The Chaebol Returns To The Presidency 1967 [EN]: Chapter 78

Let's Expedite Détente

78. Let’s Expedite Détente

At the same time, at the Prime Minister’s official residence.

Prime Minister Kim was watering the plants in his pajamas.

The doorbell rang.

Ding-dong! Ding-dong!

“Who could that be at this hour?”

The housekeeper went outside.

Crash!

A loud noise of the door being kicked open was heard.

Prime Minister Kim shouted.

“Who is it!”

Four KCIA [Korean Central Intelligence Agency] agents stormed in with their boots on.

“Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil, you are under arrest for insurrection and treason!”

“What? Insurrection?”

Click!

“What is the meaning of this!”

“Prime Minister, will you go disgracefully or with dignity?”

“What did you say?”

Investigators then rushed in.

And they thoroughly searched the official residence.

Already, the Prime Minister’s secretary in the outbuilding was being dragged out in handcuffs.

* * *

The newspaper featured a large photo of the Prime Minister in a prison uniform, bound with rope, along with the Chief of Staff, the Director of 202, and the Prime Minister’s secretary.

– Prime Minister Kim, Ambassador Lee, arrested on suspicion of being Japanese spies!

– Executing orders to form a pro-Japanese cabinet with Japanese slush funds!

– Is this the beginning of a breakdown in Korea-Japan relations?

* * *

The foreign ministers of Korea and Japan met at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The special envoy dispatched from the White House was also in attendance.

The Korean Foreign Minister questioned Japan.

“How can you spy on us when we are supposed to be allies?”

“Isn’t intelligence gathering customary?”

“Intelligence gathering? Regime change is something you do in hostile countries. Are you trying to start a war with Korea?”

“War? How can you say such a thing so easily?”

“Put yourself in our shoes. If Korea had tried to carry out regime change in Japan, how would Japan have responded?”

“…….”

“If you were caught doing this kind of operation in the communist bloc, it would be a declaration of war. A declaration of war!”

The U.S. special envoy intervened.

“Japan has nothing to say. But since it has already happened, let’s try to resolve it. If there is a rift in Korea-Japan relations, the communists will be delighted. What does Korea want from Japan?”

“Immediate apology from the Japanese Prime Minister, punishment of those involved, and a complete change of the diplomatic line. And a promise to prevent recurrence.”

“Minister Nagari, did you hear that? Can you do it?”

The Japanese minister looked troubled.

“It is too harsh for the new Prime Minister’s first diplomatic move to be an apology to the Republic of Korea. I hope we can settle with expressing regret.”

“Absolutely not. Regret? What regret? This is a crime that shook the nation. Kneeling down and begging for forgiveness wouldn’t be enough.”

The U.S. special envoy said to Japanese Minister Nagari.

“Korea’s demands are not excessive. Right now, the Korean people are protesting, calling for a severance of relations with Japan, calling it the second Eulsa Treaty [a treaty in 1905 that effectively made Korea a protectorate of Japan]. Anti-Japanese sentiment is already bad, and Japan has added fuel to the fire. The more time you waste, the more disadvantageous it will be for Japan.”

“…….”

* * *

Japan Government Press Center.

The Japanese Prime Minister read a prepared statement in front of foreign reporters.

“Regarding this unfortunate incident, whatever the circumstances, I, as Prime Minister, sincerely apologize to Korea. Those involved have been arrested and will be brought to trial. The Ambassador to Korea, the Director of Intelligence, and the Foreign Minister will be dismissed and replaced.”

With the Japanese Prime Minister’s apology and follow-up measures, the situation was settled for the time being.

There was another place that was delighted by this incident.

* * *

The opposition party headquarters.

“Now that the Prime Minister has gone to jail, the ruling party is in chaos. Since there is no clear successor, this presidential election is worth a try.”

“That’s right. The Japanese spy incident is clearly the fault of the current regime. The opposition party must highlight this point and win votes.”

With the disappearance of a leading presidential candidate, the mediocre presidential candidates from both the ruling and opposition parties raised their voices.

The political situation became murky, making it impossible to see even an inch ahead.

* * *

As a remedial measure, the government announced reform plans for the KCIA and the National Security Law.

“Originally, the KCIA was modeled after the American CIA and started as an overseas and anti-communist organization. Therefore, it was granted investigative powers only for anti-communist cases. However, domestic operations have become excessive.”

The number of domestic KCIA agents, including civilian personnel, was a whopping 370,000.

It had transformed into the Soviet KGB, not the CIA.

In addition, the Anti-Communist Law was abused, and domestic politics and civilian surveillance were openly carried out.

“We will prohibit intervention in domestic politics like the CIA, and strictly manage domestic investigations except for anti-communist operations. Instead of abolishing the Anti-Communist Law, which has a high potential for abuse, we will revise it into the National Security Law, which includes strictly applied content. The National Security Law will be revised to reflect the times, adding tasks such as industrial espionage, diplomatic espionage, and cyber warfare.”

The existing KCIA civilian personnel were disbanded, and 10,000 cyber warfare personnel were intensively trained.

* * *

It was the Cold War era without artillery fire, but leaders around the world had to fear the horrors of regime change assassinations.

The President tried to find a breakthrough in the North Korean issue.

With the United States and the Soviet Union standing firm, unification through force by marching north was impossible.

As Wang Chairman had bitterly experienced, the current North Korean leader and regime were only interested in maintaining power, not in genuine unification.

In addition, if oil fields were to be discovered on the continental shelf, military tensions around the Korean Peninsula would be of no help.

There was a high possibility that they would hold the oil fields hostage.

The collapse or regime change of North Korea was essential.

But isn’t North Korea the most closed country on earth?

There needed to be a gap for money and freedom to seep into North Korea.

To create a gap, the United States and the Soviet Union, the mainstays of the Cold War, had to move first.

The President’s office.

The President was meeting with the security advisor sent by Kennedy.

The President said.

“With Ho Chi Minh’s death, North Vietnam’s will to re-invade South Vietnam has been broken. South Vietnam’s politics and economy are stable and growing robustly. We can reduce the number of troops dispatched.”

“We will reduce them in stages.”

“It is time for the United States to seek other global strategies.”

“…….”

“The free world and the communist world must interact.”

“Interaction is desirable, but is interaction with the communist bloc really possible?”

“Ideologically, they cannot coexist. What I am saying is that the appearance of that confrontation must change.”

“…….”

“The U.S. and the Soviet Union possess enough nuclear warheads to destroy the earth hundreds of times over. No one wants a third world war. It would be a war with no winner. In this situation, the most effective offensive is a peace offensive.”

“Is there such a thing as a peace offensive?”

“Strictly speaking, it is a freedom offensive.”

“…….”

“Propose and lead strategic arms (nuclear weapons) reduction agreements with the Soviet Union and China.”

“Reduction?”

“And withdraw U.S. troops stationed overseas since World War II. Except for strategic areas, I mean unnecessary places like Vietnam.”

“You are talking about a partial withdrawal.”

“Instead, prepare for emergencies with rapid deployment forces as bases to advance. Rather than the U.S. military directly dispatching and stationing troops, it is about maintaining expandability by uniting with countries in strategic areas.”

“That’s a new global strategy.”

“The gunshots have stopped, but it is virtually a state of spy warfare and assassination warfare. Assassinations and regime changes are rampant in Asia and South America. There is a limit to the United States supporting the free world with force. Show the power of freedom to the Iron Curtain and the Bamboo Curtain. That is the shortcut to publicizing the superiority of the system.”

“…….”

“The ideological war with guns is over. The pen is mightier than the sword, and freedom is mightier than the pen. In the novel ‘Papillon’ [a French autobiographical novel about a prisoner who escapes], there is a prisoner who constantly escapes for freedom. Humans choose freedom even if they starve to death. The people of the communist bloc do not know freedom. We must interact with them and let them know the taste of freedom. Détente is not surrender or abandonment, but a new psychological and cultural strategy.”

“Ah, I understand.”

The aide wrote down key words in his notebook.

Peace, freedom offensive, Papillon, psychological warfare….

“That’s a novel idea, Your Excellency. The peace offensive leading the reduction of strategic weapons is impressive. We need to talk to the Soviet Union.”

“Not only the Soviet Union, but also try to contact China secretly. China may be able to open up first.”

“China?”

Currently, the U.S. and the Soviet Union are in extreme conflict, but the country that has fought the United States several times is China.

China, which had fierce battles with the United States in several places, including the Korean Peninsula, criticized the United States as the ‘enemy of the world’s people’ and had more animosity than any other country.

As the Soviet Union pursued peaceful coexistence through arms reduction with the capitalist camp, China vehemently criticized the Soviet policy as revisionism, and the Soviet Union was engaged in a barrage of criticism against China, calling it dogmatism.

To open up China, which is even worse than the Soviet Union, the aide could not help but be puzzled.

The President persuaded.

“China was the most welcoming when U.S. troops and nuclear weapons were withdrawn from Yuldokuk [likely refers to a specific region or base, needs further context for accurate explanation]. Moreover, if U.S. troops withdraw from Vietnam and Korean troops also withdraw, China will be very relieved.”

“That’s true, but there is no formal exchange with China….”

“Contact Zhou Enlai, the Premier and Foreign Minister of China.”

“Zhou Enlai!”

“He is a person who can understand ending the Cold War and détente (relaxation of tension). China will try to hold the U.S. card as a check against the Soviet Union.”

China wanted to use improving relations with the United States as a check against the Soviet Union, as relations with the Soviet Union deteriorated due to ideological conflicts in the late 1950s and the Sino-Soviet border conflict in Zhenbao Island, Heilongjiang Province in 1969.

“It is true that China is in conflict with the Soviet Union, but will it go so far as to join hands with the United States, which has a different ideology?”

“China is in a subtle competitive relationship with the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union cannot afford to aid China, which has a population of 1 billion, and tries to make China a satellite state by exporting ideology. If China is to avoid Soviet interference and escape poverty, Western aid is essential. The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Vietnam and Yuldokuk can be a sufficient motive for China to open up. The weakest link is China.”

“Ah, I see.”

“The United States may want to boast loudly about reform, opening, and détente, but China will be the opposite.”

“Why is that? Isn’t openness more effective the more flamboyant it is?”

“China will negotiate with the United States secretly from the Soviet Union.”

“…….”

“Even if the door to dialogue is open, do not completely trust China.”

“…….”

“Zhou Enlai will surely say that China and the United States have a common enemy, the Soviet Union. What they are really aiming for is to take away the UN Security Council seat from Taiwan. That is the way to gain international status equal to that of the Soviet Union.”

“Ah! That’s their intention.”

“However, China’s duplicity in taking a common stance with the Soviet Union at the UN will soon be revealed.”

“Hmm, they haven’t given up their ideology.”

The President said.

“There is a Chinese saying, ‘Black cat, white cat, if it catches mice, it’s a good cat.’ If it only eliminates poverty in China, it will use Western money. The ultimate goal is to strengthen the system. But a dialogue phase is more desirable for the whole world than confrontation. The United States must take advantage of this opportunity.”

“Hmm, China is still suspicious.”

“China will definitely demand the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the Korean Peninsula and Taiwan as a condition.”

“…….”

The Chaebol Returns To The Presidency 1967 [EN]

The Chaebol Returns To The Presidency 1967 [EN]

재벌총수가 대통령으로 회귀함 1967
Status: Completed Author: Native Language: Korean
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[English Translation] Imagine a world where the ruthless efficiency of a chaebol chairman collides with the iron will of a nation's leader. Chairman Wang, the titan behind the Hyundai Group, finds himself hurled back in time, inhabiting the very body of President Park in 1967! Korea stands at a crossroads, shackled by authoritarianism and suffocated by bureaucratic red tape. Now, armed with future knowledge and a relentless drive, Wang seizes the reins of power. Witness the birth of a new Republic, forged in the fires of innovation and meritocracy. Will he succeed in transforming Korea into a global powerhouse, or will the ghosts of the past and the weight of history crush his ambitions? Prepare for a thrilling saga of power, ambition, and the ultimate battle for a nation's destiny!

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