Free Web Novel“Mr. Kim.”
It was when I had met Kim Jongil not long ago.
As the drinking party ended and I was about to leave, Kim Jongil called me to a stop. When I turned back, there wasn’t a trace of emotion on his wrinkled face.
“In the Republic, trust no one.”
Though his voice was indifferent, I thought those short words carried many hidden meanings.
“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”
“It was pleasant meeting you. Next time we meet, I hope you’ll bring good news.”
Finishing his words, Kim Jongil closed his eyes as if weary.
* * *
“What did you talk about yesterday that made the Chairman say such things?”
Normally, I would have answered at least partially with some intention showing through. But recalling Kim Jongil’s words, I suddenly found my lips sealed.
Instead of showing anything, I answered while studying Jang Songthaek’s face.
“We spoke about many things. He seemed especially concerned about the people’s livelihood.”
“Ah...”
I noticed Jang Songthaek’s eyes flicker slightly. I did not miss that opening.
I recalled Kim Jongil’s words about being under threat of assassination.
“He seemed to trust Vice Director Jang quite a lot.”
“...Is that so?”
“Well, even if he is the Supreme Leader, you are family. That’s how family is, isn’t it?”
“That’s true.”
There was no visible change of expression on Jang Songthaek’s face.
He set down his chopsticks and lifted his glass of water.
“Have you finished eating?”
“Yes, it was delicious. Thanks to you, I’ve eaten my fill after a long time.”
“Haha, I’m glad it suited your taste.”
Jang Songthaek, smiling contentedly, also put down his chopsticks.
“I heard you had a clash with Vice Director Lim Dongok. Tsk... I knew that man would cause real trouble one day.”
Just as I wondered what he would say next, the subject turned to Lim Dongok.
I recalled Lim Dongok’s end, after he had boasted of putting a hole in my head, and raised a hand to cover my mouth.
“...He was far too overbearing.”
“Military men are like that by nature.”
Jang Songthaek frowned as he spoke. He, too, did not look favorably on the military.
“Even with Chairman Kim Youngnam present, he showed no consideration at all.”
“It’s no surprise. There’s even talk that the military stands above the Workers’ Party.”
“Wasn’t that the case only after Chairman Kim Jongil came to power? In the South it’s known as a method of maintaining control.”
At that, Jang Songthaek nodded and let out a light sigh.
“After the death of the Great Leader, our Workers’ Party was in some disarray. The Chairman must have thought it necessary to steady the system. That’s why he centered things on the military. To outsiders, the Republic looks like a firm one-man rule, but inside it’s quite complicated.”
Hearing both Kim Jongil and Jang Songthaek say similar things, it seemed North Korea was indeed rather unstable.
“Wherever people live, conflict and power struggles are inevitable.”
“Even the General Secretary must have strained himself over this matter. To execute Vice Director Lim Dongok summarily without trial, that must have been burdensome, even for the Chairman.”
“Then that was...”
“Most likely, he wished to give Mr. Kim a fine gift.”
Calling a man’s life a gift, Jang Songthaek’s eyes looked at me as though waiting for something.
I shrugged my shoulders as if unconcerned.
“That is a gracious thing. More importantly, a broker from China will arrive soon. That’s as far as I can take it. I told him to leave the contact information at the place you mentioned last time.”
Surely he hadn’t brought me all this way just to talk about the military.
I deliberately changed the subject. Jang Songthaek’s face brightened.
“Things are progressing faster than I expected. As expected of Mr. Kim.”
“The broker will not think the funds are connected to North Korea. I trust you will handle the rest well.”
“Thank you. I’ll trust you and proceed with dealings on that side.”
After pressuring me earlier with talk of responsibility for any trouble, now he said he trusted me.
I suppressed a laugh at such transparent behavior.
“Then I’ll take care of bringing them from China to Korea. Once they are brought to the house we agreed on, I will manage them from then on.”
“You needn’t worry about that. As soon as the General Secretary gives his approval, everything is ready to move immediately. Once you return to Seoul, they’ll reach China within about a week.”
A week. When I return, I’ll have to send Jang Daeho to China and immediately strike Ilseong.
Once Seo Jaehoon finishes inheriting the chairmanship, the opportunity will be gone.
“How do you find the Republic now that you’ve seen it directly, Mr. Kim? Do you see a future?”
The question Jang Songthaek asked me, while I was deep in thought, carried weight.
“Hmm... I’ve only looked around Pyongyang and its surroundings, but it seemed as if time had stopped twenty years ago without further development.”
“Is that so? Shameful as it is, that is the reality of our Republic.”
Even Pyongyang, said to be the most developed in North Korea, lagged far behind Seoul.
Then how much harsher must the lives of the actual people be?
Meanwhile, the lifestyle enjoyed by Kim Jongil and Jang Songthaek was far more lavish than that of any South Korean chaebol.
“Without change, there will be decline. Don’t you think so, Mr. Kim?”
It was a hard question to answer directly.
But perhaps it wasn’t a question expecting an answer, for Jang Songthaek spoke as though to himself.
“This upcoming inter-Korean summit is the beginning. The Republic must change. Only then can we survive.”
“It would be good to look at China.”
“...The General Secretary’s will is what matters.”
True. Even Kim Jongil hadn’t dared openly declare a will for reform, so how could Jang Songthaek have a decisive way?
“By agreeing to the summit, perhaps he has already prepared to accept change?”
“I hope so...” freёwebnovel.com
Jang Songthaek trailed off and nodded.
On the face I had thought greedy, there was now the anguish of an intellectual.
“I want the people to eat well and live well. I am not a clean man, but I sincerely hope our Republic’s future will be bright.”
“Of course you can make it so. By supporting the Chairman, you can make it happen.”
“We will need much help from the South. Not just Chairman Song, but other companies too, I hope they will enter our Republic.”
For investment in North Korea, a firm guarantee of safety was needed.
Trusting only Kim Jongil would not be enough.
“The chairmen already asked me to introduce them to you.”
“Did they? My schedule is so packed it will be hard to spare extra time...”
The inter-Korean summit was to be carried out on a tightly fixed schedule.
Of course, I had to meet Kim Jongil, so I was an exception, but the others were not.
“What the South worries about is whether their investments will be protected. I mentioned this to the Chairman yesterday.”
“I will see the General Secretary this evening and raise it again. But Mr. Kim, do you still have no intention of investing in the Republic yourself?”
“Hmm... I’ll think about what I might be able to do.”
“If you would, I would truly be grateful.”
Jang Songthaek rose from his seat first.
“Because of other engagements, we must end here. I hope next time we meet in the South.”
“I’d like that.”
Was it 2002 when Jang Songthaek visited Seoul? Election season. I should think of a way to use him in Candidate Yoon’s campaign.
If Kim Hakgwon plays the tricks while Candidate Yoon earns the profits, that would be amusing.
Calmly, I shook the hand Jang Songthaek extended with a smile.
As we stepped out of the special villa together, Baek Cheolsu approached and bowed his head.
“Please take good care of Mr. Kim.”
“Yes, Vice Director.”
Jang Songthaek got into the car first and departed.
Baek Cheolsu, who stood rigid until the car became just a dot in the distance, asked,
“Will you be going to the hotel?”
“Yes, I’m a bit tired.”
“Understood.”
Thanks to the special villa being not far from the hotel, we arrived quickly.
Since all the delegation from South Korea were occupied with external schedules, the Koryo Hotel was quiet.
Back in my room, I gazed out at the still streets of Pyongyang while recalling the conversations I had in North Korea. The streets in the daytime, unlike Seoul, looked sparse and peaceful.
But unlike the quiet scenery, my head was tangled in complications.
‘Kim Jongil and Jang Songthaek...’
Their relationship was peculiar.
Kim Jongil was weaker than his reputation suggested, while Jang Songthaek had the qualities of a revolutionary.
I began to wonder if Jang Songthaek’s later purge after Kim Jongil’s death had not been because he attempted a coup and failed.
‘Kim Jongil, underestimating Jang Songthaek, and Jang Songthaek, concealing his true thoughts...’
Before I knew it, the evening glow was setting outside the window, yet no matter how I thought, I could not organize my thoughts. With such limited information, it was difficult to read the game board.
‘Jang Songthaek has no reason to assassinate Kim Jongil. His power comes from the Kim family. Simply killing him wouldn’t give him the leader’s seat. Then who...’
A knock at the door cut off my thoughts. From beyond the door, Baek Cheolsu asked,
“Mr. Kim, what will you do for dinner?”
“Are the others finished with their schedules?”
“Yes, they’ve all returned to the hotel. Right now, everyone has gone down to eat.”
“Then I should go down as well.”
I put on the coat I had taken off and left the room.
When I arrived at the hotel restaurant, the others were already gathered.
“Mr. Kim, over here.”
Chairman Song raised his hand in ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) greeting. I nodded slightly in return and approached the table where he was seated.
“Please, sit.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
At the table sat Chairman Song and Chairman Ye Seungjin.
This time, I was at a different table than Seo Jaehoon.
“You weren’t at the afternoon schedule. Were you in your room?”
“Yes, I rested a bit, I had a headache.”
“Heh, a young man already struggling like that?”
Though he said so, Chairman Song gently patted my back after hearing I was unwell.
Perhaps because I read the concern in that touch, my sunken mood lightened.
“Haha, you’re right.”
“I’ll find a fine ginseng root for you.”
“If you have something good, you should take it yourself, Chairman. I’m still young.”
“Showing off because you’re young now, are you? Hah, really.”
Chairman Song laughed warmly.
While I conversed amicably with Chairman Song, Chairman Ye Seungjin silently listened.
“What do you think, Chairman Ye?”
I turned toward Ye Seungjin.
“Do you have thoughts of investing in North Korea?”
“Hmm... have you spoken with Vice Director Jang?”
“Yes, I passed along the message. But he said with his schedule it would be difficult to meet separately.”
“I thought so.”
Ye Seungjin nodded as he spoke. His words carried the weight of much deliberation.
“If stability is guaranteed, I am considering diverting about half of the factories I’m building in China to the North.”
“Is that so?”
“To attract proper investment, they must take proactive steps. For North Korea too, the best path is to provide infrastructure and benefits through economic special zones, just as China did.”
China had created economic special zones when opening up, aggressively bringing in foreign capital and technology.
“In that case, investment in North Korea would be worthwhile. Do you know why Korean companies enter China, Mr. Kim?”
I gave a small nod.
One reason was to break into the massive Chinese market; the other was to enjoy tax breaks and administrative privileges through economic special zones.
“Of course, North Korea created the Rajin–Sonbong Free Trade Zone, but the guarantee mechanisms were insufficient and the infrastructure too lacking, so they failed to attract foreign capital.”
Ye Seungjin drank water, looking frustrated.
If stability were assured, North Korea was practically a gold mine, so this current state must have been exasperating.
“If they created new economic zones in places like Kaesong, close to the South, or Sinuiju, close to China, and firmly guaranteed investment protection, then companies could build the infrastructure themselves. But even today, they’ve given no clear answer.”
No answer?
Hadn’t Chairman Song already made agreements with the North Korean government this year?
“Chairman Song, have you had any discussions with the North Korean government?”
“Well, I wanted Haeju, but the North Korean government kept speaking of Sinuiju. Because of that, we haven’t made real progress.”
I knew Chairman Song wanted to leave his footprint in his hometown, but there was no way North Korea would give up Haeju.
Still, they shouldn’t have dragged things on like this.
“What Chairman Song wants is a small industrial complex for SMEs that can continue to operate without interruptions. What companies like mine want is a complete economic special zone, just like in China. Well, it amounts to the same idea.”
Food was set on the table. Picking up my chopsticks, I asked,
“Is there nothing proceeding at the government level?”
At my question, Ye Seungjin glanced around cautiously, then began criticizing Kim Hakgwon in a lowered voice.
“Don’t even ask. We’re just props. Political achievements are all that matter; there’s no thought to convey companies’ opinions. Why else would I ask you, Mr. Kim?”
It seemed Kim Hakgwon, having tied himself with Ilseong, wasn’t too concerned about ties with other chairmen.
“Hmm... understood. If the chance comes, I’ll bring it up again.”
“Would you? Thank you, Mr. Kim.”
After the troubling talk passed, we continued our meal, chatting lightly.
“Mr. Kim, sorry to interrupt during your meal.”
“What brings you here, Chief of Staff?”
The man who called me was Pyo Minguk, Chief of Staff to the President. His expression was stiff.
“A message has arrived from Seoul.”
“From Seoul? For me?”
Normally there would be no reason for contact to come to me through government channels.
A strange sense of unease crossed my mind.
“Chairman Cheon is said to be in critical condition. Ha Myeonghun contacted through the Blue House.”
“...”
The spoon in my hand slipped and fell. My mind went blank in an instant.
