Chapter 223
Chapter 223
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Apartheid
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The Union of South Africa had embraced the concept of racial segregation since the late 19th century.
The infamous Pass Laws were a prime example.
"Non-whites walking on paths meant for whites? That's absurd. From now on, you go around the long way."
"What? We can't even walk where we want?"
As the 1910s dawned, the federation began codifying these ideas into law while stripping Black people of their land ownership rights.
"Non-whites owning land? What nonsense is that?"
Later came laws against miscegenation to prevent interracial mixing between whites and others, along with restrictions on voting rights.
"Tainting pure white blood is shameful in itself."
This discrimination seemed to soften somewhat amid the total war of World War II.
"Black labor is valuable too, you know. Does a Black man running a machine only get half the efficiency of a white one?"
As Black social advancement picked up, even the National Party government shifted to a somewhat conciliatory stance on race.
"Look, we've got an international image to uphold. Let's tone it down a bit."
But this drew ire from the white power holders.
"Blacks are already threatening our jobs, and now this? We fought and died in World War II for the nation!"
White discontent manifested as demands for policies like apartheid.
The Afrikaners (note: Dutch-descended whites, another term for Boers) had already channeled their grievances by founding the Afrikaner Party.
The National Party, utterly reliant on Boer votes, couldn't ignore those voices.
The National Party allied with the Afrikaner Party and began pushing apartheid forward.
Under Prime Minister Malan's coalition cabinet, the National Party rammed through bans on interracial marriage, the Immorality Act (prohibiting sexual relations between whites and Blacks), segregation of facilities by race, and strengthened Pass Laws.
"Now that's how a proper country should be."
The Boers cheered the outcome.
The United Party, Labour Party, and non-whites protested fiercely, but it was futile.
"You don't even have the right to vote."
"What?"
By stripping non-whites of citizenship and voting rights, the National Party regime laid a solid foundation for implementing apartheid.
Britain took one look and chimed in.
"Doing racial discrimination so blatantly? You're splashing shit on the entire Commonwealth. Act like civilized people for once."
"Fine, we're leaving the Commonwealth. We're a republic now. Mind your own business."
"What?"
In response to Britain's criticism, the Union of South Africa withdrew from the Commonwealth.
And so, the Republic of South Africa boldly marched down a path heedless of outside opinions.
'In South Africa, we're the kings.'
It actually seemed like they could get away with it.
"Excuse me, non-whites aren't allowed in our restaurant. It's whites-only."
"I'm Korean— is this discrimination?"
"Pardon?"
This was the moment apartheid ran headfirst into a contradiction.
The bold nation of South Africa quickly came up with a solution.
"Afrikaner folk, Korea is an honorary white nation on par with whites, so no discrimination in facility use. Got it?"
It felt a bit off kowtowing to 'inferior non-whites,' but there was no choice.
That was the world where you had to endure such contradictions to practice racial discrimination.
As Korea's national power surged, even the Boers came to see treating Koreans as honorary whites as only natural.
Overseas observers scoffed at the sight.
"Oh, so your great white standard stretches like a rubber band depending on power differences?"
"Korea became a great power on its own merits. A country like that deserves respect, naturally."
Nanjing and Japan weren't about to sit idly by.
"Ahem. No matter how you look at it, we're bigger fish than you South Africans. Are you ignoring us?"
The South African government had to make a choice.
Behind Nanjing and Japan stood Korea.
"Y-Yes, you gentlemen deserve respect too. Of course."
Nanjing and Japan also received honorary white status.
Of course, this honorary white treatment didn't mean fully equal status.
"An honorary white marrying a white?"
"Why? Is there a problem?"
"W-Well, honorary whites are prohibited from marrying or having sexual relations with whites."
"What?"
To preserve racial purity, the South African government strictly barred even honorary whites from marrying or having sex with whites.
"Oh, and no voting rights either."
"What? You said we'd be treated equally!"
At first, this issue flew under the radar.
Hardly any Koreans went to South Africa anyway.
But when the question came up during one of Lee Sung-jun's occasional public Q&A sessions, it blew up into a 'problem.'
"Your Excellency, the whites' apartheid is an insult to Korea. How lightly do they view Koreans if they won't even let them vote?"
"We'll address it at the government level."
The Korean government investigated the honorary white issue and applied pressure on South Africa.
"Banning marriage and sex with whites treats our citizens as an inferior race. And what does it mean that Koreans can't have voting rights? Does it imply Koreans don't understand democracy?"
"No, we gave them honorary white status—that should be enough. Do they want full equality?"
South Africa saw this as unreasonable pressure from Korea.
"No matter what the Koreans say, we can't budge on this."
The Korean government deemed South Africa's policies as 'discrimination against Koreans' and launched retaliation.
"Time to taste some import tariffs."
Korea slapped retaliatory tariffs on South African imports.
The South African government brushed off such measures.
"The Koreans talk big but it's nothing much."
"Next up: phase two."
Korea imposed tariffs on all imports containing South African materials.
Now the South African government couldn't afford to be complacent.
"You're joking, right? Sanctioning us like this?"
When the world's third-largest economy shut out South African goods entirely, the government finally grasped the severity.
"The Koreans have phases three and four ready too."
Even phase two was sending shockwaves through the South African economy.
Calls for negotiations arose within the government.
"Koreans probably don't really want marriage and sex with whites. We can compromise by granting voting rights."
The Nats (note: abbreviation for National Party), unwilling to compromise on racial purity, offered Korea a deal granting honorary whites voting rights.
For the National Party, this was a major concession.
But the Korean government scoffed.
"You think that'll wash it away?"
Phase three extended phase two measures across the entire EA bloc.
Access to markets half the size of the US evaporated overnight.
Of course, Korea wasn't pressuring South Africa out of insanity.
"Letting those lowlifes discriminate against us would damage our prestige."
Korea's hardline stance stemmed from the pride of a great power.
Call it mere pride if you like, but prestige was a vital justification that let superpowers stake their survival on a fight.
As Korea went full great power mode, the South African government felt threatened.
If phase three was this bad, what about phase four?
Fear of Korea's sanctions pushed the government toward compromise.
"Hardly any Koreans come to South Africa anyway. Let's just treat them like whites. How many would even marry?"
"But what about racial purity getting tainted?"
"Ah, if a Korean marries one, we can deport her with Korean citizenship. Who cares about a tainted woman?"
After agonizing deliberation, the South African government proposed a compromise.
"We'll treat Koreans just like whites. That settle it?"
When the National Party offered equal treatment for Koreans, the Korean government countered.
"Not just Koreans—all EA citizens get equal treatment with whites."
"Pardon?"
"Take it or leave it."
"The longer we drag this out, the more the Koreans will demand. Let's compromise."
The South African government officially agreed to treat honorary whites equally with whites.
Considering how few EA citizens visited South Africa, it was a face-saving measure—but an undeniable defeat for the government.
The Korean government splashed this victory across the headlines.
"Pyongyang safeguards East Asia's common interests."
The incident itself was minor, but it could be leveraged into a huge win.
The Lee Sung-jun regime used it to bolster EA unity.
"With big brother Korea stepping up like that, it feels reassuring."
Korea was already the trustworthy top dog with the highest GNP.
Just following along brought sweet rewards, and now they handled even trivial matters—trust could only grow.
"Seeing this makes 'EA as one' sound less like a slogan."
This was why Lee Sung-jun had demanded rights only for 'EA.'
Korea turned South Africa's apartheid into an event boosting EA solidarity.
And it didn't mean Korea's intervention didn't help the other races.
Far from it.
"The government discriminated against East Asians too. But when a powerhouse like Korea applied pressure, they changed their tune."
Korea's blatant exposure of apartheid's contradictions taught non-whites one key fact.
"What does that mean? That with enough power, you can earn respect even from them."
There was only one way to gain respect from those discriminators.
Indians, Blacks, Coloureds, and anti-discrimination whites had to unite.
Only then could they stand against the Nats' bundle of contradictions.
"Let's unite. I can't stomach living under those filthy bastards anymore."
Non-whites, fragmented and divided by the South African government's divide-and-rule tactics, began coalescing.
Under the banners of the long-suppressed United Party and Labour Party, countless races gathered into one voice.
"We too demand the respect Korea receives! We want to live in a nation where all races are respected!"
Amid their cries, the iron wall of discrimination—apartheid—began to crack.
A wall with a single fissure doesn't hold for long.
Apartheid's retreat was only a matter of time.