Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 274



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#274. I guess Kim Jong-woo likes it after a long time

Lee Kang-cheol was truly dumbfounded.

It has only been 10 years since Indonesia became independent.

During this time, it seems that Sukarno’s liver has grown a bit and is sticking out of his stomach. Even if you are going to attack, you should attack after looking at the opponent. He dared to attack South Korea.

“Huh! This is really ridiculous. Who do they think they owe their independence to?”

“That’s true.”

Indonesian independence?

It was impossible to do it on one’s own, either originally or in this history.

No, if I had tried to do it on my own, it would have taken at least several decades more.

Because with their own abilities they would not have been able to drive out the Dutch.

Originally, in history, the country that saved Indonesia from being on the defensive during the Indonesian War of Independence was the United States.

The United States was absolutely displeased with the Western countries’ renewed interest in colonial management after the war.

Was it because America was a particularly moral country?

Of course that’s not possible.

There were two reasons for this: first, the United States had been feeding the Western world almost single-handedly since the end of World War II.

It was through the Marshall Plan, let’s think about it.

Are those who live off the money coming out of my pockets once again engrossed in imperialistic colonial management in Asia?

This is not basic.

Moreover, now that the United States has become the undisputed leader of the West, the fact that Western allies cannot abandon their past imperialistic practices and are once again obsessed with colonies will ultimately bring shame on the United States.

Crucially, it marked the beginning of the Cold War with the Soviet Union.

The Cold War, which began with the end of World War II, created a world where everything was forgiven as long as one shouted anti-communism.

It was a time when the newly emerging countries after the war were already sensitive about which side they would take.

Sukarno’s Indonesia, which was perceived as anti-communist, could not be handed over to the Soviet Union because of the Dutch.

So the United States put strong pressure on the Netherlands to withdraw from Indonesia, and eventually Indonesia was able to gain independence.

But in this history, South Korea took on the role of the United States.

The Cold War was about to start, but it was winding down as the Soviet Union was crushed by South Korea. The United States was still unhappy with the Dutch East Indies administration, but there was no reason to press hard like it had in the past.

Moreover, since it was made clear that the leader of East Asia was South Korea, there was little intention of intervening.

Even if it did intervene, it would have been the right thing for South Korea to do.

And the South Korean government also had the will and ability to intervene, and intervened after the end of the war.

Although it is a bit odd to call Southeast Asia the front yard of the Republic of Korea, we could not help but intervene, knowing that Indonesia will become a country with a large population and resources in the future.

I also didn’t want to see Europeans continuing to set up shop in East Asia.

So they actively intervened and made the Dutch withdraw, effectively giving independence to Indonesia.

It then helped Indonesia’s development by investing in the oil industry in Java and Sumatra on much better terms than the Dutch oil supermajor Royal Dutch Shell.

Of course, they were wary of becoming too great a power, so they insisted on having only Sumatra and Java as conditions for independence, but it was not an unreasonable demand.

Originally, there was no reason to view the modern Indonesian territory as homogeneous, other than the fact that it was originally part of the Dutch East Indies.

No, everything is different, from race to language, culture, and religion, so why is Indonesia taking it all?

It’s obvious that they’ll cause a massacre later on.

Moreover, although the reason South Korea limited itself to Java and Sumatra was somewhat selfish in that it wanted to prevent the emergence of a potential future great power, that was something that only the expedition team would have known, so there was absolutely no reason for South Korea to feel burdened by Indonesia.

“Huh! It looks like those who are going to do it are going to do it.”

“Huh? What does that mean?”

Lee Kang-cheol questioned Ko Seok-man’s words.

“I mean, Sukarno. He waged wars throughout history, claiming North Borneo as his land.”

“Huh? Now that I think about it, I think I remember something too.”

“Yes, originally, he was a guy who wanted to integrate all of the current Malaysian Federation of Malaya with Indonesia. But realistically, it was hard to even imagine going all the way to the Federation of Malaya, so after taking over Dutch New Guinea in 1962, he went to war in January 1963, targeting North Borneo. Well, it’s a bit ambiguous to call it a war, so you could also call it a conflict or a standoff.”

“Huh! That guy is so greedy? So what happened to him?”

“North Borneo was originally British territory, and the Federation of Malaya was the same, so how could Britain have remained silent? Not only Britain, but the entire Commonwealth rose up. The United States did the same. It was from this time that Sukarno began to turn away from the West and to ally with the communist bloc, including the Soviet Union and China.”

No matter how much Britain is losing its power, Britain is still Britain.

There is a reason why the saying, “even a rotten tooth is a good tooth” exists, and the new Indonesia was not an opponent to be tangled with.

It was a country as different as heaven and earth from the Netherlands, and it was impossible to touch England and get away with it.

As a result, it became closer to the communist bloc, and this situation ultimately led to Suharto’s coup.

“Anyway, this time, with our help, progress was faster than before, so it seems like they got out of the Gando ship quickly.”

“So, you originally hit the back of the US’s head, but now you’re hitting us in the back of the head? Did we look that ridiculous?”

“Hahaha! I guess he thought he was pretty big.”

“That’s why you have to pull out your sword and swing it every once in a while. If you stay still, they’ll think you’re a piece of trash.”

“Ah! Please! Please stop saying those stinking words… … .”

“… … .”

“… … .”

Everyone shuddered at Lee Kang-cheol’s stale joke.

Even Kim Kyu-sik.

“Ahem! So that’s why you asked me to meet you in the Republic of Borneo?”

“Yes, that’s right. In the Republic of Borneo, it’s a situation where you can’t help but feel scared. It’s only been a year since independence.”

“Okay, then please. Please meet Sukarno in person and give him a stern warning.”

“Haha! Okay, I understand.”

“You can cooperate with the British as well. The British kids will feel bad about it too.”

“I also spoke to the British Foreign Secretary.”

“What did you say?”

“It seems like they are more offended than we are.”

“That’s right. Even though it’s the setting sun, I don’t think they would rush to places like Indonesia.”

“Yes, the British Foreign Secretary said the same thing to me. Now everyone is coming.”

“ha ha ha!”

Since the end of World War II, the British Empire has been losing its former status day by day.

And the people who feel it most deeply are those in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

But still, the British Empire is the British Empire.

I would never see a country like Indonesia rushing in.

“First, we told Indonesia that we have been involved in this country so far, so we asked them to give us a good warning. And we told them that if they really did not listen, Britain and the Commonwealth would join us.”

“Well, I hope it doesn’t come to that point, but if it does, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to give them a seat. Britain also played a role in the birth of the Republic of Borneo.”

“Yes.”

“Okay! Then, Mr. Usagi, please do as you please, and let’s prepare what we need to prepare just in case. Prime Minister Ko.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Tell Nam Byeong-woo to prepare Kim Jong-woo.”

“Hehehe! Kim Jong-woo will be happy after a long time.”

“I’m not sure, so tell them not to drink the kimchi stew. Just prepare, just prepare.”

“All right.”

“Mr. President.”

“Yes, sir.”

“If Sukarno continues to disobey, are you planning to send troops?”

“We don’t want this, but if this behavior continues, there’s nothing we can do. Like it or not, our Republic of Korea is a hegemonic nation, at least in East Asia. If we stay still in this situation, we’ll look ridiculous, and then all sorts of scoundrels will get involved. We need to sound the alarm at least once.”

“Okay. Then, I will move forward while thinking that way.”

“yes.”

***

August 20, 1959.

Kota Kinabalu, the capital of the Republic of Borneo.

“Welcome, Mr. Deputy Prime Minister! We warmly welcome you to the Republic of Borneo.”

“Hahaha! Long time no see, President Stevens.”

Donald Aloysius Marmaduke Stephens, the first president of the Republic of Borneo, welcomed Kim Kyu-sik at the airport with a very welcoming expression.

It couldn’t be otherwise, because on the surface, the Republic of Borneo was known to have gained independence from Britain and South Korea, but in reality, more than 90% of its independence came from South Korea, and it is still a country under the strong influence of South Korea.

Britain was involved, but in reality, it was a colony it was going to lose anyway, so it didn’t really care what happened.

Perhaps for this reason, President Stevens treated Kim Kyu-sik almost like a superior, and not only went to the airport to welcome him, but also rode in the car with him to the official residence.

“Haha! The roads are really better than last time.”

“Yes, it is all thanks to the help from your country. The most urgent and lacking thing in our Republic of Borneo is the transportation network, so we are really putting in all our efforts.”

“That’s what it should be. The country is so big, but the road network is so poor. If this situation continues, separatists will raise their heads.”

“I always keep that in mind. So my dream is to somehow complete the national circular railway and road system during my term.”

“Hehehe! We will continue to help you a lot.”

“thank you.”

Borneo is a really big island.

Because it was the third largest island in the world with an area of ​​750,000㎢.

The problem was that since this large island has a tropical rainforest climate, most of the island is covered with dense rainforest, so the transportation infrastructure, including roads, is in disarray.

The northern coastal areas and the southern regions close to Indonesia are somewhat better off, but even these are limited to coastal areas.

What is the inland region that is the center of the Republic of Borneo?

Most of the places are places where you can’t even set foot, and there are still unidentified indigenous people called Dayak living here and there.

In this situation, the entire island of Borneo suddenly became a country, so the most urgent issue was to build a transportation network covering the entire country, and the top priority was to build a railway that would circle the entire island along the coast.

The Korea Railroad Administration and companies are participating in this grand project, which has no end in sight because the island is so large, and the coastal road, which is in second place, is also participating.

It is expected to take more than 10 years to complete the circular rail network alone, and President Stevens said he wanted to complete it during his term, so it seems he wants to be president for a long time.