Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 73



Only Krnovel

#73. Japanese-Korean?

“They say Woo-nam has just arrived at Gimpo Airfield.”

“Hey, maybe you should have told Roosevelt to hold him back?”

“Is that possible? This guy is sure to be a pain in the ass, but according to the principles of our expeditionary force, he is still an independence activist. “It’s also named.”

“Oh, I don’t know! “Honestly, I hope we don’t have any accidents.”

“Well, do you have anything to hit? “The world is completely different from before?”

“But that guy is a bit like that. “It’s a feeling.”

To be honest, Lee Kang-cheol was not happy with Lee Seung-man.

Although it was said that in accordance with the principles of the expeditionary force, his subsequent activities were simply buried, based on what he knew of Syngman Rhee’s tendencies, it seemed that he would not live quietly.

Syngman Rhee is a descendant of Grand Prince Yangnyeong, and is a man with strong pride in being a royal.

So, he had to be the best wherever he was, and he hated having someone above him.

In a way, the fact that he was impeached by Ahn Chang-ho after causing all sorts of trouble during his short term as consul and president of the Provisional Government in Shanghai may have been caused by his sense of dominance and dogmatic nature.

It was the same when I was active in the United States.

In short, before considering his contribution to the independence movement, he was said to be a person who did not fit in with the new Republic of Korea.

Moreover, as he was born in 1875, he was already over 70 years old, which was an extremely old age by the standards of the time, and the time to listen to others has long since passed, so even more so now.

However, it was not possible to treat him openly.

At least until now, he was the most famous right-wing independence activist along with Kim Gu and Kim Gyu-sik.

“Ha, what can you do? “Who went to the airport?”

“Colonel Hong Jin-taek has left. “It is said that several people from the provisional government came out to meet us.”

“Please give me a reasonable amount of convenience. They gave him a decent place to live, and since he was 70 years old, they told him to see a military doctor for a medical examination. However, please do not show the facilities.”

“All right.”

“Also, please say something to Secretary General Kim Ho-jin. “The Senate and the Presbyterian Church are good names, so let’s legislate as quickly as possible and take care of the elderly.”

“What is the Presbyterian Church? “Isn’t this some kind of martial arts world?”

“Hey, that’s what you’re saying, right? senate? Yes, the Senate would be nice. Anyway, let’s make it quickly.”

“Hehehe! all right.”

The Senate that Lee Kang-cheol spoke of is not yet able to implement parliamentary democracy by properly conducting voting due to various conditions, but even before that, it was planned to be created by appointing people with the highest honor as a contrast to the House of Representatives, although it has little real power.

In other words, it is a kind of breakwater that appoints renowned figures from all walks of life who have made great contributions to the country, such as independence activists, and allows them to spend the rest of their lives with honor and dignity, but prevents them from needlessly interfering in real politics.

Although independence activists may be the main force now, in a few decades it will be the highest honor given to those who have truly contributed greatly to the country and society.

In any case, Lee Kang-cheol, regardless of his name, was planning to invite here independence activists who should be treated with immediate respect, but who should be prevented from interfering in real politics, regardless of whether they are members of the Senate, Senate, or Presbytery.

By doing this, you will be able to officially take care of not only your reputation but also your financial stability.

“Oh, and…”

“Yes, please tell me.”

“Woo-nam, I hope you don’t see me if possible. “If possible, you and Minister-General Kim Ho-jin will respond, right?”

“Hey, how can you guarantee that? “You can’t say that someone who exists doesn’t exist, right?”

“Can’t you just do that? “I thought you would be really tired when we met?”

“Ha, I heard your real class is gangster…”

“What, dude?”

“Okay, okay. But I can’t guarantee. “It’s not at a level where you can just crush it, right?”

“If that’s the case, there’s nothing we can do…”

“All right. ah! And I would like to see Advisor Tanaka, what should I do?”

“hmm? Advisor Tanaka?”

“Yes, I was begging you to tell me something.”

“Then tell them to come in. “I’m probably asking to see about the Japanese people in Korea.”

“All right.”

After a while, a middle-aged man in his 50s came in and greeted Lee Kang-cheol by bending his back at almost 90 degrees.

Takeo Tanaka, former Director-General of Political Affairs, was someone who actively cooperated to the extent that the expeditionary force considered him the most unexpected person.

The reason why the expeditionary force was thought to be surprising is because, according to data, there were many comments in his post-war activities that significantly glorified Japan’s colonial rule of Joseon.

Of course, he played a significant role in Korea-Japan relations, such as serving as president of the Central Japan-Korea Association, but it is difficult to naively see that he acted because he viewed Korea favorably.

There were many opinions that he was active anyway because it helped his political activities.

However, I don’t know if it was because he was captured by the expeditionary force rather than being able to return to his home country at the end of July 1944 as originally stated in history, but he helped the expeditionary force take control of the administration to the extent that some people say he was passionate about it, and now that Japan has been defeated. In his capacity as an advisor, he became a representative of the Japanese people on the Korean Peninsula and Manchuria.

“Mr Chairman! How have you been?”

Lee Kang-cheol frowned and answered as he saw Tanaka greeting him again by calling him Excellency even though he told him not to.

“Ah, so you’re saying please don’t use the word ‘Excellent’?”

“I’m sorry. “Then, please sir…”

“Chairman!”

“Yes, Chairman!”

“Okay, please sit this way.”

“thank you. Comment each… sir···.”

“…”

When Tanaka sat down, he had tea served and asked.

“You asked to see me? “What’s going on?”

“I have come to report that the survey of the current status and statements of whereabouts of the Japanese in Korea and in Manchuria, which I mentioned last time, has been completed.”

“Oh, you mean that, has the investigation already been completed?”

“Yes, we were able to finish it quickly thanks to the active help from the ROK Armed Forces.”

“How many people?”

“Would you like to talk to the military and military personnel as well?”

“For now, please only speak to civilians.”

“There are 710,000 in the Korean Peninsula, 1 million in Manchuria, and 210,000 in Guandong Province centered on Dalian.”

“Hmm, there are a lot. “You’re saying there are 1.21 million people in our northern territory alone, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Then how many people are willing to naturalize in our country?”

“Most Japanese living on the Korean Peninsula said they would naturalize. That’s 680,000 out of 710,000. Manchuria and Guandongju are so large that we conducted a sample survey, and as expected, more than 1.1 million out of 1.21 million would remain.”

“Oh my! “Is this more than you think?”

“You know, right? “I mean the situation in my home country.”

Most of the Japanese in Jaehan and Jaeman said they would stay.

A whopping 1.8 million Japanese people.

Actually, this was somewhat expected.

Japan was completely destroyed.

It was also destroyed more extensively and harshly than in the original history, and this was all the result of the crazy LeMay using the nearby Daegu Airfield and running rampant like a demon king.

Therefore, after Japan lost the war, as in the original history, it issued a final instruction to overseas residents not to think of returning to Japan.

This was because it was difficult to protect the citizens of mainland Japan, and there was no way to handle the influx of overseas residents.

As a result, the Japanese living in Korea, who watched the development day by day, tried to remain on the Korean Peninsula in any way from the beginning, and the Japanese living in Korea also chose to stay because they not only had no way to return to their country, but also expected to be treated harshly if they did return.

On the other hand, the decision on what to do with the Japanese people in Korea was already made by the Korean government’s cabinet meeting, and the conclusion was that the Japanese were better than the Chinese.

In any case, the vast northern territory was acquired and a large population was needed, but there were too many Chinese, so a significant number of them had to be driven out.

The problem comes after you kick them out.

A common joke was who raises cows.

The total number of compatriots in Japan and China was only 30 million, and this population was not enough to manage Manchuria.

In the end, there was a perception that the Japanese would have to acquire and hold on to the existing Japanese territory, including Hokkaido, anyway, and realistically, it was not a burdensome population even when combined, so a policy was established to allow Japanese people living in Korea and living in Mandarin to naturalize according to their own choice. did.

“Are our terms clear? “I expected it to some extent, but it’s a bit more than I expected.”

“of course. “I made it clear.”

“Let me check again. They are naturalized as Koreans of their own volition. “Right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Regardless of whether they are naturalized or not, all those who were involved in illegal activities during the Japanese colonial period will be punished. In particular, those who oppressed the Korean people, those who exploited the Korean people, or those who took advantage of their Japaneseness to enrich themselves illegally. And all such property is subject to confiscation.”

“I spoke clearly.”

“In addition, a person cannot be appointed to any public office for at least 20 years, and the same applies to the right to vote and be elected. “Of course, we exclude those currently in office who our government recognizes as necessary.”

“Confirmed.”

“And, when naturalizing, you must swear allegiance to the Republic of Korea and change your first and last name to Korean. In short, on the contrary, we need to change our name to Chang.”

“of course.”

“Also, gatherings larger than a certain size will be prohibited, and the use of Japanese in public places will also be prohibited after a certain period of time.”

“Whoa! I said it all, Mr. President. We, Japanese people in Japan and Japan, are in a situation where we have to do anything even if we are told to criticize the Showa Tenno using harsh words. “It’s such a desperate situation.”

Advisor Tanaka spoke with resignation.

“There is nowhere to go, nowhere to go. I will do anything if you accept it. We ask that you please dispose of it leniently.”

“Hey, this is it.”

Lee Kang-cheol was a little dumbfounded.

The situation is very different from that of the Koreans who were invaded by Japan, but how can they adapt so easily?

Anyway, they said they would unconditionally accept all conditions, but there was nothing more to say.

“Phew, I understand. There may be some additional conditions, but we will accept Koreans and Japanese people living in Korea as Koreans. “Depending on how hard we work, discrimination will be quickly abolished.”

“Of course, sir! We, Japanese Koreans, may become one with the interior and exterior as soon as possible…”

“huh? Is this Japanese-Korean? All extensions?”

“oh! sorry! Should we say ‘Tomorrow is one’ or ‘Korea-Japan is one’?”

“Hey, don’t use those words. “I feel bad because ‘Naeseon Ilche’ itself is a word first coined by pro-Japanese factions.”

“Huh! Sorry, sorry. “I didn’t know.”

“It’s okay, it will be decided at the Cabinet meeting soon, so Advisor Tanaka, please continue to pay attention. Oh, what are you going to do with Advisor Tanaka? Of course, you know that punishment is inevitable, right?”

“of course. I am prepared. And I would be grateful if you would give me the opportunity to continue serving after my punishment is over.”

“There is still time until the war crimes trial, so work hard. “Unless you have done something particularly malicious, we will take into account your cooperation so far.”

“Thank you, Your Excellency!”

“Use it!”

“sorry. And I have more to report. “Do you mind if I tell you?”

“Tell me.”

“Well, I heard that the situation for our residents in the area controlled by the Chinese military was really bad. How can they…”

“Hmm…”

Lee Kang-cheol knew what their fate would be.

Overseas residents of Japan would meet the most miserable fate.

“How many people?”

“We estimate it to be around 500,000.”

“I understand this. We will go through the Cabinet meeting and discuss it with the Chinese government. However, even if an agreement is reached, they will not be able to enter the Korean Peninsula and will be relocated to Manchuria through Dalian.”

“Thank you!”

Advisor Tanaka stood up and bowed deeply to Lee Kang-cheol sincerely.

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