Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 333



Only Krnovel

#333. Why the 25th?

May 20, 1966.

Saigon, Vietnam’s second largest city.

“I hereby announce the launch of the East Asia Treaty Organization, EATO!”

“Wow, wow, wow!”

Kim Kyu-sik declared the launch of the East Asia Treaty Organization in a powerful voice.

The reason it was able to be established so quickly was because, as Kim Kyu-sik had said from the beginning, all that was needed was to put up a sign.

Since the reorganization of the East Asian order by the Republic of Korea, the foundation had been laid in the form of a loose alliance for 20 years, and since the third Kuomintang-Communist cooperation was confirmed a few years ago, the East Asian Treaty Organization was practically born, with only the name hanging on it.

The full members were Vietnam, Burma, the Philippines, East Turkestan, Tibet, Baiyue, Dali, Borneo, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, while the associate members were Singapore, the new countries of the former Dutch East Indies, Laos, Cambodia and Japan.

The reason the UK became a full member was because of Hong Kong, and the US was also a blood ally of the Republic of Korea and naturally became a full member because of Guam.

Australia could have joined or not, but they insisted that they were also part of Asia and wanted to join, so they joined.

There was no need to ask, as New Zealand had always acted together with Australia by forming the ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) since World War I.

Japan strongly wished to join, but was rejected.

It was because we had to reflect on ourselves as a country that had committed crimes for at least several more decades.

Instead, they were satisfied with taking a first step as an associate member country, and there were no major complaints since for the time being, the United States and South Korea, the United States’ top blood ally, were practically guaranteeing their security.

Even if there were complaints, there was no country that cared.

Singapore had secretly hoped that Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew would join, but internally, negative opinions about joining EATO were so strong that even Prime Minister Lee could no longer insist on it.

As the country grew larger than its original history, the ratio of ethnic groups such as Chinese and Malays decreased from the original 7 to 3 to about 5 to 5, but Singapore is still a Chinese country that holds all the initiative.

So, it was inevitable that Chinese citizens would show antipathy toward the East Asia Treaty Organization, which was effectively an alliance against China.

However, since it participated as an associate member, it would have been of great help in dealing with threats from countries such as Malaysia, as long as the opponent was not China.

Of course, this time, he only put his name on the list as an associate member and voluntarily withdrew from the actual military consultative body.

It was impossible to get involved, but even if I did, it was obvious that access to all information would be blocked.

Laos was able to become an associate member because it no longer shares a border with China due to the birth of a proxy state, and Cambodia, although it had no particular reason for disqualification, was satisfied with being an associate member because its presence itself was weak.

The problem was Thailand.

Thailand strongly hoped to become a full member, but was rejected by the chair country, the Republic of Korea, even for associate membership.

On the surface, the reason was that it was not a democratic country but a de facto monarchy rather than a constitutional monarchy, but in reality, the cause was the deep-rooted aversion of the South Korean leadership, including Lee Kang-cheol, to the Thai royal family.

However, there was sympathy from other countries that it was too harsh, so it was decided to keep it as an observer for the time being and then elevate it to an associate member after a few years when the opportunity arose.

May 21st, 9pm.

After two days of formal ceremonies marking the launch of the East Asia Treaty Organization, several heads of state gathered at the residence of its first chairman, Kim Kyu-sik.

These were President Ho Chi Minh of Vietnam, President Aung San of Burma, and President Magsaysay of the Philippines.

“Haha! Come on in. I’m sorry to ask you to come to the heads of states.”

“Oh, why are you like this? At least in Southeast Asia, no one thinks of you as inferior to them.”

“Hahaha! That’s right.”

This was the majesty of Kim Kyu-sik.

The person who completed today’s picture while traveling around the world, especially East Asia, for 20 years as if it were his own home is none other than Kim Kyu-sik.

As a result, not only Ho Chi Minh, who had a personal connection with Kim Kyu-sik, but also other world leaders were willing to give in to him.

This is why the government urgently summoned Kim Kyu-sik again.

“Hey, what are you talking about, you’re just an old man? Anyway, the reason I’ve invited you three is because the weight and status of the three countries of Vietnam, Burma, and the Philippines in our East Asia Treaty Organization are so important, and I want to discuss future matters in more depth.”

“Hahaha! I knew you would do that.”

“Please speak comfortably.”

“Just speak, sir.”

When the three presidents unanimously showed their consideration for him, Kim Kyu-sik expressed his gratitude and got back to the main point.

“As you all know, war with China is inevitable. Our government is expecting it to happen around the end of next month.”

“I know. That’s why we’ve been preparing for it for several years.”

“Yes, that’s why we’ve formed a military alliance called the East Asia Treaty Organization this time, but even so, the core forces will still be the three countries.”

“That would be true. The closest countries would be East Turkestan, Tibet, Baiyue, and Dali, but honestly speaking, they are not a great force.”

“That’s right, President Ho Chi Minh. East Turkistan and Tibet have a high level of antipathy toward China, but they are not very powerful. And Baiyue and Dali… … . You all know that, right?”

“Hahaha! I know.”

Kim Kyu-sik tried to cover it up a bit by considering the situation of Baekwol and Dae-ri-guk, but there was no one who did not know the content.

Although the Baiyue and Dali countries had been independent from China for over 15 years, they had been under Chinese rule or influence for thousands of years, and there were many cases where Chinese people remained in important positions, so it was difficult to completely trust them and fight a war.

Of course, the leaders and those who were not Han Chinese clearly had the will to resist China.

“That’s why I invited the three of you separately. In particular, I would like you to enter Vietnam and Burma in advance, taking on the roles of Baekwol and Daeli-guk, respectively.”

“In advance? Are you talking about now?”

“Yes, the power of Baekwol and the Dali Nation will not be able to match the power of North China and South China. If that happens, they will cross the border, and if we are not careful, even their power will fall into their hands.”

“Well, it is quite possible.”

“So, if the Vietnamese and Burmese armies enter after the war has started, it will be too late. They should enter in advance, suppress the Baekwol and Daeli armies respectively, and fight the war together.”

“Then our Vietnamese army will take charge of the White Moon Army, and the Burmese army will work with the proxy army.”

“Hahaha! That’s right, President Ho.”

“But what if they rebel?”

“That won’t happen. We have already agreed in advance with Baekwol and the heads of state of the proxy countries.”

“Haha! Then we have no problem.”

“That’s right. As the saying goes, the farther away a battlefield is from one’s own country, the better.”

If the Baiyue and Dali countries fall into Chinese hands, the border between Vietnam and Burma will become a battlefield, and such a situation is absolutely not good for these two countries.

I was already worried about that, but when he told me to go in first, it was like a real complaint to the police.

“Then what about us, sir?”

Philippine President Magsaysay opened his mouth cautiously.

“The Philippine military, please join forces with our Republic of Korea military. How many troops can you mobilize this time?”

“Around 200,000 to 300,000 people. That’s the combined army, navy, and air force.”

“Then, please move the Army to Haenam first. There’s only about a month left, so you’ll have to hurry.”

“Well, we have to travel by boat.”

Unlike Vietnam or Burma, which are easily accessible by land, the Philippines is an island country, so travel by boat is the only option.

“You don’t have to worry about the movement, as our Republic of Korea Navy and the US Navy will support the transport ships.”

“Hahaha! Then there would be no problem at all.”

“Yes, we can move to Haenam and fight together with our Republic of Korea.”

“Ah! Sir. What did the British and Australian forces decide to do?”

“The British will deploy one division and two brigades, and the Australian and New Zealand Anzac Forces will deploy two brigades to Hong Kong, along with a separate naval force, of course.”

“Wouldn’t it be difficult to defend Hong Kong to that extent?”

“Of course. So we will also deploy some of our South Korean and Philippine troops to Hong Kong. The Republic of China is also cautious about interfering with Hong Kong, so there won’t be any problems in the meantime.”

“Well, Hong Kong is a British territory, so if Britain were to make a mistake and decide to do something about it, it would be a big problem.”

As Magsaysay said, Hong Kong was British territory, and if anything was done to it, Britain could intervene in earnest.

And since that would be tantamount to touching all of Europe, Britain would be a very burdensome opponent.

Rotten teeth are a good thing, that’s a saying that really fits Britain.

“What about America then?”

“Our president thinks that this war should be fought only with Asians, if possible. Well, Britain is a bit ambiguous, but they have a clear justification because of Hong Kong. But the United States is really ambiguous. They have Guam, and we are allies with the Philippines, so they have a justification.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“And originally, if we wanted, President Kennedy would lend us an arm, but our president didn’t want to do it. In fact, we also did a lot of preparation.”

“Haha! That’s right.”

“So, in this war, the United States has decided to only provide support from behind, with its powerful naval force.”

“All right.”

Kim Kyu-sik and the three allied presidents continued to exchange views for a long time thereafter.

“Okay! This war is the last I’ll be retiring for real. This will also be the last time I’ll be with you all. Hehehe!”

“Hahaha! Teacher, I too am the same. I intend to step down after this war.”

“Oh! President Ho too? Already?”

“Oh my! Already? You and I are only 9 years apart?”

“Hahaha! Yes, I think it’s time for our President Ho to start thinking about a successor.”

“Then, what about us?”

Aung San and President Magsaysay asked.

“No, where do you want to go to play? You young people with green hair?”

“Poohaha!”

“ha ha ha!”

“Hehehehe!”

That’s right.

Aung San and Magsaysay were still children compared to Kim Kyu-sik and Ho Chi Minh.

* * *

June 2, 1966.

Director Cho Tae-hyun rushed into the Blue House.

“What’s going on?”

“Mr. President, I have obtained information on the date of their outbreak of war.”

“Um, when?”

“It’s June 25th. This month.”

“Why the 25th?”

“Well, I don’t know either.”

“… … .”

It just so happened to be the same day as the Korean War.