Chapter 17
Chapter 17
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 12.8 Military Coup (5)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Park Hanjin’s arrest operation is complete. He’s currently being transported to the safe house.”
“Hmm.”
I reacted as if it were no big deal.
Arresting Park Hanjin was a task that naturally had to be handled, so there was no room for rejoicing or lamenting over it.
Soon, reports came in confirming the successful capture of the Army Chief of Staff and the Capital Defense Commander.
Surveillance on the Prime Minister’s residence continued unabated.
However, the secondary targets—the Vice Chief of Staff and the Security Commander—had evaded capture.
They had more or less given up on the Security Commander once it became clear the Security Command had caught wind of their intentions, but the Vice Chief of Staff’s escape was unexpected.
The arrest team reported that everything had gone according to plan up until securing the official residence, but they had no idea where he had slipped off to.
‘This is getting a bit troublesome.’
In any case, the Vice Chief of Staff held a position that allowed proper use of the Army Ministry’s official chain of command.
I dispatched the correctional units as planned.
Their objectives: the Prime Minister’s residence and the Army Ministry.
I had no intention of avoiding combat with the Guard Division, even if it broke out in the process.
“Put Colonel Baek Dong-seok in charge of the CP. I need to head to the field myself.”
“Understood.”
I climbed into the military communications vehicle lent by the commander of the Correctional Armored Regiment.
The radio, commercialized in 1923, was enormous, and with Jeong Gil and a radioman squeezed in alongside me, the space felt terribly cramped.
‘Well, that’s to be expected.’
The automobiles here were on par with Korea’s very first car, produced by the International Vehicle Factory.
It was impossible not to be disappointed if you expected too much from this era.
A few minutes after departing the base, the radio crackled to life.
The radioman listened, exchanged a few words, then said with a tense expression,
“General, it’s the Chief of Staff.”
“Put him through.”
I took the receiver.
“This is Lee Sung-jun.”
“General Lee, have you lost your mind!”
An old man’s voice bellowed like he’d swallowed a train whistle.
“Do you have any idea what you’re doing right now?”
“I do. Quite well, in fact.”
“Withdraw your forces immediately! Are you planning to turn downtown Pyongyang into a sea of flames?”
“Then we all die.”
“Look, General Lee! Are you really going to hand the Japanese a victory like this?”
Unlike his initial aggressive tone, the Chief of Staff gradually shifted to pleading.
“I didn’t plan for things to end up like this from the start. But with Park Hanjin ruining the country, what choice did I have?”
“General Lee, I can’t say we should resolve this amicably now that it’s come to this, but what have the people of Pyongyang done to deserve this?”
“Hmm.”
“So let’s make a gentlemen’s agreement.”
“What kind of gentlemen’s agreement?”
“No heavy weapons in downtown Pyongyang.”
It was a reasonable point.
Unlike Vice Chief of Staff Yoon Sung-min during the 12.12 incident, the Chief of Staff wasn’t spouting nonsense about both sides halting troop deployments.
That earned him a few points, but why should I comply with his demand?
“If we follow the Chief’s request, that means no deploying the Correctional Armored Regiment. So how are we supposed to deal with the Guard Division?”
“General Lee.”
“Order the Guard Division to stand down first. Then I’ll consider it.”
“That’s a demand I can’t grant.”
“Then we’re done here. Also, you’ve got military police posted on the Taedong River bridges—better pull them back. I’d hate to have to crush those poor MPs under my tanks.”
“If you’re thinking of crossing the Taedong with tanks, you’d better reconsider. I’ve dispatched engineers to every bridge.”
“Try me.”
I cut the radio.
Chief of Staff Park Sung-ryeol’s call was clearly a probe.
He was testing to see how far we’d go, what we were capable of.
And he must have been shocked by the response.
I’d made it clear we’d ram tanks into downtown Pyongyang if that’s what it took to make the coup succeed.
Of course, this hardline stance wasn’t ideal, as it would only stiffen the Army Ministry’s resolve.
But I had no choice but to respond this way.
The reason was simple.
‘The Army Ministry’s chain of command is already half-collapsed, creating an oligarchic system that’s utterly disadvantageous for the military. In this situation, if we push aggressively and mercilessly, their side will split between those urging restraint to protect civilians and those advocating a counterattack, leading to endless debate.’
That would leave the enemy without any real suppression strategy.
Sure, things might change if the Vice Chief of Staff made it back to the Army Ministry in time, but getting from the official residence to the ministry without a car would take a while.
All we had to do was make good use of that time.
‘The outcome will be decided within the next three hours.’
I checked my watch.
The time was already 7:45 p.m.
*
“Brother, isn’t that gunfire?”
“You’re right, it is.”
“This feels like all hell’s breaking loose.”
“Let’s get up first.”
At 7:15 p.m., 1st Guard Division Commander Oh Kwang-se and Army Operations Bureau Chief Ha Jung-yeon heard the gunfire and rushed back to their division and the Army Ministry.
They were stunned upon receiving intel from Security Command at their units.
Oh Kwang-se hurriedly called the Army Ministry.
“General Park, what’s the situation? Are we responding to the coup?”
“I’ve ordered the military police to block the Taedong River bridges. Stand by for deployment orders to the Guard Division—get your unit ready.”
“Got it.”
A few minutes later, when the official orders from the Army Ministry arrived, Oh Kwang-se truly grasped that a full-scale rebellion had erupted.
He relayed the deployment orders to his subordinate units.
Their target: the rebels advancing on key points in downtown Pyongyang.
‘Lee Sung-jun, you son of a bitch.’
The Guard Division had been in loyalty training, so the unit was ready to deploy almost immediately.
1st Guard Regiment Commander Colonel Park Jun received orders to intercept the rebels heading for the Prime Minister’s residence.
The enemy was the Correctional Armored Regiment crossing the Taedong River rail bridge.
‘General Lee Sung-jun staging a coup? Unbelievable.’
Colonel Park Jun couldn’t believe that the affable superior he’d known from the Spanish Civil War was behind something this outrageous.
“Regiment commander, we’re ready to deploy.”
“Move out.”
“Yes, sir.”
Park Jun rode in a military vehicle at the head of the column, directing the advance.
The Guard Regiment passed in front of the Army Ministry, where government offices clustered in Pyongyang, and headed south toward the Third Taedong Rail Bridge.
During the march to the Third Bridge, radio messages from the rebels kept coming in.
Park Jun tried to ignore them but eventually picked up the receiver.
He figured he’d hear out whatever nonsense the rebels were trying to peddle.
“This is 1st Guard Regiment Commander Park Jun.”
“Colonel Park! This is the Correctional Unit. The tide has turned. We have the Army Minister in custody. Judge the situation wisely.”
The voice belonged to the operations staff officer from the rebel Correctional Unit.
“Colonel Baek, we’re soldiers. A soldier’s duty is to obey the orders of the state. Cut the crap.”
Park Jun brushed off the rebels’ repeated overtures.
8:00 p.m.
The trucks carrying Park Jun’s Guard Infantry Regiment arrived at the Third Bridge.
On the bridge, the Provost Marshal’s dispatched military police operations officer was working with engineers to block the span.
“Colonel Park?”
The officers, who had been anxious about the rebels closing in, breathed sighs of relief at the arrival of his unit.
Minutes after Park Jun’s troops arrived, the ground rumbled, and a dozen intimidating tanks came into view.
It was the Correctional Armored Regiment—one of only two armored units in the capital.
As the rebel tanks trained their main guns on the bridge, MPs and infantry alike gulped nervously.
But the rebel tanks halted before the bridge, and one pulled forward.
“This is General Lee Sung-jun.”
The officers recognized the voice and were startled.
“Should we just shoot the bastard?”
“He’s in a tank. Poke the bear, and shells start flying—who’s cleaning up the mess?”
From inside the tank, Lee Sung-jun continued over the loudspeaker.
“Colonel Park, I know you can hear me. I’ll keep this short. I know it’s tragic and unfortunate that we brothers-in-arms are pointing guns at each other. But in time, you’ll understand that our decision was right.”
The military police operations officer stood silently for a moment, then nudged Park Jun.
“Colonel Park, let’s buy some time for now. If we can stall until the Guard Armored Regiment deploys, those bastards won’t set foot near the Army Ministry.”
Park Jun hesitated, then took the loudspeaker.
“General Lee Sung-jun, sir. It pains and saddens me greatly to confront my former commanding officer like this. As a subordinate who once admired you, I beg you—please stop here.”
“Colonel Park, that’s not possible. Since when does a revolution grind to a halt midway?”
“Did you just say ‘revolution’? This is nothing but a rebellion.”
“Colonel Park, then what do you call what Park Hanjin did?”
Park Jun struggled to respond to that.
“Colonel Park, this nation stands on the brink of ruin. Park Hanjin’s war has made us pariahs among the great powers. Do you think he can fix this? If he could, he never would have started the war in the first place.”
“General, I acknowledge our government’s mistakes. But rising up in rebellion is wrong. If everyone rebelled whenever the country erred, how could any nation endure?”
“Then answer me this: How else can we correct the Empire of Korea’s wrongs besides revolution? Parliament? The courts?”
It was the truth. In militaristic Korea, there was no legitimate path to changing the regime.
Park Jun couldn’t deny it.
“Colonel Park, I had no choice but to launch a revolution. This was the only way.”
“That’s a coward’s excuse.”
“You’re right, it’s cowardly. But what can be done? This is the only path to saving Korea. Colonel Park, I won’t ask much. Just clear the way.”
“No.”
“Then you’ll make brothers spill blood? I’ve said it before—I’m in the midst of revolution. Blood is the price of revolution. I’m prepared.”
Park Jun glanced at the faces of his men around him.
A soldier’s duty to defend the nation was obvious.
Up until now, Park Jun had believed himself a faithful soldier.
But was this regime truly worth sacrificing the lives of the subordinates he cherished?
Park Jun couldn’t answer easily.
“Colonel Park, I can’t give you much time. Decide within five minutes.”
The loudspeaker fell silent.
Park Jun bit his lip and looked at the officers beside him.
Military Police Operations Officer Colonel Jo Un cleared his throat awkwardly.
Unlike his earlier insistence on stopping the rebels, now that lives were on the line, he seemed to have second thoughts.
If senior officers were wavering, what about the juniors?
Park Jun let out a deep sigh.
“Colonel Jo.”
“Yeah.”
“Clear the barricades.”
“R-right.”
After agonizing between duty to the state and the lives of his men, Park Jun chose surrender.
The tank crews of the Correctional Armored Regiment soon cheered as they drove their vehicles onto the Third Bridge.
8:30 p.m.
The rebels’ main force, the Correctional Armored Regiment, entered central Pyongyang.
At the same time, to the west of Pyongyang, subordinate units from the 16th and 17th Reserve Divisions crossed into Pyongyang Special City one after another.
Security Commander Lee Jung-ju grasped the full situation and hurriedly headed for the Prime Minister’s residence.
With things having come to this, there was no choice but to evacuate the Prime Minister and the Emperor from Pyongyang.