Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 256



Only Krnovel

#256. It’s going to be a really tough time.

#256. It’s going to be a really tough time.

December 21, 1956.

seoul.

After finishing work, Lee Kang-cheol was drinking soju with Ko Seok-man at a regular restaurant in Yongsan.

It had been a really long time since Lee Kang-cheol and Ko Seok-man had both been drinking less as they got older.

“Whew! It’s the weekend already.”

“Well, it’s the end of the year too.”

“That’s what I mean. Time really flies, doesn’t it?”

“Hehehe! It’s really fast. It feels like only yesterday that I joined the expeditionary force.”

“Yeah, it’s already been more than ten years.”

As we get older, time usually seems to pass more quickly.

But the time they felt seemed to pass much faster than usual.

It must be because I lived such an eventful and busy life.

“Does your sister-in-law know that you’re drinking with me today?”

“No, I said I had dinner with the Senate leadership. You know, as I get older, my wife is getting a little sensitive. I told her to take care of her health. If we get caught, it’s death for both of us.”

“Damn, I don’t know how I ended up being so oblivious to the person I once called sister-in-law.”

“Well, wasn’t it planned when you introduced me?”

“Hehehe! That’s true.”

The two of them drank soju and talked for a long time.

“Oh, brother. Shouldn’t you be preparing for next year’s presidential election now?”

“Wow, has it already been four years?”

“Yes, next year will be the 5th year. Even though you have overwhelming support, you should start preparing now.”

“Hey, it’s annoying. When I actually tried it, I realized how strange our presidential system is in modern times.”

“Why the modern presidential system?”

“Didn’t we have a five-year single term?”

“Yes, it was.”

“That’s right. In my case, I was already president before I officially became president. And yet, four years? It went by in the blink of an eye. So what on earth could I have done in five years?”

“Well, that’s true.”

“If you’re just trying to figure out the state of affairs, you’ll probably just spend a year there. Then, if you make a proper plan to do something and do something, another two years will pass. And then what? If three years pass like this, you’ll be a lame duck. You’re probably going to listen to someone who’s going to leave soon anyway. What on earth are you going to do in this situation?”

“That’s true. They say that our country’s presidential system was originally created as a single five-year term because of fears from the military dictatorship era. But at least after that concern disappeared, it should have been changed a long time ago. At the very least, it should have been changed to a four-year term. That way, we can govern with a long-term perspective, and it is also a law that is suitable for responsible politics.”

“You’re right. Just five years? So after two or three years, the president would often become a vegetable, and the successors who saw that would rush to do something in a short period of time and end up digging their own holes, which would lead to a vicious cycle.”

“Still, our people are truly amazing. Even though we had so many problematic presidents, our country developed little by little.”

“Hahaha! That’s a fact. The people were a great people.”

“ha ha ha!”

For Lee Kang-cheol and Ko Seok-man, five years was truly too short.

“Anyway, please prepare well for next year’s presidential election. Right now, public support is sky-high, but you never know what will happen in this world.”

“Okay. Don’t move from the beginning.”

“By the way, what do you plan to do, Mr. Usagi and the Prime Minister?”

“What should I do?”

“Even if you both work until next year, I can’t keep you working because of your age, right?”

“Ugh! There has to be an alternative?”

“But we need to think of an alternative from now on. Both of you are really old now. It looks like you want to stop now.”

“What did I say to you?”

“Oh! Don’t be ridiculous. Whenever I get a chance, I keep complaining to myself, asking when I’ll ever get a chance to rest, and these days, I’m running away.”

“Was that so?”

“I didn’t tell you because I was afraid of burdening you.”

“shit…….”

Lee Kang-cheol’s mouth was bitter.

Prime Minister Kim Ho-jin and Kim Kyu-sik were both very old.

Because both of them were in their mid-70s.

But there was no alternative.

No, even if there was an alternative, I honestly didn’t want to let them go because they’ve done so well as a team for the past 10 years.

“Brother, I understand how you feel, but even if it’s not next year, you should think about the post starting the year after.”

“… … .”

“Prime Minister Kim Ho-jin, in particular, has been occasionally absent-minded lately. It would be right to give him a break.”

“Okay. I’ll think about it. Hmm, then you should be the Prime Minister… … .”

“Me?”

“Then? Who else is there besides you?”

“What about the Department of Defense?”

“You can do that if you hold concurrent positions. There’s no provision in our country’s law that says you can’t hold concurrent positions.”

“That’s true, but… … .”

“Since you are holding concurrent posts, why don’t you hand over the position of Minister of National Defense to Nam Byung-woo?”

“That’s true. Then what will the Minister of Foreign Affairs do?”

“That’s the problem, I can’t let you go, Mr. Usagi. Do you have anyone in mind?”

“… … .”

Even Go Seok-man couldn’t think of a successor to Kim Kyu-sik.

That’s because Kim Kyu-sik’s presence itself was so great, and because there weren’t many people from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs within the expedition team to begin with, there wasn’t yet a person who was worthy of being the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs representing the Republic of Korea.

“How about Doincheol?”

Among the expedition team, Do In-cheol was the most senior foreign ministry official.

“Vice Minister Do? No, that guy! That guy is so shameless.”

“But… … .”

“Besides, it’s been a while since he himself said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was not a good fit for him and moved to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. He’s doing well there, and now we can’t put that guy back in charge of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

“Now that I think about it, that’s true. Do In-cheol is smart and good at his job, but he’s also a bit of a brat and his face is too young, so he doesn’t seem to have any weight.”

“Yes, he is from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Later, when the current minister steps down, he can be promoted to the position of successor.”

“No, but that doesn’t mean we can keep letting Mr. Usagi work, right?”

“Let’s just wait and see. After all, Mr. Woo is a few years younger than Prime Minister Kim Ho-jin, right?”

“Well, that’s true, but… … .”

“After a few more years, it would be better to promote Park Jae-seung as the successor.”

“Are you Park Jae Seung?”

“Yeah, I learned a lot from Sensei Usagi, and he’s a serious person, so it was okay. If you look closely, Sensei Usagi seems to secretly think of me as his successor.”

“But isn’t that guy too young?”

“So, let’s wait a few more years. In about 4 or 5 years, Park Jae-seung will be in his 50s, right? Then, we can let him rest then.”

“Oh my, what should I do about our poor Mr. Usagi?”

“What, that guy’s fortune. Who told him to be so capable?”

“Poohahaha!”

“ha ha ha!”

At the same time, Kim Kyu-sik’s house.

“hmm?”

While eating dinner, Kim Kyu-sik suddenly felt chills and shivered. His wife, Kim Sun-ae, was surprised and asked him:

“Honey, what’s wrong? What’s wrong?”

“No, that’s not it, I just suddenly got chills… … .”

“Is this by any chance a horn? What should I do with this?”

“No, it’s okay. But something is strange? Why do I suddenly feel uneasy?”

Kim Kyu-sik didn’t know.

That he was certain that he would work for several more years at that moment.

***

The new year of 1957 has arrived.

January 7, 1957.

Lee Kang-cheol presided over the first Cabinet meeting of the new year at the Blue House.

And while briefly listening to the New Year’s plans of each ministry, the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs brought up something different from the New Year’s plan.

“I have something to tell you separately from my New Year’s resolutions.”

“Oh, Minister Lee Se-chang. Go ahead.”

“There have been unusual developments in the northern border area with the People’s Republic of China since the second half of last year.”

“In the northern border area? What is it?”

“Last fall, the damage from pests and diseases was unusually severe compared to previous years, so I’m telling you this because I’m worried that the effects of ‘that movement’ might be gradually showing up.”

“Huh? Was there a lot of damage?”

“It wasn’t serious yet. We only realized it after we counted it later. Of course, we had been warned in advance and had diligently carried out quarantine work. But it was definitely unusual.”

“I know that it’s cold there, so pests and diseases aren’t that serious.”

“That’s not necessarily true. It has a cold continental climate, so it’s really cold in the winter, but in the summer, it’s so hot that it makes you want to go to the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. The deep inland areas are fine, but the problem is the southwestern part of the Liaodong Special Administrative Region. The inland is dry, but the southwest is hot and humid in the summer.”

“Hmm, really? Then is it definitely because of the Great Leap Forward? What do you think, Director Cho Tae-hyun?”

Since this is information from across the border, it would have been better for National Intelligence Service Director Cho Tae-hyun to answer.

“There will definitely be an impact from the Great Leap Forward. The damage across the border in eastern Hebei Province is said to be quite severe.”

“Huh? So the damage from the sacrificial offering movement is starting to show?”

“You should see it that way. Since the beginning of last year, all the people in northern China have started to catch and kill sparrows like crazy.”

“Then of course the damage must have been severe.”

“Of course. In particular, there are reports of increasing damage from locusts.”

“This is true, they say that if you stay with a sharp-tongued person, you’ll get a crush on them… … .”

“ha ha ha!”

“ha ha ha!”

If you really live next to China, you can’t help but be influenced by whatever you do.

As has been the case in modern times,

“The trouble is just beginning.”

“This is the beginning?”

“Yes, as you know, the damage from the Sacrificial Rites Movement has been severe since the second year, and has reached a catastrophic level since the third year. In addition, according to intelligence, Mao Zedong issued a special order late last year to carry out the Sacrificial Rites Movement with a desperate determination. Therefore, the Sacrificial Rites Movement will become even more severe from this year, and the damage will be enormous.”

“Damn, it was intentional, but not all is well.”

“Yes.”

Although I was prepared for a certain amount of damage, I was not happy when I saw that the negative impact on South Korea’s agriculture was starting to take place.

“Minister Lee, did you hear that?”

“Yes, I heard it well.”

“Starting this year, the level of sacrifice and exercise damage will reach a whole new level. So we need to be fully prepared. In particular, we need to take special care of the border areas of northern China.”

“Whew! Understood. I will make sure to take the highest level of precautions and quarantine.”

“And Mr. Usagi.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“Please also secretly inform our allies bordering North China, such as Burma and Vietnam. Tell them to be careful, as they will be hit by an unprecedented pest and disease outbreak from North China for some time.”

“Okay. Then should we warn the Republic of China as well?”

“hmm…….”

Lee Kang-cheol thought for a moment and then opened his mouth again.

“No. Just leave it there.”

“Haha! Okay, I understand.”

“And the Attorney General.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“Please also prepare measures for the refugee crisis. Hungry people will definitely try to menstruate.”

“All right.”

“With the cooperation of the Ministry of National Defense.”

“all right.”

“The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy should also consider providing support for pesticides to our allies. We should also significantly expand our production.”

“All right.”

“By the way, the people of Northern China are going through a really difficult time.”

“… … .”

I had no idea how many would die.