The Chaebol Returns To The Presidency 1967 [EN]: Chapter 40

40. Pueblo Incident Counterattack

January 23, 1:45 AM. International waters of the East Sea (127°54′3″ E, 39°25′ N).

The USS Pueblo, having departed from Sasebo Port in Japan, was slowly moving towards Wonsan Port in North Korea.

Amidst the heightened tensions triggered by the January 21st Blue House Raid [a failed assassination attempt on the South Korean president by North Korean commandos], it was gathering information on Wonsan Port in North Korea.

At that moment, a vessel rapidly approached the USS Pueblo.

Shushushuk-

As it was international waters, the captain of the USS Pueblo calmly stopped the ship and responded.

Surprisingly, the approaching vessel was a patrol boat flying the North Korean flag.

A voice boomed through the loudspeaker.

“Identify your nationality!”

The captain replied.

“We are a United States vessel.”

“Halt! Or we will fire!”

“This is international waters. We are in international waters.”

“We warn you again. Leave the territorial waters of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea immediately! Or we will fire!”

Following the captain’s orders, the combat personnel of the USS Pueblo loaded their machine guns.

Sensing the possibility of engagement, the North Korean patrol boat retreated slightly.

The captain reported the situation to the Yongsan Command [the headquarters of the United States Forces Korea].

Shortly after, the command responded with the following.

– We will dispatch our patrol boat. Do not move and hold your current position in international waters.

“Did you say you’re sending a patrol boat? The North Korean patrol boat has returned, over.”

– That is the order from above! Stand by in battle-ready status!

After finishing the transmission, the captain instructed the crew.

“We will not advance further northeast! And prepare for battle!”

Tension filled the waters off Wonsan.

Soon after, a sound tore through the sky.

Whee-ing-

Two armed fighter jets brazenly made threatening passes, seemingly about to collide with the starboard side.

“Ah, MiG fighters!” [Soviet-designed jet fighters used by North Korea]

With the mobilization of North Korean fighter jets, the captain and crew sensed that the situation was escalating rapidly.

Eeeeeng~

Sounding sirens and flashing lights, three small, fast warships—submarine chasers (SO-1) and torpedo boats (P-4)—rushed in.

The captain immediately contacted the command.

“Emergency situation! We are surrounded by two MiG fighters and three heavily armed North Korean patrol boats.”

– Do not allow the enemy to board under any circumstances!

From the North Korean patrol boat, they shouted through the loudspeaker.

“Listen, you American Yankees! You have violated the territorial waters of the great Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. We will board for identification.”

The captain shouted.

“You cannot board! This is international waters!”

“You bastards!”

Ttrrr- Ttrrr-

Machine gun fire erupted from the North Korean patrol boat.

Ugh-

The ship was riddled with holes, and the American machine gunner fell, bleeding.

It was targeted fire.

The captain of the USS Pueblo shouted.

“Return fire!”

The remaining machine gun on the USS Pueblo opened fire.

Tutatata-

“Imperialist American jackals!”

Ttrrr- Ttrrr-

With MiG fighters circling in the sky, the North Korean patrol boats poured machine gun fire.

Red tracers flew towards the USS Pueblo from all directions.

Although the machine gun fired back, it was impossible to defeat the heavily armed North Korean patrol boats from the start.

Black smoke billowed from various parts of the USS Pueblo.

The captain continued to report the current engagement situation to the command.

“We are completely suppressed by the enemy’s firepower, over! Casualties are mounting!”

– Hold on a little longer! Reinforcements are on their way.

Clang~

There wasn’t a single intact window.

The captain shouted, ducking his head.

“Hold on! Reinforcements are coming!”

It was then.

Bang~

A bright flash exploded in the night sky.

A MiG fighter had been hit by an air-to-air missile and exploded in mid-air.

Whee-ing~

In the air, a squadron of the latest American fighter jets, F-5s, was flying.

The MiG fighter, caught by surprise, quickly turned its nose towards Wonsan and fled at full speed.

The North Korean patrol boats were no match for the supersonic F-5.

Tatatatata–

Under the threat of the F-5’s machine gun fire, they fired their machine guns and retreated towards Wonsan Port.

Kaboom!

A North Korean torpedo boat, hit by an anti-ship missile, was engulfed in flames and tilted before disappearing into the dark sea.

The U.S. Air Force pilot reported.

“One MiG shot down, one torpedo boat sunk! The enemy has retreated, over!”

– Retreat safely, over!

The USS Pueblo retreated southward at full speed.

Shushushuk-

The F-5 escorted the USS Pueblo and entered Korean territorial waters.

The lights of Sokcho Port were visible in the distance.

Aeng-o~ Aeng-o~

The USS Pueblo, which made an emergency entry into Sokcho Port, had more than 20 casualties.

Ambulances that had been waiting carried the wounded, and critically injured patients were transported by helicopter.

Tutatatatata~

Unfortunately, there were many seriously injured, but the worst-case scenario of being captured, like during Chairman Wang’s time, was avoided.

The U.S. military’s response was the opposite of what it had been during the January 21st Armed Guerrilla Incident.

At that time, they urged the South Korean military to exercise restraint, but this time, they issued an emergency sortie standby order to the U.S. 5th Air Force stationed in the Far East, and the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise charged towards the vicinity of Wonsan Port.

North Korea also issued a general mobilization order and prepared for all-out war.

On North Korean TV, an announcer foamed at the mouth and incited the situation.

– The American imperialists have invaded the territorial waters of the great Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and attacked our fighters and patrol boats! All people, rise up, take up arms, and mercilessly crush the American imperialists!

However, the most embarrassed were the North Korean leaders.

It was a defeat in which a meticulously planned scheme was thwarted and a MiG fighter was lost.

A bigger problem was the exposure of the provocation’s location.

If they had succeeded in capturing the USS Pueblo, they could have falsely claimed that the USS Pueblo had violated North Korean territorial waters, creating the justification that the United States had launched a preemptive provocation. However, the coordinates of the engagement area were clearly in international waters.

They could not avoid responsibility for the provocation.

Kim Il-sung summoned Kim Jong-il and reprimanded him.

“The work you do is full of *heojeop*! [허접 – Korean slang for sloppy or shoddy] What are you going to do!”

“…….”

*

UN.

As tensions on the Korean Peninsula escalated, the UN Security Council was convened.

The Soviet Union and China vehemently criticized the United States’ attack.

However, the United States argued that it was self-defense.

“The latitude and longitude where the North Korean patrol boat and MiG fighters appeared and fired first were clearly in international waters. Casualties occurred due to North Korea’s gunfire, and we returned fire in self-defense. North Korea is the clear provocateur, just as they sent commandos to attack the Blue House two days ago, and we are acting in self-defense. North Korea, which violated international waters and provoked us, must pay damages!”

This is what has changed significantly from the USS Pueblo capture incident during Chairman Wang’s time.

At that time, the United States apologized, claiming it had provoked the incident.

But now, with clear coordinates of the engagement area, the situation has been reversed.

It was a moment when history changed.

* * *

Republic of Korea Ministry of National Defense.

With the highest emergency alert in place, a National Security Emergency Meeting was held.

The Commander of the Pacific Fleet and the White House National Security Advisor attended from the U.S. mainland.

The President of South Korea attended from the Korean side.

The Commander of U.S. Forces Korea expressed surprise to the South Korean President.

“How did you know that North Korea would provoke the USS Pueblo?”

He couldn’t reveal that he was a returnee from the future.

“We have a HUMINT line [Human Intelligence – intelligence gathered from human sources] in the upper echelons of North Korea. We received information.”

“South Korea’s intelligence capabilities are impressive.”

The Pacific Commander said.

“The analysis that North Korea was provoking to divert American attention in order to aid North Vietnam’s major offensive was accurate. Since the 21st, two divisions of the North Vietnamese Army have launched a surprise invasion of South Vietnam, putting the U.S. military in a difficult situation. The Viet Cong, who had been operating secretly in South Vietnam, simultaneously rose up in 64 cities and launched an offensive, and South Vietnam is now in a state of chaos.”

It was the famous Tet Offensive [a series of surprise attacks by the Viet Cong during the Vietnamese New Year].

Because of this Tet Offensive, North Vietnam completely reversed the war situation, and the United States was motivated to withdraw from Vietnam.

“North Korea’s provocation is aimed at that. It is deploying U.S. strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula to tie them down.”

The White House National Security Advisor asked.

“Then how should we respond?”

The United States was asking the President of South Korea for strategy.

The President said confidently.

“North Korea will not apologize and will continue to maintain tension. That’s the only way they can tie down the United States. To break their intentions, we need a short, strong impact.”

“What kind of impact are you talking about?”

“North Korea will want a local war. But the United States cannot fight a war in two places. Therefore, we need a strong hint that we can fight a war in two places. Drop small nuclear bombs on Pyongyang, Wonsan, and Hamhung.”

“Nuclear bombs?”

The attendees were in shock at the President’s suggestion.

The U.S. military attendees lit cigarettes here and there.

Silence continued for a while.

The President stoked the fire.

“To avoid being held hostage like in Vietnam, we must completely devastate them in the early stages so that retaliation is impossible.”

The Pacific Fleet Commander said.

“It is not difficult to bomb North Korea using nuclear weapons. But the problem is what happens after that. If the Soviet Union and China intervene, it will escalate into World War III.”

“It’s a waste of time to argue at the UN Security Council. We can launch a preemptive strike first and then clean up the situation by holding ceasefire talks at the Security Council during the time we would have spent arguing.”

“…….”

“It will take a long time to enter World War III. If the United States declares that it has no intention of escalating the war other than punishing North Korea, the Soviet Union and China will not want to escalate the war for the sake of North Korea.”

The White House National Security Advisor said.

“You are quite bold. Washington is currently worried about when to pull out of the Vietnam War. Your current proposal goes against that move.”

“North Korea knows Washington’s passive attitude and is confidently invading the Blue House and U.S. military assets. A strong message is desperately needed. If three places are too much, we can choose only Pyongyang and annihilate the leadership.”

“A short, strong impact… hmm….”

The President explained to the United States how to deal with North Korea.

“If we don’t deliver a strong blow when the justification is clear, as it is this time, an apology or a promise to prevent recurrence will be out of the question. If Washington’s political judgment is an obstacle, how about this?”

President Park presented an option that took political reality into account.

They nodded and listened intently.

*

After they returned, the U.S. President read a public statement to North Korea in Washington.

“North Korea must apologize for this provocation, pay damages, and promise to prevent recurrence! If you refuse or do not respond, you will experience bitter regret.”

25 ships, including three U.S. aircraft carriers, and hundreds of fighter jets gathered around the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea could not help but be nervous about the gathering of the U.S.’s enormous strategic assets.

The strategy of concentrating U.S. attention on the Korean Peninsula was successful, but the U.S.’s harsh response exceeded expectations.

The U.S. Pacific Command devised 12 options.

Among them, the scenario assuming an all-out war included a plan to drop an atomic bomb on North Korea.

The operation, named ‘Freedom Drop,’ was to drop a 70-kiloton atomic bomb on Pyongyang.

70 kilotons is more than three times the destructive power of the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan.

Shushushuk~

U.S. strategic assets surrounded North Korea from the sky, land, and sea, but North Korea issued only the highest emergency alert and showed no signs of provocation.