Free Web NovelThe voice of Jang Songthaek coming from the receiver sounded quite exhausted.
“I was actually just watching the news. It seems they made the trial public—quite unusual.”
— Yes. They’ve already decided to completely erase him.
“I heard this is the first time since Park Honyoung that both the arrest and trial were publicly revealed. There’s quite a lot of talk about it in South Korea as well.”
In North Korea, purges had always accompanied every change of power.
After the Korean War, Kim Ilsung consolidated his authority by eliminating faction after faction within the North Korean Communist Party.
The beginning of that purge was Park Honyoung, the leader of the South Korean Workers’ Party faction.
He was the only person whose arrest and trial were completely made public and used for public humiliation.
Both China and the Soviet Union tried to stop Kim Ilsung from executing him, but Kim ignored their requests and had him taken to a hillside and shot.
After that, neither Kim Ilsung nor Kim Jongil ever made purges public again, even when they eliminated someone.
And now, fifty years later, Choi Ryonghae had been arrested and publicly tried in the same manner as Park Honyoung.
“Are you planning to make the execution public as well?”
— No. However, we do intend to gather all high-ranking officials and carry out the execution in front of them. From now on, his photos and records will disappear from everywhere.
“That was a wise decision. You’re about to enter the international stage, and it wouldn’t be the best image to show.”
“I’ve roughly explained the situation to the President as well.”
Jang Songthaek asked cautiously, clearly curious.
— I see. Is there a lot of talk about it in the South as well?
“It’s an unprecedented situation. Even now, the major news stations are covering it one after another. Experts are appearing on television offering their analyses... though to me it all looks rather ridiculous.”
— Hahaha. That’s understandable. After all, who knows the internal affairs of our Republic better than President Kim? You probably understand them better than even my own aides.
Jang Songthaek laughed for quite some time before finally continuing.
— President Kim. Actually, I contacted you because of General Kim Jongil.
I had already expected that topic to come up. Now that Choi Ryonghae and his faction had been completely purged, the only remaining issue was Kim Jongil himself.
— He says he wants to go to Switzerland.
“Switzerland?”
— Yes. Considering the schooling of Jong-chol and Jong-un, and the fact that it would be a quiet place for him to spend the rest of his life... it seems suitable. What do you think, President Kim?
Switzerland wasn’t a bad option.
Come to think of it, hadn’t Kim Jong-un studied there?
“If the Chairman is comfortable with that, then go ahead. Is there anything you need me to arrange?”
— No. This is something our Republic must handle to the end. It would look strange if you intervened in the middle.
“You’re planning to have the Pyongyang embassy in Switzerland manage things directly?”
— Yes. That would be the safest approach.
“Then let’s do it that way.”
Since Jang Songthaek himself intended to personally oversee Kim Jongil, I decided not to add anything further.
“Oh, by the way. You know the Chinese plenary meeting is being held today, right?”
— Yes. Our Republic is watching it closely.
“What are you planning to do about China’s involvement in this situation?”
— I would like to hear your opinion on that as well, President Kim.
Jang Songthaek spoke with an unusually humble tone.
Perhaps it was because I had nearly been assassinated in North Korea.
“Then let’s decide after we see today’s outcome. If Hu Jintao wins, it might be acceptable to reopen the border in exchange for an apology and economic support. But if, by some chance, Jiang Zemin wins...”
— An extreme measure?
Jang Songthaek hesitated, unable to finish the sentence.
“No. I’m not saying you should mobilize the army. That would be madness. There are several bridges along the China–North Korea border, aren’t there? Tell them to blow them up.”
— What? What did you just say?
“I’m saying we should show North Korea’s resolve.”
Several bridges connected North Korea and China along their shared border.
— ...That’s a move with no way back.
If those bridges were destroyed, the connection with China would be severed.
Blowing them up with North Korea’s own hands would be a declaration of absolute determination.
“Russia, Japan, and South Korea together could create trade larger than what you currently do with China. Incidents like this happen because China still believes North Korea is under its control.”
— Even so...
“Don’t worry too much. I’m just saying we should prepare a plan for the worst-case scenario. If Hu Jintao loses again in this plenary meeting, he has no future. A man who cannot use the sword of legitimacy even when he holds it has no right to power. Are you that kind of person, Chairman?”
When I asked in a cold voice, Jang Songthaek quickly replied.
— No. I am not that kind of person.
“Then if that situation happens, you must show a strong response. Russia and South Korea will support you afterward.”
— ...I’ll think about it.
Was he timid, or simply cautious?
Jang Songthaek avoided answering directly and said he would think about it.
I didn’t press him further and continued calmly.
“Very well. Unless there’s a better way to warn China, this seems like the best option for now.”
— Understood. We plan to execute Choi Ryonghae tomorrow. And once preparations are complete, we will send General Kim Jongil abroad. I will contact you again. Take care until then.
The call with Jang Songthaek ended.
I set down the satellite phone and smiled.
“He may not be completely fearless, but he still managed to decide to exile Kim Jongil abroad.”
Director Ma, who had taken the satellite phone from me, replied.
“Jang Songthaek made the right choice.”
“Still, we should send our own people to monitor Kim Jongil. As soon as you find the mansion where he’ll stay, purchase buildings around it.”
“Yes, Boss. I’ll prepare it.”
Even after the long call with Jang Songthaek, the television was still broadcasting a discussion about Choi Ryonghae’s purge.
I raised the volume again.
— The purge of Choi Ryonghae was inevitable. Jang Songthaek is not of the Baekdu bloodline like Kim Jongil. He only gained status as a branch of the family through marriage. In other words, he lacks legitimacy. That’s why it wouldn’t be strange at all if Choi Ryonghae replaced Jang Songthaek.
The host asked the representative of a North Korean defector organization,
— It sounds like you’re saying this isn’t the end. Is that correct?
— Yes, that’s right. In the end, they’ll execute Kim Jongil as well. Isn’t it ridiculous how they carry out bloody purges and still pretend to be a normal country? No matter who takes power, North Korea will never change.
— But that seems inconsistent with the fact that North Korea is currently working to improve relations with Russia and Japan, as well as expanding inter-Korean economic cooperation, isn’t it?
The defector representative slammed the table.
— It’s all a show! A show! Jang Songthaek is no different from Kim Jongil. Just like Kim Jongil did, he could break his promises at any moment. He’s not someone you can trust!
The extreme statement clearly caught the anchor off guard. freewebnoveℓ.com
Looking straight at the camera, the anchor hurriedly said,
— The statement just made represents only the personal opinion of the representative and is not related to our broadcast network in any way.
— You’re all being deceived!
— Yes, yes. That concludes our discussion with the head of the North Korean Defector Refugee Association regarding this purge.
The anchor quickly ended the interview.
I turned off the TV and burst out laughing.
“He’s not entirely wrong. But since he doesn’t know the inside story and only sees the surface, there are a lot of errors.”
I stood up, wiping the smile from my face.
* * *
“Welcome. It’s our first time meeting.”
When I arrived at a traditional Korean house in the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province, a woman I had never seen before extended her hand first.
Just like in the photograph.
The woman standing before me was the wife of Choi Woosik of KS Group.
“Hello. I’m Kim Muhyuk.”
I shook her hand lightly and took a seat.
“I didn’t expect the director to be the one asking to meet me first.”
She nodded with a bright smile.
Sitting across from me, she spoke with an easygoing expression.
“I’ve wanted to meet you for a while. You’re not uncomfortable, are you? By the way... are you married?”
I shook my head and laughed. Every elder I met seemed to ask that same question.
“Well... the right person hasn’t appeared in front of me yet.”
“You’re handsome, tall, in great shape... and the richest man in South Korea. I wonder who will end up taking you. Shall I introduce you to someone?”
“That’s alright. I prefer meeting people naturally. Let’s end the small talk here. Please tell me why you wanted to meet today.”
As I steered the conversation back on track, she sighed slightly as if disappointed.
“You really are impatient, just like I heard.”
At that moment, a woman who appeared to be a staff member entered and placed prepared teacups on the table before leaving.
She lifted the cup, inhaled the aroma, and closed her eyes.
“You know, Director, I’m quite busy. If there’s nothing important to discuss, I’ll be leaving.”
“Why are you in such a hurry? Just wait a moment.”
“Then please state your business.”
After hesitating briefly, she finally spoke.
“I need to take control of KS Group.”
“...Are you in your right mind?”
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
I had meant to keep the thought inside, but it came out aloud.
As expected, the woman in front of me glared sharply.
“What did you say?”
“My apologies. I wasn’t expecting that statement, so my true thoughts slipped out. Then... are you saying you plan to remove Chairman Choi Woosik and sit in his position yourself?”
She glared at me for a moment before sighing and shaking her head.
“No. I just need to take the group away from the Choi family.”
“Isn’t your son also a Choi? In the end, your son would inherit it anyway.”
“....”
“I truly don’t understand the reason. And I’m not even sure whether I could take management control of KS Group away from Chairman Choi Woosik.”
As I continued pretending ignorance, her gaze sharpened again.
“I already know everything. I know you can move the Sovereign Fund. If my nominee shares join forces with the Sovereign Fund, we can easily seize management control.”
“Even if that’s possible, do I have any reason to help you? This is the first time we’ve met, isn’t it?”
“If our goals are the same, can’t we work together? I had quite a connection with your predecessor. When I was young, I visited Myeongdong several times with my father.”
Her father had been one of the powerful figures of the military regime era.
KS Group had entered the top ten of Korea’s business rankings largely because those in power had supported it.
Without that backing, it could never have grown so quickly.
“Really? That’s the first time I’ve heard that.”
“Chairman Myeongdong was quite fond of me. But after my father retired, I never met him again.”
My grandfather’s face briefly flashed through my mind.
But even if she had known him, that alone wasn’t enough reason for me to cooperate.
“My grandfather is my grandfather, and I am me. So what do you mean when you say our goals are the same?”
“I heard that my husband rejected ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) your proposal. And that you decided to move forward with the project through Korea Telecom instead.”
Just as she said, the telecom company that would exclusively distribute the iPhone domestically had been decided as Korea Telecom.
“Well, the plan was always for Korea Telecom to handle distribution. The proposal to Chairman Choi Woosik was simply a courtesy. KS Group had protected its management control with a white knight once before, so it was only polite to offer them the opportunity first. In truth, Apple’s conditions were absurd for the number-one telecom company to accept.”
I answered casually.
She placed her teacup down and looked straight at me.
“Even so. Choosing second place while leaving the first alone isn’t good for Apple or for you, is it? And... I heard you bought a factory in Korea to produce mobile devices. I’ll help you with that.”
“You’ll help me with that?”
“Yes. I heard you proposed purchasing the factory owned by KS Teletech. My husband rejected it, though.”
There was no way Choi Woosik had personally told his wife everything.
More likely someone among his secretaries was acting as her ears.
“You seem far more interested in company matters than rumors suggest.”
“You... told him that I was increasing my shares through nominee accounts, didn’t you?”
Ah. So that was why she wanted to meet me.
I smiled awkwardly as she continued.
“Because of that, I’m out of time. I need to move before that man Choi Woosik makes his move first. If there’s anything you want, I’ll give it to you. So please delegate the shares held by Sovereign and the shares you personally hold to me.”
Since I needed the production factory owned by KS Teletech, it was quite an enticing proposal.
It was something that absolutely had to be done in order to manufacture iPhones under contract in Korea.
After thinking for a moment, I slowly opened my mouth.
