Dear Comrade

＜ Chapter 28. new season ＞

Chapter 28. new season

When the North first proposed to include basic provisions on economic exchanges and mutual property rights protection in the draft inter-Korean agreement, it was economic officials, including the Ministry of Finance and the Economic Planning Board, who first reviewed the proposal and grasped the meaning of the proposal.

And with the political-economic ties that have been prevalent since the days of the new military government and deepened with economic growth, it was very soon that the draft agreement, which should have been kept secret, leaked into the information networks of chaebols, including the modern group.

And although they have been unable to speak openly until now because of fear of the military government’s violence, the chaebols, who were forced to voluntarily cooperate (read as ‘wrap’) by factors of the military government, including the president, finally received a bill for the right ‘money’ here and there. it was sent

– The people in charge of the government affairs, all move. I personally meet with the director-level, vice-minister-level, assistant secretary-general and, if necessary, ministers or prime ministers who participate in talks and make agreements.

– All right, Chairman. However, no matter how clear the road to North Korea is, the general secretary over there is not an idiot, so it is obvious that some level of restrictions will be put on it. But can our Sungsam Group do business in North Korea?

– So, from now on, you have to move quickly. There are rumors circulating that the government will put the modern group at the forefront when the road is cleared. Hurry up, the people over there… No, it’s the people, after all, the people are the recommended consumer price and cost-effectiveness, and they are capitalist worms who don’t know anything, in a word, they are communism. If the North Korean government really allows us to sell our branded products to North Korean consumers on a limited basis, there is no better investment than that.

– Even if there is unification in the future or not, let’s put our brand on the minds of consumers over there. After all, people use what they’ve used, and they don’t usually change it. Especially when it comes to electronics.

– If we preoccupy the northern market, it is not a dream for our Sungsam to overtake Hyundai and win the title of the country’s representative company. Whatever it takes to be number one, what’s the use of second place? The fact that I was envious of the size of the Japanese domestic market may become a thing of the past in the next 10 years.

Along with these corporate movements, the values of security and conservatism and anti-communism, which had dominated Korean society during the Yushin period and even before that, gradually but surely declined.

And it was the market conservatives who worshiped the growth supremacy and market omnipotence, symbolized by the chaebol conglomerates, who took the majority of the stakes in Korea’s conservative political camp on their behalf.

Of course, there was also the acquiescence or change of course of the old security conservatives who wanted to finally achieve unification by absorption by subordinating North Korea, which had not yet achieved capital accumulation through oil, to South Korean economic power as much as possible.

In any case, with each other’s plans in mind, the two Koreas quickly concluded the Inter-Korean Basic Agreement.

The Korean news announcer, excitedly, raised the flags of the two Koreas at the UN headquarters in New York at the same time, and the North Korean general secretary designated Modern Group as the first South Korean company to enter North Korea, and the people gathered in front of the TV to hear the news that they might also participate in the oil business. told to

A new season was approaching on the Korean Peninsula, or even around the world.

The problem was that none of them had any idea of the plans and preparations of North Korean leader Kim Jung-hwan at the moment when the agreement was signed at ‘Cheollima speed’.

“Hey, Comrade Kim, what is the new building going up over there used for?”

“ah….! That’s the hotel in Pyongyang this time. Now, as the reform and opening up of Comrade General Secretary progresses, the US imperialists… Oops, it is said that this is the place where the capitalists from the United States or Chinese traders stay when they come to see the site to put their factories into the Republic.”

“Huh… But it’s pretty big for something like that, but I’m afraid. It seems that a lot of foreign cars have already arrived…”

“From what I heard, the hotel wasn’t built by the party, but the Jepo, who returned from Japan this time… Ahh, it’s said that it was built with the money of Korean-Japanese comrades. I heard that after calling in technicians from Japan, Comrade Jang directly gave me a business license from the party, so that I would open a karaoke bar for the citizens of Pyongyang in the future.”

“…I think the republic will change a lot these days, even if something changes.”

The person who asked the question, Jong-su Ri, after returning from the Gulf War, leaned back on the back seat of a German-made Mercedes-Benz, which the party gave him as a reward, and muttered with a strange feeling.

A karaoke bar in Pyongyang…

In fact, it was ‘a pub with music accompaniment on the screen’ in cultural terms, but right now, even a high-ranking military officer of the Republic, he was calling it a karaoke pub privately, all because of the influence of people who came from Japan and Koreans living in Japan.

After the rumors spread that North Korea would become a capitalist country through reform and opening up and the real estate bubble in Japan collapsed, Koreans in Japan filed a petition through Cho Chongryon to find new business opportunities in their hometown and return to North Korea.

And the general secretary issued business licenses (mainly restaurants) and citizenship cards on the premise that the capital earned in Japan would be invested at least 10 million yen in the republic.

It was a kind of ‘investment immigration’ in the 90s.

– What our republic needs right now is not only the capital possessed by Koreans in Japan and overseas compatriots. They also need the know-how and experience they have learned and learned in a capitalist country. They receive investment from foreign countries and learn technology, but it is not easy to find capitalist workers from anywhere.

When a member of the Politburo, who still had nationalist sentiments, said, “A traitor who betrayed the nation and went to Japan, no matter how much money he saved,” Jeonghwan dismissed the words as if he was not talking nonsense.

Certainly (only limited to the children of some party cadres in Pyongyang who have foreign currency to consume), Zainichi Koreans and Zainichis were a new factor in human innovation for the republic, to the extent that it is already said that the latest fashion comes from those who have returned from Japan.

The reality was that Japanese Sony cassette tapes, which had been used secretly for a long time, as well as fashion magazines in Harajuku and Omotesando, were recently being traded at high prices among female comrades in the Republic.

– If you have relatives in Japan, you are very rich. If you have relatives in China, you are a little rich, and if you have relatives only in the Republic, you are a bastard.

These words were already coming from the lower ranks of the party, and there were no complaints from conservative party members, but they were the spearheads for reform and opening that could be achieved through the decision of the general secretary.

However, just a few years ago, when I saw things that had to be self-criticized as a flamboyant capitalism just by speaking them (including the famous drama of the Republic, which ended a while ago with viewers’ regret), one by one, I saw that Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il were still there. Ri Jong-soo, who vividly remembers the times, could not help but feel new.

And now, in places such as Pyongyang, Nampo, and Wonsan that are special planned development zones, foreign businessmen are mainly operating as their main customers, but sooner or later this wind of capitalism will spread throughout the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

In fact, there have been many changes not only in Pyongyang but also in individual Ri Jong-su.

“welcome! Comrade Lee Jong-soo! Comrade General Secretary is waiting for you in the Secretariat!”

“Go right away. Your comrade, you are waiting here.”

Upon entering the company, the security guard recognized him and quickly saluted him.

After a short return, Ri Jong-soo ordered the aide who was assigned to him a while ago to start the car and wait.

As soon as the door opened and he saw the supreme leader of the Republic, who was sitting at his desk, concentrating on his work, Ri Jong-su raised his voice much louder than the former secretary’s guard and saluted and handed over a paper bag, the business of the day, with both hands.

“Good morning, Comrade General Secretary! Here’s a report with the General Bureau of Foreign Reconnaissance, and I found out all the details of the investigation you ordered without missing a single detail!”

“…Yes, you did a good job. let me go back Oh, and by the way…”

“yes? Comrade general secretary?”

To Ri Jong-su, the new Director General of External Reconnaissance, who salutes himself like a sword, Jeong-hwan waved his hands as if to retreat.

“From now on, there is no need for Comrade Lee to come directly to the secretary’s office to deliver a report. Aren’t you and I both busy with each other? From now on, just pass it on to Lieutenant General Yoo Hye-rim or the comrades in the secretary’s office.”

“Oh, I see, Comrade General Secretary! to rectify it immediately…”

“I see. okay. Anyway, congratulations once again on your inauguration.”

Jeonghwan sighed inwardly as he saw the chairperson Ri Jong-soo hurriedly backing away with a salute again, or no longer Director Ri Jong-su.

The soldiers of the People’s Volunteer Brigade who returned from the Gulf War as ‘people’s heroes who rescued the workers’ comrades from the evil of Saddam Hussein, the enemy of the people’, were rewarded with a splendid welcome ceremony and promotion in Pyongyang.

The last day of the welcome ceremony, which took place over several days, ended with the first ever US president’s visit to North Korea, the idea of Foreign Minister Kim Yong-gun to show the people as if an American had come to celebrate the improvement of the Gulf War veterans.

‘Internally, I think it can be a process to elevate the dignity of our military comrades who participated this time, and at the same time to convince some people who still have antipathy towards the United States, Comrade General.’

In addition to Baek Seung-cheol, who was the brigade commander, all the officers at the ranks of lieutenants and consul-level officers were awarded the prizes. was appointed head of the

Unlike the precedents of appointing a person who would never betray his ability over his abilities, such as Kim Young-ryong, the former security chief, or Won Hong-hee, chief of the National Security Agency, who would usually give priority to the Kim family and appoint a person who would never betray him, Jung-hwan had no direct acquaintance with him. Ri Jong-su was appointed as the head of the reconnaissance general.

This measure surprised not only the military, who expected Jeong-hwan to appoint his henchman as the head of the reconnaissance general, but also the inside and outside the party, but Jang Seong-taek was the only one who had the courage to speak directly to Jeong-hwan.

– Comrade General Secretary… That’s… I’m not in any way questioning your decision, but can you trust Baek Seung-cheol and Ri Jong-su, who was under him? Rather, it would be better to summon a reliable party member from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under Comrade Kim Yong-geon…

To Jang Seong-taek, who euphemistically expresses the phrase, ‘Can I trust them?’, Jeong-hwan unexpectedly shook his head and resolutely expressed his intention, and he had no choice but to keep his mouth shut.

– New Major General Ri Jong-su is the leading role in this dispatch, which raised the name of the Republic against Hussein, and he is a heroic hero who completed the mission and improved along with Lieutenant General Baek Seung-cheol. In this republic, personnel should be based on ability and performance, or should they come from background?

Jeong-hwan’s greetings were a carrot for the People’s Army, which had only been whipped for by reducing military service resources and cracking down on internal corruption, but at the same time had two more intentions.

The first of these was to greet meritocracy.

‘The reason why the United States is the world’s strongest military is that it has the greatest supply power at the level of Show Me the Money from a huge chunk of land, but it cannot ignore the socio-cultural aspect. The civilians give preferential treatment to veterans and whether or not they have fought in the field (Battle-tested) is one of the main criteria for promotion to generals. Even if you can’t get rid of the shooting stars, they filter out a lot of political soldiers with poor command skills.’

It was the truth regardless of the East and West, North and South that there are very few good-looking histories of soldiers sneaking into politics.

The message that the military will exert enormous influence on politics for decades since the country’s founding and that even high-ranking party members who have never held a gun have one military rank. It was Jeonghwan’s intention to give to both sides of the party.

And the second intention was long-term defense reform.

“If I had gone all the way to Kuwait and suffered through that, I would have learned something. Baek Seung-cheol seems to have heard of that trouble a little bit… But it’s true that greetings are everything.”

Swallowing his saliva, Jeonghwan muttered as he opened the seal of the report posted to Director Ri Jong-su.

Among the soldiers who returned as heroes from the Gulf War, Ri Jong-su was appointed as the director of the Reconnaissance General Bureau. Even so, there was one more greeting. that he was appointed as

Unlike Ri Jong-su, who has a talkative and active personality, Kim Cheol-gyu, who is relatively quiet and looks like a general, silently accepted the appearance of this absurd supreme leader. It was also quite an unusual greeting.

However, only Baek Seung-cheol, who was saved by the ‘U.S.-made Flying Frame’, a four-dimensional wall that could not be crossed while tasting hell together in the desert of Kuwait, silently nodded his head with an expression of understanding.

“…this is…”

“Why are you doing this, Comrade General? Is there anything that makes you uncomfortable?”

“No, nothing.”

Jeong-hwan put down the report of the General Reconnaissance Bureau, which he was reading, waving his hand at Yoo Hye-rim, who looked at him with worried eyes.

The report came from a South Korean spy who is currently on a secret drug in Seoul, and not long ago, Jeong-hwan gave Ri Jong-soo some instructions through the intelligence network of the Reconnaissance General Bureau in Korea.

After the reorganization, Ri Jong-soo looked tense at the direct instructions of the first general secretary, but he tilted his head at the erratic instructions of the next general secretary.

– Investigate a family in South Korea and post a report. My father’s job is a civil servant… and he probably has a son. You don’t need to research too much, you just need to find out about your child’s relationship.

It wasn’t a difficult task, and since it was information that could be acquired only by asking about the Heungshinso, which was slowly starting to emerge in Korea, the General Bureau of Reconnaissance easily found out information about the targeted family and delivered it to the general secretary’s office.

They didn’t know the reason, but anyway, at the personal instructions of the supreme leader like heaven, Ri Jong-soo even showed enthusiasm to come to the secretary’s office and deliver it directly as a director, as before, but… Secretary Yoo Hye-rim noticed that Jung-hwan’s face had turned a little pale.

“Are you sure you’re really okay? If you’re not feeling well, see a doctor right away…”

“No, no, Lieutenant Yu. I am really fine.”

“……?”

“I still have plans for today. Did you say that it was the first time that American civilian merchant ships entered Nampo? I’ll have to go and surprise Jang Seong-taek. The seat is coming soon. See you under the clerk’s office.”

With a worried face and a bitter smile at Yoo Hye-rim, who was concerned about him, Jung-hwan said that he was okay, got up from his seat, and deliberately walked out of the clerk’s room at a quick pace.

It was written at the end of the report of the General Reconnaissance Bureau, which he had left on his desk as it is not usual.

– ……… The South Korean family who ordered the investigation is living a slightly more prosperous life than the average South Korean. Although the couple sometimes expresses dissatisfaction with the South Korean politicians, they are basically loyal to the South Korean government and system, and are investigated for profane slander towards the Republic and the respected supreme leader at a drinking party. It is expected that the conversion or acquisition of the company will be quite difficult. According to Haeju No. 3, which is working in Seoul, remarks such as ‘the redheads are falling for the hack’ have been observed regarding the recent North-South basic agreement signed with South Korea. (父), mother (母), and only one daughter, who was born shortly after the newlyweds .