

South Korea will have to be under the trusteeship of the United States for the next 30 years. Will Lee Soon-man be able to stand by and watch that happen if he becomes president?

Moreover, for someone who considers himself a member of the Joseon royal family, being ruled by another country would be a scratch on his pride.

Eventually, won’t we turn our backs on America someday?

I have emphasized that point again and again.

“America seems to want me to be the real power behind the cabinet, but that kind of backroom politics will eventually rot. I want to be president with integrity.”

“Hmm~.”

Lieutenant General Haji couldn’t give a definitive answer.

It’s true that America is pushing me, but because of my age, I can’t put myself at the forefront.

The best option would be the head of the cabinet, but I refused to engage in such backroom politics.

He said, “How can I change this country when I have not been able to seize power properly? I will not participate in politics unless I become president,” and threw a tantrum.

“Honestly, what do I have that makes me inferior to Lee Soon-man? I have nothing to lose to him except for age.”

“That’s true. That damn Jang Yoo-yu-seo is the problem.”

Lieutenant General Haji praised me even with difficult words.

He established a logistics company to control prices in Joseon, and he made a great contribution to maintaining public order under the US military government by recruiting a large number of leftists.

In addition, since we are cooperating with the US military’s trusteeship, if you look at it from the US perspective, there is no card that is more certain than mine.

But the problem was his age, so I decided to take power.

Now that he has seized power, what does his age matter? He sought the cooperation of the US military government.

“General, let me say this again: I want to be president. If I take power, I can change the country, and America can gain a strong ally. What do you want to do? Will you help me?”

“Haha~ Checkmate, if you’ve made up your mind, there’s nothing you can do.”

Lieutenant General Haji agreed with my rise to power.

First, we demand that the US military government release Choi Eung-jin.

I recruited Choi Eung-jin and began to seriously target Lee Soon-man.

“I will push you forward as the National Assembly member for Dongdaemun-gu Gap.”

“Is that true?”

“Yes, so from now on, please continue to shit on that human’s face. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Of course.”

Choi Eung-jin understood what I said right away.

Who dares stop me now?

Choi Eung-jin is a person suspected of being a pro-Japanese police officer, but if you look at it that way, 80% of the police are pro-Japanese and 80% of the Korean people are leftists.

I am the person who founded the Korean People’s Party by incorporating 80% of the left wing and advocated for a trusteeship under the US military government.

So am I a traitor on the level of Lee Wan-Yong who sold out the country to the communist reds and the United States?

Even if that were true, no one would dare say it.

If you play around with power half-heartedly, you will only suffer. Even Kim Il-sung would cry as he thoroughly suppressed the minority party.

“Will you also nominate members of the National Assembly from the Honam region?”

“Isn’t that obvious? We should eliminate all the mediocre parties.”

“All right.”

Many political parties in the Honam region ended on this day.

Even if it is a political party, isn’t it just a disintegration and reunification of pro-Japanese landowners who came together to become members of the National Assembly?

When I pushed out the pro-Japanese landowners, the people of Honam gave me overwhelming support.

It’s the same in other regions, the US military government mobilized public opinion to push my back.

[Korean People’s Party approval rating 88%, landslide victory in general election certain]

[165 out of 200 constituencies]

At this point, even Kim Il-sung would stand up and applaud, saying he has learned a thing or two.

As the tide turned, all minor political parties were absorbed into the Korean People’s Party.