The Chaebol Returns To The Presidency 1967 [EN]: Chapter 163

163. Who’s Number Two!

Pyongyang First Hospital.

The figures ranked 2nd to 5th, wearing masks in the oxygenated room, were paying their respects to the Chairman, who was lying in a sealed sickbed.

The hospital director initially concealed the diagnosis, but after the Chairman roared, he confessed everything: the Chairman had been exposed to radiation during the nuclear test and was in critical condition.

The Chairman had no choice but to accept his fate and summoned the leadership.

“I have so much to do, but I have to leave…”

Jang Song-taek offered words of comfort.

“Respected Leader, in a few days, you will shake it off as if nothing happened and return to state affairs.”

“…….”

Even flattery was unappealing to the Chairman’s current state.

“Listen carefully. I will dictate the succession of power in my will.”

Everyone tensed up and perked their ears.

“The funeral ranking will be… Pyong-il will be in charge as the top rank…”

In socialist countries, the funeral ranking was the power ranking.

Silence fell.

Hereditary succession was somewhat expected, but there were many problems.

“Second is my brother-in-law (Jang Song-taek), third is the Vice Chairman of the National Defense Commission, fourth is the Minister of State Security…”

That was how the ranking up to the 12th Standing Committee member was determined.

This was also the list of the Standing Committee members, the core of power.

The attendees sized each other up.

The Minister of State Security, who was pushed down in the ranking, cautiously spoke up.

“Respected Chairman, I have no doubt that Comrade Kim Pyong-il will become an unparalleled leader like you.”

“…….”

“However, with all due respect, he is still young and lacks political experience, which is a great concern.”

“Cough, cough… That’s why I appointed my brother-in-law as the second in command. My brother-in-law will be Pyong-il’s mentor and political teacher, guiding him well.”

“I will serve with all my heart, Respected Leader!”

Just then, Kim Pyong-il entered.

The attendees paid their respects.

Pyong-il visited the Chairman every day to inquire about his health.

It was a sophisticated survival tactic.

Initially, the Chairman considered appointing the young Pyong-il as the second in command and Jang Song-taek as the first, so he could receive political lessons, but seeing his face every day changed his mind.

Pyong-il’s mother urging him to visit the Chairman often before his death had an effect.

“Father, you look much better.”

“Heh heh, really? Cough, cough!”

As the nurse wiped his mouth, blood was visible.

The Chairman spoke hastily, as if he was about to leave soon.

“As I said, take political lessons from your uncle, who is second in command.”

“Yes, Father!”

“Since you have no political experience, ask your uncle about everything and learn humbly.”

“I will keep that in mind, Father!”

Kim Pyong-il looked at Jang Song-taek and bowed politely.

“I look forward to your guidance, Uncle!”

“I will do my best.”

Having exhausted his energy, the Chairman closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep, as if he had finished his work.

The first in command was determined to be his son, Kim Pyong-il, establishing a form of hereditary succession, but with Jang Song-taek acting as regent and guardian, he rose to become the de facto supreme leader.

However, Kim Pyong-il was not as easygoing as he seemed.

Born to the Chairman’s third wife, he had been receiving attention from an early age.

Standing tall at 180cm [approximately 5’11”] with handsome features, he closely resembled his father compared to his half-brother, Jong-il, making comparisons inevitable wherever he went.

In particular, his personality was amicable, and unlike Kim Jong-il, who was reluctant to give public speeches, he demonstrated leadership qualities with his ability to address the masses.

Kim Pyong-il was a better public politician than Kim Jong-il.

During the Chairman’s sixtieth birthday, he was formally introduced in the presence of the first-generation anti-Japanese partisans [guerrilla fighters who fought for Korean independence during the Japanese occupation].

His only weakness was that he was not the eldest son.

Kim Jong-il, as his greatest rival, was jealous of his half-brother and was constantly looking for opportunities.

However, unlike the era of Chairman Wang, the South Korean president had already eliminated Kim Jong-il.

He was favored by Jang Song-taek’s wife, his aunt Kim Kyung-hee, and relied on his aunt during his teenage years when he was separated from his father.

He trusted Kim Kyung-hee more than Jang Song-taek.

His mother, Kim Kyung-ae, was preparing for a power struggle as the second son, just in case.

Unlike democratic countries where the term of the supreme leader is fixed, communist countries are virtually lifelong.

Once power is seized, it is not relinquished until death, making it no different from the dynastic era.

If pushed out in the power struggle, one would have to live their entire life in the shadows, so they had no choice but to become desperate to avoid being purged.

*

Presidential Office.

The Director of National Intelligence Service reported.

“Your Excellency, the Chairman of the North has finally passed away.”

“He was just over sixty; he left too soon. The radioactive water was potent indeed.”

In Chairman Wang’s era, he passed away in 1994, but now he died 20 years earlier.

With the inconsistency of the timeline, there was both anticipation and concern about how history would change.

The Director of National Intelligence Service said.

“Judging by the fact that they have not issued a hostile statement against us, they seem to be completely unaware of our operation.”

“If they knew that their leader, greater than the sun, had been assassinated, missiles would have been launched already.”

“Looking at the funeral rankings, Kim Pyong-il was ranked first, and Jang Song-taek was second.”

“Tsk tsk, they call themselves the people’s paradise, the People’s Republic, yet they have hereditary succession like a dynasty in the 20th century. Aren’t they ashamed?”

If left unchecked, the 2nd and 3rd generation hereditary dynasty will continue.

The Director of National Intelligence Service said.

“It is regrettable that we could not wipe out the entire Paektu bloodline [Kim Il-sung’s lineage] and leadership with the radiation exposure.”

Kim Pyong-il lived in the Kim Il-sung University dormitory, so he had no chance of being exposed, and the leadership only suffered mild symptoms from indirect exposure three or four times, with no impact on their lives.

Only the service personnel and guards residing in the Chairman’s residence were directly hit.

They assumed the source of contamination was Chairman Kim, so they kept the existence of the exposed individuals quiet.

“I, too, regret that the exposure period was short. We had to time it with the North’s nuclear test.”

“Since we achieved our goal, it is a complete success, Your Excellency. And the North has requested a list of attendees for the funeral. Who should we send?”

“Send the Prime Minister and the Director of National Intelligence Service in my place. Only socialist countries have their top leaders attend, while the free world will all send representatives.”

“Understood.”

“The Director of National Intelligence Service must complete the third phase of the operation.”

“Of course.”

Although the assassination of the Chairman was successful, it was not a complete regime change.

The regime change is only meaningful if the desired person seizes power.

*

All flags in North Korea were at half-mast.

Mournful music flowed from the village speakers and radio all day long.

The people wore mourning clothes and flocked to the square, wailing and lamenting as if the sky had fallen.

The state funeral was held grandly at the Workers’ Party headquarters.

The Chairman, buried in flowers inside a glass coffin, lay there, and each person bowed in order of their ranking.

The chief mourners were Kim Pyong-il and Jang Song-taek, in order of their ranking.

State guests also paid their respects in turn.

From South Korea, the Prime Minister and the Director of National Intelligence Service bowed to the chief mourners.

The Director of National Intelligence Service approached Jang Song-taek and said in a low voice.

“How should we deliver the condolence money?”

There was no such thing as condolence money at a socialist funeral.

It was a bribe.

Jang Song-taek swallowed hard and said quietly.

“Wait in the VIP lounge, and you will be contacted.”

*

The Director of National Intelligence Service followed the guide and entered Jang Song-taek’s office at the Workers’ Party headquarters.

Jang Song-taek was waiting.

“Welcome, Director. Thank you for coming all the way to offer your condolences.”

“My condolences for your loss.”

“It is a grief as if a mountain has collapsed and the sky has fallen.”

Contrary to his words, his actions were full of confidence.

Jang Song-taek was no longer just number two.

The Director of National Intelligence Service handed over a heavy bag of money.

“This is a small token of our sincerity.”

“Thank you.”

“I hope that this will lead to closer cooperation and exchanges between the North and South.”

“Of course. It is beneficial to meet each other.”

The two exchanged words of comfort and condolences for about ten minutes.

However, there was someone watching these two.

Kim Pyong-il was young, but he was not naive.

Although the Chairman appointed Jang Song-taek as his guardian in his will, Kim Pyong-il was actually receiving instructions from his mother, Kim Sung-ae.

“Do not trust your uncle. He is a snob. Make the Minister of State Security your man and have him monitor him.”

“Yes, Mother. But my uncle’s power is so strong, will there be anyone who obeys me?”

Jang Song-taek had already bribed the military leaders in advance and was receiving support from the military.

Only the Ministry of State Security was isolated.

“The Ministry of State Security is responsible for this radiation exposure. They failed to protect him, so they must take responsibility. You can use this to your advantage.”

“Ah!”

His first political power play was put to the test.

Pyong-il secretly summoned the Minister of State Security.

“I heard that Father attended the last nuclear test without wearing protective gear.”

“I, I am sorry, Respected Leader!”

He knelt before the young man.

Failure to protect the Chairman meant execution.

It was only natural to punish those responsible after the funeral.

The Minister of State Security trembled as if he had been dragged to the King of Hell.

Pyong-il felt the thrill of power for the first time at his sight.

He roared.

“The failure to protect the Respected Leader is a crime that cannot be atoned for even if you die a hundred or a thousand times!”

“I am deeply remorseful for my mistake, Respected Leader!”

“Then I will issue the punishment.”

“I will accept any punishment.”

The Minister of State Security was resigned to his fate.

But unexpected words came out.

“Monitor your uncle.”

“Yes? You mean Vice Chairman?”

“Yes.”

He expected a death sentence, but instead, he was ordered to secretly monitor Jang Song-taek.

Monitoring a powerful figure was extremely dangerous.

But since he was already a dead man, it was a blessing.

Moreover, if he did well, he could purge Jang Song-taek and rise to the second in command as a close aide to the Paektu bloodline, so there was no reason to refuse.

“I will carry out my mission with my life, Respected Leader!”

That is how Jang Song-taek was being monitored.

*

Pyongyang Workers’ Party Headquarters.

The first Standing Committee meeting presided over by Kim Pyong-il was being held.

The Minister of Industry reported.

“The Soviet Union has only sent half of the promised crude oil and one-third of the food. They cited a poor harvest as the reason. At the same time, they are urging us to increase trade volume. Contrary to their promise, they have changed their tune from free aid to paid trade.”

The Soviet Union and China were more difficult to deal with than the West.

Even if they broke inter-state promises, there was nothing we could do, so we had to suffer in silence.

Jang Song-taek bravely stepped forward.

“We’ve been backstabbed. Now that they’ve deployed nuclear weapons, they think they’ve seen all they need to see. I knew this would happen.”

He showed the courage to openly criticize the Soviet Union.

“Chairman of the National Defense Commission, our trade with the South has been cut off, and foreign currency earnings have been greatly reduced due to economic sanctions, leaving the national treasury empty. We cannot avoid becoming beggars if we rely solely on the Soviet Union.”

“In this case, we should urge the Soviet Union to fulfill its promises, shouldn’t we, Uncle?”

Pyong-il was the first in command, but he started as the Chairman of the Standing Committee and the Chairman of the National Defense Commission, not the Chairman.

Jang Song-taek was the Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee and the Vice Chairman of the National Defense Commission.

The position of Chairman was a distant future event that would have to be recommended by the People’s Committee after gaining experience.

“We will urge them, but there will be no results. If they intended to fulfill them, they would have done so already.”

“Then what should we do?”

“We must also play hardball.”

“If it’s playing hardball… Please explain it in a way that I can easily understand, Uncle.”

“So, we’ve already received the nuclear missiles. We will resume economic cooperation with the South in this state. We will pursue a policy of simultaneously developing nuclear weapons and the economy.”