Dear Comrade

Chapter 5. Shenzhen (2)

Chapter 5. Shenzhen (2)

As soon as he heard the name that came out of Yonggeon Kim’s mouth, Junghwan’s expression changed strangely.

‘Jang Seong-taek? The Jang Seong-taek I know?’

As far as he knows, at this time, Jang Song-thaek overcame Kim Jong-il’s two times of abandonment and ideological education (the dismissal of the name), and returned to the party’s central office, serving as the deputy head of the youth affairs department.

He is one of the top officials of the Workers’ Party of Korea recognized as Kim Jong-il’s brother-in-law and a close aide inside and outside the party.

Of course, after the death of Kim Jong-il, he was executed horribly by the successor who succeeded him.

“Are you talking about comrade Jang Seong-taek? Why is he coming to Chongryon?”

Before Jeonghwan could open his mouth first, Hyerim Yoo, who was performing Jeonghwan next to him, was filled with astonishment and answered his question.

In a sense, she is more knowledgeable about the power struggles within Pyongyang and the North Korean regime than Jeong Hwan, so it is surprising that Jang Song-thaek, who is the second-in-command in the party after the Kim family, goes to Cho Chongryon, which can be viewed as a foreign country, without any notice. did.

However, at her question, Kim Yong-geon also shook his head with a sad expression on his face.

“That… I don’t know.”

“What do you mean, comrade? Don’t you know?”

A high-ranking North Korean official is coming to Japan, and it’s no one else, and the Japanese and foreign ministry chief doesn’t know why?

Jung-hwan’s face, which had been puzzled for a while at this unknown thing, soon became serious at the explanation Kim Yong-geon confided.

“Comrade Jeonghwan has no excuses, but it is just as I said. We have sold our products to acquaintances in Pyongyang and to the workers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but the only thing I can know is that our Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been completely excluded from the procedure for Comrade Jang Song-thaek’s visit this time.”

“No work (it’s okay). I know you’ve put a lot of work into it, so I hope you don’t mind it, comrade manager.”

“thank you. Comrade Junghwan.”

After confirming that Kim Yong-gun really did the best he could, Jung-hwan really exhorted him, who expressed shame about his incompetence.

But that didn’t solve the problem.

“When is Comrade Jang’s visit scheduled?”

“One week later. I was too busy running around after being notified just yesterday.”

“Hmm, did you have any other instructions other than the news of the visit of the deputy head comrade?”

“Since Comrade Jang and Comrade Hyun Young-sook have many secrets to share with high-ranking officials and high-ranking officials in Japan, it was just a general instruction to set up an appointment with a high-level official if possible. There are not one or two high-ranking officials in Japan, and I did not give an order to find out who they were in any field, and I had to inform them of the scope of their work in detail so that I could have an interview or not…”

“……Is that really true? Is that really the only instruction that came down?”

“It really is. Oh, and there was one more thing. I urge you to prepare the lodgings and train vehicles with high-quality products according to the ranks of comrades Jang and the current head comrade….

‘I said almost outright to fuck you. There is definitely something to this.’

Jeonghwan thought to himself as he saw Yonggun Kim, who raised his voice in a manner that was not as calm as usual.

Kim Yong-gun’s anger was understandable even for him.

The ambiguity of the instructions from Pyongyang was difficult to understand given the importance of the unofficial visit of a high-ranking person named Jang Song-thaek to Japan.

Even with the knowledge of Jeong Hwan, who returned from the future, he could not think of a visit to Japan by a high-ranking North Korean official, but he knew the answer.

“Don’t worry too much, comrade manager. Because I can guess what was the reason for such a visit in the middle of the night.”

“yes? Is that for real?”

Kim Yong-geon looked at him with curious eyes at Jeong-hwan’s rant, but Jeong-hwan nodded without hesitation and asked a question to Yoo Hye-rim, who was quietly listening next to him.

“Dear Yu, do you know what’s going to happen next year?”

“yes? Are you talking about next year? Well, I’m fine…”

Seeing Hye-rim Yoo tilting her head at Jung-hwan’s overly comprehensive question, Jeong-hwan narrowed the scope of the question slightly to help her.

“Not in our republic, but in South Korea. Yu is not a diplomat either, but you must have heard of it, right?”

“If it’s not a republic, but South Korea… Ah! Okay. Wouldn’t the Olympics be held in Seoul next year? Isn’t Comrade Jeonghwan talking about that?”

“………..ah! Turns out it was! That makes sense.”

At Yoo Hye-rim’s words, Kim Yong-geon muttered, pounding his head as if he didn’t understand why it just came to mind.

Hyerim Yoo also shook her head, agreeing to Junghwan’s words, as if she understood only then.

“Now I know. Come to think of it, I remember there was quite a lot of buzz in the Republic a few years ago. The world-famous sports festival might be held in another country… but later I couldn’t talk about it…”

In the office where there are only three of them, Yoo Hye-rim lowered her voice as if afraid that anyone would hear it, but Jung-hwan’s actions were understandable enough.

Undoubtedly, for Jeong-hwan, who lived in South Korea in the 21st century, the Olympics to be held in Seoul next year and the 1988 Seoul Olympics were great events that he couldn’t forget, but on the contrary, he knew that it was a kind of rebellion for North Korea.

‘Because it’s nothing like a certification that we lost in the propaganda war of system superiority. Still, I didn’t know you would be so reluctant.’

The Olympic Games were and are not simply international sports events.

Since it is used as a venue for advertisements, propaganda, or propaganda that shows off a country’s national power, countries use their flags to host the Olympics in their own country, even in the 1980s or later, while suffering various inconveniences and fiscal deficits.

In particular, the significance of this was even greater for the two Koreas, each of whom had made blunt efforts to gain international recognition of the legitimacy of their respective regimes.

“I remember now. At that time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs tried everything to prevent Seoul, the capital of South Korea, from being selected as the host. Although it failed…”

Kim Yong-geon’s words were explaining why, including Yoo Hye-rim, not only the people of the Republic, but also many party members were unable to recklessly discuss the Seoul Olympics.

Although Seoul was selected as the host city for the 1988 Olympic Games seven years ago, in 1981, what Jung Hwan learned after returning is that the old days are still talked about in the population. made great efforts with

However, in the end, when Seoul was selected as the host city for the Olympic Games by beating Nagoya, Japan at the IOC General Assembly held in West Germany in 1981, North Korea declared a boycott and even made an implicit policy of dismissing the 1988 Olympic Games as if it had never been held in their own country.

Perhaps the reason why the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kim Yong-geon, forgot about the Olympics for a while because of Jang Seong-taek’s sudden visit was because he was in Japan (and he lost to South Korea in the bid battle and was just as hot as North Korea) because he was in Japan, but the fact that South Korea hosted the 1981 Olympics itself Perhaps it was because he was being treated as semi-banned in North Korea.

“Anyway, as Comrade Jeong Hwan said, it is clear that Deputy Director Jang and his party are coming as special envoys for the Olympics. The purpose seems to be coming to ask Japanese officials to strengthen the argument for co-hosting Seoul and Pyongyang, which has been promoted by the party for a long time…”

“Then it makes sense for Comrade Hyun Young-sook, the head of the propaganda and agitation department, to come along with the vice-director.”

“yes? Why?”

While concentrating on whether Jang Seong-taek had visited, Jung-hwan heard the unfamiliar name of Hyun Young-sook, and Yoo Hye-rim murmured as if recalling old memories.

“By the way, Comrade Jeong Hwan may have left the Republic early and didn’t know it. Isn’t the ‘World Student Festival’ to be held in Pyongyang next year?”

“Oh, yes. I remember seeing it mentioned when I was in the Republic. I saw in the official document that Pyongyang is busy renovating because of it these days.”

The World Student Festival mentioned by Hyerim Yoo was an event held in the communist bloc representing the Soviet Union, starting with Prague, Czech Republic in 1947.

After the Seoul Olympics bid was confirmed, Jeong Hwan knew that the event was held like a competition by North Korea, which was stimulated by it, and that it would result in only a huge fiscal deficit that would later be pointed out as one of the causes of economic collapse.

However, right after he returned, in 1985, the event was still three years away, and since he came to Japan, he had heard the news from across the bridge. .

“I heard that the Propaganda and Agitation Department played a leading role in attracting and running the student festival.”

“……It was. After all, ideological education is the direct task of the Ministry of Propaganda and Agitation.”

“Especially, Comrade Hyun Young-suk, the head of the propaganda and agitation department, is a woman who has been promoted to the agitation department head and is very militant in party affairs. Perhaps that is why he came to Japan with Comrade Jang himself…”

“That makes sense.”

Jang Seong-taek alone is a headache, but he is the head of the propaganda and agitation department…

Jeonghwan was getting a headache from all kinds of questions dancing in his head, but since he already knew all the knowledge of the future, there was nothing to point out.

For example, it was one of the reasons why Kim Yong-geon was unaware of this sudden visit.

‘One thing is for sure. There must have been an internal conflict somewhere that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was completely excluded from foreign affairs. Otherwise, this would be impossible.’

The question was which of the numerous North Korean operatives and foreign affairs officials was.

However, since it is not possible to find out the true culprit of this situation in Japan, which is far from Pyongyang now, Jeong Hwan decided to solve the problem in front of him first.

“Comrade Manager, did you say that Deputy Manager Jang and his party would arrive in a week?”

“……..That’s right. It’s a protocol, an appointment for an interview, and it’s not enough to prepare right now, so the lights are on the feet of the Chongryon family, including myself.”

“Then let me help you. I will also instruct Heo Young-jun to prepare the necessary funds. Because there is nothing that cannot be done with the power of money.”

“Yes? But… are you okay with that? Comrade Jeonghwan…”

Junghwan smiled meaningfully even when he received Kim Yong-geon’s gaze, where the words ‘Isn’t it necessary to act inconspicuously?’

“Don’t worry, comrade manager. Because I can already guess what Comrade Jang is thinking and coming to Chongryon.”

“…………?”

“It was a car I thought I should have a chance to return to Pyongyang soon, but it turned out well. Comrade Kim and Senior Manager Yu just have to follow what I tell them to do.”

“……Whatever you do, just say it, Comrade Jeonghwan. Like Yoo, but I too have already made a deep decision to share fate with Comrade Jeonghwan.”

“I’m not at the stage to tell yet, but I’ll find out soon. No, I have to say that you will find out.”

“…………??”

Hyerim Yoo and Yonggeon Kim both gave a puzzled expression to Junghwan, who only spoke incomprehensible despite Kim Yonggeon’s firm resolve, but they had no way of knowing what Junghwan was aiming for.

And Junghwan also had no intention of telling anyone about his feelings yet.

And a week later, the plane with Jang Sung-taek and Hyun Young-sook arrived in Japan .