Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 278



Only Krnovel

#278. I will take responsibility

Lee Kang-cheol continued to open his mouth.

“Well, we were really close when we were young, but since we went our separate ways, we only heard news through other friends, and we never really kept in touch. Especially since I’m a soldier, it was a bit awkward to meet him. He’s a friend I haven’t seen in person since I met him at another friend’s wedding when I was a company commander.”

“… … .”

It was a given.

If a South Korean military officer were to meet with a gangster, it would have definitely been met with negative reviews.

“But it must have been around the time I had just become a colonel. When you’re young, you often see your classmates because of the joy of marriage, but when you get older, there comes a time when you see them again because of your parents’ funeral. It was the same back then. The father of a friend of mine and I both passed away, and I ended up meeting him at a funeral for the first time in almost 20 years. Anyway, after leaving the funeral with a few of us, we had some drinks, and there he said something that made me tell him about my gangster friend.”

“ah…….”

“The gangster friend I saw after 20 years, it was hard to find the appearance of the gentle and kind friend I knew as a child. Should I say that there was a murderous look on his face? Anyway, the atmosphere itself had really changed a lot. So I asked him, why on earth did he change so much? When I asked, he smiled bitterly and said that he had become like that because he was struggling to survive. He said that even he was scared to look in the mirror sometimes.”

When you’re in your mid-40s, as some say, you have to take responsibility for your face.

Because the journey of life you have lived is completely reflected on your face.

“There was something that my friend said back then that I remembered for a long time. What was it? They are also in charge of some kind of area or district, right? What is it? Yeongdeungpo, Yeongdeungpo, and within that, Daerim-dong. In terms of our military, it’s like an operational area?”

“In technical terms, it’s called ‘nawabari.’”

“Ah! That’s right! My territory!”

“… … .”

“If you want a more refined expression, you can just say ‘zone’.”

“Anyway, he’s a successful gangster himself, so he has a fairly large territory, or district, and he can’t ignore it just because it’s a gangster district. Anyway, what he said was that when he first took charge of the district, he tried to treat them as nicely as possible. But since he treated these guys well, some of them started to ignore him and didn’t listen to him.”

“… … .”

Only then did the people in the conference room seem to understand why Lee Kang-cheol had brought up the story of his old gangster friend.

“That’s what he is. He says that once you start looking funny on that floor, it’s over. Gangsters? In short, aren’t they guys who move on money and fear? But the fear has dulled or disappeared? He said that it wouldn’t be strange if you got stabbed anytime, anywhere. So he caught the most disobedient guy, made him a semi-retard, and made him liquidate his life. So he said that it was really quiet for a while. But when he forgot about that incident, another guy popped up.”

“… … .”

“So this time, he made up his mind that he was not a human being, and he punished him as cruelly as possible. When I asked him how he punished him, he didn’t say anything. He just drank soju in bitterness… … .”

What could be more cruel than making someone a cripple?

Perhaps he had become a non-human being.

“He used to say that the more he dealt with his subordinates or the new organization that challenged him, the more cruelly he treated them, and the longer the peace lasted, and there were no accidents in the area. That’s how he ended up turning into a monster.”

“… … .”

“I learned a lot from listening to him. As people often say, being nice isn’t the answer… … . Honestly, in normal gang life, how often do you have to be as cruel as gangsters? You just had to not deal with them, right?”

“you’re right.”

“But, as I was going through this, I had a thought. The problems between ordinary people are nothing compared to gangsters, but when it comes to international relations, I thought that gangsters are just like the world. Isn’t that right? It’s a typical world of survival of the fittest.”

“… … .”

“If the United States is the national boss, then our Republic of Korea is my territory in East Asia… … .”

“It’s a district.”

“Hmm, sorry. I guess you could say he’s a boss with a region called East Asia. Well, if I had to be specific, he’d be a vice-captain?”

“The analogy is somewhat correct, but… … .”

Although Go Seok-man said something as if he felt a little uncomfortable, Lee Kang-cheol paid no attention and continued to speak.

“Well, I wanted to explain it in a way that would be most tangible. Anyway, there’s a new organization called Indonesia in our area. Don’t these guys know how scary their boss is? They’re so angry that they even hurt the boss’s direct subordinates?”

“… … .”

“Why would that be? I thought about it carefully. After thinking about it, didn’t the newly formed organization in the southern region ever see its leader swing a knife? The original local leader, Japan? The leader joined forces with the national leader and severed his Achilles’ heel, so they can’t even look at his face properly. The Soviet Union, which boasted a large territory in the north and fought against the national leader, the United States? They became half-crippled because they coveted our territory. And China, which reigned over our country as the national leader for a very long time? They were falling apart because of the civil war, but they were right next to us, so they know very well. If they try to fool us, we’ll be defeated in one blow.”

“Oh, right! Now that I hear it, it’s similar?”

“Well, it is true that the international community is fundamentally a world that operates on the basis of power. It is a bit of a cheap metaphor, but… … .”

After listening, everyone seemed to agree on the similarities between international relations and gangsters.

“But, the emerging groups, including Indonesia, don’t know how strong we are and how much devastation we’ll cause if we fight again. They’ve only heard about it through word of mouth, so they know that our Republic of Korea is strong, but they haven’t experienced it firsthand. Well, I understand. They didn’t even exist when we were fighting.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Among my friends, there was this one thing that they said. They don’t really fight at a serious level with organizations that have a pedigree. Since they know each other well, they can mediate even if there is a fight, so they don’t fight much. However, they say that the new organizations are always problematic. They don’t know the order or authority of the existing organizations, and they just think they are the best, so they are very violent and often cross the line.”

“yes…….”

“So, he said that the fights that were so brutal that they were reported in newspapers and on TV and that many members were sacrificed were 100% fights with new organizations. And he said that in such cases, there was no way to end them well. They couldn’t communicate.”

“So what do you do in that case?”

The person who listened with the most interest was Kim Jong-woo, and Lee Kang-cheol thought to himself that if he hadn’t become a soldier, he would have become a gangster.

“What should we do? He said that there is no other way than to crush those guys as brutally as possible. Otherwise, other new organizations will find them funny and start fighting back. So he said that the way to kill them the least is to crush them as brutally as possible.”

“I like it.”

“… … .”

“So, if you compare the Southeast Asian countries that gained independence after the war, like Indonesia, to organized crime, aren’t they the ones who took over the entertainment districts of the new towns that were newly built in the southern part of Seoul?”

“Uh, yeah? Right.”

“Then we too… … .”

“Am I talking?”

“Yes, I’m sorry.”

“… … .”

Lee Kang-cheol glared at Kim Jong-woo for a moment and then opened his mouth again.

“Anyway, that’s right. The reason I went on like this, mentioning my friend, is because I thought we looked so ridiculous. I didn’t think Southeast Asia, especially China, was that important since we didn’t have a border. So I treated them generally kindly. I thought good things were good, and I made concessions… … .”

“… … .”

“But that was wrong. We were just thinking about the future and treating them kindly, and that’s what made them look down on us. They looked down on us as fools. The representative player was Indonesia, and that’s what ultimately led to the current situation. And I think that’s entirely my responsibility. It was my weak-willed desire to not see unnecessary bloodshed, but as a president responsible for the country, I shouldn’t have done that.”

“… … .”

“… … .”

An odd silence continued.

Because Lee Kang-cheol’s next words were expected.

“So I have decided. It may be a little late, but even now, I will show the emerging organizations… no, emerging countries why our Republic of Korea is the leader in East Asia. And I will engrave in their bones and DNA what happens when they touch the people of our Republic of Korea. There will probably be considerable criticism both at home and abroad. However, as the president, I will take that risk. This is the path that the president of the Republic of Korea must naturally take.”

“… … .”

“Minister of National Defense! And Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Jeong Seon-ho!”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“yes!”

“I plan to punish Indonesia immediately once our hostages are rescued and all Korean residents and residents withdraw. Do you agree?”

“Yes, I totally agree.”

“I agree.”

“What do the other members think?”

“I agree.”

“I agree!”

Lee Kang-cheol is asking for consent at such a long length, so anyone who raises a disagreement is considered a traitor.

“Okay, thank you all for agreeing with my thoughts. Then, President Kim Jong-woo!”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“In this case, since Indonesia is an island country, I would like you to discuss it with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and take responsibility for the matter.”

“Are you talking about this? I was preparing anyway.”

“Were you getting ready?”

“Yes? Didn’t you tell me to prepare a while ago? As soon as I received that order, the Navy and Marines went into wartime mode.”

“What? Exhibition system? I was told to prepare, but what kind of exhibition system is this? Who is doing what he wants?”

“Yeah, that’s what they say. And I just had a feeling right then. I had a feeling that our Navy and Marines were going to have to go out there soon.”

“… … .”

What do you mean you prepared in advance?

“Hmm, so?”

“The 3rd Marine Division stationed in Okinawa, the 1st Marine Division in Pohang, and three rapid response brigades are on standby. I have also instructed the 7th and 9th Mobile Fleets to prepare.”

“Will that do?”

“Please attach two Army Special Forces Brigades, three Special Forces Brigades, two Independent Armored Brigades, and three Artillery Brigades here. According to the National Intelligence Service and the Defense Intelligence Agency, their regular forces number between 250,000 and 300,000, and in addition, there are about 100,000 reserve forces, which are almost like militias. With that, the number of troops I just mentioned should be sufficient.”

“Okay. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will help make sure there is nothing lacking.”

“All right.”

“So when will it be possible to deploy troops?”

“Please give me just two weeks.”

“Isn’t it too rushed?”

“Hehehe! If it’s just our Navy and Marines, we can leave within a week. We’ve added a week because of the Army.”

“… … .”

“… … .”

Anyway, he was a ghost-like person in war.

“Okay, then do that.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“Oh, and President Kim.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“If possible, take more than cruisers for this deployment. Do you know what I mean?”

“Hahaha! That’s how it’s supposed to be organized anyway.”

“Well done.”

The idea of ​​taking more than a cruiser sounded scary.

The order was to fire indiscriminately with cannons from the coast.