Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 226



Only Krnovel

#Episode 226 My daughter’s goal is to enter Seoul National University.

September 14, 1954.

Since September 11th was Chuseok, the nation’s biggest holiday, the atmosphere was still chaotic due to the aftermath of the holiday.

Gimpo International Airport.

“Prime Minister, please look after me while I am away.”

“Hehehe! “Don’t worry, have a nice trip.”

Senior administration officials, including Prime Minister Kim Ho-jin, were seeing off Lee Kang-cheol and Lee Sun-young.

This is because Lee Kang-cheol is leaving on a tour of Europe for nearly a month and a half.

Lee Kang-cheol’s European tour was originally scheduled to go last year, but things went awry and he ended up going this time.

The first destination of the European tour is, of course, the UK.

No matter what anyone says, it was the next ally after the United States.

So, in line with Elizabeth’s coronation in June 1953, last year, she was scheduled to visit England and then tour major European countries, including France, but this was postponed to the second half of the year due to various reasons, and in the second half of the year, Queen Elizabeth II made a long-term tour of the Commonwealth. It’s finally time to go.

At the same time, he decided to visit major allies such as Vietnam and Burma in the meantime, so the schedule was extended to a month and a half.

“Minister Go, you know? “If anything happens, contact me right away.”

“Do not worry. “I’m going to post a report every day anyway.”

“Yes, I only trust you.”

Although Prime Minister Kim Ho-jin is said to be responsible for internal affairs, in reality, the person Lee Kang-cheol trusts the most is Go Seok-man.

Because I had Go Seokman, I was able to travel abroad for such a long period of time with peace of mind.

“Then, I’ll be back.”

“Have a nice trip!”

“Take care of your health! President!”

Lee Kang-cheol and First Lady Lee Sun-young boarded the presidential plane, K303 Air Force One, waving the Taegeukgi and waving to the crowds seeing them off.

The first country visited was Vietnam, the largest ally in Southeast Asia.

After flying for about 5 hours and 30 minutes, downtown Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, came into view.

It seems that the development has progressed further than Lee Kang-cheol expected. The roads are well-maintained and many high-rise buildings over 10 stories can be seen.

“Hoo? Teacher Usa, doesn’t Hanoi look cooler than you think?”

Lee Kang-cheol asked Kim Gyu-sik, who was accompanying him on this trip, with an expression of surprise.

“ha ha ha! President, this is not the Vietnam of the 1950s that you think of. Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam, the largest economy in Southeast Asia. Of course it has to be like that.”

“haha! okay.”

Lee Kang-cheol had mixed feelings after hearing Kim Gyu-sik’s words.

The First Indochina War, which was originally a war with France, which was divided into North and South and still insisted on colonialism, had just ended.

However, thanks to their intervention, Vietnam became independent early on and is on the path to growth through active exchanges with the Republic of Korea.

“Mr. President, although Vietnam is not comparable to us, it is currently a country that cannot be ignored. “President Ho Chi Minh is ruling properly, and the benefits gained from being the first country to trade with Korea in Southeast Asia and effectively serving as a bridgehead for our country’s economy are significant.”

“Are you looking forward to this?”

“haha! You can look forward to it. And this is what I felt while frequently visiting Southeast Asia, and it seems that countries that have been greatly influenced by China are developing rapidly.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yes, it is. Southeast Asia has been largely influenced by Indian culture, but Vietnam is almost the only country that has been strongly influenced by China’s Chinese character culture and Confucian culture. “I don’t know if that’s why, but the passion for education is definitely much higher than in other Southeast Asian countries, and even though it’s a hot country, we’re very hardworking.”

“Huh! That’s right… … .”

It’s a bit of a funny story in a situation where we’re confronting China, but what Kim Gyu-sik said was right.

This is because regions that border China and have adopted more Chinese culture and Confucian culture have a unique passion for education and diligence.

And in that respect, Vietnam was by far the best.

This is because Vietnam’s history itself was a struggle against China, but it was ruled by China for more than 1,000 years, and Chinese characters and Confucian culture influenced all aspects of society.

On the other hand, even in the same Vietnam, the southern region of Vietnam, which was dominated by the Champa Malays for a long time, is said to be racially and culturally very different from North Vietnam.

Eventually, the presidential plane carrying Lee Kang-cheol arrived at Hanoi Airport and when the trap touched down, the plane door opened and President Lee Kang-cheol and his wife appeared.

Pung clap clap clap!

Then the Vietnamese Armed Forces military band began to play a welcome performance, and when Lee Kang-cheol looked closely, he saw that Ho Chi Minh himself had come out to see him off.

“Oh my! President Ho Chi Minh came out in person?”

“haha! Our country is the best clan in Vietnam. It’s completely different from what we think of Vietnam. Please come down quickly.”

As Kim Gyu-sik said, Vietnam is one of Korea’s many allies, but the Republic of Korea is the country that actually gave Vietnam independence, and even after independence, allowed Vietnam to expand its territory to the north without much support or even much effort. all.

Moreover, in reality, the largest economic trading partner since the founding of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam is the Republic of Korea.

In this situation, the weight approaching was bound to be different.

“ha ha ha! You’ve finally come to visit! welcome! welcome!”

“Oh my, why did you come out in person?”

“Of course I came out because I had to. If I hadn’t come out, the Vietnamese people would have cursed me. ha ha ha!”

Ho Chi Minh often came to Korea, but this was the first time Lee Kang-cheol came to Vietnam.

That’s why they’re making such a fuss.

On the way to the Presidential Palace in downtown Hanoi after the honor guard inspection, numerous Hanoi citizens came out and enthusiastically welcomed Lee Kang-cheol.

Lee Kang-cheol occasionally opened the window and waved his hand, and was impressed by the sight of Hanoi, which was more developed than what he had seen from the air.

“Oh oh! Downtown Hanoi is really beautiful. “I think we’ve made a lot of progress.”

“ha ha ha! Where would you rather go than Seoul? But at least it is probably the most developed city in Southeast Asia.”

“ha ha ha! okay.”

Lee Kang-cheol repeatedly gave a thumbs up to Ho Chi Minh, who answered with a hint of pride.

In fact, as Ho Chi Minh said, it seemed to be the best in Southeast Asia, and it didn’t cost money to give it a thumbs up.

And when we arrived, the Vietnamese President’s official residence was very luxurious.

“oh! “The Presidential Palace is truly amazing!”

“haha! “It was originally built by the French as the Indochina Governor-General’s Office.”

“ah! So, it was built in a European style?”

“That’s right. “It is a gorgeous and wonderful building, but it is a painful building for us.”

“I completely understand. “Because we also had a Japanese government-general building.”

“I know. And that the building was dismantled and moved to Independence Hall. So we also considered demolishing this building.”

“Oh, is that so? “It’s a very wasteful building.”

“Yes, so after much thought, I decided to just use it as is. “We did not build it on the site of a former royal palace like your Japanese Government-General of Korea, and since this is also history, there were many opinions asking whether there was a need to remove it.”

“Well done. As you said, we had no choice because the Japanese built it in the palace. But there is no need for that in your country. All we need to do is to ensure that our descendants will remember it forever. “I think the more shameful the history is, the more we need to educate and remember it for a long time.”

“ha ha ha! Thank you for those kind words.”

“So are you sleeping in this building?”

“no. “I live in another building within the presidential palace.”

At that time, Kim Gyu-sik, who was behind him, intervened.

“President Ho Chi Minh lives in the house where the gardener of the Presidential Palace used to live, Mr. President.”

“yes? No, why?”

“haha! There is no other reason. “It’s just that I feel more comfortable there than in this fancy building.”

“her! You are truly amazing. “Then, can you show me where you live?”

“yes? No, it’s a bit… … .”

“haha! “It’s because I really want to see you.”

“Ha, I can’t help it. No, why did the teacher say something meaningless… … .”

“ha ha ha! “Why are you blaming me?”

Soon, Lee Kang-cheol and his wife were led to the garden inside the presidential palace, where there was a really small house next to a pond.

“Here we go. “This is embarrassing.”

“W-here?”

“Oh my god… … .”

Not only Lee Kang-cheol but also First Lady Lee Sun-young were really surprised.

Is it about fifteen pyeong?

A small wooden house with only a second floor and the first floor raised by pillars.

They said it was a house where a gardener lived, and it really looked like a house that a gardener would live in.

But the president of Southeast Asia’s largest economy lives in a house like this.

“Aren’t you uncomfortable?”

“haha! Is it uncomfortable? “It’s rather spacious for me to live alone.”

“No, that’s still true.”

“ha ha ha! “I also have some luxuries.”

“What is that?”

“This is it.”

What Ho Chi Minh took out of his pocket was a cigarette.

“Anything, cigarettes?”

“Yes, it is a British-made 555 cigarette, and it is quite a high-quality cigarette. I don’t know about anything else, but it was really hard to quit. ha ha ha!”

“… … .”

Lee Kang-cheol had no choice but to see Ho Chi Minh again.

As for Ho Chi Minh, he himself was a person who was evaluated favorably even in history.

Although he was nothing more than the leader of the enemy during the Vietnam War, he was revered as the father of the nation by the Vietnamese, and I knew that he was a man of such great character that the Soviet Union’s Nikita Khrushchev called him a ‘living saint of communism.’

And that after he died in 1969, Vietnam rapidly became communist-oriented.

But in reality, isn’t this more than it is?

I don’t know if it was because he didn’t have a wife or children, but he seemed like a person with no material desires at all.

Lee Kang-cheol felt attracted and asked.

“President Ho, how is your health?”

“yes? “My health?”

“That’s right.”

“I’m still healthy, but why do you ask that?”

“ha ha ha! I hope President Ho lives a long time. “I’ll send you to your doctor, so you can get a health checkup.”

“No, not that much… … .”

“ha ha ha! President Ho, please do as our President says. “You know our country’s medical techniques well, right?”

Even Kim Gyu-sik caught Lee Kang-cheol’s favor and actively encouraged him.

Of course, Ho Chi Minh also heard many times that Korean medical technology was the best in the world.

“I know, but… … .”

“Then do it. “I am saying this because I think that only if President Ho lives for a long time will Vietnam develop and our alliance with the Republic of Korea become stronger.”

“Thank you.”

“And when you come to our country, stop by the military hospital. “I will tell you separately.”

“thank you.”

Gyu-sik Kim grinned next to him.

This is because they knew that the hospital filled with futuristic equipment was the Armed Forces General Hospital, and that it was a gift given by Lee Kang-cheol to foreign VIPs when he showed them the utmost kindness.

After receiving a warm welcome from the Vietnamese people, Lee Kang-cheol completed his official schedule of 3 days and 2 nights and headed to his next destination.

The next destination was Burma, which, along with Vietnam, is one of China’s major allies in Southeast Asia.

Of course, Thailand’s King Rama IX, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who was caught in the middle, earnestly requested a visit, but there was no way Lee Kang-cheol would listen to a guy who was selling his territory to strengthen his royal authority.

Cambodia and Laos have not yet reached their size.

Lee Kang-cheol also received a grand welcome in Burma.

President Aung San, who escaped assassination thanks to the Republic of Korea, was also ruling better than expected, and a cute girl sitting next to President Aung San at a dinner party caught Lee Kang-cheol’s attention.

“Who is this cute princess?”

“ha ha ha! This is my daughter. “The name is Aung San Suu Kyi.”

“ah… … .”

As expected, it was her.

He must have been 10 years old now, but he wasn’t that cute.

“Your daughter looks really smart,”

“ha ha ha! So, I plan to go to Seoul to study later.”

“oh! To Seoul?”

“Isn’t it obvious? “My daughter’s goal is to enter Seoul National University.”

“ha ha ha!”

Lee Kang-cheol really enjoyed it.

So, he told Aung San Suu Kyi that if he passed the test, he would personally provide him with guardianship, and Lee Ung San and Aung San Suu Kyi really liked him.

After finishing our schedule in Burma, we finally headed to England.

“Hahahaha! “Welcome!”

Winston Churchill personally came to meet him at the airport, and Lee Kang-cheol furrowed his brow.

“ah! Put out your cigar! Winston! “I’m suffocating!”

“… … .”

Winston Churchill was immediately enlightened.