Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 43



Only Krnovel

#43. Are you defending a level 1 pro-Japanese group?

“I am only reporting to Minister of National Defense Go Seok.”

“Please.”

“First, let me tell you about the status of conscription you requested. At the 1st Ganggye Army Army Training Center, 6,600 trainees have already completed training and entered advanced courses, and an additional 5,800 trainees are in training. “There are over 12,000 people in the 1st and 2nd batches combined, and they will be deployed to each brigade as soon as they complete the advanced course.”

“What happened to the soldiers who completed training under the Japanese military?”

“They are taking out the ‘Japanese stuff’ now. What would you say is unique to the Hwanggun? “I think it should be said that it is a no-nonsense mentality, but if such training is sent to our military, absurdities will become rampant again.”

“Of course you can’t do that!”

“Yes, gun… “No, Mr. President!”

“Note, note… “No!”

When Go Seok-man called Lee Kang-cheol “Chairman,” Lee Kang-cheol clearly looked uncomfortable.

“Hey, Secretary General for Political Affairs.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“Is there no other title? Mr. President, that is true. For example, the chairman of the State Council…”

“Chairman Kim Jong-un was the chairman of the State Affairs Commission and the National Defense Commission?”

“Are there all those guys? How many alternative positions are there?”

“After researching this time, most of the titles overlap with North Korea. “General secretary, president, chairman, leader, supreme commander, etc.”

“…”

Lee Kang-cheol had nothing to say.

“It’s probably because it’s my first time and I’m not used to it. “Just be patient.”

“Ha, I understand.”

“The provisional government also adopted the chairmanship system. “Once you hear it, it won’t be so bad.”

“Yeah yeah…”

“Then, Mr. President! We’ll keep you posted! President!”

“You, no, the Minister of National Defense…”

Go Seok-man grinned and deliberately emphasized the President, but he could not say anything out loud.

Later, George had no choice.

“Anyway, that’s why the training for transitioning to the Armed Forces focuses on thoroughly eliminating Japanese content. “First of all, we are running out of time, so we are proceeding with the 5-week course, and we will conduct periodic inspections even after the transition training is over.”

“How are new recruits going?”

This time, Minister Kim Ho-jin asked with interest.

“First of all, we plan to accept recruitment until this year. As you know, recruitment promotions are currently underway through radio broadcasts and each administrative office. So far, the enthusiasm has been so great that 68,000 people have volunteered, and on September 4th, the existing Pyongyang, Yangju, and Siheung training centers were renovated to enlist sequentially.”

“Then the training center won’t be enough.”

“Yes, Secretary General. So, we plan to build a large-scale training center in Nonsan in cooperation with relevant departments.”

“ha ha ha! After all, is this also Nonsan?”

“It wasn’t for nothing that a training center was created in Nonsan in the past. After thinking about it without thinking, we came to the conclusion that Nonsan was the best location. However, we plan to make it closer to Nonsan Station than Hyundai. “The modern training center is too far from the station.”

“Yes, let’s provide generous support from the relevant departments. If the Minister of National Defense has any difficulties, please let us know at any time.”

“haha! Thank you, Secretary General.”

“Okay, then what’s next?”

“I will report to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.”

“Oh, Minister Jang In-young.”

After the Ministry of National Defense, Minister of Health and Welfare Jang In-young raised his hand.

A former doctor, he was originally an official at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency under the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

“Currently, the biggest pending issue of our Ministry of Health and Welfare is the promotion of basic health and hygiene concepts and basic vaccination of infants and young children to reduce infant mortality.”

“It’s really the second most important thing after national defense.”

“That’s right, Chairman. In modern times, we are well aware of the poor quality of health and hygiene in this era, but seeing it with our own eyes was beyond our imagination. This is why the average life expectancy is only about 40 years.”

“Is that all you could survive?”

“Yes, we didn’t throw you a 60th birthday party for nothing. In any case, if you follow basic health and hygiene rules, the number of deaths from diseases such as various infectious diseases will be greatly reduced. Of course, in order to fundamentally improve the living environment, it is essential to improve the living environment, such as expanding water supply and sewerage facilities.”

“Hmm, that takes time. Even if you hurry as quickly as possible.”

The establishment of a water supply system on the Korean Peninsula began in 1908, during the Korean Empire, when the Ttukdo Water Purification Plant was completed and began supplying water for a population of 125,000. During the Japanese colonial period, additional water purification plants were installed in Noryangjin and Guui, but most Koreans still suffered from unsanitary water. Living water depended on wells and springs.

In other words, the benefits of water supply were only available to the majority of Japanese and a small number of wealthy Koreans. As a result, infectious diseases such as cholera broke out periodically, resulting in many lives lost.

“Our Ministry of Health and Welfare also knows that. So even before then, I plan to focus on widely promoting basic health and hygiene rules.”

“There is a really long way to go. Please help me out. And please eradicate those damn bedbugs quickly.”

“That too will take some time. “You can’t spray DDT even though you clearly know its harmfulness.”

“Then what should I do?”

“We have commissioned the production of alternative pesticides to a chemical research institute in Heungnam, so it will be possible to secure large quantities as early as November.”

Lee Kang-cheol didn’t like it, but he really couldn’t stand bed bugs.

However, since these are the times, I have no choice but to be patient for the time being.

“What is serious is infant mortality. “The infant mortality rate is at a level where if four children are born, at least one will die within a year.”

“Huh! Is the infant mortality rate that high?”

“Even 25% is just a minimum estimate. Depending on the data, we are looking at 35% to 40%.”

“wow! 40%? Does that make sense? No, and what data is so inaccurate? “I guess the Japanese have made some decent statistics, right?”

“Because the infant mortality rate is so high, there are many cases where births are not even registered before the child’s first birthday. So the statistics are bound to be inaccurate.”

“I’m going crazy…”

“That is why we are putting the life and death of our ministry at risk for basic infant vaccination. “Even if vaccination is carried out, it will be reduced to an extreme level.”

“As you all know, we desperately need people. 30 million including overseas population? There’s no way around that. This means that there is no need to run Manchuria. This is me as the commander-in-chief… No, I am giving instructions as a comment. To increase the population, we need to have more births, but first we need to lower the death rate. “Please ensure that all ministries fully cooperate with Minister Jang In-young.”

“All right.”

“Minister Jang, just say the word.”

“Ho ho ho! thank you.”

The population of Manchuria is estimated to be about 50 million.

Korea, with a population of 30 million, is too small in population to run a business.

Therefore, population growth is bound to become a priority among all tasks for the new Republic of Korea.

“For now, we are preparing in cooperation with Yuhan Corporation to produce the inoculation medicine, but it seems that Dr. Ilhan Ilhan will have to return to Korea quickly.”

“Who was it? famous?”

“Yes, Dr. Yu Ilhan was banned from entering the country, so his younger brother Yoo Myung took over the business, but as you know, he…”

“They are pro-Japanese. “That too at a vicious level.”

“That’s right. “He is temporarily classified as a first-degree pro-Japanese and is being detained.”

“I don’t know how on earth someone like that is Doctor Ilhan’s younger brother.”

“I agree.”

Who is Yu Ilhan?

Isn’t he a person synonymous with noblesse obliquism and a person who devoted himself to the independence movement, risking everything he had?

Even if the expeditionary force had not come, the next year, 1945, he was the only one who participated as a leader in the NAPKO Project of the U.S. Army Strategic Services (OSS) at the age of over 50 and attempted to infiltrate the Korean Peninsula after undergoing rigorous, high-intensity special training. .

But that man’s younger brother is a vicious pro-Japanese fan.

“So who represents Yuhan Corporation now?”

“The youngest brother, Yoo Teok-han, CEO of Yuyu Pharmaceuticals, is temporarily cooperating with us. But I can’t replace Dr. Yu Ilhan.”

“All right. Even so, I told President Roosevelt, but I will try to look at it a little more quickly. Please do your best to produce medicines in the meantime. “We will provide all possible support.”

“All right.”

“Where next?”

“This is Lee Sang-cheon from the Ministry of Justice.”

“Yes, Minister Lee, please speak.”

Lee Sang-cheon of the Ministry of Justice is the person who took charge of the Ministry of Justice without any disagreement, as he was a former prosecutor without any experience in public security or special services.

He also had a strong character and was suitable for laying the foundation for the first Ministry of Justice.

“Our Ministry of Justice is arresting and imprisoning only pro-Japanese collaborators who are clearly classified as level 1 ahead of the Special Investigation Committee on Anti-National Acts that will be launched in January next year. The representative pro-Japanese factions currently arrested are Noh Deok-sul, Park Heung-sik, Kim Hwal-ran, and Mo Yun-suk…”

From Lee Sang-cheon’s mouth, the names of first-level pro-Japanese collaborators arrested were listed.

“And those who are level 2 or lower have been ordered to receive a pension at home for now, so they will be punished later through the anti-people special committee.”

“You are doing well. However, as I have said, there must be no inconvenience or unfairness of any kind. I would like to ask for a thorough investigation so that we can proudly present the evidence even if anyone raises an objection. “Was there any undue pressure or favor?”

“Why not? “Everyone is a person of one piece, so we try to approach him somehow and save his life.”

“no way! Damn humans!”

“But sometimes it’s difficult.”

“Why not? “What kind of guy dares?”

“What makes this difficult is that some of the people asking for it were people who participated in the independence movement.”

“yes? Why are people like that?”

“Didn’t I say that they were people who took one step at a time?”

“Yes, I did.”

“I don’t know if people of that caliber are the two legs or insurance, but there are quite a few cases where independence activists are indebted to them. The representative of such a person is someone like Kim Seong-su. “In recognition of his contribution to the independence movement before his defection, he is currently classified as level 3, so there is no possibility of him being severely punished. However, since quite a few people are indebted to Kim Seong-soo, there are many people defending him.”

“There’s nothing we can do about that person. “In fact, he also participated in the independence movement.”

There was no problem as it was internally agreed that Kim Seong-soo would be expelled from public office, including the position of head of the media company, and be fined.

It was even impossible to stop him from defending himself with the loyalty he had before his defection.

“The problem is that there is a first-class pro-Japanese person who is a truly renowned independence activist and is asking for help to save his life.”

“hmm? Are you a real independence activist? No, who is that person? “You’re also defending a first-class pro-Japanese group?”

“Why is that there?”

“Who are you?”

“I mean President Bang of Chosun.”

“huh? “President Bang of Joseon?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“…”

“…”

Even though he is clearly pro-Japanese, he is such a huge figure that it is difficult to speak out loud.

In modern Korea, he died after being kidnapped by North Korea during the Korean War.

But how could a renowned independence activist rescue such a person?

Even as the Minister of Justice, it seemed like it would have been difficult.