Dear Comrade

＜ Chapter 23. In the name of the people (3) ＞

Chapter 23. In the name of the people (3)

In any case, it is the president, not the defense minister, who makes the final decision.

Colin Powell, well aware of this, looked into George Bush’s deep thoughts and asked cautiously.

“Sir… I know you like quick decisions, but this is a very sensitive matter. If we make a mistake, we may have to choose between our current ally or a country that might become one in the future, but I think it will be strategically beneficial to be ambiguous for now.”

“You have to make a choice… From what the general said, it seems that North Korea did not even agree on this with South Korea in advance. Are you saying that you want to have a relationship with us alone and not with your brothers?”

“That’s right. When I found out from the embassy in Korea, it seems that the Korean government was not even giving any words, literally ignoring it. It seems that the friend of the general secretary is aiming to maintain the system, not unification, in the line of reform and opening up, South Korea and North Korea.”

“Hmm…”

From the U.S. point of view, since both of them decided to be pro-American countries, if they cooperated or even abruptly reunified like today’s Germany and acted as a forward base for the United States in Northeast Asia, that would be a great advantage, but things are not so easy. There was no way it could be solved.

George W. Bush, like the average Republican in the United States, hates dictators and favors democracy, but at the same time he was a believer in realist diplomacy.

If you think about the precedents of intervening in unfamiliar areas with blind hatred of communism from Vietnam to Cuba, but did not achieve the original strategic goal and only heightened anti-American sentiment…

‘Now, here, it’s good to hold the hand extended by this young friend, Kim Jeong-hwan. This should be avoided diplomatically so that the Korean side does not feel that they have been betrayed.’

“Let’s have a serious discussion at the cabinet meeting tomorrow morning… is my official position as president, and I’m only secretly telling you, General, and I welcome it. I want North Korea to send as many troops as possible to our multinational forces.”

“…are you serious? dismissal?”

“What could be wrong? We are now gathering all the support of the international community. The other side knows that too, so they used this war as a turning point in their relationship. If you are reluctant to fight on the same flag with a friendly country with the Soviet Union, there is already Syria. Dick, I convince you.”

“Then, I’ll help out with one arm. dismissal. It sounds like the Cold War is coming to an end. Then on the Korean side…”

“First of all, it should be noted that the dispatch of the North Korean troops and the future relationship between Korea and the United States will be discussed on a different level. In any case, nominally, the North Korean military is not joining the US military, but joining the ‘multinational force’.”

“… Koreans aren’t stupid either, would they believe it?”

“Of course I wouldn’t believe it. But that’s good for us. I’m sure you already know that we need to reduce the probability that American blood and taxes will be wasted on this war as much as possible. If they can compete with North Korea for the size of their deployment on their own, wouldn’t we be able to clean the garage without getting soot on our hands?”

George W. Bush was already shivering at the thought that if everything went as he envisioned, he might really be able to save on taxes by taking one or two airborne divisions out of the expeditionary force.

But, as he already knew, it was revealed before the year ended that things in the world didn’t go as easily as he intended.

A month after the invasion of Iraq, high-ranking officials, including the US Treasury Secretary, were dispatched to Seoul in early September to formally request South Korea’s participation in the war and dispatch of troops.

In fact, the word was a ‘request’, and the South Korean defense minister, who came to Seoul airport with tabi feet, shook hands with American officials and immediately gave an affirmative answer on the spot.

“Minister! The dispatch of combat troops is as if it has already been decided. So please put your mind at ease and do not forget that our Republic of Korea has always been America’s ‘real’ friend.”

“Thank you very much. Minister, I am delighted to be able to confirm that Korea is a responsible member of the international community. But how big is…”

“The plan is to dispatch one mechanized infantry division, an independent artillery brigade, and a medical support group, which was recently organized, including the 7th and 9th Airborne Special Forces Brigade of the Army. Transportation to the base in the United Arab Emirates will have to be lent by the US military, but unlike any other country, I would like to make sure that the Republic of Korea never advocates a war of aggression and always stands with the United Nations.”

The defense minister, speaking confidently, did not miss the ‘sales point’ until the very end and looked at the expressions of the American contingents.

Due to a series of cataclysmic events in neighboring countries over the past few years, the ROK Armed Forces hastily increased its defense budget and began to strengthen its forces.

The slow transition of the forward division to mechanized infantry was spurred, and the Ministry of Security and Security’s intelligence that North Korea had introduced more than expected Mig 29 aircraft (purchasing fighters is expensive, so relatively cheap) strengthened the air defense artillery sector. led to

As a result, the deadline for completion of anti-aircraft weapon systems that were still in the process of development under the names of ‘Chunma’ and ‘Biho’ at the National Defense Science Research Institute was greatly advanced (along with the screams of researchers), and unintentionally, preparations for dispatch to some extent were unintentionally. that was done.

Although it was never expected that the first actual battle of such a reinforced mechanized infantry force would be not in their own country but in the Middle East, the size of the dispatch alone was enough to tell how much South Korea was paying attention to the US in this war.

‘At this size, opposition from the opposition parties and anti-American groups would be huge, but is it any good to say that rednecks also send troops? In order to make the UN membership as quiet as possible, the Yankees need to be sympathetic to them as much as possible. What will it look like if we send fewer troops than North Korea?’

“Hahaha, of course. President George W. Bush will be delighted to know that the ROK-U.S. alliance is still strong.”

“We haven’t gotten the parliamentary approval yet, but it is certain that it will pass. At the beginning of this year, there was one political reorganization that will go down in history. The National Assembly must be a woman now, and the day is not far off when our ROK Armed Forces will fight once again under the UN flag with the US military. Ha ha ha ha ha!”

The U.S. Secretary of State did not know exactly what political reshuffle was taking place, but he laughed as the South Korean Defense Minister said there was no problem anyway.

In March of that same year, the three parties, the United People’s Party, led by Park Yi-sam, the leader of the pro-democracy movement, the People’s Political Party of the current president, and the New People’s National Conservative Party, which was once called the prime minister, Kim Jun-pyeong, gathered votes from Chungcheong-do to unite under the banner of Conservative Unity. It formed a huge ruling party called the People’s Liberal Party.

Although most American politicians did not know or care about it, the impact this three-party party had on Korea was enormous.

– Park Yi-sam! The bastard of the frack who will be punished for this! There’s no one else to hold hands with. Hold hands with those bastards who violate the dedication, cause a coup d’état, and sharpen guns at citizens!

– People of Honam! We got hit in the back again! I was betrayed, teased, and shed tears of blood again!

– Is this a meeting? How is this a meeting? If there is an objection, it should be debated against! Where is the meeting without discussion and persuasion? Are there any meetings without discussion and persuasion?

Yoo Min-joong, who suddenly became the only opposition party, and almost all other democratization forces, criticized Park Yi-sam, who was ‘a traitor who was blinded by power and quarreled with the successors of the military dictatorship’, but Park Yi-sam himself was steadfast.

– To catch a tiger, you must enter the tiger’s den! Wait and see, one day it will be revealed that I really didn’t even give in to those soldiers.

Of course, it was difficult for the People’s Liberation Party to progress smoothly, which is a group of three political forces with completely different ideologies and actions.

However, the reality of political gain and loss and the ideological glue of anti-communism and conservatives were binding them to the frame of one party, but as expected by the Defense Minister, the ideological glue seemed to be effective this time as well.

– One mechanized infantry division, an airborne brigade, and an artillery brigade? No, is this some kind of Second Six-War War? Why are we sending so many of our young people to wars in other countries that aren’t happening in our country?

– Oh, Senator! Why are you telling such an ideal story? They say that the rednecks are flirting with America these days to be friendly! But what happens to the ROK-U.S. alliance if we send a medical support group or something like that?

– Even so. If we send our elite troops to the other side of the world like this, who will guard the armistice line?

– Oh… just think about it, who’s the truce line trying to stop? Aren’t you here to stop the North Koreans? North Beast! But do you know who those drummers are dating now? Besides, why would they ignore us and only go to America? Have you read the Korea Daily? I won, I still can’t believe it, I.

– …….That’s right, so am I… And because the articles in the Goryeo Ilbo have a very strong disposition…

– Senator, this is the second round of diplomacy, the second round! Besides, after the war, there will be a war to win orders for restoration projects, so shouldn’t our companies also have a part in that? Thinking that this is all for the national interest… Come on. You know?

Of course, in addition to such diplomatic purposes, there was also the purpose of improving the image of contributing to international peace by contributing to the international peace of the Airborne Brigade, which is still not well-received by the people due to the bloody suppression of the democratization movement.

This unprecedented large-scale dispatch of troops since the Vietnam War has raised some dissatisfaction not only from the opposition party led by Rep. Min-jung Yoo, but also from the former Unified National Party forces in the ruling party led by Park Yi-sam, but most people said that the passage of the dispatch plan was already a fact. was watching

Putting all other reasons aside, the fact that ‘North Korea is entering the war on the side of the United States’ alone was a source of unknown anxiety to all political figures.

At least, institutional politicians and the literate knew how important the ROK-US alliance, symbolized by the USFK, plays a significant role in securing the current Korean system.

Of course, anti-American groups and leftists with a strong nationalist tendencies criticized this dispatch, saying, ‘Don’t let the blood of the people shed in a conspiracy to aggression for American oil interests’. His voice was extremely small compared to the cultural influence of

In addition, the few anti-American groups voiced ‘Hussein did the aggression, did the US do it? Is unconditional anti-Americanism what you are talking about national independence? North Korea is also cooperating with the US…’

And overcoming the opposition from the opposition party, which blew in that way and the number of seats markedly lacking, the large-scale ‘Korea International Peace Support Army’ plan of more than 10,000 people seemed to pass safely through the National Assembly.

In October of that year, a private soldier’s declaration of conscience revealed the case of civilian inspections by opposition figures from the Security Command, collectively called the ‘Cheongmyung Plan’.

– 1,300 security guards and 1,300 civilians are illegally inspected… Classified as 4th grade, and even the highest member of the ruling party, Park Yi-sam, is classified as an inspector…

– In the event of another coup d’etat, did you prepare for a coup d’état for the current president and the guards by first arresting the civilians classified in the ‘Cheongmyung Plan’?

And everything turned upside down.

The fact that the coup, which was thought to be disappearing from the bottom of the people’s memory, was planned again and almost executed, reached a point where even the Goryeo Ilbo could not cover the government.

The security commander was immediately sacked and a plan to eradicate criminals to change public opinion, the so-called ‘war on crime’, was declared, but the people who were inspected and the majority of the people did not want to pass on it.

Opposition to the large-scale overseas deployment, which was temporarily blocked by the shock of ‘North Korea fighting with the US military’, rose like a cola bottle and completely turned the situation upside down.

– I knew I was going to be like this, you bastards, I told you that I’m going to tear the Americans apart.

– Selling the blood of young people to extend their government, this is it. My father-in-law still did not receive any compensation for groaning because of the defoliant that he got in Vietnam, but a friend who declared conscience had a history of being involved in a left-wing group.

– Have you seen the list? It would be very, very great. Rep. Min-joong Yoo, of course, is a professor, a reporter… But why is Park Yi-sam going there and sitting at the temple?

Among them, the most decisive influence on the dispatch of troops was the fact that illegal inspections were also carried out on Park Yi-sam, the then highest member of the ruling party.

Park Yi-sam, who suddenly became a three-party union and was hit in the back of the head, threw a word to the reporter who was pointing the microphone at him with a subtle expression.

“There is a problem with the fact that even I, who is the head of the ruling party, is subject to inspection by the security company. Where is the regime that inspects the top member of the alternative ruling party? I can’t help but protest strongly against this.”

“Are you talking about Bundang? if not…”

“The relationship of trust has been broken. Like Rep. Kim Jun-pil, I don’t think I can see the government’s internal and external decisions as pure intentions.”

“An external decision? Please tell me more.”

“Something like establishing relations with the United States. I’ll just have to go.”

He said it in reverse, but in fact, it was as if he had withdrawn his consent to the issue that had not yet cooled down at the time, the plan for a large-scale dispatch of troops.

Even so, Dong-ju Oh and Park Yi-sam-gye, who had been ridiculed as ‘three families under one roof’, the former United People’s Party forces all stood up at once, suggesting that they would vote against the dispatch plan.

In a situation in which the plan to dispatch combat troops could be overturned if made a mistake, the current president and other factions of the ruling party came to the conclusion that they should protect the dispatch of fighters for condescension by crying and eating mustard.

And finally, the ROK military forces that were finally headed to the U.S. base in the United Arab Emirates were only two special airborne brigades and a medical support group.

Irrespective of such domestic politics in Korea, the international community at last realized that the use of force against Hussein was imminent.

Already, Hussein was engrossed in preparations for a national all-out war by building an earthen wall on the border with Saudi Arabia and stockpiling food.

And finally, around October, when detailed plans for air strikes against Iraqi forces began to appear, a multinational force centered on the U.S. Army Central Command led by Norman Schwarzkopf and enormous supplies to support them gathered at the Saudi Arabia border field base.

And, of course, among them was the Korean People’s Army, which arrived with the attention of the armed forces of other countries.

“This is Lieutenant General Baek Seung-cheol of the Korean People’s Army. At the command of Comrade Kim Jeong-hwan, the supreme leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, this dispatch… I am the general commander of the People’s Support Brigade. Interpreter, interpret!”

“Captain Norman Schwarzkopf, commander of the U.S. Army Central Command. Ummm… welcome.”

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Norman Schwarzkopf grabbed Baek Seung-cheol’s hand and waved it with a dissatisfied expression, as if he was trying to keep up with the Americans.

Anyone can see it, ‘I’m not very happy, but I’m still an ally…’

“How are the preparations for the attack going? Our People’s Army puts the safety of our technicians and comrades first, and we hoped for their easy cooperation.”

“Don’t worry, we are also concerned about the rescue of civilians. Please do not forget that our primary goal is to overthrow Hussein and his Iraqi forces and restore freedom and sovereignty to the people of Kuwaiti who are groaning under the dictator. We, members of the free world, intend to prove to the world that the intentions of dictators can never succeed.”

Baek Seung-cheol, who realized that Norman Schwarzkopf’s words contained bones through an interpreter, smiled.

Is this Yankee taunting me now?

“You’re a dictator, maybe that’s just a mockery of our comrade general… Comrade general?”

“I can’t, I’m not so crazy as to blaspheme an allied marshal. Lieutenant General Baek, I hope there is no misunderstanding.”

“under! whatever you think Our military and people look up to the sky and have nothing to be ashamed of. Where do you think we care about the perceptions of you Western imperialists? Absolutely not.”

“……Why is that?”

To a question posed by Norman Schwarzkopf thinking, ‘Let’s hear the answer somewhere,’ Baek Seung-cheol answered with a proud and proud expression.

“Contrary to what you think, our general secretary was ‘elected’ through the ‘democratic process’! The proud supreme leader elected unanimously and unanimously by the Politburo vote is the one who leads our glorious republic. I heard that Comrade Bush over there was a lot of noise in the election process… It can’t happen in our republic, you know ?”