Dear Comrade Leader, Episode 147
Jang Seong-taek, who seemed startled for a moment, realized that the visitor was Hyun Young-sook, and quickly settled his embarrassment and smiled cynically.
“How did you feel?”
“I’m sorry, but I really don’t know. The existence of this place is top-secret, so I was not aware of it. In fact, it’s good for my soul to not even know about it.”
“Heh, haha, I knew earlier that the current manager was as good as anyone else. As you can see, I’m doing well, so don’t worry.”
After being dragged out like a dog by Kim Young-il from the Labor Party office, Jang Seong-taek actually spent the first month or so in Aoji.
Although most of the prisoners in the republican kyohwaso, including Aoji, were reduced by the general secretary, it was said that those who remained were the worst among the villains like serial killers.
And having to live in a cell with such low-level criminals was torture, not only physically, but also mentally, to Jang Seong-taek, who was once the son-in-law of the Republic of Korea.
This Jang Seong-taek has to live with these guys.
Having to carry coals and break stones with those who wouldn’t have even made eye contact with them just yesterday.
Perhaps the general secretary’s intention was to lock him up in a place like this and insult him to make him compliant.
Although Kim Jong-il was also purged once, it was still a relegation to the provincial party committee, not such a humiliating imprisonment.
It was about a month that Jang Seong-taek, who had lived in despair and frustration day by day, was transferred to this place.
For the next five months, at this special facility, Jang Seong-taek was treated with much more respect, but his future was unsettling.
Then today Hyun Young-sook came to visit.
“The fact that the current manager came to see me means that the general secretary has a heart to release me, let’s see… … Maybe my Chinese comrades were yelling at me. no?”
“I will not deny it. However, as you can see by looking at this special kyohwaso, the general secretary had no intention of throwing out Comrade Jang completely from the beginning. He was just trying to rebuke him for his mistake.”
At Hyun Young-sook’s words, Jang Seong-taek frowned as if he remembered a bad memory.
Until a few months ago, the question of the succession of the man who had brought him down to this point, who had been the dominant force in the center of the party, came to mind again.
In the end, he had no choice but to ask the question again with half curiosity and half resentment.
“How the hell is the general secretary going to deal with the succession issue? I’ve heard that the world has changed a bit while I’ve been here, but… … If you don’t plan on handing down Bowie to the blood, what are you going to do? … .”
“I heard that the Rodong Sinmun is also here. The general secretary is planning to create an organization called the Core Party Church and select talented people who will continue the future of the republic from that organization.”
For a moment, Hyun Young-sook explained about the successor fostering institution called Core Dangyo, and Jang Seong-taek’s mouth began to open more and more.
And when Hyun Young-sook finished speaking, Jang Seong-taek’s mouth opened wide enough that it was difficult to open it any further.
“That… … Is that true? It wasn’t a hereditary thing, but one of the party members was chosen to inherit the general secretary Bowie? Do I understand correctly, current manager?”
“Am I going to come all the way here and tell the lieutenant to comrade Zhang?”
“Huh really… … !”
Jang Seong-taek only sighed in frustration as if he was full of energy.
Although Hyun Young-sook’s explanation of the organization called Core Dangyo was completely unexpected,
The biggest reason was that it was absurd why the general secretary came up with such an unrealistic idea.
‘There’s no way such nonsense can succeed! Why on earth did the general secretary with such a good goal come up with such a vain thought… … .’
Power is inseparable between siblings, or even between parents and children.
There was no need to go far right away, and even in this republic, there was a bloody struggle over power between Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il and the current general secretary.
However, no matter how young the talented people are gathered and educated under the leadership of the party, is it true that the winner is monopolized by the power and the loser succumbs to clean and fair competition between newcomers?
Wouldn’t it be much more realistic for the loser to revolt against the victor, and the victor to purge the loser and fight for monopoly power, rather than such an ideal competitive system?
At least, Jang Sung-taek, who has lived in the Kim clan republic for more than 40 years and closely observed the nature and physiology of power, could never agree with Jeong-hwan’s idea.
For a long time, like Bush’s visit to North Korea, I felt that there were times when the general secretary had a good brain, but sometimes had strangely absurdly idealistic thoughts.
‘I’m sure this Jang Seong-taek has been looking at the general secretary the wrong way. Only now did I get to know a person called General Secretary.’
As he has implemented policies based on reality, such as establishing diplomatic ties with the United States and deliberately ignoring South Korea, Jang Seong-taek has thought that there is no such thing as a daydream that a general secretary would normally have among young people of his age.
But now that I look at it, I feel that Jang Sung-taek is drawing a little outline of the person who is the general secretary.
The person who is stepping into reality but sees the ideal with his head and eyes, is smart and full of action, but ultimately retains the idealism that young people of that age can embrace.
‘Wait, if you use this wisely… … .’
The Core Party School is an organization under the Workers’ Party of Korea.
That means that if he can reinstate his position as the leader of the party’s organizational leadership, he can influence the organization in some way.
Furthermore, it means that it can indirectly intervene in the selection of a successor.
In other words.
“… … I’ll pass it on to the general secretary. I am deeply aware of my guilt for ignoring the subject, and I hope that in the future, I will never again take into account the feelings of the general secretary.”
“It’s a wise choice.”
‘I never acted hastily again in the next two years. Instead of moving alone, we need to expand our power by making friends with the same thoughts as me. Even if it takes 10 or 20 years, if you aim for a good time and seize the opportunity for sure… … .’
On the outside, he spoke with an expression of ignorance of the general secretary, but with an expression of disappointment, Jang Sung-taek burned his ambition on the inside.
I found a flaw in the iron-walled character of the general secretary, so now I just have to dig into that flaw, grow it into a hole, and sit in that hole.
And then, Jang Song-thaek will truly become the number one leader in this republic.
“Then I will go. You will probably be able to return to the party soon.”
“Wait, the current manager. There is one thing I want to ask you… … .”
Jang Seong-taek said, nodding his head, and leaning on Hyun Young-sook’s back as he got up from his seat and headed towards the door.
When she turned around, Jang Seong-taek looked at her with a sneer in his mouth.
“me… … Is it the current manager, the comrade who reported to the general secretary that Jang Seong-taek, the head of the Organizational Guidance Department, is drawing a big picture for the successor?”
“… … Well, how about it?”
“I sat here and thought about it all the time, but I couldn’t figure it out. It must have been one of your comrades or Kim Yong-geon, manager… … Come to think of it, when the current manager entered this room earlier, the military comrade called the current manager the organizational guidance manager, right?”
At Jang Seong-taek’s interrogation, Hyun Young-sook just kept quiet with a strange expression on her face.
Obviously, only two people, Kim Yong-gun and Hyun Young-sook, have confided about Yoo Hye-rim to the successor.
As with the title of the military officer earlier, Hyun Young-suk acted for him after he was removed from office, so it could be said that she was her, but it was difficult to be sure of the fact that the cabinet led by Kim Yong-geon was strengthened by the reorganization of the party recently.
Moreover, unlike Hyun Young-sook, Kim Yong-geon took an uncomfortable attitude toward this succession issue from the beginning.
At Jang Seong-taek, who looked at him with such suspicious eyes, Hyun Young-sook euphemistically denied the allegations with a provocative smile.
“It’s not ‘organizational guidance department head’, but ‘organizational guidance department assistant manager’. And you know that it’s not that strange that I, who is second in the party’s hierarchy, temporarily represented Comrade Jang, don’t you?”
“… … It’s giggling.”
When Jang Seong-taek’s suspicions were lifted, Hyun Young-suk smiled once and got up from his seat and looked around the ‘cell’ where Jang was imprisoned.
I haven’t noticed it very much until now, but when I looked closely, I noticed that the sofa, TV, and even carpet were laid out on the subject of a cell.
This seemed to be better than most hotels in downtown Pyongyang where foreign businessmen come and go.
“Then I hope you take good care of yourself and return to the center soon, comrade. By the way, as the general secretary said, the water and air here are really good. Even if high-ranking party members are pushed out of the party in the future, I don’t have to worry about going to Aoji.”
“They give me exercise every day, and they even have a dedicated doctor and a nutritionist. From what I’ve been told, this place was originally built in top secret with the intention of imprisoning not only people like me but also other people. The general secretary looks forward to the future and seems to have all the plans.”
“What kind of greetings are you talking about? Former high-ranking party members like Comrade Jang? If that’s the case, it’s understandable. Even if it looks like a correctional school, if you treat me like this, I will not resist the general secretary until the very end, even if I get purged in the future.”
“There are other uses, too, but people who can come up with ideas like the current general manager will be the main targets. Think carefully. I think the painting is already celebrated. If my guess is correct, the general secretary is a very scary person.”
It’s incredible that he can come up with an idealistic idea like a core party school even with such a single mind, but Jang Sung-taek muttered to himself.
On the other hand, Hyun Young-sook put her hand on her forehead for a moment and pondered over Jang Seong-taek’s hint, but nothing came to mind.
“… … What if there is nothing to point out at all?”
“Heh, comrade Girum, the current head of the organization, is also not the leader of the party as the head of the organization and guidance department. Without that kind of insight, instead of reading the heart of the general secretary, who is the master who should serve you, you will have to worry about avoiding the situation where you are hunkered down here after being sacked like me.”
“… … Then I’m alone See you soon in Pyongyang.”
Thinking that he was a bad old man until the very end, Hyun Young-sook closed the door and left the room.
The next day, a preferential trade agreement between the two countries was successfully concluded in Shanghai.
Although it was a strange signing ceremony that led to the signing of the agreement, the people of both countries had no doubts after seeing the bright smiles of the two leaders, General Secretary Kim Jeong-hwan of the People’s Republic of Korea and General Secretary Jiang Zemin of the People’s Republic of China, on TV live.
However, on the flight back to Pyongyang, Jung-hwan received unexpected news from the United States.
– The peace talks between Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO representatives under the mediation of US Vice President Dick Cheney have finally collapsed, and Islamic fundamentalist Hamas seems to be getting stronger within the PLO.
“It looks like Bush is now trying to get out of the Middle East… … The Israeli Prime Minister is embarrassed. Anyway, despite the opposition from the domestic radical nationalist group, I went to the negotiating table, but it came to this point… … .”
Jeonghwan muttered as he folded the newspaper and put it aside.
I already knew that Black Hawk Down and Gothic Serpent failed, and I predicted that the US would distance itself from the Middle East for several years, but this was unexpected.
Maybe Dick Cheney, who represented Bush on the negotiating table, has something to do with it?
“It was originally a peace treaty that could not last for a few years, but it’s a different story that it doesn’t come to an end in the first place… … .”
According to sources at the Balanced Security Foundation, headed by Thatcher, Washington has already launched an exit strategy from the Middle East, led by Bush and Powell.
The Cold War has ended, the Soviet Union has collapsed, and Israel’s enemies, including Hussein, have been truly educated by the United States, so there is no reason to spend any more defense money on the Middle East.
If so, it is a story that the US-Israeli relationship, which has been strong at the level of blood ties, will gradually crack.
Israel has no choice but to bear all of the resistance of Palestinian Muslims in the next few years and the resulting political burden, without the support of a state that will provide diplomatic shields for Israel.
Of course, the Muslims will be beaten with violence as in the original history, but if the resistance becomes extreme after a year or two, eventually, a country that will take the side of the international community is needed.
In this age of media and satellite communication, it is impossible not to avoid international criticism for pouring white phosphorus bombs into civilian residences.
“The question is, where is it… … .”
And just like Jeong-hwan’s concerns, Israel has found a country to fill the diplomatic void that the United States began to turn its back on.
A country that has a lot of interest in entering the Middle East and oil, has no religious orientation, and is growing its global influence.
The country’s name was China.