Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 241



Only Krnovel

#241. I was really impressed

President de Gaulle’s order to return South Korean cultural assets was immediately reported in the French press, but due to the circumstances, there was little backlash.

That is understandable, de Gaulle is a national hero who saved France and is the current president.

Then he was shot in the chest.

It was a major accident that shook all of France.

French citizens breathed a sigh of relief when they learned that de Gaulle was safe, but then all attention turned to who was behind the assassination attempt.

Fortunately, the sniper was captured by South Korean security agents with a penetrating wound to his right leg, and it is now known that it is only a matter of time before the mastermind is revealed.

Given these circumstances, issues such as the return of South Korea’s cultural assets were not even newsworthy.

In addition, it is said that he saved de Gaulle’s life by giving him the latest bulletproof vest.

As de Gaulle told Lee Kang-cheol, it was virtually the same as saving France.

In the midst of all this, who could object to returning cultural assets that originally belonged to the Republic of Korea?

“Welcome, Chief.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

Lee Kang-cheol will be returning to Seoul tomorrow after a long tour amid the warm hospitality of the French government, but he has called on Jeon Hyeong-pil, the head of the Cultural Heritage Administration, who will remain in France for the time being and lead the practical work of returning cultural properties.

“You will have to stay and suffer for a while.”

“Hahaha! I wouldn’t refuse this kind of hardship even a hundred times over.”

Jeon Hyeong-pil answered with a really big smile, and he seemed to be quite happy.

“Hahaha! Is it that good?”

“Of course! It’s like a dream to be able to get back so many of our cultural assets. Honestly, I thought I would be lucky to get even half of them back.”

“No, why?”

“Mr. President, you may be saying that because you don’t know the greed of countries that have been through imperialism for their cultural assets, but this is really not a simple issue. The British Museum in England and the Louvre Museum here are both called ‘stolen museums.’”

“Jangmulgwan?”

“Yes, it’s all an insult to the museum being filled with cultural assets plundered from other countries during the imperialist era.”

“ah…….”

“That’s why these guys never return foreign cultural assets. They are worried that if they start giving them away, it will set a precedent and their museums will be empty.”

“okay.”

“This time, we had a really good opportunity. But some French officials in charge of cultural heritage refused to cooperate with the return.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yes, there were a few people who protested strongly, but the French government immediately fired them.”

“her…….”

Even in this situation, Lee Kang-cheol was confused as to whether he should be amazed or lamenting that they refused to cooperate with the return.

“Anyway, I plan to make sure that not a single piece of our cultural property remains on French soil. It would be bad if we let this go on for any longer. We need to get this done quickly while the atmosphere is chilling.”

“I only trust the chief.”

“Yes, you can believe it.”

How can one not believe it?

What is that ‘Gansong’ saying?

Lee Kang-cheol still remembered what his history teacher said in middle school.

My history teacher once said that Gansong Jeon Hyeong-pil was a hero who played a significant role in our country’s independence movement.

If it weren’t for him, our country’s major national treasures would still be overseas.

Despite this, in modern times, Jeon Hyeong-pil was only awarded the Order of Cultural Merit posthumously, and even if he had been listed as a person with meritorious service for independence, he had no record of imprisonment.

But this time, the qualification requirement was removed, so there was no obstacle to him obtaining the qualification as a person of merit.

After Jeon Byeong-pil left, Kim Kyu-sik came in with National Intelligence Service Director Cho Tae-hyun.

“Oh, teacher.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“What is the mood in the French government? Has it been revealed who is behind the sniper?”

“Let me tell you that.”

“Okay, let Director Cho speak.”

“It appears that the sniper’s identity has been revealed.”

“Are you French?”

“No. It is said that he was a sniper in the Nazi SS during the war.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yes, so we are currently conducting intensive interrogation to uncover the truth behind it.”

“I see.”

If it was ‘high-intensity interrogation’, it was a video even without watching it.

He even shot the president.

And if he was originally from the Nazi SS, he couldn’t expect mercy.

If he could just breathe, he would have used every means at his disposal.

“The mastermind will be revealed soon.”

“That would be the case, even if there was nothing to burn or nothing to burn.”

“… … .”

De Gaulle will take this opportunity to purge all subversive elements within the military.

Even Lee Kang-cheol himself would have done the same.

Thus ended Lee Kang-cheol’s long tour of Europe, and he headed to Seoul the next day.

***

November 18, 1954.

The Blue House.

About ten days after returning from his tour of Europe, Lee Kang-cheol was welcoming guests together with Lee Seon-yeong.

“Will you stay in the hospital a little longer?”

“Hahaha! Nope. The hospital said that the treatment is going well and there’s nothing special to do right now.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, that’s right. He said that I should continue to receive treatment through the Argentine Embassy’s attending physician and come back in six months.”

The guests were Juan and Eva Peron, who certainly looked much better.

It seems like the treatment went really well.

“I checked separately, and there is definitely nothing the hospital can do for you for the time being. Radiation therapy and partial resection surgery are also over. If you stay here, you will only have to visit the hospital once a month for a simple checkup and diagnosis, and the doctor at our Embassy in Argentina can do that.”

“Haha! If that’s true, then that’s good.”

There was no need to worry anymore since First Lady Lee Sun-young had confirmed it.

“So when do you plan on returning, President Peron?”

“I plan to go back next week. I’m worried because I’ve been away for over two months, and the hospital confirmed that Eva will be able to fly by then.”

“I apologize for leaving this important position for too long. When you leave, I will send you a private plane to make sure you have a comfortable journey, so please return comfortably.”

“Thank you so much. I can’t believe how good and comfortable the airplanes you make are. I thought I would never fly a propeller plane again.”

“Hahaha! Our plane is pretty good.”

“So, as soon as we get back, we’d like to buy a private jet as well.”

“Oh! Good idea.”

“And I would like to instruct our national airline to buy in large quantities.”

“Oh! In large numbers?”

“Yes, our Argentina is also a very large country, although it is not as big as your country.”

“I know very well.”

“So we need a significant number of new passenger aircraft. We’re going to order 30 of them, with an option for another 20.”

“Hahahaha! I’ll make sure to treat you well! Customer… … no, Mr. President!”

“… … .”

The sales efforts began to take effect as First Lady Lee Sun-young had intended.

Even though it included 20 optional units, a total of 50 units was a huge number.

Moreover, once Argentina started buying, it was only a matter of time before it spread to other South American countries, such as Brazil and Chile.

In a word, it was a jackpot. Lee Kang-cheol showed a miracle that made people bend their backs without realizing it.

“No. I bought it because I really liked it after trying it. I am also a person who can tell the difference between construction and non-construction.”

“Haha! Still, thank you.”

“In addition, I would like to actively pursue economic cooperation with South Korea. I hope to learn a lot from them in terms of policy as well.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, I saw and learned a lot while I was in Korea while Eva was receiving treatment at the hospital. I was really impressed.”

“Huh? In what way is that so?”

“I honestly saw it for the first time. A country where capitalism and socialism policies are so exquisitely harmonized. At first, I was really surprised by the great welfare policy, to the point where I thought it was a communist country. But… … .”

“But?”

“All of these welfare policies are being implemented based on sound finances. They are even looking ahead 10, no, 20 years.”

“Yes, that’s right. It is desirable to implement welfare policies within the limits that the country can afford.”

“And yet, the government has thoroughly guaranteed individual ownership rights and has taken the lead in stimulating and supporting businesses through policies so that they can develop. I was so surprised that I wondered if this was possible, but when I met with your country’s economic ministers and heard their explanations, I naturally agreed. It was truly incredible.”

Juan Peron was truly amazed.

It’s amazing how policies can be implemented to so thoroughly balance growth and distribution.

“Everything in the world works well when it is in balance. People often fight over whether growth comes first or distribution comes first, but in my opinion, that is the stupidest fight in the world.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, it’s like the chicken-and-egg debate. It’s not about which came first, but both must go together. Of course, underdeveloped countries can temporarily give priority to growth, but the period should never be long, and the fruits of growth should not be concentrated in a few. If that happens, society will be thrown into chaos by the dissatisfied majority. It’s not fair either, so it shouldn’t be like that.”

“I think I understand what you mean.”

If I had only heard it in words, I might have dismissed it as nonsense, but I saw Juan Peron in person while I was in South Korea.

This is how precisely and fairly the country called South Korea distributes income.

“And here’s another prerequisite.”

“What is that?”

“The leadership must be clean. If corruption is rampant, talk of fair distribution will be nothing more than empty words. Then, society will gradually lose its growth momentum and fall into a vicious cycle.”

“Thank you for your kind words. I will always keep that in mind.”

“Lastly, I would like to give you one more piece of advice as an old man. Even though you are from the military, you should always be careful of the military. No matter how good a policy is, it will be in vain if some impure people take up arms and overturn it.”

“All right.”

“I guess I was a bit harsh on you. Hahaha!”

“No, thank you.”

“ha ha ha!”

Juan Peron and his wife returned to Argentina a week later on a private plane provided by the South Korean government.

“Hmm? You’re already pretty, but you look even prettier today.”

Juan Peron noticed Eva’s extraordinary beauty on his private plane and asked her.

“Hohoho! Right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Is it because the treatment has improved a lot?”

“No, it’s because I use the cosmetics the First Lady gave me.”

“Did the First Lady give you cosmetics?”

“Yes, you packed a lot of stuff for me. Oh my gosh! This is the first time I’ve seen cosmetics like this.”

“Is that all?”

“Yes, I tried it a few days in advance, and I didn’t have any breakouts. Rather, it seems to make me look younger.”

“Wow! That’s amazing!”

In this way, First Lady Lee Sun-young was showing off her prowess by selling cosmetics as well as passenger planes.

***

The Liberal Democratic Party headquarters.

The core members of the Liberty Democratic Party, including Song Jin-woo, Kim Seong-su, and Jang Deok-su, were gathered together and smoking cigarettes.

“From now on, we will hold meetings at our office rather than at the funeral home. Even though it is Mr. Woo’s house, I don’t think it is right to continue to conduct public affairs of the party at a private home.”

“Hmm, go ahead and do that.”

“… … .”

There were many different types of people, some nodding in agreement with Inchon’s words, others observing the mood and not responding.

It’s something that’s been around for a long time, but it was an unspoken taboo until Inchon said it just now.

“Well, let’s get to the point. Today’s agenda is the election of the National Assembly, that is, the first House of Representatives. President Lee Kang-cheol and the government are doing well, but isn’t this wrong? The country needs a real parliament.”

“you’re right!”

“I totally agree.”

The atmosphere in the conference room began to heat up.