The Chaebol Returns To The Presidency 1967 [EN]: Chapter 85

85. A Changed North-South Joint Statement

Minister Jung played his card.

“Your Excellency, Prime Minister, how about declaring a three-stage exchange principle of mutual non-aggression, guarantee of status, and reciprocal exchange at the high-level talks?”

The Prime Minister’s pupils wavered at the sudden presentation of exchange principles.

“Hmm, isn’t that a declaration that’s neither here nor there?”

“Your Excellency, Prime Minister, are mutual non-aggression, guarantee of status, and reciprocal exchange neither here nor there?”

“Humph, humph, I mean it’s too abstract.”

“Non-aggression and exchange are more concrete and feasible than autonomy, I believe. It’s what’s most needed right now. If we build trust step by step, there’s no more realistic declaration than this.”

“Hmm, I really don’t want to go back empty-handed.”

The Prime Minister looked displeased.

The Minister pressed on without giving him an opening.

“When I return to Seoul, I have to report this visit to the North, whether there are results or not, not only to the Blue House [South Korean presidential residence] but also to the people. I sincerely hope there will be good results.”

The Prime Minister blinked.

“So, you’re saying you’ll publish today’s talks in the newspapers?”

“Yes, I will hold a joint press conference with foreign media.”

“Foreign media too?”

In North-South unofficial exchanges, it was an unspoken rule that if there were results from the talks, they would be announced externally, but if there were no results, they would remain silent.

However, if the content of the talks was disclosed without any results, especially if it became known that the South Korean Minister had held talks with the North’s highest authority on an equal footing and ended without results, it would be a disgrace.

Rather, Prime Minister Kim became anxious.

“Hmm, alright. Let’s agree on the high-level principles Minister Jung mentioned, and for exchanges, let’s start with resource exchanges and practical work.”

“Understood, Your Excellency, Prime Minister! I will report to Seoul.”

That’s how the negotiations between the two sides ended.

Returning to the guesthouse, the dawn was rising hazily in the distance.

* * *

Panmunjom [the Joint Security Area between North and South Korea].

The President stood pacing in the South’s Red Cross building, a cigarette in his mouth.

He asked the Chief of Staff.

“Hasn’t he arrived yet?”

“Your Excellency, not yet.”

It was the same answer he had asked 30 seconds ago.

It was already three hours past the scheduled arrival time.

The Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) rushed over.

“Your Excellency, we’ve spotted South Korean vehicles heading south through the binoculars.”

“Oh, really!”

Indeed, three black vehicles were crossing the military demarcation line.

Vroom~

The vehicles passed through the checkpoint and stopped in front of the temporary Red Cross building.

Screech!

The Director of the CIA ran to open the rear door of the car.

Minister Jung got out with a somewhat haggard look.

The President approached in one stride.

“Oh, Minister Jung, you’ve worked hard!”

“Ah, Your Excellency, you came in person?”

“I came to get some fresh air and 겸사겸사 [kyumsa-kyumsa, meaning ‘to do two things at once’]. Why are you so late? Were you kidnapping Prime Minister Kim or something?”

“Haha, the North Koreans grabbed onto my trouser legs and wouldn’t let go, so it took a little time to shake them off.”

“Is your health okay?”

“Yes, I didn’t get much sleep because they kept me up for talks, but I’m fine.”

“Let’s talk on the way.”

Vroom~

Minister Jung got into Car No. 1 and headed to the Blue House.

* * *

Vroom~

In Car No. 1, Minister Jung briefly reported to the President about the events in the North.

The President, who was listening, grinned, revealing his gums.

“Hehehe, you really gave them a good one this time!”

“I told them to come to Seoul if they had the guts, and they looked like they were chewing on a bug.”

“They keep saying ‘nation, nation,’ but why can’t the same people come and go? And then they talk about national unity and autonomy!”

“It’s just an ideological offensive.”

“Lee Woo-rak has become a 반면교사 [banmyeon-gyosa, meaning ‘negative example’ or ‘lesson learned’].”

“It’s the power of 회귀 [hoegwi, meaning ‘regression’ or ‘return’].”

“Hahaha.”

“The North still seems to have a lot of longing for oil. They passed the ball to you, saying that the three principles of unification and oil trade should be discussed with the President during the summit in Seoul.”

“Good job. Let’s see if that guy really comes to Seoul. So, there’s no agreed-upon content for the talks?”

“There is. We’ve tentatively agreed on mutual non-aggression, guarantee of status, and reciprocal exchange in three stages as preconditions for the unification principle.”

“If it’s the unification principle, it’s the unification principle, but what’s this about preconditions for the unification principle?”

“I presented the three principles of North-South exchange to Prime Minister Kim, and he said it was good, but on the day of our return, he insisted that it wasn’t the three principles of exchange but preconditions for the unification principle.”

“He must have realized it after thinking it over.”

“That’s right. We had already left Pyongyang, but they suddenly grabbed us in Kaesong and made a fuss. Since they would overturn it in the follow-up work anyway, I said I would report it to the Blue House as preconditions for the unification principle. That’s why it took three hours longer.”

“They were persistent until the end.”

“When I said that I would inform the media even if these talks fell through, they seemed quite embarrassed. They had no choice but to create results.”

“Hahaha, the North’s dignity was tarnished by being rejected by a mere minister from the South, so they must have been afraid of losing face. Whether it’s a principle or a precondition, it only matters if it’s kept, so let’s agree.”

“We should. We need to leave the lines of negotiation open.”

“There don’t seem to be any signs of provocation right now, so that’s a relief. You’ve worked hard. Let’s go to the National Security Council meeting. Everyone’s waiting eagerly.”

Follow-up work after the visit to the North continued.

Minister Jung and his entourage each wrote down their experiences during the 3 nights and 4 days at the CIA.

And some time after the visit to the North, the two Koreas coordinated the wording and issued a joint statement.

* * *

July 4th.

Minister Jung appeared on TV.

A breaking news title appeared, and the entire nation focused their attention, wondering what was happening.

The Minister calmly read the prepared manuscript.

“– Recently, under the order of His Excellency, I visited Pyongyang, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. I met with Prime Minister Kim and held talks, and we reached the following agreement as preconditions for the unification principle.

We will elevate mutual non-aggression, guarantee of status, and reciprocal exchange to three stages, and exchanges will begin with resource exchanges.”

It was a statement that the two Koreas announced at the same time.

The President watched the live broadcast in his office and muttered.

“The original July 4th North-South Joint Declaration was in ’72, so is history being moved up by two years?”

Minister Jung’s recognition exploded with the North-South Joint Statement.

He began to be included in the list of potential successors.

The media also put him on the list of presidential candidates and conducted public opinion polls.

* * *

The White House expressed full support for the North-South Joint Statement.

The most difficult country was China.

After Zhou Enlai’s death, the top leadership of China was engaged in a fierce battle over whether to establish diplomatic relations with the United States.

“We cannot establish diplomatic relations with the American devils! The Red Guards won’t stand still!”

“The American President came to Beijing, shook hands, and even announced a joint statement. Are you saying we should overturn it before the ink on the declaration is even dry?”

“We can make excuses!”

“North Korea also shook hands with South Korea. They announced a joint statement to exchange. This is an irreversible trend of the times. If we revert to the Cold War, we’ll only be doing the Soviet Union a favor.”

The reformists were desperate.

If they reverted to the Cold War, their heads would surely be hanging from the Red Guards’ bamboo spears.

Mao Zedong, who had chosen to establish diplomatic relations with the United States on Zhou Enlai’s advice, was in danger of being ousted.

Surprisingly, there was someone who intended to use this crisis as an opportunity to seize power, and that was the First Lady, Jiang Qing.

Jiang Qing was in a position where she could never rise to the top of the Chinese Communist Party due to Mao Zedong’s 교지 [gyoji, meaning ‘edict’ or ‘decree’].

The Gang of Four (Jiang Qing, Wang Hongwen, Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan), including her, were plotting to purge Mao Zedong.

During Chairman Wang’s time, Jiang Qing was ranked after Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and Kang Sheng, but when Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and Kang Sheng all died of illness, Jiang Qing suddenly became the top-ranked.

However, due to Mao Zedong’s will, Jiang Qing was fifth on the list of the ‘Mao Zedong Funeral Committee,’ after Hua Guofeng, Wang Hongwen, Ye Jianying, and Zhang Chunqiao.

Since Wang Hongwen and Zhang Chunqiao, members of the Gang of Four, were ranked 2nd and 4th respectively, she could completely seize the party’s power if she could only subdue Hua Guofeng under the qualification of ‘Mao Zedong’s wife.’

However, Hua Guofeng, who noticed this, acted one step faster.

He convened a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, gathered the Gang of Four, and arrested them all.

Thus, the Gang of Four were sentenced to death by a special court of the Supreme People’s Court, and Jiang Qing ended her life by suicide.

Wang Hongwen reported to Jiang Qing.

“The joint statement between North and South Korea is giving strength to the reformists. We must not be swept away like this.”

“We must not let reform become the trend. We must overturn it this time.”

“That’s right. We must act before it’s too late.”

* * *

Mao Zedong’s office.

The Director of Intelligence reported to Mao Zedong.

“The Gang of Four is plotting a Red Guard revolution. They are defining the current leadership as reactionary traitors and are trying to re-summon the Red Guards who had returned to their hometowns.”

Mao Zedong slammed the desk with both fists.

“That woman is really going too far!”

“Chairman, what should we do?”

“Call Hua Guofeng!”

Hua Guofeng was the acting Premier, filling Zhou Enlai’s vacant position, making him officially the second-ranked.

Hua Guofeng arrived.

“Premier, I have something urgent to do.”

“Please speak.”

“We need to deal with the reactionary elements.”

“…….”

“Arrest the Gang of Four immediately!”

Hua Guofeng knew very well who the Gang of Four were.

“Understood, Chairman!”

“If we fail, we’ll die.”

“I know.”

“As quietly as possible, but if it’s unavoidable, you can kill them.”

“I will keep that in mind, Chairman.”

A document from the Chairman, in the name of the Standing Committee of the Central Political Bureau, was sent to the Gang of Four to discuss the diplomatic line.
Yao Wenyuan, who was not a member of the Standing Committee, was invited to attend under the name of an expanded committee.

The committee members arrived at Zhongnanhai Huai Ren Hall.

Zhang Chunqiao was the first to enter Huai Ren Hall.

At this time, Hua Guofeng’s armed guard appeared in front of Zhang Chunqiao.

“Standing Committee Member Zhang Chunqiao, you are under arrest for treason!”

“What!”

Sturdy guards rushed in, gagged him, and dragged him out.

Wang Hongwen and Yao Wenyuan also met the same fate as Zhang Chunqiao as soon as they entered Huai Ren Hall.

However, Jiang Qing did not appear at Huai Ren Hall.

Hua Guofeng became nervous.

“Why isn’t Jiang Qing showing up?”

“She’s still staying at her residence.”

“Don’t wait, raid her residence!”

“Yes!”

The head of the Central Guard Regiment, who received Hua Guofeng’s order, stormed Jiang Qing’s residence.

Jiang Qing, surprised, raged.

“What are you doing!”

“You are under arrest for treason.”

“Treason! Whose order is this? Don’t you know I’m the Chairman’s wife? Do you want to die?”

“Arrest her!”

Armed agents rushed in and arrested her.

The Gang of Four was arrested without shedding a drop of blood.

* * *

The Supreme People’s Court.

The judge pronounced the sentence.

“Defendant Jiang Qing is sentenced to death for leading a counter-revolutionary group!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Jiang Qing struggled.

“No! This is slander!”

* * *

Chinese history took a rapid turn.

Mao Zedong pondered the follow-up measures.

He sent official documents to each local government to formally disband the Red Guards.

He called Premier Hua Guofeng to discuss.

“We need to reinstate Deng Xiaoping.”

“Deng Xiaoping?”

During Chairman Wang’s time, Deng Xiaoping was the one who led China to reform and opening up.

Under Mao Zedong’s instructions, Deng Xiaoping was reinstated 10 years earlier than expected.

Deng Xiaoping immediately became Vice Premier, rising to third in the ranks.

The reform and opening up of China gained momentum.

They established an embassy in the United States and normalized diplomatic relations.

Deng Xiaoping proposed to Mao Zedong.

“Taiwan is in great chaos without President Chiang Kai-shek. We must establish a pro-China president in Taiwan and induce gradual subordination to the mainland.”

China began working to establish a pro-China regime in Taiwan.