Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 260



Only Krnovel

#260. We should be careful too.

President Juan Peron truly welcomed Lee Kang-cheol and his wife with utmost warmth.

Why not?

These are the benefactors who saved his wife’s life.

Even the United States had given a time limit, but now things are almost back to normal.

Besides, Juan Peron himself learned more than one thing while staying in South Korea.

Because it was so far away, I only heard rumors from afar that there was a country called South Korea in Asia that had been doing incredibly well since the end of the war.

But it wasn’t to that extent.

Looking at the social system that was truly innovative, let alone the level of technology that seemed endless, I couldn’t help but feel respect.

Not to mention the health insurance system, and the worker protection system, which, if misunderstood, was almost communist, Juan Perón must have thought was decades ahead of other countries.

So I learned and learned again and applied it to Argentina, and the response was explosive, so I no longer had to worry about being re-elected.

Why wouldn’t I be happy about this?

They treated him with the utmost respect, saying he was truly the most important guest among state guests, but this was actually a hardship for Lee Kang-cheol and his wife.

There were only one or two fancy events, but it was dazzling to be invited to all kinds of events almost every day.

However, it was not something I could refuse to welcome with good intentions.

“Ugh! I’m sick of it, I’m sick of it!”

“Oh, that’s right. Honey, now I feel like throwing up just looking at beef.”

“so do i.”

The kimchi I brought with me on the private plane was already gone since Argentina was the last stop on my tour. In Argentina, they serve only meat dishes every day, saying it is the best beef, so now my stomach feels sick just looking at meat.

Still, I had to endure it.

And the day I returned to Seoul, I was warmly welcomed.

“Give me some kimchi!”

“Kimchi! Kimchi!”

The Blue House chef had to endure the kimchi-related complaints from Lee Kang-cheol and his wife for a while.

***

March 5, 1957.

Office of the President of the Republic of China.

“So, what did Secretary Marshall say?”

Chiang Kai-shek was receiving reports from his eldest son, Chiang Ching-kuo, who had visited the United States on his behalf.

“As expected, some weapons are said to be difficult. They told us not to even mention the Gearing class or higher, and when we brought up the submarine, we were reprimanded.”

“No, why!”

“He said, ‘Our navy is more than enough to deal with the Chinese Communist Party, so why are you being so greedy?’ He especially asked me not to even dream about using submarines against anyone.”

“What the hell!”

Chiang Kai-shek was in a fever.

No, I know full well that there are countless submarines out there that are rusting away without being used, so why on earth are you saying you won’t give them to me?

“Then, did you say you were going to buy it? Did you say you were going to give it a reasonable price?”

“I wonder if I didn’t bring it up? When I said I would give a high used price, all I got was sarcastic remarks like, “Have you made any money lately?”

“This, this… … .”

It was humiliating.

But at the moment, the only place on Earth where usable weapons could be obtained was the United States.

The Republic of China now produces a decent range of weapons, but it has not yet reached the level of being able to build proper ships, fighter planes, or tanks.

Although they were trying hard, such weapons systems would take at least another 10 years to even come close to being imitated.

“The same goes for fighters. If you want to take one, you have to take an F4U Corsair, a P-51 Mustang, or an F6F Hellcat. Jet fighters are absolutely not allowed.”

“Ugh!”

“At least they said they would sell tanks up to the new M47 Patton tank.”

“You’re selling it?”

“Yes, but you have to pay the full price. They said it wasn’t a surplus weapon, so it wasn’t eligible for donation. That’s fortunate.”

“No, the Americans went straight to the M48 Patton! How is that new?”

“Father! It’s a shame for us, but the M47 tank is still a new model. The US military didn’t like its performance, so they switched to the M48 as soon as it was produced.”

“Fuck!”

“But we decided to receive a pretty generous amount of other things. We were to receive six Fletcher-class and Sumner-class ships, and 20 LSTs. We were also told to take as many M4 tanks as we wanted.”

“… … .”

Chiang Kai-shek was so angry that he couldn’t speak.

After the end of the Second Chinese Civil War, he was proud of having worked very hard to develop the country.

Those who committed corruption, regardless of whether they were relatives or not, were severely punished to establish national discipline, and the economy was also improved with great effort, so now there was no need to worry about putting food on the table.

Although it may not be as good as South Korea, it has become a country within the top 10 in the world, and if we just work hard for a few more years, it will develop even further.

But the problem was national defense.

The national defense system was also completely purged of the remnants of past warlords and modernized.

So now we have trained a force of nearly 2 million soldiers and have gained confidence.

The problem was that we still lacked the technology to produce jet fighters, destroyer-class ships, and new tanks, and the United States, which we had trusted, was not only not giving them to us, but was also unwilling to sell them to us, which was frustrating.

“father.”

“why?”

“It seems that the United States is still keeping an eye on South Korea.”

“What? Are you aware of the Republic of Korea?”

“Yes, that’s right. Think about it, the US is still very lenient when it comes to ground weapons systems like tanks. But they have tight control over the weapons systems of the Navy and Air Force. What does that mean?”

“Hmm… … .”

“In short, isn’t this saying that we will not provide weapons that could possibly pose a threat to the Republic of Korea?”

“… … .”

Chiang Kai-shek had no choice but to agree.

Since when did the Americans recognize South Korea as the leader of Asia, and never gave them any weapons that could pose a threat?

“Besides, before I visited the United States, President Lee Kang-cheol attended President Truman’s third inauguration. In fact, we had expected that it would be difficult for us to get a submarine, but we were optimistic that we would be able to get one at least as large as the Gearing class, but after President Lee Kang-cheol met Truman, even that became an absolute impossibility.”

“Damn it! This won’t work. If we continue to trust the Americans, we’ll end up with nothing. I think we need to give more power to the Zhongshan National Research Institute of Science and Technology.”

The National Chung-Shan Academy of Sciences, commonly referred to as the Chung-Shan Academy of Sciences, is a research institute for national defense science and technology in the Republic of China, and serves a similar role to the Agency for Defense Development in the Republic of Korea.

Originally an aeronautical research institute that had been around since 1939, it was reorganized into the cradle of national defense science and technology for the Republic of China, named after Sun Yat-sen’s pen name, Zhongshan.

“Yes? Zhongshan Academy of Sciences?”

“Yes, we can only trust ourselves. Huh! The Americans won’t give it to us? Then, we can make it ourselves. That’s how we can have true independent national defense.”

“But I still don’t have the capacity… … .”

“Even if it takes time, we must do this with our own hands. We are the descendants of Zhong Hua! We were the first in the world to create gunpowder! Do you understand? You will take the lead and give full strength to the Zhong Shan Academy of Sciences.”

“All right.”

Chiang Ching-kuo also thought that his father’s words were right.

Even if it takes time, do it yourself.

“Oh! And by the way, Mao Zedong’s behavior these days is really strange.”

“What are you talking about?”

“That pig-like bastard has been doing something like the Great Leap Forward since last year, right?”

“Oh, what are you talking about, catching rats and sparrows? And then there’s this crazy thing called producing iron in the countryside?”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

“Why is that? Mao Zedong seems to be out of his mind, but isn’t it good for us?”

“Ugh! That kind of thing called a tomb raid is definitely crazy, but the problem is the sacrificial rites movement.”

“Why is that?”

“He said that he thought we would be harmed as well.”

“Yes? To us?”

“Yes, as you know, the four harmful insects in Je Sa Hae (除四害) refer to flies, mosquitoes, rats, and sparrows, right?”

“Yes, but is that something that can be eliminated? No, is it possible to eliminate it?”

“What I’m saying is, flies, mosquitoes, and rats can be reduced, but they can’t be eliminated. In particular, how can you get rid of mosquitoes and flies? If you spray poison to get rid of them, people will die first.”

“That’s what I mean.”

“Rats are bigger than mosquitoes and flies, so they might be easier to catch, but are rats really that easy to catch?”

“So?”

“So what? So they just go crazy and kill the easy sparrows. But our scholars say that sparrows may seem like just harmful birds, but that’s not true. Sparrows also eat harmful insects for farming. What would happen if we got rid of all of them?”

“Oh! So those locusts are going to run rampant?”

“That’s it. I had a feeling that the damage from pests and diseases in farmlands near the border was particularly severe last year. It must have been because of that damned Mao Zedong.”

“No, really, that crazy guy… … .”

“Anyway, they say it will get worse this year, so we need to be careful.”

“All right.”

At this time, the Jang family did not know.

Even though they said they were careful, a disaster beyond imagination struck.

***

June 1957.

This is a funeral.

As the early summer heat began to rise, shouts erupted from the Ihwajang.

“Goha! What are you talking about! Are you telling me not to run for president?”

“Doctor! That’s not what I meant.”

“Shut up! Who do you think our Liberal Democratic Party is running thanks to!”

“ha…….”

Song Jin-woo seemed to be getting hotter in the already hot weather.

The presidential election this November.

Song Jin-woo simply asked about Woo-nam’s health, but Woo-nam got angry right away.

“Hey, would you like to run for office instead of me?”

“No, Doctor! I don’t have any such thoughts.”

“But why are you asking about my health? Unless you are trying to use my old age as an excuse to get me to go out in your place, why are you asking such things?”

“… … .”

Song Jin-woo no longer has the energy to speak.

To be honest, I was worried about Woonam’s health.

Woonam is now well over 80 years old.

So, lately, I could see that he was losing energy, and when I reported on my duties, he would often ask me questions the next day.

In a word, it is too old.

Naturally, I am worried about how he will get through the difficult election campaign.

“Really, Doctor. Who else in our party would run for president if not you? Me? I swear to God, that will never happen.”

“But why?”

“You know it well since you did it last time, but campaigning is not an easy task. That’s why I asked, so please stop being so angry.”

“Is that true?”

“Yes, Doctor.”

“Then I understand. My health is fine, so don’t worry about anything unnecessary.”

“All right.”

As I came out, wiping the sweat from my forehead with a handkerchief, Kim Seong-su was waiting in the car.

“What did you say?”

“Ha, don’t be ridiculous. I asked about your health and got yelled at for a long time.”

“Tsk tsk! I was just asking because I was genuinely worried… … .”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter. It’s obvious that President Lee Kang-cheol will win this election anyway.”

“… … .”

“But not next time. By then, the doctor will be almost 90 years old, and I have no intention of running for office with him again. Then, either you will run, or we will find someone else.”

“That’s too much talk.”

“Isn’t that true? Honestly, even if you are a healthy person, I doubt you can endure this election.”

“… … .”

Song Jin-woo’s worries only deepened.

For people these days, being in your 80s is an age where it wouldn’t be strange at all if you didn’t wake up the next morning.

But would it be possible to force a presidential election at that age?

Of course, Song Jin-woo did not know that Woo-nam ran for president in 1960, when he was 86 years old in Korean age.

The 1960 presidential election, which was marred by the March 15 fraud in South Korean history, was an absurd event.