Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 107



Only Krnovel

#107. It was extremely famous even in the future.

January 20, 1948.

Honolulu, Hawaii.

“Welcome, General.”

“It’s been a while, Frank.”

Lee Kang-cheol was currently in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Roosevelt had asked to meet, but this time, Roosevelt seemed to have a conscience and flew all the way to Hawaii.

The two had seen each other often and communicated frequently over the past few years, and were now almost like friends. Roosevelt still called Lee Kang-cheol “General” instead of his official title, “President,” and Lee Kang-cheol began calling him by his first name at Roosevelt’s request from last time.

“How is Joseph these days? “I don’t know if it won’t cause any problems.”

Roosevelt asked about the well-being of US Ambassador to Korea Joseph Kennedy.

“Well, I was bored at first, but after ambassadors from various countries came in one after another, it was just plain fish.”

“ha ha ha! “It means you’re doing well.”

“Yes, I am doing well. “The problem is that they sometimes ask us to tour our industry.”

“Industries?”

“Yes, they were particularly interested in the radio factory, so I gave them a tour.”

“Oh, that radio! That sold a lot in the US. “I have one too, but I don’t know how the little guy can make the sound so clear.”

“haha! It will happen. “It uses transistors instead of vacuum tubes.”

Transistor radios, which began being exported to the United States in the second half of last year, were truly explosively popular.

Even though it was almost three times the price sold in Korea, there was an uproar because there was no quantity, and the price was said to be several times higher.

“General, speaking of that transistor technology…”

“Hey, we’ve started selling now too? I need to sell a little more. And transistors are not just used in radios; they are a technology that can revolutionize electronic devices. In particular, it is very sensitive to radar, wireless communications, and defense fields such as aviation and torpedoes.”

“Our experts said that too. That’s why I say it.”

“It’s difficult now, so please tell me again in the second half of the year.”

“No, General? Is it really like this? “In the second half of the year, it will be time for me to prepare to retire.”

“Oh! yes···.”

Roosevelt’s extremely long reign of 16 years was now coming to an end.

A record like this would probably never be made again in the future.

It has been an unwritten rule since the first president, George Washington, that a U.S. president serves only one term.

However, Roosevelt broke this and ran for a whopping 4 terms.

Naturally, there was a backlash against this, and in 1947, during the term of President Harry S. Truman, the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution codified the ban on a third term as U.S. president.

Of course, that didn’t happen now that Roosevelt was alive with his eyes open.

“Instead of doing that, please transfer transistor technology. “I thought of it as my retirement gift.”

“ha ha ha!”

After begging like a child, Lee Kang-cheol eventually raised his hands.

Anyway, it was expected to some extent, and the transistors currently used in the radio were intentionally made of an early type, so there was no major problem.

If the US comes after us, all we have to do is upgrade little by little and run away.

“We will send people sometime in the spring.”

“Oh oh! thank you!”

“Instead, we will receive proper technology fees.”

“Of course.”

“And please be careful not to let technology leak. “Do you know that this will cause trouble if it enters the Soviet Union?”

“of course. In fact, I am thinking of creating a bill to ban exports to communist countries.”

“ah! Kokom!”

“Kokom?”

“Originally, in 1949, it was called the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls, and it controlled technology and exports to communist countries.”

“I see.”

“You thought it out well. “Punishment regulations must be as strong as possible, and all civilian technology items that can be diverted for military use must be included.”

“Then General, please let me know the existing regulations. There are also points that need to be improved. In that way, we can protect it together, including your country and allied countries such as the UK.”

“That is natural, and regulations should be put in place to sanction third parties as well.”

“Third parties too? “Isn’t that a bit much?”

“This is a regulation that was originally in KOCOM. It may seem a bit gangsterish, but it’s less effective if you don’t do it that way. “We have to keep an eye on it, because if it is exported indirectly through a third country, it can easily be neutralized.”

“Oh, I see. “I know what you mean.”

The issue of technological control was something I had never thought of before, and I was truly glad that Roosevelt mentioned it first.

In this day and age, the country that most desperately needs KOCOM would be South Korea rather than the United States.

However, since the United States proposed it first and even offered to tie the gun, I thought it couldn’t be better than this.

“By the way, what do you think about your successor?”

“I also plan to support Harry. What do you think, General?”

“Well, it’s none of my business, but I think it’s an excellent choice.”

“ha ha ha! Isn’t that true too? “I will get along smoothly with General.”

“Your mouth is a bit rough, though.”

“Fuhahaha! “Did you know that?”

“Ugh! “It was extremely popular even in the future.”

“ha ha ha!”

“… … .”

Harry, Harry S. Truman, whom Roosevelt said he would support as the next president.

When he was in office, Roosevelt’s shadow was very large, and he was not very eloquent for a politician, so he was not very popular.

However, as time passed, his ratings rose day by day, and eventually he was always ranked in the top ten when polls ranked the popularity of great presidents in the United States.

In modern Korea, he received a lot of criticism until the 1990s, which was largely due to MacArthur’s rejection of his suggestion to attack Manchuria with nuclear weapons and the firing of MacArthur.

Of course, in Korea as well in the 2000s, an atmosphere of reevaluation was created as the unreality of MacArthur’s claim for a nuclear attack and the fact that he actively led the dispatch of troops as soon as the Korean War broke out became known.

In any case, he is a person for whom Korea is grateful.

However, this gentleman had a nasty habit: he had a rough mouth.

No, it was famous for being not only a little rough, but extremely dirty.

미국의 대통령이나 되는 사람이 입에 ‘개새끼(Son of a bitch)’란 말을 입에 달고 살았으니까.

He even said everything, to the extent that later, during an argument with Kennedy, he called him an asshole.

“haha! Even if Harry becomes an asshole later on, don’t say too much. To that friend, it’s just ‘Damn!’ or ‘Damn!’ “It’s just a matter of degree.”

“Should I just say ‘fuck’ too?”

“yes?”

“Oh, no. “There is something similar among Korean swear words.”

“… … .”

“Well, anyway, Vice President Truman will do well.”

“I also think so. That’s right, I think we should at least tell Harry the general story. Even now, I am very dissatisfied with the policies toward the Republic of Korea, and it will only increase if he becomes president. If that happens, much of what we have achieved so far could be shaken.”

“Hmm…”

This is something Lee Kang-cheol had also thought about, and Roosevelt was right.

We may not know until after Korea is firmly established, but the reality is that it is still unstable.

At a time like this, it would not have been good to have an antipathy towards Korea and overturn everything Roosevelt had done so far.

To put it bluntly, I couldn’t even imagine how they would react if they found out that Lee Kang-cheol and Roosevelt had conspired to support the Chinese Communist Party while the United States supported the Kuomintang.

Probably, they would say they are the bastards of the world.

“You do that. However, this is really the last time. “Until Mr. Truman, I don’t want our identity to be made known to any generation.”

“Of course, General. “After Harry, there won’t be a need for that.”

“Well then, next time we meet, no, please send Mr. Truman to Korea. “Before we get busy with the election.”

“Oh, that would be better.”

“Yes, you two can’t move together and come to Hawaii anyway, right?”

“haha! Are you really not planning on coming back to Washington?”

“I have to go before I retire. Even if it’s hard.”

The real plane ride to Washington was so difficult.

“Anyway, are you preparing well for the Soviet Union?”

“of course. Well, we all know that they are moving to the Far East.”

“Are you okay? “I know your country’s capabilities well, but I’m still a little worried because it’s our opponent.”

“Don’t worry too much. “We are stronger than the world knows.”

“By any chance, with that in mind?”

“Oh, really? We will only deal with conventional weapons. “That’s enough.”

“Then I’m glad. Please let me know if you need any weapons. I will provide more support. “Why don’t you at least take the M4 Sherman tank?”

“well.”

I’m not full, but Sherman is.

Although it is still an effective tank in this era, in the eyes of Lee Kang-cheol, who owns the M48 Patton and K1 tanks, even if there are not many, the Sherman is the tank that lacks content.

It was a bit of an awkward situation to operate, especially against the Soviet Union.

This is because the Soviet Union also had Sherman tanks received from the U.S. military.

So, although we have received numerous weapons from the United States so far, we have not requested tanks.

Almost 50,000 units were produced and there was a surplus, so the United States pushed to take it as a favor, but things like the highly maneuverable M3 Halftrack were more useful.

However, at this point, other American tanks were also ambiguous.

The M26 Pershing had many problems, but the United States would not be able to provide it because the production quantity was so small, and the M46 Patton had not yet been mass-produced, and even when mass-produced, it was close to a failure.

After all, it was better than nothing.

If it was used for infantry support, it would be useful, and it could be used for a while and then donated to the allies.

“Then I’ll take some of the later models.”

“Take as much as you want.”

“haha! “Are you having trouble dealing with it?”

“You know, right? “How many have you made?”

“All right. “We only select about 3,000 units and take them with us.”

“Anything else?”

“I will make a separate request for this and that.”

“Do by that way. It’s about dealing with the Soviet Union. “I have confidence in General and Korea’s abilities, but it would be better to prepare more thoroughly.”

“Thank you. “Thank you for your attention.”

“This is also for our country. As my term of office comes to an end, the thing that continues to bother me is the Soviet Union. “I keep thinking that I should have listened to Churchill’s warning a long time ago.”

“haha! Don’t think like that. You have terminated support appropriately. “If support had been cut off too early, the Soviet Union would have been occupied by Germany.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Then I’m glad. Anyway, war will probably break out after I leave office, so please take care of me.”

“All right.”

For some reason, Roosevelt was a sincere person to the Soviet Union.