Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 368



Only Krnovel

#368. Are you happy now?

When Kim Kyu-sik’s death was officially announced, South Korea was instantly flooded with waves of mourning.

The intensity of this mourning was much stronger than that of Baekbeom just a few months ago, and it was understandable because Kim Kyu-sik was the only person from the provisional government who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and was a key figure in the current government.

And that too for a full 20 years.

So the people also know.

This is how much Kim Kyu-sik devoted his entire life to his country and people.

When the country was lost, he was a key figure in the provisional government, and after the founding of the country, he traveled the world in important positions until a few months before his return as a key figure in the independent government.

Additionally, countries around the world rushed to issue statements of condolences, which was extremely unusual for a death of a foreign figure who was not a head of state.

But this was to be expected.

Because, aside from President Lee Kang-cheol, the most famous person in South Korea was Kim Kyu-sik.

He is a person who has been knocking on doors persistently even though he has been treated coldly since the days of the provisional government.

And after the founding of the nation, it was difficult to find a head of state that he had not met while traveling all over the world. Especially in East Asia, he was a person who was practically the Republic of Korea itself, replacing Lee Kang-cheol who did not travel abroad much. So it was not unreasonable for each country to mourn him with respect that was at the level of a head of state or higher.

December 1st, 6:30 PM.

An unusually large State Council meeting was held at the Blue House to hold Kim Kyu-sik’s funeral.

“… … .”

“… … .”

“… … .”

All the ministers present were immersed in grief as if they had lost a relative, and Minister Jang In-young, a female minister, was still sobbing.

And breaking the heavy silence, Lee Kang-cheol opened his mouth.

“Unfortunately, Mr. Woo Sa has left us. Although he was not a head of state, I would like to hold a state funeral in consideration of the weight of his lifelong dedication to the provisional government and our government. It may sound unusual and excessive, but I believe Mr. Woo Sa deserves such treatment. I would like to hear your opinions on this matter.”

“I totally agree. It is unusual, but I don’t think it is excessive at all considering your status as a teacher.”

“I agree with what the President and Prime Minister Koh Seok-man said. Although Mr. Woo Sa served as Vice Prime Minister in our government, he was actually Vice President in the Provisional Government. I don’t think it’s excessive to treat him like a head of state.”

“Yes. In addition, we must consider his status overseas. In a situation where countries around the world are mourning him as if he were a head of state, I believe it is impossible for our government to treat him coldly.”

“you’re right.”

“I agree.”

There could be no disagreement.

“Then, I understand that there is no objection to holding Mr. Woo’s funeral as a state funeral, so I will hold Mr. Woo’s funeral as a state funeral. Minister of Justice!”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“If there is any possibility of legal problems, let’s change the law.”

“There is no problem at all under the current law. The current national funeral law is a slightly modified version of the law of our time, and it includes not only heads of state but also ‘people who have made remarkable contributions to the nation or society and are admired by the people,’ and the President decides on this after deliberation by the State Council upon the recommendation of the Minister of Public Administration and Security.”

“Then there seems to be no problem with the current law.”

“Yes.”

“Minister of Public Administration and Security, please make a proposal.”

“Yes, we plan to hold a state funeral for former Vice Prime Minister Kim Kyu-sik, who served as the Vice President of the Provisional Government and the current Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea government for a long time.”

“No objection.”

“Now it is up to the President to decide.”

“I, President Lee Kang-cheol of the Republic of Korea, have decided to hold the funeral of former Deputy Prime Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Kyu-sik as a state funeral in accordance with the State Funeral Act. The Minister of Public Administration and Security, the Minister of Justice, and the Prime Minister will consult and decide on the details. Of course, consult with the bereaved family.”

“All right.”

In the end, Kim Kyu-sik’s funeral was decided to be held for 7 days, and an order was issued nationwide to raise flags at half-mast.

dripping!

“Come in.”

“I’m leaving, brother.”

“Come in.”

At around 10 o’clock that day, Lee Kang-cheol was sitting alone in his office when he received a visit from Ko Seok-man.

“Have you reached an agreement with Mr. Usagi’s bereaved family?”

“Haa, I barely made it.”

“barely?”

“Yes, my wife, Mrs. Kim Soon-ae, insisted on keeping it simple. I had a hard time persuading her.”

“I see.”

“And from the United States, former President Truman and former Secretary of State George Marshall are said to be coming to pay their condolences.”

“Really? I don’t know about Truman, but I heard that George Marshall isn’t in very good health.”

“But he said he’s coming anyway. He said he wanted to see his friend off for the last time.”

“Oh, right. You two were really close. You were almost like soul mates.”

“Haha! We really matched well. In some ways, our personalities are similar, and we’ve been partners for so long that we just seemed to get along well.”

“Well, it was so obvious that it didn’t even need words.”

“That’s right. And I heard that Churchill himself is coming from England.”

“Winston was also a very close friend of mine when he was an ambassador. Wow! Is this how I get paid for taking care of those gentlemen’s health?”

“That’s true.”

Originally, in history, Truman aside, George Marshall and Churchill were not of this world at this time.

George Marshall died in 1959 after suffering a stroke, and Churchill passed away last year in 1965, at the age of 90.

However, in this history, the two people are still alive because they had been receiving health care at the Republic of Korea Armed Forces Integrated Hospital from early on.

Of course, they were both very old and had a hard time.

“We are also receiving reports that most countries are sending their top officials as visitors. From France, Leclerc is coming, and from Germany, Willy Brandt, who recently became chancellor earlier than originally planned, is coming in person.”

“Asia?”

“Asia, of course the enemy will come in person. To those people, Mr. Woosa was no different from a teacher.”

“But… … .”

“It is said that not only President Ho Chi Minh of Vietnam, who was a true disciple, but also President Aung San of Burma and President Magsaysay of the Philippines will attend. In particular, Vietnam is said to have officially raised its flag.”

“Thanks for that.”

“Because of that, the Ministry of Public Administration and Security and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs staff are dying. Suddenly, we have to receive dozens of heads of state.”

“Tell them I’ll give you a separate vacation later.”

“Well, that’s what I’m saying. And what about the high-ranking generals on the front lines who have requested to attend the funeral? What should we do?”

“A high-ranking general?”

“It’s hard to find a general above the rank of lieutenant general who isn’t close to you. Since you’ve been working for so long, you’re bound to have some kind of connection.”

“Well, does it matter?”

“Yes, now that the war is over, it’s okay if I step away for a while. Please let me attend.”

“Okay then.”

“All right.”

December 7, 1966.

In front of the National Assembly building in Yeouido.

The state funeral of Usa Kim Kyu-sik was held solemnly, with countless mourners, including heads of state from around the world, and millions of citizens watching.

The funeral procession to the Dongjak-dong National Cemetery was truly filled with stars.

This was because high-ranking generals from the expeditionary force volunteered to wear uniforms and follow the funeral procession as if they were escorting it.

Minister of National Defense Nam Byung-woo, as well as Jeong Ji-woon, Kim Jong-woo, Jeong Seon-ho, Choi Chung-heon, Kim Won-sik, Lee Jae-ha, etc.

Here, George Marshall of the United States also rode in an open-top car to see his friend off on his final journey, and generals from allied countries or personally friendly countries, such as Vo Nguyen Giap of Vietnam and Leclerc of France, also joined, so the hearse was literally covered in hundreds of stars.

And millions of citizens in Yeouido followed suit, and countless citizens came out in the year to tearfully bid farewell to the patriot who devoted himself to his country as an independence fighter and an outstanding diplomat.

Usa (尤史) Kim Gyu-sik (金奎植).

Born as the son of Dongrae Magistrate Kim Ji-seong, he would have originally grown up in wealth, but Kim Ji-seong could not stand to see the tyranny of the Min clan and submitted a petition, which became a problem and led to his exile. Following this, his mother, Lady Lee of Gyeongju, also passed away, making his childhood extremely unfortunate.

Even when Pastor Underwood found him, he was crying and eating wallpaper, so you can guess how difficult his childhood was.

With Underwood’s help, he received a proper education, which was rare at the time, and joined Seo Jae-pil’s independent newspaper company. Then, at Seo Jae-pil’s recommendation and Underwood’s support, he went to study abroad in the United States.

He devoted himself to his studies at Roanoke College, and the paper on the Korean language he presented during his college years, which compared Korean, English, French, German, and Sanskrit, was so excellent that it was praised by later scholars as being difficult to find a similar piece of writing.

Kim Kyu-sik, who graduated from Roanoke College in third place overall, completed his master’s degree with distinction at Princeton University and was selected as a scholarship student for a doctoral program, where he was encouraged to continue his studies. However, upon seeing the Russo-Japanese War that had just broken out, he declined the offer, saying it was for the sake of his country’s independence, and returned to Korea.

Since then, he has left a huge mark on the history of the Korean independence movement, with his name almost always recorded there.

In the original history, he returned to his homeland after liberation, but the country was destined to be divided again after the chaos.

Among the three right-wing leaders, Syngman Rhee, Kim Gu, and Kim Kyu-sik, he was evaluated as the politician who most accurately viewed the reality of Korea among the politicians who had been activists for independence at the time, and both the US and Soviet armies, impressed by his rational and cool-headed perception of reality, evaluated him as the most suitable person to lead Korea in the future.

He was swept up in the turbulent times of the times and was eventually kidnapped during the Korean War and taken to the vicinity of the Amnok River, where he passed away in sorrow.

The problem came after that.

No one in the South Korean government after the war remembered such a great person.

Because he originally had no political faction and was kidnapped to the North and met his end.

How lamentable is it that he received the Order of Merit for National Foundation from the South Korean government in 1989?

However, in this history, he is the only person who joined the government after the founding of the country, actively worked on the world stage, directly led the prosperity of the country, and passed away happily amidst the mourning of the entire nation.

“Master Usagi, are you happy now?”

Lee Kang-cheol muttered while asking about Kim Kyu-sik.

He would probably be happy.