The Chaebol Returns To The Presidency 1967 [EN]: Chapter 162

162. The Hoax of the Century

Osan Air Base.

At the U.S. military’s signals intelligence unit (NSA) listening post, an American soldier on duty was monitoring North Korean broadcasts.

The unit monitored everything from North Korean broadcasts and radio transmissions to any detectable frequencies.

The soldier, chewing gum and leaning back in his chair, suddenly straightened up.

It was because a female announcer said the following against a backdrop of heavy music:

– He has departed, leaving us behind to mourn….

“Huh? Departed? This music is a dirge!”

– We, the people, shall follow the path the Chairman has taken.

“They’re really saying the Chairman is dead!”

It was a solemn eulogy, but he mistook the expression ‘departed’ to mean the North Korean Chairman had died.

The American soldier knew some Korean, but his grasp of subtle nuances was lacking, leading to the misinterpretation.

The soldier immediately requested confirmation from the NSA headquarters in the U.S. mainland.

“The broadcast mentioned the death of the North Korean Chairman. This is information requiring confirmation.”

Wireless communication is merely intelligence at the initial stage.

It must undergo a process of verifying the facts through human intelligence or satellites to be recognized as official intelligence.

However, the NSA duty officer mistakenly transmitted the first code, signifying ‘confirmation complete,’ instead of the second code, signifying ‘information requiring confirmation,’ to the White House and the CIA.

‘Confirmation complete’ meant that the intelligence information had been verified and was factual.

Upon receiving the message, the White House, following protocol, urgently transmitted the message to the U.S. Forces Japan and the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command without hesitation.

– Chairman Kim is dead!

Japan, boasting its intelligence capabilities, was one step ahead in the breaking news war.

The Japanese Public Security Intelligence Agency instructed its informants operating in the North Korea-China border area to verify the Chairman’s death intelligence, and they collected and sent information on unusual movements at the border.

– Individuals appearing to be soldiers who assassinated Chairman Kim have defected and crossed the Yalu River into China.

The incident of North Korean soldiers committing a shooting and defecting with firearms was being added to the Chairman Kim’s death.

This news leaked to Japanese diplomatic and stock market circles, spreading rapidly like an epidemic.

A South Korean newspaper correspondent stationed in Japan obtained this information.

“Chairman Kim is dead! Shot by rebel soldiers! No wonder the Chairman’s public appearances have been quiet lately. This is a scoop!”

The Chairman had stopped external inspections for several weeks due to his worsening health, which was linked to his death.

He immediately wired the information to South Korea.

The newspaper was turned upside down.

The editor-in-chief was excited.

“The North Korean Chairman is dead? We can’t miss this global exclusive. Quick, quick, issue an extra edition! The whole world will be quoting our newspaper!”

The evening paper would not come out for another 5 hours, and they could lose the exclusive in that time, so they preempted it.

“Extra, extra! The North Korean leader is dead!”

Newspaper vendors went around distributing the extra edition.

The headline read:

– North Korean leader Kim, assassinated by gunfire!!

The extra edition reported that ‘North Korean leader Kim was assassinated by gunfire or suffered a serious accident.’

Other newspapers were in an uproar.

“How did they get this information exclusively?”

“They got it from Japan.”

“It wasn’t published in Japanese newspapers?”

“It’s information from the Japanese Public Security Intelligence Agency.”

“Damn it! Check with the Ministry of National Defense! Immediately!”

“Yes, sir!”

Reporters went to the Ministry of National Defense to ask about the authenticity of the extra edition.

“Is it true that the North Korean Chairman was shot and killed?”

The Ministry of National Defense spokesman said.

“Uh, we cannot officially confirm it yet.”

“Officially? So, it is true?”

“No comment.”

The military leadership had heard the death information from the United States and did not deny it.

The newspapers were even more convinced of the assassination.

The extra edition reported the shooting, and the morning papers confirmed it as fact, devoting a whopping 7 out of 12 pages to an article praising themselves as having a ‘global scoop.’

The extra edition article immediately became global news and attracted attention.

*

Presidential Office.

An extra edition was on the desk.

The Director of the National Intelligence Service reported to the President.

“The information is from the United States, so it is highly reliable, but according to the trends along the armistice line and reports from our human intelligence, the Chairman is still hospitalized. There are no signs of funeral preparations. It’s not a death.”

“I’m suspicious too. I can’t believe that the Chairman, who is on the verge of death, was shot and killed. Where did the United States get this information?”

During Chairman Wang’s time, Chairman Kim died of illness, but his sudden death before the inter-Korean summit left doubts.

But at least it wasn’t an assassination by gunfire.

“When I asked the U.S. intelligence line, they said they heard it through eavesdropping. So, it’s just intelligence at the initial stage. There was no information about a shooting incident.”

“Something smells fishy. Director of the National Intelligence Service, can’t you find out through the Vice Chairman? That seems to be the most accurate and fastest way.”

“I’ve already sent a message to the North. I have to go to Panmunjom [the Joint Security Area between North and South Korea] right away.”

“Go quickly.”

*

Panmunjom.

The Paju Industrial Complex [a jointly run industrial park in North Korea] was temporarily closed, and Jang Seong-taek was secretly met at Panmunjom.

Jang Seong-taek, after seeing the extra edition, jumped up.

“Assassinated by gunfire? What nonsense is this? Do the Southern newspapers publish comedies?”

“It’s not true, is it? The Chairman is innocent and healthy, right?”

“He is overworked, but he is definitely breathing. Is the South trying to provoke us by shaking up the situation on the Korean Peninsula in this way?”

“Of course not. If that was the intention, I wouldn’t have met with the Vice Chairman to confirm.”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

“I don’t believe it either, so I’m checking the facts. There seems to be some serious misunderstanding. Perhaps the Chairman’s recent absence from external inspections has given rise to strange rumors.”

“…….”

The next day, the Rodong Sinmun [North Korea’s state newspaper] published an article with a photo of Chairman Kim presiding over a State Council meeting.

Of course, it was a photo taken when he was healthy.

If he were healthy, he would have appeared confidently and ridiculed the Southern media, but it was the best he could do from his sickbed.

The editorial increased the level of criticism, calling it a scheme by the Southern jackal newspapers to drive the Korean Peninsula into an unstable situation.

*

After a few days, the entire story was revealed as a result of tracing back the U.S. and Japanese intelligence lines.

The Director of the National Intelligence Service briefed the reporters directly.

“It’s a hoax of the century. It started with mistaking a solemn eulogy for a dirge and snowballed from there.”

The reporters listening had red faces.

No one had officially confirmed the facts, and the rumors had simply grown and grown.

Some newspapers published short articles apologizing for the false report, while the newspaper that first printed the extra edition showed the height of shamelessness, saying that they had simply published the information they had heard.

That year, this false report was proudly selected as the biggest false report in Korean media history, following the false report of the death of Lee Joon, a martyr of The Korea Daily News, during the Hague Secret Emissary Affair [a 1907 attempt to appeal for Korean independence to the international community].

It was recorded as a dark history that would remain in the Korean media world.

*

Pyongyang No. 1 Hospital.

Was the death hoax an omen? Despite the desperate treatment by domestic medical staff, the Chairman’s illness worsened.

A hematological cancer specialist was urgently invited from East Germany to diagnose the Chairman’s condition.

It was because the symptoms of leukemia were obvious.

After completing the diagnosis, Dr. Schumann spoke about his findings in the director’s office.

“This is not just a simple immune deficiency.”

The chief physician asked.

“It’s leukemia, right?”

“This is a typical symptom of radiation exposure.”

The medical staff was startled.

“What? Radiation exposure? Are you talking about radioactivity?”

“Yes. It seems he has been exposed to a significant amount of radiation.”

The medical staff looked at each other, their faces pale.

They had never treated a radiation-exposed patient before, so they had only been giving strict treatment.

Dr. Schumann explained.

“Radiation destroys the DNA, organelles, and enzymes of living cells. The Chairman has severe hair loss, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, general weakness, bleeding, and anemia. This is not chronic radiation exposure, but a typical symptom of acute radiation exposure.”

“If it’s acute radiation exposure, doesn’t that mean he was directly exposed to nuclear radiation?”

“That’s right. It occurs when exposed at close range during a nuclear explosion or when inhaling radioactive contaminants.”

“Ah, my! The nuclear test he directly observed last time was the cause!”

“Didn’t he wear a protective suit?”

“He didn’t wear it because of the photo shoot.”

“If he was nearby, it’s definitely possible.”

“If the Chairman is contaminated, will the people around him also be contaminated?”

“Of course. It’s not fatal, but prolonged exposure can cause chronic radiation exposure symptoms.”

“Ah, that’s why the bodyguards and restaurant workers at the Chairman’s residence were so weak!”

The women who served him, including the head of the security detail and the bodyguards, all showed symptoms and were replaced for fear of transmission to the Chairman.

The guard dog that barked when the operative came was sick and died.

In North Korea, where there was no research on radiation exposure, there was no response at all, and no one suspected it because the exposure was accumulating little by little every day.

Dr. Schumann said.

“At that level, the symptoms are so severe that recovery is impossible. He can be kept alive in a sealed, clean oxygen chamber with outside air blocked, but I can’t guarantee how long that will last.”

“Ah….”

The director of the hospital immediately reported to the higher-ups.

The Chairman’s residence had such a high level of radiation contamination that it was closed and access was prohibited, becoming a haunted house.

*

Because the health status of No. 1 [a euphemism for the leader] was top secret, an emergency Standing Committee was held under tight security.

Vice Chairman Jang Seong-taek presided over the meeting.

Upon hearing the report that the Chairman was exposed to radiation and was beyond recovery, the 11 Standing Committee members, excluding the Chairman, were stunned and in a state of panic.

They had never dared to imagine the absence of Chairman Kim, the founder and absolute power of the Republic.

However, only Jang Seong-taek was prepared.

The Vice Chairman of the National Defense Commission flaunted his loyalty.

“The commanders of the nuclear test unit who brought the Supreme Leader to this state must all be shot! This is equivalent to assassinating the Chairman!”

It was a method of cutting off the tail by shifting responsibility to the working-level staff to prevent responsibility from returning to him.

The head of the State Security Department sharpened his blade.

“Isn’t the Ministry of National Defense also unable to avoid responsibility?”

“What? Are you saying I was involved in treason?”

“That’s what the command system says.”

“Isn’t it the State Security Department’s responsibility to protect the Supreme Leader’s safety? You should have prevented radiation exposure.”

“So, you’re saying it’s the State Security Department’s responsibility?”

Signs of a power struggle were already beginning to appear.

Then Jang Seong-taek stepped forward.

“Now, now, this is not the time to be arguing! The U.S. aircraft carrier has entered the East Sea [Sea of Japan] in a serious emergency situation. What the enemies are aiming for is chaos!”

His calm remarks silenced the audience.

He immediately seized the atmosphere.

“To prepare for the Supreme Leader’s passing, the most urgent task is to determine the Supreme Leader’s successor!”

The others nodded.

“Who should we appoint as successor?”

“The Chairman must designate it in his will.”

“We must finalize the succession issue while he is still of sound mind.”

“That’s right! Let’s hurry!”