George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 109

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All previous North America summits had taken place outside of North Korea. This was due to a complex mix of saving face on both sides and political sensitivities, but the primary reason was that they were technically still enemy states, even under a ceasefire. A ceasefire and a declaration formally ending a war are two very different things, aren’t they?

In short, the very idea of the leader of one enemy state flying to the other was absurd. That was the core issue.

If it seemed crazy from the American perspective, imagine how much more so for North Korea. The location was also a sticking point. It might have been manageable in Gyeongseong [Seoul’s historical name] or Nampo Port, but the, shall we say, *unconventional* U.S. President insisted on another location, so ‘Pyongyang’ was the compromise.

“Isn’t this completely insane?”

Where in Pyongyang could they possibly host him? If the Ryugyong Hotel had been completed, it might have been an option, but the Ryugyong Hotel, which could have been a symbol of the [Workers’] Party’s strength, was nothing more than an embarrassing eyesore.

However, after being relentlessly pressured by the American giant, North Korea had begun to selectively open its doors. With a carrier strike group stationed in Nampo Port, foreign funds gradually started trickling in, allowing construction to resume. But a decade-long pause was hard to overcome with money alone.

Of course, if money can’t solve your problems, you should consider whether you have enough of it. North Korea’s coffers weren’t exactly overflowing, and the Ryugyong Hotel, in particular, was beyond salvation with a moderately sized wallet.

‘Isn’t this going to lead to some kind of incident?’

Anti-American sentiment was the bedrock, the ultimate defense, of Kim Jong-il’s regime. Of course, there was the Juche ideology [North Korea’s philosophy of self-reliance], but anti-Americanism was far more potent.

In any case, for the Kim Jong-il regime to survive, it needed time to replace this anti-American sentiment with something else.

‘Couldn’t he have come just five years later? Or at least, anywhere but Pyongyang? Why does it have to be like this! Why!’

If I had to choose, the best option would be the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun [mausoleum of Kim Il-sung]. At least there, the U.S. President’s head wouldn’t be ventilated by some patriot armed with Juche ideology and youthful zeal.

‘Ha, the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun for that reason? The Great Leader, who vowed to defend every inch of the fatherland with blood, must be about to break through the glass and rise up?’

Other candidates included the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, but the former was completely out of the question. The headquarters building was a secret location unknown even to most North Korean residents. Would they be crazy enough to invite the enemy’s leader to such a place?

The latter had a shining record as the world’s largest stadium and the pride of surpassing the University of Michigan Stadium, so it might not have been a bad choice in terms of symbolism, but who knew if Juche ideology bullets would fly there as well?

Of course, they could spin it. ‘The U.S. ringleader has finally surrendered to the eternal Chairman of the National Defence Commission!’ They did something similar when they invited Japan to the Pyongyang International Sports and Culture Festival in 1995.

If only the Nampo Port incident and the light-water reactor explosion hadn’t happened, they could have at least paid lip service with something like, ‘The patriotic decision of General Kim Jong-il for peace!’ How could they possibly portray the U.S. in a positive light in this situation? The anti-American sentiment of the North Korean people, who had their territory invaded twice, despite vowing never to give up even a single inch, was reminiscent of the Korean War.

‘Dinner at Okryu-gwan [famous Pyongyang restaurant], accommodation at the Koryo Hotel or the Yanggakdo International Hotel.’

In reality, there was little choice because Pyongyang was such a small place. Honestly, didn’t Kim Jong-il want to grab that damn ringleader by the neck and shake him to death? He just couldn’t handle the consequences.

‘No choice, no choice. It feels like I’m being played by that damn kid, doesn’t it?’

“General! Emergency meeting of all personnel! Just give the order!”

While Kim Jong-il was mentally bracing himself for the inevitable insults he would have to endure as a result of the U.S. leader’s visit, high-ranking officials in Pyongyang gathered in Kim Jong-il’s office. After all, the only thing they could say, even after being summoned, was to prepare for three generations to face the consequences if things went wrong, but they had to say something, didn’t they?

The problem was that, depending on how badly things went, it would either be American artillery fueled by Yankee rage or North Korean artillery personally ordered by Kim Jong-il. The only saving grace was that he had complete control over the military and the Party.

The high-ranking officers and Party members, who were the backbone of North Korea, always shouted and emphasized the Juche ideology, but ironically, they were the people who were farthest from it. So, they would naturally accept what he was about to say.

“Yes, have you all arrived?”

Kim Jong-il, who instinctively knew that his regime could collapse with just one misstep, was more composed than ever.

“As you all know, we have been notified that a U.S. fighter plane will be flying into our Republic tomorrow.”

Kim Jong-il paused. He was having trouble figuring out how to phrase it. He couldn’t openly say that they had to kiss up to that guy until it hurt.

“Since that fighter plane is arriving in person, our Republic must show the utmost courtesy.”

However, he couldn’t think of a suitable way to put it, so he decided to speak directly, avoiding the most servile and bleak words possible. Whether it worked or whether the topic was so shocking, a voice other than Kim Jong-il’s angry voice, which was usually the only sound in the office, was heard.

“So… you mean we have to salute the U.S. ringleader, our century-old enemy?”

The choice of words was truly scathing and unconventional, but this time, even Kim Jong-il couldn’t get angry. Instead, a burst of laughter escaped him. Could there be a better way to express it? A salute to the U.S. ringleader, our century-old enemy!

“Isn’t it fortunate that he’s coming to Pyongyang?”

Well, it might be fortunate that it was Pyongyang. Pyongyang was a city where North Korea’s core elite lived, so it was completely controlled, except for a very small number of people. If he had said he was going on a tour of the Republic for one night and two days, there would have been nothing they could do.

“But I’m so anxious that some people might misinterpret the Juche ideology.”

“General, don’t worry. Pyongyang is completely under control. Even if it isn’t, our Korean People’s Army will always be the shield that defends the Party Central Committee!”

But was control really control just because they said it was controlled? Kim Jong-il was extremely anxious.

“General! News that the U.S. President has taken off. We’re running out of time to prepare.”

Perhaps because the political scene in North Korea was a place where one had to survive solely on intuition, they adapted very quickly. Before he knew it, the title had changed from U.S. ringleader to U.S. President.

There was nothing more to say. Kim Jong-il decided to step into the boundary between life and death once again.

“Proceed.”

Pyongyang was preparing busily enough to be detected from satellites, and soon, Air Force One, carrying Bush, landed at Pyongyang Sunan International Airport in North Korea, and a red carpet was rolled out from the plane’s stairs.

The first thing Bush noticed when the plane door opened was not the glamorous crowds or the exotic appearance of the airport. It was that the air was remarkably clear.

Of course, it wasn’t as good as the air you could breathe in nature, but it was certainly cleaner than what you’d expect at an ‘airport.’ Perhaps the secret to maintaining this clean air was that they hardly operated any flights.

“Welcome to our Republic. We have prepared a great deal for President Bush’s visit, so please allow us to help you relieve your fatigue.”

And Bush once again faced the swamp of redundant translations. However, he couldn’t just start speaking Korean instead of English, so he pretended to listen to the translation diligently.

After that, handshakes with high-ranking officials wearing expensive suits that were hard to find even in foreign countries followed naturally, and when the line of handshakes ended, a high-ranking officer with a ceremonial military sword approached with the highest-level ceremonial march.

“Mr. President of the United States! The Korean People’s Army Honor Guard is here to welcome you! Commander of the Honor Guard, Army Colonel Kim Sang-woo!”

The People’s Army honor guard’s welcoming ceremony for the U.S. President unfolded. The honor guard was composed of men with fairly tall physiques. They were holding Type 58 automatic rifles and Type 63 rifles plated with platinum, and the tips of the bayonets reflected the sunlight, shining brilliantly. Since precious metals inherently possess the primitive magic to impress people, Bush honestly found it quite impressive.

“Attention! Present arms!”

However, unlike Bush, who was reasonably satisfied, Kim Jong-il watched even that with unease. The person who feels guilty is the one who has the hardest time. This was the highest level of courtesy that North Korea could prepare at the moment, but if they had had more time, they could have prepared something even more splendid.

For example, it wouldn’t be noticeable to someone who didn’t know, but the placement of the welcoming crowd was awkward because they had forcibly conscripted people to fill the numbers. The welcoming slogans and the rhythm of the cheers were unified, but this created an unnaturalness. This was not what Kim Jong-il wanted.

“Order arms! Left face! Shoulder arms! Forward, march!”

However, there was no way Bush wouldn’t know that the welcoming crowd was cheering forcibly. Perhaps that’s why he found this welcoming ceremony so satisfying. What he was most pleased with was that the welcoming crowd filling the airport was so large, which was unprecedented.

This was a scale that couldn’t be found even in the news that Kim Kap-hwan remembered. The only thing that could be compared was the military parade on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the North Korean regime, but the situation of comparing a military parade, which is the most important event in a communist country, with a mere welcoming ceremony was absurd.

“Thank you for such a kind response despite the sudden visit.”

“Not at all. If you had given us more time, we would have welcomed you even more splendidly.”

It was hard to find confidence and dignity in Kim Jong-il’s tone. As a man who had lived on pride alone, one could tell how much Kim Jong-il was yielding and how much he was holding back.

“I came about the light-water reactor issue, but since this is a North America summit, I would like to have many discussions.”

In other words, he wanted to stick together as much as possible for one night and two days. And this was nothing short of a nightmare for Kim Jong-il.

“Of course.”

“Ah, right.”

There was something Bush definitely wanted to say when he came to North Korea.

“For the next North America summit, please come to the United States ‘directly’.”

This was a jab at one of Kim Jong-il’s biggest weaknesses: his fear of flying. Due to his extreme fear of heights, he always traveled by land, no matter where he went.

And the only thing Kim Jong-il, who had a fear of heights, could say was:

“Of course.”