Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 362



Only Krnovel

#362. It’s time to be patient

The news of Baekbeom Kim Gu’s death was transmitted throughout South Korea and the entire world from dawn.

And at 8 am.

President Lee Kang-cheol personally issued a statement of condolences, followed by Prime Minister Koh Seok-man declaring the funeral period a period of mourning.

Accordingly, all state-run broadcasters stopped broadcasting entertainment and entertainment programs and replaced them with programs commemorating Baekbeom Kim Gu.

In addition, national flags were raised simultaneously in government offices, government-affiliated organizations, and investment institutions across the country, and at some point, civilians also joined in, and it became impossible to find a building in South Korea that did not have the national flag raised.

A funeral committee was immediately established.

It was announced that President Lee Kang-cheol would serve as the chairman, and that the vice-chairmen would include the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Kim Kyu-sik.

The funeral was decided at the State Council meeting to be a seven-day state funeral, and the burial site was decided to be a national cemetery.

Originally, Baekbeom was buried in Hyochang Park, but Hyochang Park is not a park now. It was restored to its original state as the tomb of Crown Prince Munhyo, the eldest son of King Jeongjo, which was moved to Goyang-gun by the Japanese, and was called Hyochangwon, so it was not even considered.

The whole nation was saddened by the news of Baekbeom’s death, and especially the middle-aged and older generation and those from the provinces flocked to Seoul in large numbers to pay their respects, and the Gyeonggyojang area was packed with people.

As the funeral date approached, delegations from all over the world arrived in Seoul one after another to attend the funeral.

EATO allies such as Vietnam, Myanmar, and the Philippines came to pay their condolences in person, considering that this was the first state funeral for the Republic of Korea. In addition, most heads of state-level officials from other Asian countries came to pay their condolences as representatives of the Republic of Korea, as they could not help but think about the current status of the Republic of Korea.

What was surprising was the Republic of China.

Even though they were enemies who had been pointing guns at each other until just last month, President Chiang Kai-shek notified that he would come to pay his condolences in person.

It was later revealed that although they were not on an equal footing, they had known each other for a very long time, and that he had come with the final intention of improving relations between the two countries as the President.

August 23, 1966.

The funeral was held in the plaza in front of the National Assembly building in Yeouido, with delegations from various countries and a crowd of over 2 million mourners in attendance.

And on the way to the National Seoul Cemetery, millions of people lined the roads to mourn Baekbeom.

The next day, August 24th.

The Blue House.

“Professor Usagi has arrived.”

“I will take care of you.”

Kim Kyu-sik came to the Blue House to meet Lee Kang-cheol.

“Welcome, teacher.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. President. I think you should rest.”

“No. You need more rest than me, sir. What’s going on?”

“Ha, I really need to rest now.”

“yes?”

“I intend to resign from my position as EATO Chairman.”

“… … .”

Lee Kang-cheol was unable to give any answer.

Kim Kyu-sik was born in 1881, making him only five years younger than Kim Gu.

He had been healthy until then, but when he returned to work due to the war, he became very emaciated after experiencing Kim Gu’s death.

There is a common saying that if you make a mistake while preparing for a funeral, you will end up in a long line of deaths. I really thought that if I was not careful, I might lose even Kim Kyu-sik.

“Do so. You have become very emaciated in the past few months.”

“Because I’m old.”

“But don’t stay at home too much. The older you are, the more you need to exercise and move around to stay healthy. Since your house is close to the Blue House, come visit often.”

“Haha! You are busy with state affairs, how can that be?”

“I’m also going to delegate more tasks to Prime Minister Goh now. My term will end next year. So I’ll have some free time.”

“Are you really going to stop?”

“I am the one who made it stipulate in the Constitution that you can only do this three times for five years each. Of course, it must be observed.”

“But doesn’t the entire nation want the President to continue?”

“Hey, why are you doing that? Do you think it would be okay for me to break the constitution from the beginning? And there’s no reason to do that anymore. People are already saying that, so don’t do it to Mr. Usa.”

In fact, the general public opinion was that Lee Kang-cheol should be made president for life.

According to a poll conducted by several media outlets, the support was as high as 80%.

To that extent, Lee Kang-cheol was already being treated as a national hero, surpassing even King Sejong or Yi Sun-sin, but Lee Kang-cheol was not particularly pleased with this atmosphere.

Although it has been 15 years in name only, the period in which Lee Kang-cheol has ruled the Republic of Korea has already been well over 20 years.

I did as much as I could, and above all, I thought that it was an absolutely bad precedent for the person who created the law to continue to rule by breaking it from the beginning.

So I didn’t like the fact that such words were even mentioned, but if the other person wasn’t Kim Kyu-sik, I would have blown up in anger.

“Hahaha! The President is truly amazing. Anyone else would not want to give up power until they die.”

“I wasn’t a power-oriented person to begin with. That’s why the future judged me to be a good fit for the expedition team.”

“Anyway, I understand. Come visit me sometimes.”

“And you should never miss a regular health checkup, okay?”

“No, that’s a bit… … .”

“This is my final order to you as President. If you don’t come for a health checkup, I will send doctors to your home to force you to do so.”

“Hahaha! Okay, I understand.”

Lee Kang-cheol had to feel once again the transience of time as he watched Kim Kyu-sik leave.

* * *

September 6, 1966.

After the turbulent August of war and Baekbeom’s death, a proper State Council meeting was convened for the first time.

“Everyone has had a hard time for a while. Most of you haven’t been able to go on vacation because of the hot weather, but I won’t be calling you for about two weeks after today, so please go on a vacation you haven’t been able to go on and rest.”

“Okay, I don’t know if I’ll have time.”

“… … .”

“… … .”

The mood was pessimistic, as the piled up work was so overwhelming that the president had told them to rest.

“Oh my! Why is the atmosphere like this? It makes me sound like I’m some kind of evil boss.”

“I can’t say no.”

“No, Minister Jang In-young, why are you doing this to me?”

“Honestly, in over 20 years, I can count on one hand the number of vacations I’ve had. And they won’t even let me retire. Do you think I’m a bad landlord?”

“Poohaha!”

“ha ha ha!”

When Minister of Health and Welfare Jang In-young made the remark, there was a burst of laughter.

It was half a joke, but it was also true.

Most of the ministers who attended the State Council have served continuously since the founding of the country.

Although some people have been replaced due to old age or health reasons.

“Ha, I guess I have a lot of sins. That’s why I’m telling you this. This evil landlord will sincerely step down when his term ends next year. So please don’t be fooled by the rumors going around.”

“… … .”

“… … .”

“And those who wish to retire with me, let’s retire together. After all, new wine must be put into new wineskins.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, Minister Jang. You all have done your best, right?”

“Hohoho! I guess I just have to hold out for a year now?”

“Instead, this is only for those who have properly trained successors. So please train them diligently during the remaining period. So that there is no administrative vacuum.”

“All right.”

If Lee Kang-cheol steps down, most of the first group of expedition members will retire.

People who were in their 40s or early 50s at the time of the founding of the country are now in their 60s or 70s.

Although there was no one to actually perform the duties of a minister during that time, the time spent like that has already been over 20 years.

The 20- and 30-somethings who had been supporting them had also grown white hair, so they could no longer be held back by the issue of succession.

A generation passed like this.

“And as you all know, Mr. Woo Sa, who was in a hurry to become the EATO chairman, has stepped down. As his successor, I plan to appoint General Choi Chung-heon, who fought well as the commander of the EATO allied forces in the last war. What do you think?”

“I think you are the best person for the job.”

“Yes. Our EATO is a military alliance. Professor Usagi has a lot of influence in Asia, so he was appointed chairman in a hurry, but it is right for a military person to be the chairman.”

“Let’s say everyone is okay,” Lee Kang-cheol said, nodding.

“Then, I will decide to do so.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“And I told some of you in advance, but I will relay what President Kennedy said during his last visit to Korea. The gist of what President Kennedy said was this: The U.S. GDP is likely to surpass $1 trillion this year. According to the Minister of Strategy and Finance, the original figure in history was $815 billion, and the last time it surpassed $1 trillion was in 1969.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“So, we quickly surpassed $1 trillion in three years. The problem is that some in the U.S. are concerned about the speed of our country’s development. Well, no matter how much of an ally or blood ally we are, they probably don’t want to see us become equal.”

“So, does that mean the US knows that we are messing with GDP?”

“The CIA and other intelligence agencies and several economic research institutes seemed confident.”

“Hey, really. You’re really paying attention to everything.”

“Even if it’s a bit tricky, you have to be careful. The United States is a country that doesn’t tolerate other countries standing shoulder to shoulder with it, no matter how much of an ally it is. In history, the United States started beating up Japan when we were at that level.”

“… … .”

In fact, this would have been the same in any other country, not just the United States.

What country would just sit by and watch its economic standing be threatened?

“Anyway, in the United States, they estimate that our country’s total GDP this year will reach 700 billion dollars. Minister of Strategy and Finance, what is our country’s actual total GDP?”

“They saw it right. There is no such thing as a ghost. Even according to the Bank of Korea’s projections, it will definitely exceed 700 billion dollars.”

“How much will it cost?”

“It is estimated to be around $730 to $750 billion.”

“Well, it seems like the American kids are doing a little more than expected?”

“Yes.”

“How much presentation do you plan to make?”

“Last year it was $500 billion, so shouldn’t it be around $550 billion this year?”

“Yes, keep it that way. It was my intention, but it was also President Kennedy’s request. He’s determined to run for a third term, and I think he needs our support.”

“Okay, but how long does this have to last? It can’t go on like this forever.”

“Of course. I don’t intend to stay like this forever.”

“Then?”

“Until we surpass the total GDP of the United States? And then Kennedy’s third term ends, so that guy won’t be in trouble?”

“Then, would it be around the early 70s?”

“Yes, after that time passes, the US will have no choice but to acknowledge us. If they try to retaliate economically, they will suffer.”

“Haha! Okay, I understand.”

It was still a time of patience.