Dear Comrade

Chapter 14. A butterfly flapping its wings could trigger a nuclear storm on the opposite continent. (2)

Chapter 14. A butterfly flapping its wings could trigger a nuclear storm on the opposite continent. (2)

In November 1988, the world was moving closer and closer to the end of the 20th century.

The Republic of Korea, which successfully hosted the Seoul Olympics (pretending to be ignorant of the upheaval in North Korea), said, “We rode the last train of a developed country,” as a government official recalled later.

After a long military dictatorship, the student movement and the democratization movement began to regain their strength little by little under the elected civilian government after a long time.

The shadows of the military regime gradually receded, and the dark period of freedom seemed to fall in inverse proportion to economic growth, as the darkness of the night receded by the morning light.

On the other hand, not only Korea but also the whole world seemed to be preparing for the next century with a big change.

Eastern Europe gradually began to escape the influence of the Soviet Union, and in the United States, the era of “Hollywood President” Reagan came to an end.

Europe also felt that the systemic competition was coming to an end, and the need to unite as one to survive in the 21st century centered on the United States (which is almost certain to reign as the only empire on earth) emerged.

However, one of the regions that received the most attention was Japan.

In Japan, the most powerful economy in Asia, the bubble economy, which reached its peak, was rushing toward its peak, earning the world’s envy and admiration.

In the ranking of the world’s 50 largest companies by market capitalization, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation and NTT took the first place with a large gap with the second-ranked IBM, and in the rest of the rankings, more than 30 Japanese companies were occupied.

Although there were very few voices in society predicting that such an unreasonable bubble in the real estate and stock market would be a catastrophe in the future, most dismissed this prediction as a conspiracy theory spread by those who were jealous of Japan’s economic success. .

But very few, some even more, were anticipating the collapse of these bubbles and moving quickly to secure wealth and political gain in the chaos and crash that followed.

“Is it Japan?”

“Yes, Comrade General Secretary, an acquaintance from Japan called me.”

“Japan….and acquaintances…”

Jeong-hwan, who attended the ‘Pyongyang-Sariwon Expressway Groundbreaking Ceremony’, heard unexpected news from Yoo Hye-rim right after he came down from the podium.

Upon receipt of the loans and food aid obtained from China, they were sent to the necessary places according to Jeong-hwan’s orders.

Food was sent to warehouses for future use, with the exception of the amount to be sent to areas that were prioritized in the importance selection by Party Agriculture Ministry officials.

And huge loans were used to repair and resume construction of highways that would be used to transport these foods.

– Refining the road network is a matter of life and death for our republic. Mobilize the labor and peasant Red Guards and repair them as soon as possible. Work day and night, but divide the workers into 4 shifts to ensure adequate rest and pay in cash. Also, do not spare money to introduce and actively utilize heavy equipment necessary for various construction projects, including safety equipment.

Although the communist state has a fatal flaw of production inefficiency due to the prohibition of the pursuit of private interests, it is not without its advantages.

One of them is that the state (or party)-led projects can sometimes raise their level in a short period of time with the input of capital and labor, which is different from other capitalist countries.

In fact, as soon as Party General Secretary Jeong Hwan gave the order, tens of thousands of workers were mobilized to the construction site in trucks and jeeps under the command of the military.

Under the permission of Jeong-hwan, who not only reviewed the budget, but also the labor force, construction began in the republic with an abundance of equipment and materials after a long time in the republic, and the North Korean highway network was gradually changing its shape.

As the railroad was similarly planned and sufficient budget and manpower were put in, it quickly regained its former shape.

Although most of the existing infrastructure was repaired or stopped due to financial limitations, the new construction was about a new road between Pyongyang and Sariwon where Jeong-hwan had just attended… The phone call he received after attending the groundbreaking ceremony was Jeong-hwan. made her face slightly hardened.

“Sang Young-Jun Heo… Oops, this is Comrade Heo Young-Jun’s phone call.”

“……Go to us. I’ll get it in the car.”

Leaving behind the sincere cheers of the laborers pouring on him (thanks to the fair wages paid), Jeong-hwan immediately got into the car and headed for the Pyongyang Party secretary’s office.

One of the first tasks Jeonghwan did after taking power was to recover his enormous assets that had been dispersed abroad in some way, and the process has been going smoothly for the past two months.

Since the total amount of assets was the total amount, it took a year to hide and retrieve what was hidden, but in this area, with the help of Room 39 of the Labor Party, which is the best in the world, the work was going smoothly…

When I heard the voice as soon as I answered the phone, it seemed that there was a problem with the work.

– Long time no see. Jung Hwan. It’s a bit late, but I’d like to say congratulations on being promoted to Shogun. It’s not an official congratulatory message from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but I’m sure you’ll understand the current diplomatic relationship. Hmm, from what I’ve heard it’s pretty noisy, but I thought you’d do a great job anyway. It’s because I’ve had an extraordinary side since I was in Japan, clerk.

– …. It’s been a long time for me too. nice to meet you Minister Nakao.

Jeonghwan responded with a rotten smile to the voice he heard through the satellite phone, saying he was not happy at all.

The person he was talking to was H. Nakao, a Japanese construction contractor, who he met through Heo Young-jun while he was fleeing from Kim Jong-il in Japan.

Originally, even when I was in Japan, I was not a very comfortable person to see face to face, but the calls I received in this situation were even more inconvenient.

Especially considering that the number from this phone is a number that Nakao should not know.

‘This number is the number I gave Heo Young-jun to call if there is any problem with asset management.

– Since then and now, I hated pretentiousness, so let’s get right to the point. I’ve done you a favor before. And I guess it’s thanks to that favor that you’re now the shogun of the Kitajōsen… So it’s okay if you come and get a little bit of that favor back, right?

– Do you mean to say ‘on gaeshi’ in Japanese? It wasn’t a favor, it was a deal…

– It’s a deal, if my memory isn’t wrong, then you know that I threatened to turn the scandal over to the prosecutor’s office if I didn’t respond. Am I wrong?

– …………….Tell me what you want.

– You don’t seem to be reading Japanese newspapers these days. Isn’t it obvious? The abductee problem. I think, with a little effort from you, a picture of the Japanese abducted from their hometown can safely get off at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport and shake hands can be published in the newspaper. Is it possible?

That’s it too.

Junghwan sighed and clasped his forehead with his hand.

In the late 1970s, the Kim Jong-il regime abducted Japanese civilians from all over Japan to forge passports and supply Japanese language training centers for agents.

It was not a topic of discussion at the time, and it was even treated as an urban legend in Japan, but now, that is, in the late 1980s, the issue of the Japanese abducted by North Korea was re-examined in earnest, and the issue of the Japanese abducted by North Korea is one of the hottest topics in Japanese politics. was becoming an issue.

Today, day and night, newspapers in Japan are covered with this article, and there are even rumors that the former missing persons may have been abducted by North Korea, and reports to the police station exploded.

Of course, North Korea, that is, the republic in its original history, has been consistent with most of these criminal acts in denial or silence, and the full-fledged repatriation negotiations begin in the 21st century…

The problem was not that Junghwan was worried about now, but the other side.

– Whoa… There’s no way you’re making such a demand out of a spring of sympathy and love for your country’s abducted civilians…. Is the purpose of the election, Minister?

– It hurts my heart a little to say that, but my wife can’t. I honestly do. If anyone, any politician, gets in touch with Kitajousen and solves this issue right now, it’s like putting his name on the list of candidates for Prime Minister right away.

– The Minister is saying that it has to be you.

– That’s right. After all, Takeshita Noboru’s cabinet now won’t last long. The competition has already begun under the water. I am one of those fish. What I want is for the Japanese abducted to come back to Haneda Airport, and when the flashlight goes off as they get off the plane, I’m standing next to them. The Shinkansen Express that will make me Prime Minister.

– ………………..

– To be honest, there was no doubt in the corner of my heart that you could become the leader of North Korea, but now that this has happened, you have truly become my joker. That’s why it’s important for horse racing and people to choose the winning horse well. Isn’t it?

‘It is not difficult to solve this problem. However………’

Jeonghwan frowned and worried about Nakao’s voice over the phone line.

Anyway, he was planning to help make Nakao prime minister someday.

The problem was when he became prime minister.

About three years before the Japanese bubble bursts.

At that time, it was obvious that whoever became prime minister would take responsibility and resign, or at least suffer a major political blow.

And Jeonghwan hoped Nakao wasn’t prime minister at the time the bubble burst.

Just as he is a hidden card to Nakao, Nakao is definitely a useful hand to Junghwan.

But Nakao, who can’t see one inch ahead (though it’s natural), didn’t seem likely to give up easily.

– What if I reject the offer?

Read at readwn.com

Nakao’s voice over the phone line became noticeably colder at Junghwan’s voice as if he was waking up.

– I’m sorry. I thought you were smart… If that’s the case, I’ll have to be like you three years ago. I refused the deal, so I had no choice but to threaten him .