Dear Comrade Leader, Episode 133
Chapter 47. gender equality
“Hey, this guy’s Republic of Korea or North Korea… … No, it’s hard to live in North Korea. It’s hard to be patriotic, and it’s hard to make a living… … ttt!”
Park Se-hwang sighed and rubbed the ‘Sol’ cigarette he had in his mouth on the floor of the apartment’s veranda to put it out.
The spring breeze in Seoul is now gone, and as the summer sun, which is slowly starting to get hotter, is beating down on the heads of Seoul citizens, news and newspapers reported the procession of vacationers every day.
But to Park Se-hwang and his family, it was a different story.
In the past, when I was the head of the Ministry of Secrecy, when I was not afraid of anything, I would have given my family a flight to Southeast Asia and Saipan, which is now in the spotlight as a tourist destination, with the fine money I took from various places in addition to my salary, but now I can’t.
Because Park Se-hwang is now a civilian.
When the thought went crazy, Park Se-hwang looked back, holding down the sigh that suddenly rose from his chest at the weight of the official duties he was carrying on his shoulders.
Then, in the living room, he saw his rabbit-like cubs and his wife sitting together and staring at the Daewoon Electronic TV with their eyes wide open.
The airing time of the reality program, which has been gaining popularity for a while, has run out.
Beep, beep, beep, beep… … !
‘Please note that this program is a reenactment of real events based on police incident records, and in some cases, aliases and aliases have been used.
“Wow! ‘People of the Police Department’ do it!”
“Daddy ah ah ah! Daddy! People of the National Police Agency, hey hey hey! Come quickly and we’ll see you together!”
“Jung Min-ah… … I’ve said it a few times, but what about your dad? He’s a lot smarter than the police guys out there… … No, of course, police officers are also important, but anyway, he is someone who does an incredibly difficult and important job.”
“What should be important?”
“Oh, so that’s… … .”
Park Se-hwang, who opened his mouth to answer the question, talked about the complexity of inter-Korean relations, the inauguration of a new North Korean leader, and the reason why he quit the security service.
Until the recent inauguration of President Park Yi-sam, he was momentarily speechless, not knowing how to explain all of this to his children, who are still in elementary school.
While he couldn’t answer, the first son, Park Jung-min, who came along to the veranda, pulled his pants crotch and started sneezing.
“Don’t do that, let’s see each other aah~~ It’s good that Daddy is still at home these days… … Even if my mom gets angry that my dad has become a white man, it’s nice to see my dad often! Even if my mom gets mad at my dad for eating it while stocking up, I like him too! So let’s see the police officers together! yes?”
“… … .”
Yes. Just like his son said, Park Se-hwang, who has been working for a year now, is looking for a job in another job after leaving the Ministry of National Security.
The reason that Park Se-hwang recently left the National Archives was due to complicated internal circumstances that were difficult to talk about.
Externally, it was a major reform of the civilian government that began after President Park Yi-sam took office.
Park Yi-sam started a blitzkrieg change, stating ‘democracy of the Ministry of Security and Security’ as if blaming him for suffering from the Ministry of Security and Security during his pro-democracy movement.
An internal investigation into all the NSSC staff began, and in the process, personnel involved in political operations such as monitoring and wiretapping opposition figures came out of the INS, including the 3rd deputy chief, Park Se-hwang’s direct supervisor.
In the case of Park Se-hwang, the story was a bit more complicated than that of the 3rd deputy chief, but he himself has now accepted the reality anyway.
Park Se-hwang comforted his son by lamenting that it was difficult for him to tell anyone about this frustrating feeling, even his son or his wife.
“Ugh… … When are you going to pick up those words again? Jung Min-ah, the guys out there are criminals… … So he’s a little bit of catching bad guys, but he’s catching worse people than criminals! Police or anything like that can’t jab this daddy! Do you understand?”
“Who are the much worse people?”
“that… … .”
Park Se-hwang, who was about to say, habitually to his innocent son’s question, that they are North Korean gangsters, had to be speechless once again.
First of all, in a world where there are rumors of whether the present North Korea can be called a redneck, that is, a communist, now that it has turned to a pro-American capitalist country and even McDonald’s has opened a store in Pyongyang.
Since Kim Jung-hwan took office, North Korea has been changing day by day, as if when it was the best hermit kingdom in Asia.
Of course, even after the inter-Korean agreement, direct civilian exchanges were prohibited, so I couldn’t see it with my own eyes.
It was said by South Korean businessmen who traveled to North Korea and Pyongyang for economic exchange that the word is changing so quickly that it is reminiscent of the word “sangjeonbyeokhae”.
– Director Park, the fortress Pyongyang is not what it used to be. It’s completely changed. Oil is scary. It reminded me of the early to mid 1980s, when the Korean economy was at its peak 10 years ago. Day by day, buildings are going up in downtown Pyongyang. Would you believe me if I told you I could buy Hershey’s Chocolate at a Pyongyang supermarket?
“I’ve heard that a lot has changed, but is it that much?”
– It’s not a joke. In addition, I guess they have gained confidence now, so while our group executives stayed in Pyongyang, there were hardly any guards. In the old days, even going to the bathroom was frowned upon and the security guards who watched the schedule were over. Now that it’s free time, have you ever imagined that it’s time to go out and do some shopping? Director Park, what’s even scarier is that this is not the end.
“… … What else do you have?”
-I heard this sneakily from an executive in the finance and accounting department of that party, and they say that they are already subsidizing high-speed Internet lines to each household through the telephone lines they have buried in the ground. You know what ADSL is? In addition, since these friends are absolutely dictatorship countries, they say that when a friend from the party, or comrade Kim Jeong-hwan, dear supreme leader gives an order, they just change everything without regulation or corporate profit. They also have oil, and I can’t hear the editorial in the Koryo Ilbo jokingly saying that if this goes on, the per capita income may be overtaken in 15 years. one… … .
‘It’s PC communication in Pyongyang, so… … Right now, we caught college students who posted a declaration of left-wing group through PC communication a while ago… … .’
In the past (in fact, even now), from military service training to delivery riders, the repertoire of criticisms of North Korea by the South Korean government and civilians consistently was mainly ‘North Korea was a communist dictatorship without freedom’.
Through interviews with North Korean defectors from the 1980s, North Korea is a dictatorship that deprives individuals of individuality and freedom through self-criticism and ideological consolidation and makes them loyal only to the state and the Kim family, so North Korea is a bad country and our Republic of Korea is Being a good country was the gist of the propaganda.
The Ministry of Security and Public Administration, in which Park Se-hwang was present, was at the forefront of disseminating such ‘national level mental education’, and Park Se-hwang himself thought it was natural and natural.
However, after hearing about the changes in North Korea that he has seen and heard through various channels over the past few years, and the question of his son who is free from stereotypes and prejudices, which was almost common sense in Park Se-hwang’s generation, it makes me want to look back on whether North Korea is really ‘bad people’. it has become
It was an ‘anti-national idea’ that would make you wonder just by thinking about it when you were at the Ministry of Security and Security, but seeing that the People’s Army, who was said to be evil, engaged in a battle at the risk of its life to save the people of his country, went to the Kuwait desert and now, as in the past, Park Se-hwang only had negative feelings about North Korea. I couldn’t see the country.
Are North Korea really horned devils and bad guys?
Maybe now South Koreans, including Park Se-hwang, have to prepare their hearts to accept this new North Korea?
“Dad?”
“… … Stop and go into the living room, and Min-ah Jeong.”
“Yes, Dad.”
“Dad, you’re not white! Understand?”
Park Se-hwang’s words, as if they were very important, were actually true.
As soon as he came out of the Ministry of Security and Security, he used his previous experience to find a job in the private sector, and succeeded in re-employment without much difficulty thanks to the arrangement and guarantees of his superiors in the days of the INS, when he had strong connections with the private sector.
Even though that job is a bit behind in modern times, it is still the name of ‘International Communication Consultant’ in the Future Strategy Office of Seongsam Group, one of Korea’s leading conglomerates… … In a word, it was helping South Korean companies doing business in North Korea.
What I learned was stealing, and the reason why Park Se-hwang, who is over 40 years old, was chosen by Seongsam was probably his experience and knowledge about North Korea.
After the inter-Korean agreement, many Korean companies tried to enter North Korea, aiming for a new market (and oil) with 23 million consumers who speak the language and are relatively less picky than the South… … .
Jeong-hwan, who was concerned about the occupation of North Korea by South Korean capital, issued a strict decree, and there were not many companies that actually advanced into North Korea following modern times.
And when those very few companies got the business right, they had to go through difficulties in the local situation in North Korea, which had changed so much from that of South Korea for 40 years. One was Park Se-hwang.
After these circumstances, from this month, Park Se-hwang is a god who has been working as an employee of Seongsam Group in North Korea.
In the end, both inside and outside the Ministry of Security and Security are rednecks… … No, Park Se-hwang, who had a job dealing with North Koreans, was self-helping himself because he was trying to be patriotic, so he had to do all sorts of extraordinary things.
“really? Isn’t it white?”
“okay! It’s a bit complicated to explain, but anyway, this daddy’s not a white beast! Understand? Jung Min-ah?”
“Yes… … .”
“Then go in and look at the police officers too, okay?”
“yes!”
Looking at the little back of his son who left him and went back to the living room, Park Se-hwang couldn’t help but ask himself a question.
‘Jeong-min, what will North Korea look like when those kids grow up? So many things have changed in just four years, how much more will they change by the time they become adults?’
The only answer was for him to go and check it out himself.
And if, really if… … If you are lucky, you may see with your own eyes Kim Jung-hwan, the supreme leader of North Korea who changed all this and caused all of it.
In that sense, Park Se-hwang could not help but think once again that this uncertain but everything was good for accepting the new proposal.
* * *
“Comrade General Secretary, that Antonov… … What was the requirement that your comrade suggested?”
“I’ll tell you about that later, Lieutenant Yu. By the way, has that person arrived now? After all, that requirement has something to do with that person.”
“Yes. We have now arrived from the guesthouse and are waiting for the call of Comrade General Secretary.”
Yoo Hye-rim, who asked him with a curious expression, Jung-hwan thought for a moment and then turned to another question.
“Then I must go now. Comrade Antonov? Are you conscientious about your work? Aren’t you drunk and playing?”
“That’s right. It was a bit surprising for me too, but when I saw the Soviet MiG that I loved at the research institute again, it seemed that I had a different mind. I said something like this when I visited a surveillance vehicle a while ago.”
“This is your current Air Force’s newest aircraft, the Mig 29 we bought from you. It’s also one of Russia’s newest flags, but can I tell you something interesting, comrade? East Germany fell and the Yankees in Germany had their F15’s in a mock battle with this Mig 29. What do you think the result would be?”
“… … .”
“The answer is on your face. The MiG 29 was really smashed. In fact, it wasn’t quite unexpected as it was broadcast live around the world that Yankee fighters stole all of the weapons Hussein bought from us over there in Kuwait. The elders of the party’s Politburo saw it too, and they were terrified, so we were given a special task to tell us how to deal with the problem… … Well, after that, the country was shattered, so there was nothing like developing a fighter jet… … .”
“Hmm… … .”
Jeonghwan listened to Yoo Hye-rim’s message and kept his mouth shut for a moment with an interesting expression.
Even through Yoo Hye-rim’s mouth, Antonov could sense that bitterness, sorrow, and sadness were deeply buried in Antonov’s last words, like other Soviets.
The former competitor, who has been competing in the field of military aviation for a long time, has now taken over the world supremacy, and their fighter jets traverse the seas and skies around the world.
In fact, Jung-hwan was only guessing if it was because their works were kept in warehouses and waiting for the day they would be sold to other countries.
And the motivation behind why Antonov quit drinking and returned to his old work place.
“Anyway, I don’t have to worry about drinking with that comrade anymore. So shall we go now?”
Jeonghwan immediately left the company and got into the car heading to the guesthouse.
In fact, considering the fact that the guest who arrived today is not a head of state or a diplomat, but just a civilian, it would be correct to call him this company instead of moving Jeong-hwan, but Jeong-hwan, the leader of the country, chose to personally come to the guesthouse. .
First of all, the reason was to show that I respect him, and the second was because I did not want to make this meeting visible to others as much as possible.
This is in the middle of Pyongyang, but now North Korea is no longer a closed hermit state where all information can be controlled, and no one knows when, where, or how a person’s mouth will open.
Soon after arriving at the guesthouse, Jeonghwan headed to the room where the guests were waiting without any attendants besides Yoo Hye-rim.
And Jeonghwan, with today’s customer, Peony Holdings president Choi Seung-il, greeted him warmly when he saw a white old man of six years, who was calmly waiting for him with a cup of tea in front of him.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen it in person, George, or would you like to call me George like last time? In any case, it is an official welcome to your visit to this republic. George Soros.”