Dear Comrade Leader, Episode 161
Chapter 57. four-party diplomacy
After the performance in Pyongyang, which will remain on the page of history, Michael Jackson stayed in Pyongyang for a few more days and held fan meetings centered on kindergartens, schools, and welfare facilities.
Michael Jackson, who granted countless autographs, photo requests, and hugs with a more generous attitude than in any other country, boarded a flight to the United States two days later, leaving the disappointment of the Pyongyang people behind.
In an interview with a foreign press, almost the first and last time before getting on the plane, a Japanese reporter asked, ‘What do you mean at the last performance? Michael answered this question:
‘I’m not on anyone’s side. I am on the side of all persecuted children across national borders and ethnicities. If there’s one enemy of mine, it’s the one and only bully. In that respect, here my friend, General Secretary Kim Jeong-hwan, and I are on the same side.’
Then, after shaking hands with Jeong-hwan, who was the general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and invited him for the last time, the Emperor of Pop waved to the North Korean fans who could only see him from afar due to security issues.
“Don’t be too sad, my friends in Pyongyang! See you soon!”
So the King of Pop passed away, but the aftermath he left behind was enormous.
Despite all the rumors and rumors, Michael Jackson is still the king of pop and the most famous entertainer in the world.
Thanks to MTV and other rapidly developing media, Michael Jackson’s Pyongyang performance was broadcast live all over the world and, of course, in his hometown of the United States.
So far, about the country called North Korea, ‘I don’t know, but it must be somewhere in South America, maybe?’ It also drew the attention of the American public, who only knew about it.
And when the newspapers learned that their military was planning to conduct military exercises with South Korean forces off the coast of the country in question, and that such actions were igniting tensions in the region, the American public simmered with discontent.
– First Vietnam, then the Middle East, but this time in Northeast Asia, overseas military operations? Bush and Republicans don’t care about the economy, they only care about going abroad and shooting!
-Michael Jackson is bastard, but not all bastards lie.
– North Korea? I think I saw a while ago that a nearby Axon Mobil gas station was supplied with North Korea crude oil. If we sell oil to us, aren’t we on our side? And there’s no way Michael could be wrong.
-please! Now, let’s all stop strife and open the kingdom of God of love and peace! Aren’t you sorry for your children? When the old millennium passes and the end comes, all of us, regardless of skin color, will ascend to heaven and hear the new gospel of this century, Billie Jean, to be judged before the Almighty Lord!
The reasons varied, but at any rate, the Republican Party, President Bush and Dick Cheney were forced to change their attitudes after polls showed that the overwhelming majority of the American public was against restarting Team Spirit training.
Anyway, the election is next year, and the Democrats are sharpening their swords to escape from the opposition.
On the other hand, in Korea, the situation was a little more complicated.
-Michael Jackson is a heretic and an apostle of the devil! There, now it has been revealed that he is on the side of the gangsters! All saints! Let us all unite under the banner of the Lord and become God’s army to achieve North Korean reunification… … .
– Fuck the bullshit! I’m still annoyed… … And look at these bastards in the New York Times, what? ‘According to a reliable source, it is known that South Korea’s President Park Yi-sam requested the US administration to conduct armed provocations against North Korea, a military exercise called Team Spirit?
-The day will come when we will be scorned internationally for provoking them with force… … Besides, once you pull out the sword, you have to cut the mura too. … Damn it, after becoming Lee Sam Park, the national dignity of this country has been so messed up!
-Michael oppa! Why don’t you ever come to Korea? Will I be able to see you again when I go to Pyongyang? Then I will go to North Korea!
Opinions on the Korean side were divided in many ways, but they all had one thing in common: they were all negative about the Park Yi-sam administration.
Progressives denounced Park Yi-sam as a war trader who poured cold water for local elections when North Korea was trying to change, while conservatives denounced Park Yi-sam as an incompetent and cowardly president who ruined the ROK-U.S. alliance because of him.
If you didn’t even talk about Team Spirit from the beginning or pushed it all the way to the end, you would have received support from either the liberals or the conservatives, but I think Park Yi-sam and the civilian government made the worst choice.
The situation was almost a diplomatic disaster, in which the United States gave a positive answer and unilaterally canceled it, but in the end, the Park Yi-sam administration could not protest against this disrespect, and in the end, it was to rip off as much of the ‘carrots’ that the Bush administration throws as an apology. I had no choice but to make up my face.
Read at noblemtl.com
Naturally, Korea’s first local government election in June ended in a landslide victory for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, led by Minjoong Yoo, who had always expressed negative opinions about team spirit training.What was fortunate for Park Yi-sam was that the collapse of the Sampoong Department Store, an unprecedented disaster, occurred only two days after the election.
If this accident happened before the local elections, the public sentiment was so serious that he would have to become the first president of the Republic of Korea to resign without any excuses.
‘Am I supposed to say I’m glad that the Korea Daily took my side… … Haha, even though we are from the same conservative camp, we must have thought that we had to stop the sparks from splattering, heh heh… … .’
Public opinion against Park Yi-sam was so harsh that it was only after the Goryeo Ilbo wrote an article promoting several carrots obtained from the United States, and then Park Lee-sam was able to restore his approval rating to a level where he could continue his duties as president.
These were the deployment of an additional battalion of fighters to the USFK, the readjustment of the amount that South Korea bears in defense cost sharing, the joint development of the ROK Army’s next main battle tank to replace the K1 tank with the United States (written as “technology transfer”), and the transfer of technology for major components. .
As the turbulent June passed, Pyongyang and Seoul seemed to find stability amidst tensions and checks once again.
But in the meantime, the international diplomacy stage was turning even more tense.
* * *
“Impossible.”
In the secretary’s office at the height of the summer heat, Kim Jeong-hwan, chief engineer and deputy director of the Advanced Aviation Research Institute, Antonov (who had not yet revealed his name) spit it out.
Jeong-hwan, who was watching the scene, and Kim Cheol-gyu, director of the Advanced Aircraft Research Institute, only tilted their heads with bewildered expressions.
He suddenly came to me and asked for a solo drink. What kind of nonsense is this?
“Let me explain in detail, Comrade Antonov. Why is it that, after doing well for the past few years, it is suddenly impossible to develop a chaser engine?”
“Correct your words a little. It’s not that it’s impossible, it’s that it’s difficult to meet the requested time. Now we… … So, do you know what the biggest technical challenge facing this lab named after you?”
“I don’t know, but I’m ready to listen. But I wish I could explain it in an easy way. I am not a design expert like you.”
Antonov sighed when Junghwan showed an attitude of listening, and then began explaining, pointing his finger at thick documents and pictures of the development progress.
“All modern mainstream jet planes use turbofan jet engines. In a nutshell, this turbofan is a fan, a giant steel vane made of blades that sends hot air, compresses it, and mixes it with fuel to burn it. And as it is discharged outside, it gets the power to go forward, thrust. Did you understand this far?”
“Well. Keep going.”
“If you look at it up to this point, it is similar to the turbojet or turboprop, which was the mainstream of the past, but in a turbofan, the movement of the accelerated air, the bypass air, is all done inside the engine. Anyway, increasing this mass flow rate to speed it up is the key, but if that’s the key, it’s the vane blades and fan blades. got it?”
“… … okay. therefore?”
“These fan blades create the air that is sent to the axial compressor, the bypass air just described, which plays the most important role in the turbofan. Until recently, most aircraft manufacturers, including my home country, Russia, had the rule to make this fan unconditionally large and wide. All of these designs are good, but the lifespan of the parts is extremely short, and the parts have to be replaced frequently. But where is the money in the midst of the collapse of the country? But things have changed recently. Do you understand?”
“… … .”
“great! What changed was that not long ago, I heard that General Electric, an American gnome company, succeeded in reducing the turbofan engine fan blades of its aircraft to about 22. What this means is that we’ve improved the durability issue, which not only improves reliability and thrust, but also prevents life-threatening chicks from flying in as much as possible… … Are you listening to me?”
“… … Comrade Antonov.”
“yes? why?”
“Let me keep the point short. So what’s the problem?”
Antonov, who had been intoxicated for a while with Jeonghwan and Kim Cheol-gyu, who looked at him with expressions like ‘I’m a liberal arts student, talk easily’, came to his senses and briefly summarized the problem.
“The problem is these fan blades. Comrade general secretary. Right now, we can’t make thick, sturdy fan blades to mount on the turbofan engines that are going to become mainstream.”
“… … Are you saying that it is impossible even with the skills and knowledge of a comrade?”
General Kim Cheol-gyu, who was listening, quickly looked into the supreme leader’s feelings and asked, but Antonov shook his head.
“I am a designer, not an engine engineer. An aircraft engine is a unique and complex high-level technology that is completely different from an automobile engine. Of course, the engine engineers who came from Russia with me from there are also excellent, but this is a matter of material technology before design. We only know of poorly durable, thin fan blades made by the Soviets in the past.”
“… … Will there be any problems if I do it that way? Anyway, it looks like a turbofan jet engine, doesn’t it?”
To Jeonghwan’s question as to what the problem was, Antonov nodded as if it was natural.
“It happened. Even though the turbofan engine made in this way has the same thrust, the engine lifespan is reduced by about one-tenth of that of a fighter in the same class. Naturally, there are significant restrictions on the radius of operation and time.”
“… … !”
Antonov, who had spoken up to this point, grimaced as if recalling bad memories of the past.
“This has been a fundamental problem in our Russian design bureau since Soviet times. Because the basic industry was running, I couldn’t make strong parts, so instead of using one part for a long time, I shortened it and replaced it with a new part. Of course, if it’s an engine for a base defense fighter that will only use about 400 hours a year, then you don’t have to worry about this… … It’s not like the fighter you ordered from me with F16-class tactical capabilities.”
“… … It’s a serious matter.”
As if he understood the situation now, Kim Chul-gyu said with a firm expression on his face, and Jeong-hwan was also in trouble.
Although he persuaded Antonov by using the case of Chen Shue-sun, he did not think that North Korea would be able to build an F16-class fighter without any problems in 15 years by giving only time and money.
However, it was unexpected to encounter such a decisive problem after only three years of development.
“How long do you think it will take to develop that fan blade yourself?”
“If it were an order, I would do it… … It takes too much time from material to accumulation of experimental data. It is made using various composite materials including titanium and has to find the optimal curvature that can send bypass air to the maximum… … It would take years of experimenting with different fan blades.”
“… … You have no choice.”
Hearing Antonov’s words, Jeonghwan made a decision.
That self-respecting Russian isn’t lying because he wants to play a prank on him.
Because this job puts his pride as an engineer too.
If the engineer cannot solve it, there are obstacles that the leader who started the project must take responsibility and clear.
“Let me solve this problem. Come back when I call.”
After sending Antonov, who is rarely apologetic, Jeonghwan said, ‘If the leader comrade rebukes you, feel responsible and sweetly… … ‘I instructed Kim Cheol-gyu again, who was saying the same thing.
“I will call Comrade Ri Jong-su, Director General of Reconnaissance. It’s not technology, it’s diplomacy, no, it’s an area where espionage should work.”
And four months have passed since then.
Antonov, who was called back to the clerk’s office, widened his eyes when he saw Jung-hwan handed him a thick paper bag and a few floppy diskettes from the sealed envelope.
“… … What is this?”
“Read it. If you are, you will probably understand.”
Antonov, who took the document and read it carefully, got up from the chair he was sitting in.
He couldn’t believe it even when he saw it with his own eyes.
“this… … This… … It is a turbofan blade design and experimental data jointly developed by General Electric and the US Air Force! how do i do this… … ! No, how is this here… … .”
“How did you get here, you’re here because you stole it.”
“Steal? Industrial espionage?”
“Actually, it is the fruit of the blood and sweat of our comrades in the Reconnaissance General Bureau. Those involved in the success of this operation will receive the Republic’s First-class Hero Medal, their children’s college tuition, and an old-age pension at the level of the head of the government until the day they die.”
As Jeonghwan calmly explained, Antonov forgot his situation and raised his voice as if it was hard to believe.
“Hey, comrade general secretary… … Can you take this back? I mean, shut up and build an airplane, I know that’s what you made me do, but… … Jet engine design is a national secret! No matter how much oil you dig, the Yankees will never stand still… … .”
“Don’t worry, Comrade Antonov. It’s American technology, but it’s not stolen from America.”
“… … ?”
Jeonghwan shrugged his shoulders and suggested that Antonov take a seat again, looking at him with an expression of what kind of brown bear is performing a Cossack dance.
“Calm down for a moment and sit down. From now on, I will explain in detail.”