George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 352

< Episode 351 >

There were countless reasons why Korea shouldn’t dispatch troops overseas. The economic problems that had persisted since unification, coupled with cultural issues where some North Korean youths were suitable as soldiers but not as officers, presented significant challenges. This issue was a potential flashpoint for discrimination accusations, and even mentioning it would ignite years of contentious debate.

So, frankly speaking, Hyun Won-seop’s initial answer was a resounding ‘Hell no!’

Yet, the reason Hyun Won-seop was now beside himself was that the request for troop dispatch came from ‘America.’ And it wasn’t just the Secretary of Defense; it was a direct request from the US President, who effectively held Korea’s economy in his hands.

It might sound harsh, but Korea’s current state was largely due to the goodwill of a man named George W. Bush. While in America, such focused attention on Korea might be unpopular in Congress, within Korea, George W. Bush’s stature was akin to that of Emperor Wanli during the Imjin War [Japanese invasions of Korea in the late 16th century, where Wanli’s support was crucial].

“Report.”

“Yes?”

“Where is the 9th Division’s dispatch report?”

The 9th Division had recently returned from the war in China. Although China still faced sporadic civil conflicts and economic instability due to lingering rebel forces, the primary objective—neutralizing the warlords—had been achieved, and they were successfully integrated into the Communist Party, which the Republic of Korea recognized as the legitimate government.

Consequently, the Communist Party was wary of the 9th Division’s presence, and Korean public opinion also soured on the continued deployment, given the loss of young lives. This allowed the 9th Division to withdraw, as the soldiers had hoped. Dealing with China then became the exclusive domain of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, not the Ministry of National Defense.

However, the deployment had taken a heavy toll. Approximately 30% of the 9th Division returned home unable to resume normal lives. Of that 30%, 80% had perished, many becoming unrecoverable casualties whose remains couldn’t even be identified. This was largely due to the increased lethality of modern weaponry.

How could they send back charred flesh fragments, the size of finger joints, impossible to distinguish as Korean or Chinese, and claim it was someone’s son? In such cases, the only option was to return personal belongings from the barracks and tents as mementos.

In any case, the 9th Division was in no condition for another immediate deployment. Of course, if absolutely necessary, they could assemble a division, like constructing a Lego set, as they had done before, but it wouldn’t be easy.

More importantly, there was little justification for doing so. Even though they were volunteer soldiers, how could they send them to die for national interests in a faraway land once again?

“Let’s try to refuse diplomatically. I need to assess the situation and test the waters.”

“Um, but…”

“What is it now?”

“You’ll understand when you examine the document in detail.”

“What document?”

It was, of course, the diplomatic document containing the dispatch request. While technically a formal diplomatic communication, it read more like a personal letter from George W. Bush. Despite the diplomatic language, his personal feelings were strongly evident.

As Hyun Won-seop finished reading the lengthy, four-page document, he realized he was capable of contorting his face in ways he hadn’t thought possible.

By the time he reached the end, Hyun Won-seop’s resolve to refuse the request had completely crumbled.

“This… damn it. This guy knows our country too well.”

Near the end of the document, it stated, ‘If the Korean military refuses, we will request dispatch from the Japanese Self-Defense Forces.’ For Koreans in the 21st century, there was no greater provocation. This sentiment would likely hold true even in the 20th or 19th centuries. However, it wasn’t easy to sway someone with strong convictions with just a simple sentence, was it?

Yet, the President of the United States, Bush, had managed to do it. He had successfully thrown the President of the Republic of Korea, Hyun Won-seop, into disarray.

“Still, we can’t act solely on this.”

However, the Republic of Korea today was not a country that could be easily manipulated by appealing to the emotions of one president. While the president’s determination could certainly drive action, there was no clear justification or rationale for such a move.

While being overshadowed by Japan was insulting and humiliating, they couldn’t simply send the young people in their 20s and 30s, who were crucial to the economy, to the battlefield based on mere insults and humiliation. Conversely, if it wasn’t related to war, the attitude would be, ‘Japan? We can never lose!’

‘Of course, from a purely national perspective, dispatching troops is the right thing to do.’

First, as mentioned earlier, the request came directly from the US President. There was little more to be said or added to that.

Second, the potential benefits of dispatching troops were significant. If things went well, Korea would secure a stable source of crude oil supply from Kuwait. Even though oil prices had plummeted due to the oil war, oil remained a vital resource.

Oil had shaped and dominated the 21st century. It was an indispensable substance for maintaining civilization. While the Republic of Korea already had stable supply sources, having another wouldn’t hurt.

Furthermore, despite being a small Middle Eastern country, Kuwait would offer unconditional diplomatic support for half a century, provided Korea didn’t make any unreasonable demands. Of course, their influence would be less than that of the United States, but which countries in the 21st century weren’t in that position? Weren’t all countries, including the Republic of Korea, in a similar situation?

Third, it would facilitate military expansion. Since unification, military spending had been steadily declining. Korea shared borders with China and Russia, both major global powers. Japan at least had the natural barrier of the sea, but advancements in science and technology, particularly military technology, were diminishing the significance of natural defenses.

Reducing military spending in this context was a clearly detrimental move. However, the Republic of Korea was in a position where it felt compelled to make that bad move, solely due to economic constraints. The United States’ support was the only thing mitigating the situation.

It was frustrating to be in a situation where military spending needed to increase but was instead decreasing. Prioritizing the immediate livelihood of the people meant reducing military spending, but securing the future required suppressing the livelihood of the people and increasing military spending.

For example, the Republic of Korea Navy had two major projects underway, but they were stalled due to budget constraints.

One was the joint firepower ship, benchmarked against the US Arsenal Ship, and the other was the light aircraft carrier designed to carry the F-35 fighter jet, which was soon to be introduced.

In the former case, George W. Bush, who had initiated and championed the Arsenal Ship, which was later abandoned, had strangely floated the idea again after halting mass production of the Arsenal Ship around this time last year. Amidst this, the economic difficulties caused by unification made its introduction virtually impossible within the next 10 years.

The latter case was prompted by the earlier-than-expected 2nd FX project, when it became clear that Japan would soon introduce the F-35. Additionally, the KF-16 at the time was clearly showing its limitations.

As a result, the F-35 was confirmed smoothly, but the problem was its price. The F-35, which had just entered mass production, was not an opponent that could be easily negotiated with through the Republic of Korea’s unique defense procurement process.

In a normal XF project, the fighter with the most reasonable price and performance among the competitors would be selected, but this time, the winner was predetermined.

This meant they had to abandon one project. If strengthening the Air Force’s power was ‘essential,’ they had to ‘choose’ what was not essential. And the light aircraft carrier was truly useless for defense, if not for invasion. It wasn’t completely useless, but it would be better to invest that money elsewhere.

For example, in more F-35s.

“My head hurts.”

As he struggled to find a way to refuse the request, a rumor that had been circulating for years naturally came to mind.

‘Hmm, a third term.’

That’s right. A third term. Not Hyun Won-seop’s third term, but George W. Bush’s third term, which was pounding Hyun Won-seop’s head like a drum in real time.

The question of whether the president of the world’s sole superpower would pursue a third-term constitutional amendment was a constant source of speculation. It was a question so significant that it could alter a country’s foreign policy or even its destiny.

The thoughts of the leader of a country that influenced every nation on the planet were incredibly important.

Hyun Won-seop didn’t believe that guy would honestly run for a third term. This wasn’t based on experience, but just a hunch. Of course, the importance of the matter made it difficult to rely solely on a hunch.

He would likely face severe consequences if they refused this time. He didn’t know the extent of the suffering Korea would endure, but it would be very troublesome. As long as that guy was president, they would be tormented for a long time.

Then what would happen if he failed to win a third term? If he pushed for a third-term constitutional amendment with authority and determination, but failed due to the backlash, and someone else became president?

For example, what if the next US president criticized this and tried to withdraw US troops stationed in Korea? It wasn’t impossible. There were now many strategic strongholds, and above all, there was Japan. Now that Japan had grown excessively due to the Chinese civil war, it was actually a burden in itself.

Honestly, it was insulting to even mention it, but in the past, in the United States’ foreign strategy, Korea was of a lower class compared to ‘Japan.’ The existence of North Korea forced the United States to turn its attention to Korea even if it didn’t like it, but now there was none of that.

Of course, there would be no complete withdrawal, but it was certain that they would be diplomatically cornered in many ways, and it was certain that the moment they were subjected to trade sanctions in the current situation, they would simply fall from a middle-income country developing into a developed country to a developing country.

‘It’s frustrating, but no matter how I think about it, there’s no other way.’

In the end, Hyun Won-seop yielded to reason, not instinct. He decided to support the dispatch to Kuwait, not the refusal of the dispatch.

He could only lament the reality that he had to sacrifice the youth of younger people in order to protect the safety of more people, swallowing tears inside, and only lament about himself who had no choice but to act like this.