Dear Comrade Leader, Episode 146
Shanghai was a relatively young city, unlike Chang’an (Xian), the ancient capital of several thousand years, and Beijing, the capital of several hundred years.
As if to prove that, I could feel the economic vibrancy and dynamism of Shanghai, which is different from Beijing, reviving from the sky as seen from the plane.
Five years after economic sanctions and two years after Deng Xiaoping’s overthrow.
The World Bank has already withdrawn, and only the United States has yet to decide the course of its diplomatic course, and the economic sanctions against China are weakening day by day.
And as if they were silently demonstrating that they would not say a word, the place where Jiang Zemin and the Chinese welcome party prepared the DPRK-China meeting was also in Pudong New District, which is at the forefront of Shanghai’s prosperity.
Some roads were kept under control, as evidenced by China’s goodwill toward Jeong-hwan and the North Korean delegation.
On the streets of the city, placards announcing welcome in Chinese and Korean were fluttering, and strict security was prepared from the airport to the reception hall.
At the welcome ceremony in Huangpu District, where the municipal government is located, through the roads in a bulletproof limousine, Jung-hwan shook hands with the smiling general secretary of the Communist Party of China Jiang Zemin.
“Come here, General Secretary Kim. It’s only been one year.”
“Thank you for the hospitality. Mr. Jang. Shanghai seems to be developing every time I see it.”
“Haha, I heard that Pyongyang is not easy these days. Last time, only General Secretary Kim and a few attendants came, but this time, other comrades from the Workers’ Party of Korea also joined us, so I am glad as the host who entertains guests. I don’t think I can see one person, but maybe it’s because I’m not feeling well?”
‘You must have heard it all already, but it’s a bit daunting. It seems like it won’t just pass.’
With the sword hidden in Jiang Zemin’s kind smile like the grandfather of the neighbor next door, the faces of party officials including Kim Yong-gun, Kim Young-nam, and Choi Seung-il, except for Jeong-hwan, hardened.
It was because everyone noticed that Jiang Zemin was referring to the purged Jang Song-thaek in connection with the succession issue.
However, Jung-hwan, who was the subject of the question, responded calmly.
“He asked me to take a leave of absence for a while, so I had to step down from the party. It was a child problem.”
‘Because I’m not lying.’
“Oh, if that’s the case, it makes sense. Isn’t it a precious treasure that can only have one child, whether it be a son or a daughter, in China?”
When Jiang Zemin also answered the question as if nothing happened, the party officials who were on the break all sighed in their hearts.
“Now then, let’s go ahead with the schedule without making other people wait. I too have been at this Shanghai Regional Party for so long, so there are so many places I want to introduce and brag about to General Secretary Kim, hahaha.”
The tour schedule was 3 days in total.
And for two days, Jung-hwan and Bang Jung-dan were guided around the economic centers of Shanghai and toured China’s representative special economic zones that change day by day.
Moreover, surprisingly, it was Jiang Zemin himself, China’s supreme power, who guided Jung-hwan for most of the itinerary.
“That construction site over there is a place where we collaborated with Germany’s Lufthansa to promote the complex development. There, in Xuhui District, China’s biggest department store and five-star hotels like Marriott will soon be opening, and what I wanted to show General Secretary Kim was… … .”
Jiang Zemin, who had guided him here and there with a loving voice, as if to prove his long-standing career as party secretary in Shanghai, laid a foundation, suddenly pointed to the huge TV tower that was being built across the Huangpu River and spoke with a particularly proud voice.
“It’s that guy. General Secretary Kim. Do you know what that is?”
“I hear you know. This is the Oriental Pearl Tower. I understand that it will be the tallest building in Shanghai when completed this year.”
In fact, in the era of Jeong-hwan, it was a building that had become a symbol of Shanghai and China’s reform and opening up.
But Junghwan decided to lighten Jiang Zemin’s mood.
In the meantime, I was fortunate to have reached the level of a native speaker.
“Ha ha ha ha ha!!! That’s right, when I was the mayor of Shanghai, I made a plan and went up to the center without even seeing the start of the construction, but I am really impressed that it will finally be completed in October of this year.”
“Soon, there will be countless skyscrapers like that in Shanghai, but it seems that Secretary Zhang is particularly fond of it.”
“Before that Oriental Pearl, the Japanese company building was the tallest building in Shanghai. But since I served as mayor, the Japanese have been hit by a frost caused by the collapse of the real estate bubble, and our Chinese economy is ascending like a dragon with Shanghai at the fore. Do you not think that the changes of the times are reflected in the building?”
‘It doesn’t seem like he’s completely out of the crisis yet.’
On the outside, Jung-hwan matched the mood of Jiang Ze-min, who smiled like a child, regardless of the age of six, but on the inside he was thinking that way.
Since then, he has been living in North Korea for nearly 10 years, the most closed and closed theater in the world for system propaganda.
Guided through Shanghai for 3 days and 2 nights, Jung-hwan realized that the shadow of economic sanctions had not been completely lifted from behind the exaggerated praise and pride of Jiang Zemin.
Behind the splendid Nanjing Road shopping street, there were abandoned stores that had been refurbished in a hurry, and the merchant ships moored in the harbor were moldy as if they had been neglected for quite some time.
Contrary to the original history, the fact that Bush, a hardliner in China, was re-elected and failed to join the World Trade Organization, which should have been launched this year, seemed to have been quite a blow.
But Junghwan just nodded with a smile on his face.
“The days when the Japanese represented the Asian economy are gone. The future hegemony of this Northeast Asian economy lies in the great powers of China, Korea, and… … It will be the possession of South Korea. Just in time, those living witnesses and contributors have been brought here. Don’t you think so, bosses?”
“… … Yeah? yes! Yes, of course. General Secretary.”
When Jeonghwan and Jiang Zemin turned around, there were executives from the modern group, including Yanggu Jeong, who had accompanied them throughout the journey.
As they listened to the interpreter’s words, they nodded their heads anew, and smiled unnaturally stiff.
“You’re a living witness, my father, Chairman Jung Moon-young, but he was an old man, so he couldn’t come here… … .”
“Haha, aren’t you the people who will lead the modern era after Chairman Chung? The future is not the era of our politicians, but the era of businessmen. So, we ask for more investment and cooperation in the future.”
“So do I. Korea’s economic achievements and the role of the modern group as a national enterprise in the process are also well-known in China. After this agreement is signed, you will know that modern investment in North Korea was a wise decision.”
“… … thank you.”
“It was unexpected that he would come here with General Secretary Kim rather than the Korean delegation, but I knew earlier that he was very resourceful. I hope that you leave with many possibilities of Shanghai in mind while you are here. If there are any inconveniences or places you would like to see more of on the way, please feel free to tell us. I will take special care of you.”
“Bae, thank you for your consideration, Secretary Jang. China’s potential has always been paying attention even in our modern times.”
At Jiang Zemin, who strode closer, grabbing their hands and shaking hands in a friendly way, President Yang-gu Jeong widened his eyes and stammered until the end.
Of course, this was not the first time I had met with the head of state as an executive of a multinational corporation like Hyundai.
However, the past few days when the leader of a huge country called China welcomed Jung-hwan, who is his grandson’s age, as a guide himself, could not help but surprise him.
At best, I thought it would be over on the first and last days, showing faces for a while and taking pictures… … .
Isn’t this the treatment of an enemy of a powerful country with almost equal national power?
Even if South Korean President Park Yi-sam visits China, can Jiang Zemin treat him with such dignity?
Jiang Zemin’s attitude toward Jeong Hwan during this visit to those who had not heard directly even if a new leader took office and North Korea had changed drastically changed their deeply entrenched prejudices and perceptions about North Korea.
Watching the faces of the second generation of modernists change in real time, Jeonghwan tried to uncover Jiang Zemin’s plans in his own way.
‘This is something.’
To be honest, the hospitality shown by Jiang Zemin was quite unexpected even for Junghwan.
Jiang Zemin can’t be unaware that Junghwan is now trying to attract investment from foreign countries, including Korea.
Isn’t that like an attempt to raise the stock price of Jeonghwan and North Korea?
It was as if he was intentionally trying to erase the debt to Junghwan.
After the purge of Jang Song-thaek, China, which had been expected to show a sign of discomfort and pressure in any way, had never been so favorable to China.
‘Unknown favors are always inconvenient, anywhere.’
And the reason was soon revealed at the dinner party on the last day of the schedule.
At the top of the North delegation’s delegation to the city government’s sumptuous dinner hall in Huangpu District, Jeong-hwan received a secret call from Jiang Zemin.
“General Secretary Kim, our General Secretary Jang said that he would like to share an unexpected secret conversation for a while.”
“Comrade General Secretary, this is… … .”
“Don’t worry. ‘Cause it’s coming Please keep your seat for me and entertain guests, Comrade Kim Young-nam. somewhere?”
“Follow me.”
Reassuring Kim Young-nam, whose complexion was changing, Jeong-hwan followed the Chinese attendant.
Although she usually took her personal assistant Hyerim Yoo to such a place, she said she was going down to the countryside to see her parents for the Lunar New Year, so she took a vacation to the secretary’s office and couldn’t follow her during this visit, so Jeonghwan was almost alone.
In a reception room a little away from the banquet hall, Jung-hwan met Jiang Zemin, who was waiting for him with an expressionless face, unlike before.
As soon as the door was closed from behind, Jiang Zemin lost the good smile he had shown for two days and went to the main point.
“Come on. General Secretary Kim. I called to tell you about Comrade Jang Seong-taek. I heard you got your neck blown off because you interfered with the succession issue of Joseon? I must first disclose the unofficial position that it was a real disappointment for us.”
“On that matter, I know that Kim Yong-geon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, has already stated the position of our country in a meeting with working-level officials.”
“Of course, we understand that the succession issue is a sensitive issue. We also do not want to interfere in the internal affairs of Joseon. However, considering the friendly relations between China and China so far, I think it can be explained why the person in charge of the project suddenly disappeared without saying a word before signing at the signing ceremony tomorrow.”
The signing ceremony that Jiang Zemin referred to meant the actual main event of his visit to China, the preferential trade agreement (PTA) between North Korea and China to be concluded tomorrow.
About a year ago, Jeong Hwan had been trying to select Raseon, Sinuiju, Hwanggeumpyeong, Wihwado, and Haeju as preferential trade zones through Jang Seongtaek to abolish import and export duties on certain items between Korea and China during trade in the region.
Those efforts saw results, and negotiations between the working groups were successfully completed, and now Jung Hwan and Jiang Zemin only had to sign the agreement at the signing ceremony tomorrow… … .
In fact, this agreement could be a little, if not quite, a lot of dissatisfaction from the point of view of Chinese officials, because it was not unreasonable to say that this agreement was an agreement in which China almost unilaterally bears damages to North Korea.
“As you are well aware, tomorrow’s agreement will be based on political logic, not economic logic. Comrade Jang Song-thaek worked hard to persuade our Party officials while traveling to and from China. They say that if you raise Joseon now, you can properly serve as a guard dog protecting this Chinese backyard against South Korea and US forces in Korea.”
The main provisions of this DPRK-China preferential trade agreement consisted of exempting or reducing tariffs on processed foods, shoes, clothing, wood, natural gas, petrochemical products, automobiles and electronic products exported from North Korea to China.
On the other hand, tariffs imposed by North Korea on cheap textiles and intermediate goods, in which China has a comparative advantage, have hardly been eliminated or reduced at all.
The most acute confrontation between the two sides was in the agricultural sector, and if cheap rice from the vast granaries of the three northeastern provinces of China poured into North Korea, the still weak North Korean agriculture would be pushed out of price competition and collapse.
And in the end, tariffs were not abolished in this agricultural sector, and there were two main reasons for the unilateral reflection of North Korea’s position.
One was that North Korea’s industry was not yet large enough or advanced enough to have a major negative impact on China by unequal trade.
And the second was because Jang Song-thaek ran back and forth between his close friends with Chinese officials, emphasizing the geopolitical importance of North Korea and how necessary North Korea’s economic growth is for the common security between the two countries.
However, when the negotiation progressed about 80%, Jang Seong-taek, who represented the negotiation, was suddenly dismissed and eventually evaporated.
“So convince us. It should be mentioned that opinions within the party that doubted whether there is anything other than simple economic development about Joseon’s attitude in this negotiation came from within the party. You should be grateful that the radical conservatives in the party following Comrade Yang are currently in a weak position.”
“… … Comrade Jang Seong-taek often visited Shanghai and received a lot of favor from people from great countries, so it must have been true.”
“Do you remember how I put your face in front of Korean business people today? I could have humiliated you by ignoring you there. But even now it’s not too late. If I postpone the signing of the agreement in front of the camera tomorrow, your authority and prestige as a supreme leader will fall in front of everyone.”
“Are you saying, “Are you saying that people who are close to a great country should be added to the party’s organizational leadership that is comparable to that of comrade Jang Song-taek, who was removed?”
“At the very least, give us a mark of last name comparable to that. Shouldn’t I also be able to explain to the members of the Politburo that Chosun doesn’t look down on us, China?”
“… … .”
“As far as I know, there are some familiar faces among the North Korean comrades who worked under the deceased Comrade Jang Song-thaek. … .”
“Not dead.”
“… … What did you just say?”
Jiang Zemin’s lips suddenly twisted, but Junghwan still smiled, repeating what he had just said.
“I told you that Jang Seong-taek, the former head of the organization and guidance department, was not dead. Not only are they alive, they are resting in a place with good air and good water. I promise you that I will return to my job as soon as possible.”
* * *
“Go in, comrade Hyun Young-sook, the head of the organization and guidance department! Please feel free to call us anytime if you need it!”
“Thank you. Just make sure no one disturbs you while you talk with Comrade Jang.”
After giving a smile to the military officer who salutes like a knife, Hyun Young-sook entered the room.
The room was nothing special, but the inside was clean and luxurious, and the view of the beach could be seen from the window.
After looking around the room for a moment, she saw a middle-aged man sitting at a table in the middle of the room.
He was dressed in clean clothes, but as if he had suffered a lot during that time, he was thinner and thinner than when Hyun Young-sook saw him a few months ago.
Hyun Young-sook smiled brazenly and spoke to the man who looked at her in shock when he felt her presence in the room.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, Comrade Jang Seong-taek. Have you been healthy all this time?”