Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 361



Only Krnovel

#361. I hope you are well, teacher.

When Lee Kang-cheol arrived at the Armed Forces Hospital, the director and others came out to greet him urgently.

“Director, how is your condition?”

“I’ll be honest with you. I think you’ll have to be prepared for something tonight or tomorrow morning.”

“Huh! How is there no way?”

“As you know, we can’t do anything more because you are so old. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not something the director should be sorry about… … . Anyway, it’s a shame.”

“We did our best, but… … .”

“Okay, I understand. Anyway, please do your best until the end.”

“All right.”

Lee Kang-cheol, feeling sorry, nagged the director, but just as the director had said, Baekbeom was born in 1876 and lived to be 90 years old.

In the 21st century when Lee Kang-cheol lived, the average life expectancy for women was 91 years, and for men, it was 87 years, so it was not an extremely old age.

However, Baekbeom was a man born in the 19th century who devoted his life to the independence movement and lived through hardships.

Although he was able to benefit from modern medicine after meeting the expeditionary force, he lived most of his life in hardship, so it can be said that the fact that he lived past 90 years old was in part due to his family’s longevity.

In fact, in the original history, his second son, Kim Shin, lived to be 93 years old.

As Lee Kang-cheol and First Lady Lee Sun-young approached the hospital room, the family, including the eldest son Kim In and the second son Kim Shin, suddenly stood up from their seats.

“Mr. President!”

“What about the teacher?”

“I was looking for the President a little while ago, but he just lost consciousness again. I’m sorry for making you come here.”

“No, of course I should come running since the teacher is looking for me.”

“thank you.”

Although the family was moved, Lee Kang-cheol did not see it that way.

“Please guide me to the sickroom.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

As we entered the hospital room, Baekbeom was lying on the bed, looking very pale and skinny.

Lee Kang-cheol had come to visit him in the hospital not long ago, but he couldn’t believe that Baekbeom was like this.

The man with such a tall stature and large build that it was hard to believe he was from the 19th century was Baekbeom.

But it looks like this.

“teacher…….”

Lee Kang-cheol carefully held Baek Beom’s hand and caressed it.

That was when.

“Are you here?”

“Teacher, are you awake?”

“Haha! I guess I fell asleep while waiting for our president.”

Contrary to what he heard, Baekbeom’s speaking condition did not seem to be bad.

In particular, his eyes sparkled with light, and just looking at them made you mistake him for being healthy.

But Lee Kang-cheol had a gut feeling.

Reflection of light.

Originally, in Zen Buddhism, it meant to illuminate oneself with the light of wisdom within oneself, and to look back and gain insight into the nature of our mind with the light of awareness.

However, it usually refers to a temporary recovery of strength before a person dies.

It’s like when a candle burns brightly just before it goes out.

In short, it was said that Baekbeom’s life was on the verge of ending.

“Thank you so much for coming.”

“No, sir, you should hurry up and get up.”

“Ha ha! Mr. President, at my age, you should know when it’s time to be put in a coffin. I probably won’t see the sun tomorrow morning. Isn’t that right, First Lady?”

“Teacher, sob!”

“Oh my, I made our beautiful First Lady cry. Please don’t remember this wicked old man as a wicked man until the end.”

“No, sir.”

“Haha! Thank you. Okay, since we don’t have much time, I’d like to have a few words with our president. Ina, Shina.”

“Yes, father.”

“You guys, I’ll call you back later, so go out now. Make sure there’s no one in the front of the room.”

“All right.”

As Kim In and Kim Shin left, Baek Beom opened his mouth while looking at Lee Kang Cheol with warm eyes.

“president.”

“Yes, feel free to talk. Even if it means staying up all night.”

“Haha! I wish that were true, but the messenger from the underworld is waiting for me.”

“Don’t say things like that.”

“Mr. President, I am so proud of our President. He has done such a great job.”

“No, sir. It’s all thanks to the knowledge and skills of the future. What could I have done?”

“Oh, they say that even excessive modesty is not polite. Mr. President, you are truly a divine being sent by our ancestors out of pity for our people.”

“You say all sorts of things.”

“It is true. Thanks to you, I have seen the end of our people’s glory since I returned from Chongqing. Even starting from the distant Gojoseon, our people have never been so prosperous. It is truly admirable.”

“… … .”

It’s not an empty promise.

Currently, South Korea is in the best situation in the history of the Korean people.

“But I have one concern.”

“What is that?”

“I never wanted our country to become a hegemonic nation. I was just a person who dreamed of our people living in peace and prosperity, and living in peace with our neighbors.”

“I know very well.”

“But after independence, our country’s attitude was often quite oppressive. It wasn’t like that in other countries, but it was especially so in China.”

“I won’t deny it.”

“Even though the president’s actions could be seen as hegemonic, I have consistently supported the government. Why? Because thanks to you, I have seen the future. In particular, China’s wickedness beyond hegemony.”

Baekbeom, along with Woo Sa, was the one who saw the true nature of the expedition team and how China would abuse its neighboring countries in the future.

So, initially, during the provisional government era, there was a sense of indebtedness to the Kuomintang government, but once they abandoned that mindset, they began to view China negatively, not to mention the Communist Party, but even the Kuomintang.

“That’s why I couldn’t stop him even when I sometimes thought he was going too far. He’s such a deep thinker, so I naturally believed he had a plan, and most of the time he did. And what can I say when that cynical Woo-sa wholeheartedly supports the president? Hehe!”

“Teacher, you too… … .”

“But, President.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Honestly, this war with China was a bit odd to watch.”

“… … .”

“president.”

“yes.”

“This war, honestly, could have ended earlier, but didn’t it?”

“you’re right.”

“The reason is probably that they wanted to reduce the number of Chinese people as much as possible?”

“It’s not that I didn’t intend to do that. Rather, my intention was to instill in them an overwhelming fear. I wanted to make sure they wouldn’t be able to look down on us for at least 100 years.”

“I see. But Mr. President, too many people have died. In just two weeks.”

“… … .”

I honestly had nothing to say about this.

Because it was a war that was planned and led in that way.

And Lee Kang-cheol had no regrets.

No matter what Baekbeom said just before he died, people’s thoughts cannot be 100% the same.

Still, I didn’t bother to refute it.

That wasn’t the situation.

“Mr. President, I don’t mean to criticize you. I think I would have done the same thing if I were the President.”

“Yes, it is a decision I have made after careful consideration.”

“Haha! I know. How much trouble must you have had? Besides, regardless of the circumstances, it was clearly China that invaded first, so we have the justification. I also understand and agree with this war.”

“then?”

“I’m talking about the future. Mr. President, I believe in karma and retribution. Regardless of the circumstances, if we kill too many people, our descendants may one day bear the karma.”

“… … .”

“Mr. President, it seems like you’ve achieved everything you wanted, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. The Chinese War was my last war.”

“Thank goodness. Then how about showing mercy and tolerance in the future? Overwhelming fear? That has been shown enough, so let’s loosen things up a bit. I’m saying this because I’ve seen that the world’s way of being too hard-line doesn’t last long, as the President knows.”

“Don’t worry, sir. It was planned that way. I don’t know about the Communists, but I plan to be good neighbors with the Kuomintang.”

“Haha! That’s enough. I’m also a person who trembles at the thought of the Communist Party. And it’s true that we owe the Kuomintang a debt from the time of the Provisional Government. Regardless of President Chiang’s intentions, it’s shameless to think that this is like putting our debt on the President.”

Baekbeom was a staunch anti-communist and nationalist.

Many people misunderstood him as being moderate because of his conciliatory attitude, such as visiting the North, which was originally seen as fearful of the division of the nation until the end of history.

It was not for nothing that Syngman Rhee, Kyu-sik Kim, and Gu Kim were considered the three right-wing leaders.

“Don’t say that. Our Republic of Korea Constitution clearly states that our government succeeds the provisional government. The provisional government’s favors are also our government’s favors. I also know that Chiang Kai-shek helped us a little because he viewed our country as a tributary state. That’s why the South suffered much less damage than the North in this war.”

“Thank you, Mr. President.”

“you’re welcome.”

“Ha, looking back, I’ve done many things wrong. Especially in the name of protecting the provisional government, I think I’ve done many things I shouldn’t have done to my comrades.”

“… … .”

“Anyway, I am a very happy person. I have no regrets that such a great president has led the nation and created an era of peace. Thank you, President.”

“teacher…….”

“Haha! You’ve talked too much after calling the old, busy president. You should go now. I’d like to leave a few words for the kids while I still have some energy left.”

“teacher.”

“First Lady, please continue to support our president as you have been doing. I, along with all the people, am so happy to have met such a virtuous and kind mother of the nation. I am also very grateful to you, First Lady.”

“Sob! Teacher.”

“Okay, now let’s go.”

“Teacher, I hope you are at peace.”

“Heh heh heh!”

As Lee Kang-cheol and Lee Seon-yeong came out, their families came in.

And after about 20 minutes?

“father!”

“Father! Khuuuuk!”

There was an outburst of tears in the hospital room.

“Ha, he’s gone.”

“honey…….”

“Let’s go. We have a lot to do.”

“all right.”

Lee Kang-cheol and Lee Seon-yeong left the hospital lonely.

Preparing for the funeral would keep me quite busy for some time.

Perhaps because he would be the first national director since the founding of the Republic of Korea.

1:00 a.m., August 17, 1966.

Baekbeom Kim Gu, the president of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, has passed away.

Originally, there was much talk in history about the suspicion of terrorism against independence activists during the provisional government and the controversy over the white terrorism after liberation, but no one could deny that he fought hard to protect the provisional government in China when it was divided and on the verge of collapse, and that he led the anti-Japanese movement throughout the Japanese colonial period.

A truly great leader of the nation has passed away.