Dear Comrade Leader Episode 192
When judgment was reached, China even issued an official statement through a foreign ministry spokesperson (for now), but clearly criticizing South Korea as a third party.
We, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, are concerned about South Korea’s actions that are contributing to the recent tensions on the Korean peninsula.
As the North Korea-China relations blew for the first time in such a long time and the socialist camps of the Korean War showed close contact with each other, the Korean newspaper, which reported on the front page every day of the fighting in the West Sea, also caught fire.
And at the forefront of such public opinion was the Goryeo Ilbo, which has also begun to regain its power in recent years.
-The Chinese Communist Army and the People’s Army to be reunited in Afghanistan… … ! North Korea’s re-ignited threat and maritime territorial boundary line problem. The Yu Min-jung government is in danger of losing even an inch of territory!
Amidst the public opinion on both sides that slowly started to ignite, the meeting held in Seoul to reconcile the positions of both sides ended with only checking each other’s differences.
Read at noblemtl.com
No, it felt like it even helped to bring the buried problem to the surface even more.“As a result of the confirmation, our ship clearly never crossed the Northern Limit Line. In the first place, as the sea is a place that does not reach the territorial claims of the North, your assertions are clearly unreasonable… … .”
“That’s the so-called Northern Limit Line, isn’t it unilaterally established with the Allied Powers (UN Forces) headquarters from there? Our republic has consistently insisted that the demarcation line be drawn further south than the demarcation line! In terms of international law right now, isn’t it on our side to comply with the ‘principle of equidistant distance from the territorial sea’?”
“Yeah, that’s it, in principle, but… … You haven’t said anything in the meantime, so why the hell did you come and scrape and crumble… … .”
“a! I don’t know! If we do not uphold our argument, we will entrust the case to the International Court of Justice with the consent and support of the countries concerned. You don’t know which side is really at a disadvantage.”
Rough remarks were exchanged between the officials, and editorials defending the positions of the two governments appeared in the media of the two countries.
And in a situation where consultations hardly progressed, the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army re-announced the following statement as if threatening the South.
The General Staff of the Korean People’s Army announces through this statement that it has decided to increase the size of the dispatched force from 2,000 to 3,000 to help the Chinese socialist comrades in the struggle in Afghanistan.
“Comrade General Secretary, I honestly don’t know why you suddenly brought up this issue. And what the hell is the Northern Limit Line that is causing this uproar? What secret conversation did comrade have with a comrade named Yu Min-jung, the South Korean president? … .”
“It seems that Lieutenant Yu is not well aware of this matter. Are you a little surprised?”
When Yoo Hye-rim, an elite from the escort command, tilted her head over the Northern Limit Line issue, a hot potato between the two Koreas, Jung Hwan smiled while still keeping her eyes fixed on the TV.
The TV was broadcasting a live demonstration of a South Korean radical right-wing civic group that burns a doll modeled after Jung-hwan.
Jeonghwan’s words didn’t contain any reproach, but Yoo Hyerim felt something embarrassed, so she lightly dyed her face and blurted out what she said behind the scenes.
“That, that… … I’m the Army, and that’s under the jurisdiction of the People’s Army Navy… … Besides, as my comrades know, I’m studying abroad in Frunze, so I’m not very clear about the situation in the Republic… … .”
“In a nutshell, both North and South Korea were generally quiet about what is good is good. I’ll show you right here.”
Jeonghwan turned on the Pentium computer installed in his office and pointed his finger at the close-up West Sea on the map of the Korean Peninsula.
The West Sea, where both sides of the North and South met, was divided into various horizontal lines, such as dotted lines, solid lines, red and blue colors.
Jeonghwan said, pointing to the line called ‘North Limit Line’ located at the northernmost point among them.
“Here, this line is the so-called Northern Limit Line, which was unilaterally established by the military headquarters of the Allied Powers immediately after the Fatherland Liberation War, and here below the Yeonpyeong Island of South Korea is a new security line proposed by the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army this time. It was at this point that the South Korean ships were active this time.”
When Jeonghwan pointed to a point on the sea between the Northern Limit Line and the Guard Line, Hyerim Yu narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth again.
“… … So… … It is certainly above the demarcation line claimed by our General Staff. However, if the South refuses to acknowledge this as an invasion of territorial waters, it is not the beginning again.”
“That’s not right. Because in terms of international law, our republic clearly has the upper hand. Usually, 12 nautical miles from the territorial sea baseline is applied, but that side has been ignoring that since the Fatherland Liberation War.”
“… … Then why the hell didn’t the republic ever protest it… … .”
“I did. It just didn’t work because we didn’t have the strength to convince our protests to be true. In fact, knowing that the other side is also making claims that are contrary to the rules of international law, they have drawn their own line below this northern limit line in order not to create an unnecessary reproach, and are not conducting military activities above the northern limit line. So… … This was before.”
“… … It’s sad.”
“Originally, international law is such a law. A nose ring if you put it on your nose, an earring if you put it on your ear. Even if it seems to be full of loopholes, even if it is according to the logic of power, it is serving as an excuse to provoke international public opinion enough to completely ignore it. Perhaps China, dear blood ally of our republic, would agree with that?”
Yoo Hye-rim still had a confused expression at Jeong-hwan’s sweet words, but Jung-hwan immediately explained it further.
“What I asked President Yu Min-jung to do was to operate above the limit of operational activities that the South Korean army tacitly guards. Once you do that, South Korea has something to say. Anyway, the lower part of the NLL is nominally with them… … It is the territorial waters agreed upon by the next country in this play.”
“The next country to appear? And what to say… … ? Who are you talking about?”
“Of course, I am referring to the country that has set this northern limit line, that is, the ‘neighboring rational allies’ mentioned in our republic. If our republic is really trying to fix this problem, it means that we have to consult with South Korea as well as there.”
“But there are still things I don’t understand. What the hell is your comrade aiming for to create such a cumbersome conflict… … .”
At first, Hyerim Yoo had an expression that she did not understand for a moment, but soon realized something and tapped her forehead.
“I heard that the Allied Powers Command and the United Nations Command were the places that decided this. But actually moving the UN Command is… … .”
“Yeah, it’s actually America. He was probably listening, too, slowly running with the UN commander’s business card and timing out to intervene. Since I and Minjoong Yu gave me excuses at the same time, I guess I was expecting him to request mediation.”
“… … So what’s the conclusion? At the time of the UNC, our republic was an enemy, but now South Korea and we are both allies of the United States… … .”
Jeonghwan nodded to Yoo Hye-rim, who was thinking deeply.
“What Lieutenant Yu is thinking right now is correct. I would do the same thing in elementary school when teachers reconcile fighting comrades.”
“When it comes to reconciling classmates fighting in elementary school… … So… … .”
Yoo Hye-rim, who had been listening to Jung-hwan’s explanations up to this point, raised her eyebrows upwards as if she remembered an unfair memory of her childhood.
The most convenient way for public school teachers, who are bothered by children’s fights and playing the role of a fair judge, was the same in either the South or the North.
Both of you were bad, so apologize to each other in front of the teacher and reconcile! got it?
“Actually, it was not difficult to predict because South Korea and Japan always did this when they were fighting. Then South Korea and we should accept that mediation and yield to each other one step at a time. South Korea has decided to step back from its existing position on the NLL and designate it as a transitional water zone… … .”
In this part, Junghwan brightened his eyes as if this was the key, and put a satisfied smile on his lips.
“… … As a bilateral response to that, we decided to withdraw the recent hostile action, the dispatch of troops to help China’s expedition to Afghanistan, a blood ally in the Fatherland Liberation War. If the U.S. as a mediator in this bilateral agreement is guaranteed, even China, which wants the U.S. to draw as much attention to its hegemony in the Middle East as possible for the time being, will not be able to say anything. Aren’t they eating pheasants and eating eggs? haha.”
“… … This is what my comrade was aiming for from the beginning. To deal with these two different problems as one. After all, the revolutionary strategy of my comrades cannot be followed.”
At that moment, as if she understood completely, Hyerim Yoo spoke with her eyes shining, and Jeonghwan nodded.
“right. In fact, if only the provocations from the South were to be made, it could be done on land, but as Major Yoo knows, now the DMZ has disappeared and there are many people coming and going, so there is a risk of disrupting inter-Korean exchanges. Land engagements have a greater risk of casualties than naval engagements. Like the NLL, it was possible because there was a gray area that had not been finished cleanly in both the South and the North.”
“Did President Yu Min-jung really agree with Comrade General Secretary General’s revolutionary strategy? For now, wouldn’t it be harmless for the south Korean side to just stick with the NLL?”
“In the past, it would have been because there was no country on our side in the international judiciary. But now, our Republic has restored its relationship with the United Nations Command-led country, that is, the United States, and its international status is incomparable to what it was before, isn’t it? From the perspective of Yu Min-jung, he decided that it would not benefit South Korea even if he insisted on insisting on territorial sovereignty, which is contrary to international convention.”
“ah! That’s right.”
“It would be more beneficial for the South Korean nation to keep it in the transitional waters under US arbitration than to give the South Korean side an opportunity to seriously protest and protest… … Even as the Yu Min-jung regime, it helps to increase the approval rating by directing the fight not to hand over the NLL, which is disadvantageous under international law, to North Korea. It is truly a triumphant decision.”
‘And it would have been in line with Yu Min-jung’s personal values as I didn’t have to watch my fellow nationals go to fight in a war in another country caused by a one-party dictatorship. However, it would not have been an easy decision.’
In fact, the reason he felt he was lucky in his heart was because he didn’t know that if it hadn’t been for Yu Min-jung’s decision, he would have really sent 2,000 troops to China as it was.
Although the South Korean side clearly has evidence, crossing the limit of military activity that has been implicitly kept is a clear provocation of force. couldn’t help but
‘Actually, it’s because I promised another reward other than that, but… … .’
Read at noblemtl.com
No, maybe because of the reward, it wasn’t just luck, but also Yu Min-jung was changed differently from the original history.Since Jeong-hwan himself and North Korea have changed, it would not be surprising if Yu Min-jung, who was the most active president in the history of conciliation toward North Korea, also changed his mind more computationally about North Korea.
Even though everything he had planned was working out, Junghwan was not happy in his heart as he felt the wheel of history starting to change with what he knew gradually starting with the Shanghai terrorist attack.
“Now then, before we go to the International Court of Justice, let’s wait for the United States to arbitrate between our two allies. I wonder how the facial expressions of the Chinese will change when they find out that the number of troops dispatched from 3,000 has been reduced to 200.”
* * *
Over the next week, Jung-hwan’s expectations, no, the behind-the-scenes agreement between the two leaders, Min-jung Yu and Jeong-hwan, was almost realized.
U.S. President Al Gore sent a message to the negotiating team including the Secretary of State and the commander of the United Nations Command (written as commander of USFK), saying, “I hope the two countries find a peaceful solution to each other.” Adjustment work has begun to ‘realize’ the NLL water demarcation line.
In the midst of this, China, offended by belatedly finding out that the ‘reasonable ally’ was not its own, sent an informal message that ‘China is also a party to the Korean War armistice agreement, so it has the right to participate in the consultation’, but South Korean President Yu Min-jung He changed his mind to just focus on the war situation in Afghanistan.
“As a party, can we accept that statement as an official acknowledgment that during the Korean War, the Chinese Communist Army participated in the war of aggression on behalf of the country, not as a voluntary volunteer force as it has been claimed so far?”
After all these twists and turns, the two Koreas reached a (seemingly) dramatic agreement two weeks later in the NLL engagement.
By lowering the current Northern Limit Line (NLL) further south, North Korea’s territorial waters are guaranteed in accordance with international law. A plan to permit economic activities, including fishing for fish, was finally adopted.
In addition, to this concession from the South, the North responded by significantly reducing the size of China’s dispatch of troops to Afghanistan and ‘hostile action’.
Also, there was a rumor that the contents of the hotline phone call between the leaders of the two Koreas were designated as top secret by the South Korean government and entered into the ‘Unsealed after 30 years’ section of the Presidential Archives.
Thus, peace returned to the West Sea.