The Chaebol Returns To The Presidency 1967 [EN]: Chapter 189

189. D-Day

The South Korean President casually enjoyed his drink and asked Jang Song-taek, who was laughing heartily.

“Weren’t there any forces opposing such a large-scale visit to South Korea?”

“Why wouldn’t there be? The old guard protested, saying the revolutionary spirit would be damaged. Frankly, they’re worried about losing control. But is there any need to be so afraid of North and South Korea getting closer? Don’t you agree, Your Excellency?”

“Indeed, Prime Minister!”

“Let me offer you a drink! This is 100-year-old wild ginseng liquor from the North. If you drink it down, you’ll feel ten years younger.”

Inside a luxurious bottle with gold trim was a tonic liquor containing a thick wild ginseng that looked wrinkled at a glance.

“To North-South peace, cheers!”

“Cheers!”

Jang Song-taek was being guarded by agents from the Escort Bureau [North Korean Presidential Guard].

At that moment, the Director of the National Intelligence Service [South Korean Intelligence Agency] approached the commander of the Escort Bureau with a glass.

“Commander, why don’t you relax a little and have a drink?”

“No need. We’re on duty. Take the glass away.”

“Yes, if you insist…”

The Director of the National Intelligence Service shrugged and turned away at the Escort Bureau commander’s cold attitude.

Then he muttered to himself.

“Fools. They have no idea their lives are hanging by a thread.”

The Escort Bureau was so busy screening the identities of 9,000 people and conducting ideological re-education in preparation for the large-scale visit to the South that they ignored all reports of suspicious military movements within North Korea.

The White House’s diplomatic and security advisor, who attended the party in formal attire, asked the Director of the National Intelligence Service.

“What happened to the North Korean coup? Was it suppressed?”

The advisor had been dispatched to South Korea to confirm the information about the North Korean coup attempt and Premier Jang’s response and report it to the White House.

He was relying on South Korean intelligence because the South Korean National Intelligence Service was responsible for the World Cup inter-Korean dialogue channel and security.

The Director of the National Intelligence Service reported.

“I just spoke with the North’s Escort Commander and confirmed again that the Escort Bureau raided and arrested seven people involved. It’s not the entire State Security Department [North Korean Secret Police], but rather a plot by pro-China mid-level officials in the State Security Department.”

“It’s a much smaller scale than expected, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it was people who were passed over for promotion or deputy-level officials from reduced units.”

“Hmm, the movements of the Chinese military, the deployment of brigades to the armistice line, and the gathering of special forces in Wonsan remain the same. What are those?”

“It’s correct to say that they are routine drills by each country in preparation for the Supreme Leader’s visit to the South during the World Cup.”

“Even though there was a small coup, the inside of North Korea is unusually quiet.”

“Isn’t the catchphrase ‘Peace World Cup’? The North is handling the coup as quietly as possible because it’s an unpleasant matter. That’s why Premier Jang is so carefree and drunk.”

“Indeed, he couldn’t be loosening his belt and getting drunk in an enemy country while a coup is happening in his own country.”

“Well, let’s all have a drink. With the leader of the main enemy in our hands, surely no military mishap will occur?”

“Haha, that’s a valid point.”

The two men refilled their wine glasses.

However, the Director of the National Intelligence Service’s words were a complete lie from beginning to end.

He lied to the United States that he had provided Jang Song-taek with coup information.

*

At that time, on the coast of North Korea.

Swaaah~

It was a pitch-black night with no moon, so only the sound of the waves and pebbles colliding was clear.

A North Korean guard was sitting in his post, nodding off.

Occasionally, he swatted at mosquitoes in a daze and then fell back into a deep sleep.

At that moment, black shadows appeared on the coast.

Men in wetsuits and armed quickly moved from the coast inland.

They were South Korean Silmido unit members [elite special forces unit], who had disembarked from a small submarine onto rubber boats.

The remaining two groups had already infiltrated North Korea using the Hantan River and the Taebaek Mountains.

*

D-Day, the opening day of the 10th World Cup.

With the world’s media watching, the leaders of North and South Korea sat side by side, applauding as the players from 16 countries entered.

A player representative came forward and took the fair play oath.

Also, as a representative of the host country, Jang Song-taek declared the opening of the games.

Originally, the South Korean President was supposed to make the declaration, but it was also to comfort North Korea, which had no starting players, and it was the President’s intentional concession to confirm to the State Security Department that he was in Seoul.

With a nervous expression, Jang Song-taek made a historic declaration in front of foreign press cameras.

“I declare the opening of the 10th Seoul World Cup!”

Wow~

Doves, a symbol of peace, flew in flocks, and the two leaders shook hands.

Jang Song-taek, with his shoulders tense, said.

“It would have been nice if this scene could have been broadcast live in North Korea.”

“Ah, that’s a shame.”

The broadcasting methods of North and South Korea were different, so only recorded broadcasts were possible.

“We need to discuss unifying North and South Korean broadcasting first.”

“That’s a good idea. Prime Minister, I’ll be back after taking care of some business.”

“Didn’t you drink too much yesterday? Wild ginseng liquor is so precious you don’t even urinate, haha.”

“I’ll filter it out and come back.”

The President went outside and asked the Director of the National Intelligence Service, who was waiting in the director’s office.

“What’s the situation on the armistice line [Korean Demilitarized Zone]?”

“Their troops have come down to Panmunjom [Joint Security Area]. Intelligence reports that transport planes are preparing to take off from Wonsan.”

“Observe closely.”

“Yes, Your Excellency!”

Then he called the Minister of National Defense.

“What about our special forces?”

– I received a report that they landed via satellite radio.

“Whew, that’s a relief. Keep in mind that this operation depends on the special forces.”

– I will keep that in mind and have completed all preparations, Your Excellency!

*

State Security Department Headquarters.

On the desk was a map of Pyongyang with numbers and arrows marked here and there.

The head of the State Security Department, listening to Jang Song-taek’s declaration through a Sony radio, spoke with the eyes of a beast.

“Hehe, you traitor! You’ll bury your bones there!”

He ordered the messenger.

“From now on, commence the revolutionary task!”

*

With the leaders of both countries watching, the whistle blew to signal the start of the first half of the match between South Korea and Chile.

Beep!

As promised, two North Korean players were benched, and Hiddink’s tactics remained unchanged.

As soon as it started, Chile aggressively pushed forward, using their unique South American individual skills.

Less than a minute into the game, Chile’s first shot was fired.

It was a valid shot that narrowly missed the goal.

Hiddink shouted loudly to the players.

“Relax! Think of it as a practice match!”

The South Korean goalkeeper passed the ball, and they gradually built up from near the goal and pushed into the opponent’s territory.

“Oof!”

A Chilean player flinched as he physically contested with a South Korean player.

The solid feel of the South Korean player pushing in with force jolted him awake.

Chile relentlessly pushed from the beginning of the first half to gain the upper hand.

However, the South Korean players surrounded the Chilean attackers with a swarm defense, pushing them with their shoulders and stealing the ball.

Cha Bum-geun, the forward, dribbled the passed ball, beat one player, and took a strong shot.

Shoot!

The spectators stood up all at once and shouted.

“Put it in!”

“Shoot!”

It was a ball heading for an empty spot, so I thought it would shake the net right away, but the Chilean goalkeeper stretched out his arm and barely deflected it.

A sigh erupted from the stands.

“Wow, so close!”

“But we’re not being pushed back by Chile at all!”

“Rather, Chile is struggling.”

“It’s not like the old 5:0 atmosphere. Today, we’re going to make something happen.”

Thus, South Korea and Chile pushed and pulled each other, ending the first half 0:0.

*

Player waiting room.

Hiddink gave instructions.

“Chile’s movements have become sluggish because they went all out in the first half. Forwards, prepare yourselves!”

“Yes!”

Beep!

As soon as the second half started, the atmosphere of the game flowed in the opposite direction from the first half.

With a surprise pass from South Korea, Cha Bum-geun broke through the opponent’s offside line and faced the goalkeeper in a 1:1 situation.

Shoot!

“Goal in!”

The North and South Korean cheering squads, immersed in the game, screamed and cheered in the stands.

Wow!

Jang Song-taek, who was watching, was also speechless.

“The South Korean players’ skills are top-notch. Is this the same team that has been consistently losing?”

“Haha, practice and the real game are different. You have to be strong in the real game.”

“Amazing.”

The audience was chanting ‘Korea!’ in unison, creating a frenzy of excitement.

The whole of South Korea was gathered in front of the TV, with no one on the streets, all wishing for the national team’s victory.

This goal was just the beginning.

The Chilean team conceded two goals, three goals in a row to the South Korean players’ aggressive breakthroughs, and was eventually completely defeated 3:0.

It was South Korea’s precious first World Cup victory record.

News companies were busy editing breaking news at a tremendous speed.

The front page of the daily newspaper was plastered with a huge goal-in photo and the headline ‘South Korea’s First World Cup Victory,’ making it difficult to tell whether it was a sports newspaper or a daily newspaper.

While South Korea was going crazy over soccer, the situation in North Korea was changing rapidly.

*

North Korean area of ​​Panmunjom.

Krrrr!

Ten tanks gathered on the north side of Panmunjom.

Soon after, about a hundred heavily armed soldiers poured out of five military trucks.

The North Korean guards at Panmunjom tilted their heads.

“Why are they coming out? Aren’t they supposed to be waiting in the barracks?”

Since three days ago, half of the border guards on the coast, the Yalu River, and the Tumen River had been greatly reinforced and deployed in the Panmunjom and armistice line areas.

The pretext was to strengthen the armistice line border as the Supreme Leader and North Korean people visited South Korea en masse.

The Panmunjom guards were on guard as usual, but the supplementary guards were stationed beyond the mountains to avoid being seen by the South and were to be dispatched in case of an emergency.

But suddenly, they came very close to the South.

Cha-soo, the commander of the border guard, put his hands behind his back and approached the guard.

The squad leader saluted sharply.

Cha-soo barely acknowledged the salute and ordered.

“Squad leader, from now on, these supplementary forces will be on guard here! All the regular soldiers get out of here and go back to the barracks!”

“Yes? Regular soldiers?”

“The regular soldiers rest, and the supplementary soldiers will guard for 24 hours. It’s a consideration.”

“We’re happy, but….”

“Can’t you hear the order!”

“Yes!”

As the regular soldiers withdrew, five Escort Bureau agents who had been with the regular soldiers ran over.

“Comrade Cha-soo, what’s going on? Why are you suddenly withdrawing all the regular soldiers?”

Cha-soo didn’t answer the question and only said what he had to say.

“The State Security Department has done a lot of work. How many State Security Department people are here right now?”

“Five people in each of the four groups, a total of twenty people.”

“Where are the rest?”

“They’re resting in the second barracks, but you haven’t answered why you withdrew the troops, Comrade Cha-soo.”

“Answer? This is the answer!”

Cha-soo gestured, and the soldiers behind him immediately pointed silencer guns at them.

And without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.

Shuk! Shuk! Shuk! Shuk!

“Ugh!”