Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 227



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#Episode 227 Lee Kang-cheol was not a pushover

As soon as I saw Winston Churchill for the first time in a long time, I gave him a treat, and Churchill pouted for a while.

Lee Kang-cheol left Churchill alone until the protocol at the airport was over, and eventually calmed him down with a sigh.

“Winston.”

“Why are you calling me?”

“Are you really not going to quit smoking?”

“That nagging again! I think I’ve burned about 250,000 cigars in my life, but I’m still fine at this age, right? Okay then? “How much longer can I live?”

“Are you going to fill up 300,000? It’s amazing… … .”

“What do you mean, leave me alone? I’m almost 80 years old and have lived enough to survive, but now you’re telling me to give up this pleasure? “That sounds like a no-brainer!”

“… … .”

Lee Kang-cheol was dumbfounded.

Churchill will now be over 80 in just two and a half months.

He is a person who boasts that he started smoking cigars at the age of 18 and has smoked about 15 strong cigars every day as if he were cigarettes, so he has smoked at least 250,000 to 300,000 cigars.

You smoke so fiercely and also drink so enviously? Even though I did this, I am still relatively healthy, so I guess health is something I was born with.

I will live another 10 years and die at the age of 90.

Lee Kang-cheol had nothing to say.

“It’s okay, I’m fine, but at least avoid it in front of my family. “If you smoke, you are the one who stimulates the economy.”

“Oh, I’m a bit sorry about that… … .”

There was a reason why Lee Kang-cheol became sensitive as soon as he saw him after a long time.

“Anyway, it’s late today and I don’t have any plans, so I’ll get some rest and meet the queen tomorrow…” … . Hey, who on earth made this schedule? “Are you going to attend the British royal dinner the day after tomorrow?”

“Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!”

“ah! “Don’t laugh!”

“Fuhahaha!”

“… … .”

“Kkkkkk! ah! I’m sorry. I know Mr. Lee hates busy events, but I couldn’t help it. I can’t get involved in matters related to the royal family. I understand that it was reduced significantly due to Deputy Prime Minister Kim Kyu-sik’s strong insistence. So, if you can, just be patient.”

“Hey, I really hate it… … .”

“The royal family lives like that on a fake day. “Compared to that, I’m a noble person.”

“To… … .”

In some ways, the royal family was amazing.

Do those people like old-fashioned events?

However, regardless of his will, he is born as a member of the royal family and has to spend his entire life following strict protocols and events, so if he is like Lee Kang-cheol, he is living a life that is unimaginable.

“To be a king in the 20th century… … .”

“Uh-huh! Are you telling me not to say things like that? “If anyone hears it, it will be a big problem.”

“… … .”

This is a time when the queen and royal family are respected by the people.

As Churchill said, if anyone heard and made a fuss, trouble would arise.

The next day, when Lee Kang-cheol and his wife arrived at Buckingham Palace, the official residence of Queen Elizabeth II, they were immediately escorted to the Queen.

And complicated protocol.

The British Empire is collapsing, but the authority of the royal family is still strong.

So the protocol couldn’t have been simple, and Lee Kang-cheol had to endure it while managing his facial expressions while frowning internally.

Queen Elizabeth II looked at Lee Kang-cheol and his wife with eyes full of curiosity, but it was evident that she was trying to maintain her dignity as queen.

And that scene looked pitiful in Lee Kang-cheol’s eyes.

Lee Kang-cheol is already in his 60s.

So, even though she was the Queen of England, she now only looked like a woman in her late 20s.

In particular, Lee Kang-cheol’s tendency was not to look very favorably on not only tyranny but also constitutional monarchies, so no matter how authoritative he tried to appear, in Lee Kang-cheol’s eyes, that was it.

After the boring protocol was over, we went straight to the room named 1844 Room.

I heard it was a room where the King of England receives guests for state affairs, but it had a much more comfortable atmosphere.

“Ho ho ho! Were you bored? Mr. President?”

“Oh, no.” “Hoho! I heard it beforehand. “They say they really dislike this kind of complicated protocol.”

“ha ha ha! My personality may be a bit like that, but I have lived my entire life as a soldier. “The military also has quite a few protocols and events, so I can tolerate them to some extent.”

“oh? So you’re saying it was hard for me too?”

“No, that’s not it… … .”

“Ho ho ho! It’s a joke.”

“yes… … .”

Queen Elizabeth II seems to have some sort of interest in Korea and Lee Kang-cheol, and is trying to talk gently about other things, but it was obvious that she had a conversation with Lee Kang-cheol.

Because there was no way to have anything to say with the king of a constitutional monarchy who had no real power.

It was First Lady Lee Sun-young who saved him.

“The First Lady is really young and beautiful.”

“Ho ho ho! thank you “But she’s just a woman in her mid-40s.”

“Oh my goodness! There were that many? “I heard he was older, but when I met him in person, I thought he was in his early 30s at best.”

“Ho ho ho!”

Queen Elizabeth II seemed truly surprised.

To Westerners, it is normal for Asians to look young, but Lee Seon-young went far beyond that level, so it was no surprise.

“What is the secret? First lady? “I’m only in my late 20s now, but I can feel my skin getting worse as each day passes.”

Even Her Majesty, the Queen of Great Britain, was a woman.

“No, well, I naturally have good skin, and our country’s cosmetics are of very good quality… … .”

“ah! I also have a few Korean cosmetics. “You mean Uni or cosmetics?”

“Is it Yuni? “That’s an old cosmetic product. Have you been using it until now?”

“yes? “Is Yunina an old cosmetic?”

“sure? No, when did the new product come out? Have you never heard of ‘Bichina’?”

“Well, is that a new product?”

“Just stay still. Even if you don’t, I brought you some as a gift, so give it a try. “It’s made with natural ingredients, so it rarely causes any problems and it couldn’t be better for your skin.”

“oh! oh! oh my god! “It can’t be this soft!”

Lee Seon-young, a natural salesman, began to show off again, and Lee Kang-cheol was able to take a breather.

In the end, Korea’s new cosmetic product ‘Vicina’ was designated as the official cosmetics of the British royal family and swept the world again.

The last night of my official schedule in England.

Lee Kang-cheol sat across from Churchill in his lodgings.

As always, this is the real summit.

“Oh my! it’s tough!”

“What do you say you did and how long you did? “How about a serious death?”

“So you’re saying it’s not a terrible death? No, really, why is there so much pretentiousness?”

“You mean pretentiousness? “You gave me a grand welcome despite the circumstances?”

“Okay, okay. “Have a drink.”

“Egh! Anyway… … .”

The two people who had been bickering for no reason soon began to get to the point.

“Mr. Lee.”

“Are you calling me that subtly?”

“Hey, don’t do that. “What on earth are we going to do with Hong Kong?”

“What should I do?”

“No, we can’t continue in this unstable state, can we?”

The best reason why Churchill looked forward to Lee Kang-cheol’s arrival was Hong Kong.

Hong Kong’s original position in history was strange, but as history changed, it became even more strange, and there was a reason why Churchill was so anxious.

Hong Kong’s history began in 1842, when Britain permanently ceded Hong Kong Island under the Treaty of Nanjing during the First Opium War.

And in 1860, the Qing Dynasty was defeated in the Second Opium War, so they signed the Treaty of Beijing and permanently ceded the Kowloon Peninsula to Britain.

The problem began in the New Territories.

Currently, Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula, permanently ceded by Britain in the Hong Kong area, are literally the size of a skin.

Hong Kong Island is 78.59㎢, similar in area to Ulleungdo, and the area permanently ceded to Britain on the Kowloon Peninsula was only 47㎢, the southern tip of the Kowloon Peninsula.

In short, less than 1/10th of the 1,105.6㎢ area called Hong Kong in modern times is actually British territory.

In addition, Britain signed the Exclusive Hong Kong Territory Agreement (Agreement between Britain and China on the expansion of Hong Kong territory) in 1898, which continued for an additional 99 years, and only then did today’s Hong Kong territory become complete.

The crux of the problem lies here.

Hong Kong Island and part of the southern tip of the Kowloon Peninsula are permanently ceded British territories, but the New Territories, which make up most of Hong Kong territory, are land that has been leased for 99 years, that is, and must be returned to China after 99 years. .

Therefore, 120㎢, which is part of Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula, is an area that cannot be self-reliant even if it dies or wakes up, so the UK eventually signed a joint Sino-British negotiation (Hong Kong Return Agreement) in 1979 to include Hong Kong Island and the southern tip of the Kowloon Peninsula, which are its own territory. So there was no choice but to return it to China.

In short, Britain should have gone out of its way to receive a permanent cession of the New Territories from China in 1898, but it made the mistake of not doing so.

Considering the situation of the Qing Dynasty at the time, it was quite possible.

But as history changed, the problem became more strange.

Naturally, the government of the Republic of Korea, which is aware of Hong Kong’s problems, originally planned to have the entire continent ruled by the Chinese Communist Party, and the entire area of ​​over 20,000㎢, encompassing not only the existing Hong Kong area but also the actor regions of Shenzhen, Dongguan, and Zhongshan, was incorporated into the Republic of Korea. A secret agreement was made to hand it over to .

Because they knew that it would be difficult to become self-sufficient even in the Hong Kong area, which includes the existing New Territories, they had casted the egg attack in advance.

However, this plan started to go wrong when Chiang Kai-shek’s famous wife, Song Meiling, became a sentimental salesman in the United States.

As the United States decided to provide support, South Korea also revised its original plan and decided to move toward a North-South system called the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of China.

Eventually, the original secret agreement became meaningless as the Hong Kong area fell into the hands of the Republic of China.

However, this does not mean that the South Korean government has completely let go.

During negotiations to end the Chinese Civil War, the Republic of China ripped off not only the New Territories, which Britain had occupied for 99 years, but also about 10,000 square kilometers of the area behind it.

If this happens, the area of ​​Hong Kong will be 11,100㎢, making it a sufficiently self-sufficient area.

And in the UK, a portion of the newly opened 10,000㎢ was allowed to be developed and used to secure water resources.

Instead, he was entrusted with managing the remaining areas.

As things turned out like this, Britain was left in a truly ambiguous state.

The New Territories were now inseparable from Hong Kong, and an area the size of Gyeonggi-do suddenly fell from the sky. Since this was not a permanent territory of the country, it became difficult to develop it or not.

The New Territories must be returned to the Republic of Korea unconditionally in 1997, when the 99-year period ends, and 10,000㎢ of the hinterland area has been signed on a 10-year lease, creating an ambiguous situation where it is not known when to return it if Korea requests it.

However, Hong Kong, which includes 10,000 square kilometers of hinterland, has become too attractive to the UK to give up just because it is dirty.

In short, you cannot give up, and you cannot avoid giving up.

So, Winston Churchill begged Lee Kang-cheol to die, but Lee Kang-cheol never responded.

Are you crazy?

Just give it to the UK for free?

Lee Kang-cheol was not a pushover.