Dear Comrade

Chapter 5. Shenzhen (3)

Chapter 5. Shenzhen (3)

Jang Seong-taek, the deputy head of the Youth Division of the Workers’ Party of Korea, a member of the Central Committee’s Political Affairs Bureau, and Kim Jong-il’s brother-in-law (most important), took on an important task and felt anxious from the moment he left Pyongyang.

Being around power in any country is dangerous and stressful, especially in a country like the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Despite all the privileges and influences they enjoy, they are eager to seize power, but there are no free lunches and no free privileges in the world.

The reason why Jang Seong-taek is now stressed was that he was faced with the most difficult case of the price for such power.

‘Give me a damn, impossible task and make sure to do it with a gun-bomb spirit…’

At the moment when he was about to swear even in his heart, saying, ‘You bastard’, Jang Seong-taek voluntarily looked around and censored himself to see if anyone could have heard his heart’s voice.

To tell the truth, he wanted to swear at Kim Jong-il, who had entrusted him with this work, even in an invisible place. had no choice but to

No matter how close he is to Jang Seong-taek, the second-in-command of the party, he was a man named Kim Jong-il who would kill his sister’s husband on the spot if he offended his heart or challenged his authority even in the slightest.

‘To convince Japanese officials to stop the South Korean Olympics by co-hosting Pyongyang-Seoul or whatever, is that possible now!’

That was the cause of Jang Sung-taek’s head hurting now.

As Jeong-hwan, who is now waiting for his arrival in Chongryon, predicted, the reason why Jang Seong-taek came to Tokyo, Japan was to create public opinion that the 1988 Seoul Olympics to be held next year should be held in a distributed manner with Pyongyang, and secretly ask Japanese officials to agree with this. it was to do

Even so, the sense of crisis felt by the rulers of the republic at the Olympic Games in Seoul, which was hosted at a time when the Eastern Bloc, including the Soviet Union, was losing its power and their economy was slowly taking a step backwards, was great.

To dispel such anxiety, they hastily hosted a student festival and implicitly banned insider comments about the Olympics, but as the 88 years of the problem approached, their anxiety grew.

Moreover, when even China and the Soviet Union, which were (on the surface) allies, expressed their participation in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, leaders of the party, military, and justice, including Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, were beaten in the head, and the car was running wild on the road.

Due to these circumstances, even this year, when the hosting year is approaching next year, even Jang Seong-taek, who can be said to be the second-in-command of the party except for the Kim family, was on the verge of stepping out in order to somehow reduce the political influence and meaning of the Seoul Olympics.

Kim Jong-il, who dispatched him, seemed to have sent Jang Seong-taek to Japan, fearing that he would not be on their side as Japan lost to South Korea in the bid competition.

The problem, however, was that Jang Seong-taek himself did not agree with this ‘general’s insight’ at all.

‘This is an impossible task. It’s already impossible to block or reduce someone else’s Olympics in any way. But if I go back empty-handed, I’m sure there will be a disgrace…’

Jang Sung-taek was, in a word, a realist.

Although he left Pyongyang with the promise to do his best and be sure to succeed in the face of leader Kim Il-sung and general and brother-in-law Kim Jong-il, like all other cadres of the republic, this was a completely impossible task from his point of view.

By what means do you mean diplomatically persuade them to come and hold the Olympic Games, which are already scheduled to be held next year?

In addition, the foreign diplomatic power of the republic, which had fallen to the bottom in the 1983 attack on the Aung San Mausoleum (which, of course, was never acknowledged within the republic), turned its back on China and the Soviet Union, which had supported the republic in one way or another.

Even the opponent was Japan, who had no formal diplomatic relations and was still cold-hearted about the issue of its own citizens being abducted from North Korea.

In addition to the near-impossible, or even impossible, difficulty of the mission itself, there was one more factor that made Jang Seong-taek’s head hurt.

He was the companion of this mission who was sitting right in front of him right now.

“I will inform the deputy head comrade, the manager comrade. Soon, this plane will land at an airfield dedicated to Tokyo, Japan. After that, the flag, which will immediately turn around and head for Pyongyang, will return to meet the diplomats returning from the enemy in a few days after completing the party’s tasks in a glorious way. Thank you!”

“Comrade Vice-Chairman, you must prepare to get off.”

“Oh, I see, comrade of the current manager. It’s a lot of hard work for a slender girl. The leader and the general will be delighted with the will of the current general.”

“Where are men and women in defending the Party and the Republic? Comrade Zhang does not need to worry as I am only paying attention to the ideological education of the Party and the people by devoting my life to it.”

“Oh, right? haha. I was kind of worried.”

‘Bitch, look at what you’re talking about.’

While laughing outwardly, Jang Seong-taek sneered at a beautiful woman in her mid-to-late 30s, who sat across from him and read documents throughout the flight.

I mean, it’s a matter of concern.

When the request that had been given due attention was politely bounced off, Jang Seong-taek’s eyes were staring at the nape of the neck that came out between the collars of Hyun Young-sook, the head of the Propaganda and Agitation Department, who was sitting in front of him.

‘Current Chasu (次帥: one of the ranks of generals in the North Korean army), I wonder how such a daughter came from the blood of that old woman. I don’t know if it’s a revival or a revival, but it’s a wonderful thing to have luck at all times.’

Well, that’s why I’m going to cherish it terribly.

As Jang Seong-taek thought as he felt the gravity of the plane descending gradually, Hyun Young-sook, the head of the Party’s Propaganda and Agitation Department, who accompanied him on this trip to Japan, was truly a rare beauty.

She has fair white skin, the eyes of a cat that old women often say that she wants them, red lips like cherry blossoms, and a height that is hard to find in North Korea. It was her intelligence, not her beauty.

It is easy to guess that she is not an ordinary woman, even though she is not of Baekdu blood, and has risen to the head of the party’s specialized department at a young age of less than forty.

However, even Jang Seong-taek cannot but admit that she has extraordinary talents in ideological education, censorship, and agitation, which inspires (brainwashing) the people by chewing, tasting, and ripping out various publications at home and abroad. It was.

‘Whatever it is, this task will be difficult even if you have a talent for drawing dragons. It’s only in the Republic. Why are you following me here again, scratching the insides of others and making a fuss?’

No matter how capable Hyun Young-suk and the propaganda and agitators led by her are, it is still a story within the republic.

Even if you say that you have succeeded in hosting the World Student Festival in Pyongyang by demonstrating your skills, there is no reason that the Olympic Games in South Korea will not be held.

So, in the end, when Jang Seong-taek thought realistically, the conclusion that he, Hyun Young-sook, and Kim Jong-il were dispatched to Japan on behalf of the will of them had only one key: ‘Being happy’.

‘Somehow, I have to go back to Pyongyang with ‘the number of cases’ that is enough to speak to the general. How can the wrath of the general be quelled by congratulations on next year’s student festival in the name of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, thanks to the cooperation of the Japanese bastards. Looking back now, it seems like it would be difficult, but Jegi.’

Once he reached that conclusion, the headache that had been bothering him throughout the flight seemed to subside little by little.

Jang Sung-taek’s goal was that from the beginning.

I don’t even want a boycott of the Seoul Olympics that Kim Jong-il ordered in the first place.

The important thing is to go all the way to Japan to stop South Korea from stopping the Olympics and make excuses for not returning empty-handed. That was all he could hope for from this business trip.

And if that’s not possible…

‘If it doesn’t work out, I have no choice but to pass the blame on to someone else. To the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chongryon.’

That was something he had been considering in his mind to some extent before starting this business trip.

The fact that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was completely excluded from this task was due to several more complicated internal circumstances, and Jang Seong-taek himself was aware of that.

No, not to the extent of his knowledge, he could have prevented such a situation, but he didn’t do it on purpose.

It was to hold the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and local Chongryon officials accountable in the worst case, that is, in the worst case of not producing any results from this business trip (which is highly likely to be the case based on the current situation).

‘I ordered a meeting with a high-ranking Japanese official who could definitely influence the hosting of the Olympics. That is undeniably true. It must have failed at least from the time he told me, but… If I can’t go to the negotiating table, how can I pass it on to the general, saying that it is the responsibility of the Japanese Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the local Chongryon? After all, it’s up to you to manage local relations.’

“The plane has come to a complete halt, so you can get off now. Comrade Jang Seong-taek, Deputy Director Hyun Young-sook! We hope that you will return safely while sounding the triumphal song in the enemy territory.”

“Let’s go, deputy chief comrade. Comrade Kim Yong-gun of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Comrade Chongryon will be waiting for you.”

“Oh, it is.”

Leaving behind the captain’s farewell, which was burdensome to hear, Jang Seong-taek and Hyun Young-sook headed to the plane’s mobile staircase with a few attendants.

Jang Seong-taek and his party arrived at a private airport located near Tokyo, but the airport was temporarily closed by the Japanese government for their visit to Japan and the runway was left blank.

In addition, from what they heard before takeoff, the arrival terminals for domestic and foreign government officials were also open.

‘You did such a good job in that short time. Did you give half of the annual budget of Chongryon to Japanese high-ranking officials? Chongryon comrades shouldn’t look at this in vain. I guess that’s all it should be.’

All these ceremonies are probably the result of preparing for a short period of time by the Chochongryon side running here and there to die.

Jang Seong-taek, who deliberately indirectly sabotaged to induce the failure of their task (for his own sake), was surprised, but he knew too well the time and budget limits of the Chongryon and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that this was their limit. I didn’t doubt it

If they had given them enough time, they would not have been able to properly provide accommodations or private vehicles suitable for their status with the poor Chongryon budget.

In addition, considering the situation in Japan, where all kinds of prices are rising like crazy, they may have arranged their accommodation by hastily cleaning up the remaining rooms in Chongryon.

‘Then you can use that as an excuse to reprimand you for sabotage. The protocol of high-ranking party officials is also an important responsibility of the local embassy and diplomats, but they neglected it.’

Jang Seong-taek thought so, secretly smiling full of satisfaction.

Although it would be an unbearable treatment for a man who enjoyed power comparable to the Kim family in North Korea and ate and wore clothes that were incomparable to ordinary people, he could not tolerate that much in return for taking on the rebuke from the party instead. have.

It’s not like you’ve been living like that for the rest of your life, and you’re avoiding Kim Jong-il’s anger in exchange for giving up a few days of goodwill, which you can enjoy again when you return to Pyongyang.

He must have brought in plenty of foreign currency as his privilege anyway. If you can’t stand it, you can yell at high-ranking party officials a few times and ask why you are being treated so poorly, and then move to a luxury hotel in Tokyo…. .

……………Until I see three luxury cars waiting for them to come out and stand on the runway.

“Comrade Vice-President! I’m here!”

“Well?”

“You did a lot of work to come to Japan. On behalf of Chosun Chongryon, the forward base of the republic struggling in Japan, I would like to offer a welcome greeting to Comrade Vice-Chairman and Comrade Hyun Young-sook. My name is Yonggeon Kim, who is in charge of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan and is in charge of the Chongryon.”

“Oh, I heard a lot. Did you come all the way here to pick us up…? So… in this car?”

“That’s right. You can share it with your companions. It’s still windy, so let’s get on board.”

“Um… Thank you, comrade manager. But this car…”

With that said, when Jang Seong-taek pointed to three classic black mid-size cars emitting a brilliant light, Kim Yong-geon, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who came to welcome them, said nothing as if it was not a big deal.

“This is a car prepared by Chongryon to carry out the duties of comrades in the department and comrades in the department. The preparation period for the ceremony is so short that we ask for your understanding even if the hospitality is insufficient!”

“No. But this car is probably…as far as I know…”

To Jang Seong-taek, who stuttered to the end in embarrassment at the completely unexpected situation, Kim Yong-geon answered by manually opening the door of a heavy car like a mobile palace.

“It’s a British-made car called the Rolls-Royce Phantom. I heard that it is mainly used by diplomats in Western capitalist countries for official duties and ceremonies. I have prepared so that no one will dare to underestimate the deputy head comrades and the party, who are supposed to carry out the party’s tasks in this Japanese den.”

Kim Yong-geon, who has said this so far, said with a meaningful smile to Jang Seong-taek, who looked inside the car with a mini-bar as if he still couldn’t believe it.

“

Comrades who dedicate themselves to the Republic and General from the Party all day and night have come all the way to Japan.