Chapter 534: 57

June 20th, 2019 14:30

Seoul, Yongsan-ku. Ministry of National Defense conference room.

Three years ago, the reformative government had pushed to reclaim the rights of wartime control from America. Today, June 20th of 2019, was the historic day when that dream would come true. Korea had only maintained token control over its military for the last 69 years, but now, it had entered an age of true self-defense. All American forces residing in Korea were scheduled to leave by December of this year. The American troop withdrawal had the positive impact of improving relations with North Korea, and many press agencies were declaring that a time of peace was coming to the Korean peninsula.

Inside the conference room of the Ministry of National Defense, the U.S. officials and the employees from the Ministry of National Defense were in the midst of heated negotiations. The main point of contention was the final agreement to buy out U.S. military bases in Korea upon their exodus.

“One hundred million dollars for each bunker? That seems way too pricey.”

Manager Kang Oh-jun from the Strategic Department of the Ministry of National Defense showed concern as he spoke. Manager Kang Oh-jun had planned to push strongly from the moment he sat down at the negotiating table. Since he knew the enemy’s hand, it would give him an advantage over the battle. He figured a strong offensive would be a good negotiation strategy.

“One hundred million dollars is pricey? Do you know how much money was spent building them? How could you suggest that?” asked Colonel Alex in a persuading tone.

Colonel Alex seemed discomfited by the fact that the negotiations had gone awry from the start, but he controlled his emotions.

“We know. However, we believe it would be a waste of budget to buy a bunker we don’t need at an exorbitant price.”

The U.S officials were taken aback by Manager Kang Oh-jun’s relaxed and boastful pose. They began whispering with each other. After a while, they turned back to the table.

Colonel Robert Jackson, who was seated in the center of the American side of the table, steepled his fingers and gave a generous smile.

“Fine. Let’s go with 200 million dollars for three bunkers. Would that be satisfactory?”

“Two hundred million dollars?” Manager Kang Oh-jun showed an exaggerated expression of shock and shook his head, then whispered to his fellow staff for a minute. “I am sorry, but I still think the price is high.”

Then he raised his index finger to the American negotiators.

“One, one hundred million dollars?” Colonel Jackson asked.

“Oh, I think you misunderstood me. No. The final price Korea could pay is 10 million dollars.”

“Isn’t that taking things too far? This is like dealing with a swindling merchant…”

“As I have said before, how could you say such words when Korea is willing to buy bunkers we don’t need for 120 million won in Korean currency? Honestly, the Korean government hoped it would receive these facilities free of charge. You call me a swindling merchant, but we never dreamed of America trying to make a sale to an ally even in its moment of withdrawal.”

A silence fell in the room. The difference in opinion was too large, and each party needed a moment to think.

The U.S Armed Forces in Korea had two choices for the bunkers they were using. The first was to withdraw after demolishing them, and the second was to sell them to the Korean military. However, the first option obviously wouldn’t benefit them. Why would they waste money demolishing facilities they could profit from? Therefore, the U.S military was hell-bent on selling the bunkers to the Korean military at the highest price possible. But, the negotiating wasn’t easy. Their strategy was too obvious, and after a few minutes, the American party broke the silence.

“Fine. Let’s go with 10 million dollars per bunker.”

Before the negotiations, the Ministry of National Defense estimated a budget of 500 million dollars for building three new bunkers, excluding the price of the sites. Therefore, they had entered the negotiations prepared to pay 200 million, but thanks to Manager Kang Oh-jun’s offensive tactics, they were able to gain the bunkers for almost nothing. Korea now owned the CP Tango at Cheong-gye mountain, the Oscar at Dae-gu, and the CC bunker at Yong-san, and it planned to use them as a command center for their military branches and the soon-to-be-made aerospace force. Also, the remaining budget was planned to be used on the remodeling fees.

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June 26th, 2019 09:00

Seoul, Jongro-ku. Blue House President’s office.

As soon as the workday started, the NIS Secretary Na Bong-il had come to the President’s office to have a serious conversation.

Ten days prior, four defectors came into Korea through Thailand. Following protocols, one of the agencies under the NIS had interrogated the defectors. A man named Kim Gi-hyuck gave an interesting statement, and they conducted additional investigations. They found more clues that pointed to the Pyongyang terrorist bombing from 2015.

“His name is Kim Gi-hyuck, born March 4th, 1975 in Pyongyang. His father was a high-ranking member of the Labor Party and lived the life of the elite, and he graduated from Kimcheon College in Pyongyang. Afterward, he became the director of the Chinese Foreign Business Organization, and during this time, his entire family was immediately arrested and executed. He hid in China for three years, then defected to Korea through Thailand. He was the only person that made it out.”

“If that’s the case, how is he related to the terrorist bombing?”

Secretary Na Bong-il had already memorized the report, so he didn’t even need to glance at it as he answered the President’s question.

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“The reason Kim Gi-hyuck’s family was arrested and executed without any charges seems to be their cousin Kim Gi-soo, who was part of the security agency.”

Secretary Na Bong-il passed the President an organized version of Kim Gi-hyuck’s family tree and continued.

“Kim Gi-soo was in charge of security during the terrorist attack, and when Kim Jong-un fell into a coma, all those related to the security personnel were arrested and executed within a day. However, strangely, Kim Gi-hyuck’s father called his son before being arrested and told him to flee, stating that his cousin was the suspect of the terrorist bombing. However, the official report from North Korea only says he was executed under the charge of responsibility for the security failure.”

The President seemed to have trouble understanding. He ran his fingers through his hair, asking, “What do you mean? Are you saying Kim Gi-soo was the real terrorist, but the North Korean government executed him on the charges of inability to maintain security?”

“Yes. They knew he was the perpetrator, but they lied and labeled Jang Sung-taek and his allies as terrorists and then executed them.”

“Why would they do that? I still don’t understand. What was the conclusion the NIS came to?” the President asked Secretary Na Bong-il, unable to organize his thoughts.

“If we hypothesize that Kim Gi-soo is the true perpetrator of the terrorist attack, then he must have ordered the security agents to carry out the bombing. After its success, he had them all arrested and executed to keep them silent. That is the conclusion the NIS investigative team came to.”

“Hmm, it does seem logical. When Kim Jong-un fell into a coma, no charge would be greater, so the execution would tie up any loose ends. The heat would be on Jang Sung-taek and his allies, not the true perpetrators. The conclusion would be that the real culprit is someone who is very powerful within North Korea.”

“These are all assumptions based on a hypothesis, but I agree.”

“But we can’t find the true culprit with only assumptions.” The President frowned.

The NIS Secretary also pulled out another file as soon as the president finished speaking.

“What is that?”

“Kim Gi-soo had a younger sister named Kim Soon-hee. Luckily, during the terrorist attack, she was working in a North Korean restaurant in Shanghai, China. She fled. We have information that she is hiding in Shimcheon, China. She also made a phone call to her brother six months before he came to Korea.”

“Kim Gi-soo’s younger sister. Do you think she knows something, Secretary Na?”

“Yes, it’s possible. A month before the terrorist bombing, Kim Gi-soo gave his sister Kim Soon-hee one million Chinese yuan for safekeeping.”

“One million yuan is 180 million won in Korean currency. That’s a large sum.”

“Exactly. If Kim Gi-soo handed off such a large sum of money, then it might be a clue that could help us find the true culprit. If you would allow it, despite it being a long shot, we will send agents to China to look for Ms. Kim Soon-hee.”

“Unofficially?”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

The President walked towards the window and thought for a while. He returned to his seat and spoke silently.

“Secretary Na, I am concerned about our agents’ identities being compromised by unforeseen circumstances.”

“No need to worry, sir. We will select and dispatch only elite agents.”

“I see. I will allow it. While you’re at it, please have Ms. Kim Soon-hee return safely. Regardless of the nature of this mission, the Korean President is involved, so investigating the matter correctly and thoroughly is the government’s responsibility.”

“Of course. I will report back as soon as we are ready.”

The Korean government had formed a joint investigation unit during the Pyongyang terrorist attack and conducted a wide search in neighboring nations for two years, but it didn’t find any solid evidence. The organization disbanded after North Korea’s official statement. However, clues about the terrorist attack that had remained hidden for three years had come from an unexpected source.

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October 5th, 2019 09:00

Choongbook, Chungju-si. 17th Fighter Wing underground research facility. X-22 lab (Satellite lab).

The X-22 lab had developed a new deep-sea satellite that it was about to start testing. This satellite wouldn’t be shot into the atmosphere, but rather under the sea. It was shaped like a barrel and weighed 50 tons in total. It was durable enough to withstand pressures at up to 10,000m in depth, and it was equipped with a superprotonic sonar IUSW-BL-01 system that could detect 5,000 objects in a 250km radius at once. For weaponry, it had a SUSL guided torpedo, called a “Trident,” with a 150km range. It had six rounds and four barrels that wouldn’t be affected by Torpedo Acoustic Countermeasure systems.

This satellite was to be named Poseidon, and it was planned to be initially deployed in the Sea of Japan, the Yellow Sea, and the East China Sea in 2020. Once the Dae-gu Oscar bunker was finished being remodeled as the Navy’s center of command and undersea satellite operation, two additional units would be deployed at each location by 2023.

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