George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 86

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“So, Mr. President, you want North Korea to participate in this Olympics?”

As soon as the Chief of Staff heard those words, he felt a wave of dizziness. ‘Here we go again with the headaches!’ one might say. ‘Are you still getting dizzy over such trivial matters?’ But the Chief of Staff would confidently retort that it would be stranger if he *got* used to such experiences.

“I don’t know about participation, but I definitely want them to enter together during the opening and closing ceremonies. The South Korean government would welcome that with open arms, I bet.”

That was true. By nature, governments exist to respond to the support of their people, so they inevitably favor anything that garners public approval, regardless of its form. This characteristic is especially pronounced in democratic governments where every citizen has the right to vote, because the votes they cast determine the power and wealth of the representatives.

In any case, just like during the 2000 Summer Olympics, the current South Korean government is pushing for a ‘North Korea reconciliation and cooperation policy,’ so they would support it with all their might. However, there were many obstacles to overcome to achieve this.

First, 78 countries had confirmed their participation in the Olympics, but North Korea had not qualified in any event except for one. Moreover, given the current state of affairs, it seemed unlikely that they would participate in the Olympics held in the United States, of all places.

“Even so, it seems honestly difficult to get them to participate in the Olympics at this late stage, but simply participating in the opening and closing ceremonies might be possible.”

“There’s a ‘wild card’ system for countries like North Korea, isn’t there?”

“That’s true, but…”

Unlike the Summer Olympics, which include events regardless of snow, the Winter Olympics take place on snow and ice. This presents a critical disadvantage for countries without snowfall, naturally weakening their competitiveness in the Winter Olympics. Furthermore, even if a country *does* have snow, economic issues can hinder training and other preparations.

Therefore, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) established a system for these relatively weaker countries, known as the wild card system. This system wasn’t created solely by the IOC; it’s generally applied across most sports, including the Summer Olympics and the World Cup.

The form of each wild card varies by event, but all wild cards share a common goal: ‘a policy of consideration for weaker countries.’

“But isn’t the most important thing North Korea’s willingness?”

“What? Whose willingness?”

“I mean, North Korea’s willingness… No, I misspoke.”

“You thought it was funny even as you said it, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I suppose so.”

The corners of the Chief of Staff’s mouth were raised almost excessively as he said that. It seemed he really did find it funny.

What *does* North Korea’s willingness matter? Bush had ordered it to be done, so it would soon become reality. The Chief of Staff should have said, ‘I will do it,’ instead of uttering grand words like ‘North Korea’s willingness.’

Thus, the Chief of Staff, after savoring the essence of knowledge derived from his career and experience in various ways, was able to derive one answer.

“How about providing some food that is difficult to store to North Korea through the South Korean government? I think that would move North Korea.”

The reason it had to be difficult to store was that if it *could* be stored for a long time, it would end up in the mouths of the military rather than the people. Long-term storage means it’s preserved food, and preserved food in North Korea means combat rations.

Since the goal of all actions toward North Korea is to weaken and reduce their military power, giving them food that can be stored for a long time would be an act of treason led by the President himself.

Furthermore, he initially considered having the United States provide support, but after stirring up the hornet’s nest with the light-water reactor issue [a point of contention regarding North Korea’s nuclear program], would North Korea be grateful and promise to participate in the Winter Olympics just because of some support? If that were the case, they would be fools, not people.

Moreover, Kim Jong-il, the leader of North Korea, was a truly irrational human being. Humans are inherently irrational creatures, but Kim Jong-il was even *more* so. When categorizing people by abilities, Kim Jong-il had MAX level in ‘survival’ skills to the point where the system glitched, but his other abilities were in the negatives, so he conducted foreign policy according to his whims.

A prime example of how irrational Kim Jong-il was is that he loved his health more than anyone else, to the point of establishing and operating a dedicated health research institute for himself. Yet, this man was an incredibly heavy smoker.

To what extent? He declared a smoking ban within North Korea, yet he himself smoked dozens of cigarettes a day behind the scenes, as if his body couldn’t survive without nicotine.

And that’s not all. He was a heavy smoker *and* a heavy drinker. He indulged in ‘alcohol and tobacco,’ which are most detrimental to health, yet he loved his health. Isn’t that truly irrational and contradictory?

In any case, most of his policies, except for those related to preserving his power and survival, were often dictated by his mood. Therefore, North Korea would certainly refuse to participate in the Winter Olympics if the United States told them to do it.

Of course, they would respond quickly when it comes to survival, but using this one issue to pressure them militarily was also quite laughable. Of course, they could be forced to move if necessary, but the Chief of Staff didn’t feel that it was a challenge worth achieving at such lengths.

Isn’t it normal for people to consider cost-effectiveness, whether they have a lot of money or not?

“Should we move the USFK [United States Forces Korea] in North Korea?”

Of course, this person isn’t normal either. In fact, the light-water reactor security force was already being referred to as the USFK in North Korea. The unit, which initially started as a battalion-level force, was gradually increasing in size, so the term USFK in North Korea wasn’t entirely wrong.

“That won’t do.”

Of course not. Anyone with a sound mind wouldn’t agree to that. If Dick Cheney or Karl Rove were here, a plan to pressure North Korea would be swiftly established, but fortunately or unfortunately, the person assisting Bush in this place was Chief of Staff Andrew Card, who had common sense properly embedded in his head.

“That would cost more than food aid.”

Of course, he often gazed into the abyss, so it seemed like the screws were gradually coming loose from that common sense, but it was definitely just a feeling.

“That’s true. Well, it’s time for us to start saving the budget.”

He was casting a fishing line with the bait of silver prices, waiting for a bite, but wouldn’t a big fish like China have to take the bait for it to work? According to intelligence spreading around the world, it seemed like they were biting so hard that the line was about to break, but it was still too early to let our guard down.

Fishing requires pulling the line taut, but sometimes it’s necessary to loosen the line to prevent it from breaking. Pulling too hastily could cause the line to break or the fish to escape.

“It would have been better if you had saved it sooner.”

“Thanks to that, we’re doing well, aren’t we? You can’t become rich by just accumulating and hoarding forever. You have to invest in high-value stocks. You know that well, don’t you?”

“So far, all the investments have been jackpots, but there’s no guarantee that it will always be the case, so I’m saying this.”

The Chief of Staff scolded Bush for being too optimistic.

In fact, the Chief of Staff was one of the few people who could say this to Bush. Some experts who recognized the true value of Bush’s policies even mistook Bush for a political genius or someone with divine powers. Examples include the quick in-and-out strategy in the Middle East and the ‘fighter jet diplomacy’ that has become a hot topic.

In particular, fighter jet diplomacy was an unprecedented method that caused a great shock to the political science community. And as a butterfly effect, the dissertations of university students who were writing political science papers became worthless overnight on a global scale, but that was a trivial matter.

In any case, the Chief of Staff was also the final safety net that Bush himself had left behind. So, he usually listened to his words.

“If the budget allows, moving the military might be a good idea. Preferably, we could occupy Nampo Port and build an air force runway.”

Again, that safety net was gradually coming loose.

“Nampo Port, huh? I’ve been thinking about that too.”

The reason for Nampo Port was that it is a port facing the Yellow Sea.

With the constant presence of a US fleet-sized military force, China would always be within range, and Seoul is also nearby. The only ports that fit this description are Nampo and Incheon, but Incheon is one of the world’s leading logistics hub ports, and land prices are high, so that’s out of the question. Of course, it pales in comparison to Busan, which is one of the top ten ports in the world, but expensive is expensive.

Moreover, if an aircraft carrier fleet with the Stars and Stripes occupied Incheon Port, who knows what the Korean public opinion and anti-war activists in the United States would say. Originally, the military is an organization that not only fights against the enemy but also inevitably confronts public opinion.

In fact, they were already occupying the light-water reactor construction site as they pleased and not listening to what people said. Domestic anti-war sentiment was being ignored by riding on the wave of 9/11 patriotism, and overseas, everything was being suppressed with overwhelming military power.

However, there were only two places that couldn’t be ignored: the EU and Russia. However, instead of the EU itself issuing statements, each EU member state was raising different voices, so it wasn’t really a concern, and Russia has been strangely quiet lately.

Of course, they would be horrified if we said we would enter Nampo, but the Russian navy was just ‘pathetic.’ It was a somewhat extreme expression, but what could we do when that was the reality? If a war broke out, the most Russia could do was launch an air raid on the port through the air force stationed in the Far East.

“For now, we’re discussing seeking a joint position between South and North Korea at this Winter Olympics, so let’s put the occupation of Nampo Port on hold for a moment.”

“Understood.”

“In terms of cost-effectiveness, it seems best to provide food aid through South Korea and get them to take a joint position. It’s not even that awkward.”

It wasn’t entirely awkward because there were only two weeks left, but he judged that the South Korean government, which was eager to give to North Korea, would cover up the awkwardness with their passion.

“The worst-case scenario we can imagine is North Korea taking the food and running away. It’s truly wonderful!”

Bush was so moved that he jumped up from his seat and applauded. The applause contained the confidence that he could also carry out tasks in such a ‘moderate way.’ He had been experiencing a sense of stagnation recently, wondering if he had been carrying out tasks too aggressively.

“What kind of food do we provide?”

“Let’s go with milled rice. Rice is the staple food of East Asia, and once it’s milled, it can only be preserved for a year at most.”

Now that the food to be provided has been decided, all that remains is to negotiate with the Korean government, which is thirsty for diplomatic achievements with North Korea.

“Shall we proceed as is?”

“Ah, let’s add one more thing.”

“What shall we add?”

“This isn’t something to add to the North Korea negotiations, but about China.”

“China?”

“It seems that North Korea is exporting whatever they receive from South Korea, whether it’s rice or anything else, to China to raise funds for nuclear development.”

“Ah, I’ve heard about that from intelligence.”

“I’m going to prevent China from importing that. At the same time, I’m going to block the sea and land routes used for North Korea’s exports and imports to further reduce other trade with North Korea.”

Moderation has finally committed suicide and died.