Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 236



Only Krnovel

#236 It’s really Fuji

“ha…….”

“… … .”

Tito sighed with a gloomy expression.

How could I not have worried about that?

In Yugoslavia his authority is absolute.

He was a man who led the partisans and was active in the middle of the Axis powers, and in recognition of his achievements and importance, leaders of the Allied powers, including the United States and Britain, treated him as the leader of the alliance from the beginning.

Even Peter II, the last King of Yugoslavia and head of the Yugoslav government-in-exile, issued a statement in September 1944 urging all Yugoslavs to unite under Tito’s leadership, labeling anyone who did not “traitors.”

He was the true liberator of Yugoslavia, and no one could challenge his authority.

Even Tito, who had worked for decades until his death to unify the members of the Federation, eventually turned into hell in Yugoslavia.

“I thought I had done enough. I blew away all the nonsense about Greater Serbia and Greater Croatia, so that they couldn’t even squeak. Was that all? I even blew away the religions that played a significant role in the division. Whether it was Catholicism, Orthodoxy, Islam, whatever, I just threw them all away. I treated Catholics who collaborated with the Ustasha much more harshly, even though my father was a Croat by birth. Is that not enough?”

“Didn’t President Tito himself know? Do you think it’s enough? Right now, they are oppressed by President Tito’s power, but do you think that even after he passes away, the Serbs and Croats will remain silent? Especially Serbia, the victim of the massacre and the largest country in the Federation?”

“Whew! Honestly, I don’t know. I just thought that if I kept pressing hard, it would naturally integrate over time.”

“It’s not enough. It’s really not enough.”

“Then what else do you think we need to add?”

Tito asked, smoking his pipe hard in frustration.

“Cool! Ah, can I have a cigarette… .”

“Uh, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. It’s not enough. I know the president is trying hard, but I think Yugoslavia will eventually break up after the president’s death. And it won’t be a good thing.”

“What if it doesn’t look good?”

“The corpses will form mountains, and the blood will flow out like an ocean.”

“I’m going crazy… … .”

Even though I was talking as if I had actually seen it, strangely enough, I didn’t feel any discomfort at all.

Tito was reminded of Churchill’s words when he saw Lee Kang-cheol like that.

He would sometimes say things like that, and it was so fitting that I told him that if he ever encountered a similar situation in the future, he should listen carefully and ask for advice.

“Huh! Then, what should I do?”

“Abolish the federal system, if not immediately.”

“What? You want me to abolish the federal system? No matter how much I say that, that’s impossible! There’ll be a civil war right away!”

“Who said to abolish it right now?”

“Yes? Then?”

“The president is doing well now. If he continues like this, Yugoslavia will prosper.”

“But?”

“When citizens become rich, politics will naturally be good. Do you understand what I mean? I mean, pursue economic prosperity while slowly abolishing the federation. When the hero of the nation achieves economic prosperity, he will have more power than he does now, so wait for that time.”

“hmm…….”

“And by the way, if a strong centralized policy is needed for the sake of complete unification, why are you trying to decentralize by talking about some kind of self-management system? Why are you giving power to the federal republics?”

“… … .”

“Institutional integration is important. The integration achieved by the great national hero Tito will no longer be effective if the hero disappears.”

“Is that possible?”

“It doesn’t matter whether it is possible or not. It must be done unconditionally. If it is impossible to abolish the Federation, at least the power should not be given to the constituent republics of the Federation, whether it is political or economic.”

“I am not young. I think I am about the same age as the President, but I don’t know if I will be given that kind of time.”

“Are you healthy?”

“That’s true now.”

“I will live a healthy life for at least another 20 years. Don’t worry about time.”

“… … .”

It’s strange, really strange.

The more Tito listened to Lee Kang-cheol, the more he felt drawn into his strange way of speaking.

It’s not at all strange that he speaks so definitively about the future, almost like a fortune teller.

“And religious persecution… … Ha, I didn’t know I would say that. Keep going at the current level. At least until Yugoslavia is fully unified, religion will be poison to Yugoslavia.”

“Oh, I understand.”

“Also, pay attention to balanced development between regions. If things continue this way, Slovenia and Croatia in the northwest will become wealthy, while Serbia and Montenegro in the southeast will become backward, creating imbalances between regions. Keep in mind. We don’t need any of that. If we become economically equal and wealthy, citizens won’t care about nationality or ethnicity.”

“All right.”

Before he knew it, Tito was listening to Lee Kang-cheol’s words as if he was receiving a revelation.

“What did you say to President Tito?”

When leaving Yugoslavia after a short schedule, Kim Kyu-sik asked Lee Kang-cheol in a sly tone.

“Do you see it that way?”

“Yes, President Tito’s once confident attitude changed to that of a prophet.”

“Hahaha! I was just giving you a little advice. You know, sir, what happens in this land after Tito’s death?”

“I know. I can’t believe that such a tragedy could happen so soon after you turn 20.”

“So I just gave them some directions.”

“Well done, but is that enough?”

“It can’t be helped if it’s not enough. I’ve done everything I could. Now it’s up to President Tito and the Yugoslav people. Depending on what they do, history can change, or the tragedy will continue as before. I can’t do anything about it.”

“okay.”

“yes.”

That’s right.

Even to this extent, Lee Kang-cheol had done as much as he could.

All that remained was their choice.

Lee Kang-cheol and his party left Yugoslavia and arrived in Italy.

In modern South Korea, there is a tendency to look down on Italy, but Italy is not a country to be looked down on.

This trend arose in modern times when the military became synonymous with the Tang Dynasty army, and politically, when scum like Silvio Berlusconi came to power and maintained his power despite his comical behavior.

Moreover, the economy, which had been developing at a rapid pace to the point that the phrase “Il sorpasso” (the great overtaking) was created, began to stagnate and even fall into a serious state of regression in the 1990s, and this tendency became even stronger as the country became a member of the despised PIGS (Portugal, Italy, Greece, and Spain).

But still, Italy is not a country to be ignored.

Just looking at the situation in Southern Italy, you might think that Italy is a country that makes a living from tourism because its ancestors were fortunate, but that is absolutely not true.

We can never become a G7 country just because tourism has developed a little thanks to our ancestors.

Even without mentioning Ferrari or Lamborghini, Italy is home to Europe’s largest shipyard, Fincantieri, and the aerospace giant Leonardo.

The Alenia C-27J transport aircraft that the expeditionary force hurriedly purchased and brought back, and the Super Lynx and Wildcat AW-159 helicopters used by the Korean Navy were originally made by Westland in the UK, but became products of this company after they were merged into Leonardo.

There are countless Agusta helicopters, and even the Aermacchi M-346 that once watered down our T-50 advanced trainers, which are ultimately Leonardo products.

In short, it is said to be the second most industrialized country in Europe after Germany, which means it is difficult to think of pickpockets in tourist spots or Italian craftsmen who are known for their one-by-one work.

But even Italy was struggling to survive after World War II.

Like other European countries, without the Marshall Plan, they would probably have been in real trouble, but they somehow managed to recover and were preparing for the great leap forward in the 1960s.

“It’s really Fuji.”

“Oh, really?”

Lee Kang-cheol had no choice but to agree with Lee Seon-yeong’s cold review of Rome.

Rome, which even in modern times is not known for being that clean.

This period was really dirty and filthy, just like Lee Seon-yeong said.

“Italy’s real leap forward was in the 1960s. It was like the Miracle on the Han River in our country. So I guess it’s still like this.”

“well?”

“Huh? Well then?”

“You’ve never been to Italy in modern times?”

“Me? It’s not me.”

“I went on a trip to commemorate my graduation from the medical school.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes, but back then it wasn’t much different from now. Perhaps it was because there were so many ruins in the city that development was restricted. And oh my! Anyway, my trip to Rome was really bad.”

“I see.”

While First Lady Lee Sun-young was talking about her unpleasant memories of Rome, we arrived at the Prime Minister’s residence.

The Prime Minister at that time was a man named Mario Shella, who was only a passing presence anyway.

Italy is a parliamentary cabinet country, and even among parliamentary cabinet countries, the prime minister changes as easily as eating, so it was meaningless.

The summit was again mainly about economic cooperation, and Shelba and his ministers tried to get something from South Korea.

But the reality is that Italy was merely a market with great growth prospects for South Korea.

Lee Kang-cheol didn’t have any particular feelings.

In the end, the talks ended with a small investment to save face and a small long-term loan, but Prime Minister Shelba smiled and said that it was not a bad thing.

And then the formal dinner.

Maybe it was because there was nothing much to see at the time, but many of Italy’s proud cultural and artistic figures attended the dinner.

“This is Roberto Rossellini.”

“Oh! The defenseless city!”

“Oh my! Did you see that?”

“Of course! It’s an honor to meet you.”

“Go, thank you.”

“This is Vittorio De Sica.”

“Bicycle thief! Ugh! This is a masterpiece!”

“Oh my gosh! Thank you!”

“I’m Federico Fellini. He’s a young, up-and-coming actor, and his latest film, ‘The Road,’ has been a huge hit. I don’t know about the President, but… .”

“Zampano is here! Zampano! La Strada! Gelsomina! Giulietta Masina! Ugh!”

“Ugh!”

Lee Kang-cheol was once a movie fanatic.

When Lee Kang-cheol met with the masters of the Italian film industry and recited their works one after another, the Italians were surprised but also really liked it.

But the ending was different.

“My name is Sophia Loren. She is a former beauty pageant contestant and hasn’t appeared in many works yet, but soon… … .”

“Wow! It’s Sophia Loren!”

“… … .”

Sophia Loren, who had just turned twenty, was so attractive that Lee Sun-young was left confused even though she was giving her a hint.