Chapter 263
Chapter 263
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Verification
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Korea had a more pressing task than the Third World Alliance or the Argentine coup.
It was the matter of grooming a successor for the aging leader Lee Sung-jun.
In fact, Pyongyang hadn't entirely neglected this issue either.
Back in 1960, when Korea was still dreaming of surpassing the Soviet Union, Pyongyang began dispatching the elite graduates of its successor academy to practical field positions.
These individuals completed their training at the army, navy, and air force academies before advancing into central bureaucratic roles, ideal for building experience.
Performance evaluation reports on their work came in regularly.
To assess their performance, a team was formed consisting of twelve secretaries under the Chief of Long-Term Vision.
The Chief of Long-Term Vision compiled suitability reports based on these evaluations and submitted them weekly to Kim Jung-kil.
"No decent prospects in sight yet."
Kim Jung-kil had high standards.
It was only natural; his eyes had been honed by years of observing Lee Sung-jun's rule up close.
When successors produced results merely adequate compared to their peers, he dismissed them as merely doing what was expected.
Only achievements that overwhelmingly surpassed others caught his attention even briefly.
This was the reason for the harsh evaluations from Lee Sung-jun and Kim Jung-kil.
That said, it wasn't as if the candidates were utterly unfit to lead the nation. Far from it.
As evidenced by their completion of army, navy, and air force academy training in an astonishingly short time, these candidates were fundamentally talented individuals.
Kim Jung-kil classified the most outstanding among them as prime successor prospects.
As of 1960, there were three frontrunners in the successor race.
They were Park Ha-rim of the first cohort working at the National Intelligence Bureau, Jang Dong-yoon of the first cohort at the Ministry of Finance, and Lee Ki-young of the second cohort at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
These men were unaware they were in the successor competition, but they knew they were under strict scrutiny.
"That's just proof there's a real shot at climbing higher."
They were the sort who viewed the pressure of watchful eyes not as a burden, but as an opportunity.
That mindset allowed them to surge ahead while other successor candidates buckled under the evaluation pressure.
Before long, bolstered by their special status and track records as successor prospects, they rocketed up the promotion ladder.
"Keep a close eye on those fellows."
"Understood."
Even the successor candidates, aware of the evaluating gazes around them, stayed disciplined at work.
But Kim Jung-kil's scrutiny didn't stop when they clocked out.
The National Intelligence Bureau, serving as his eyes and ears, monitored them even after hours.
"Park Ha-rim committed a misdemeanor?"
"It's nothing major. He got drunk at a bar, caused a scene. The real issue is he tried to cover it up by intimidating a police officer."
"I see."
The type to abuse power even in a lowly position.
The nation's future couldn't be entrusted to such a dangerous sort.
Kim Jung-kil immediately cut Park Ha-rim loose.
"I'd prefer we never see that one at the Bureau again."
And so, a single mistake could cost a successor candidate everything.
A second chance?
Not on the table.
'This is about succeeding His Excellency. Can't elevate someone with flaws.'
Kim Jung-kil showed no attachment to the sprouts he'd carefully nurtured.
He set out to scout a new prime successor candidate to replace Park Ha-rim.
Maintaining three or four prime successor candidates on the list for Lee Sung-jun was possible through this rigorous management.
Jang Dong-yoon survived Kim Jung-kil's relentless oversight to the end.
The last survivor of the first cohort.
Jang Dong-yoon lived up to his reputation as a top contender.
Even Lee Sung-jun remembered the name.
"Jang Dong-yoon... Feels like I've been seeing this name for a while. Does this fellow have something special?"
"Section Chief Jang Dong-yoon is meticulous about self-discipline."
Skilled in self-management.
Lee Sung-jun responded to that assessment with these words.
"He's got the basics of a power holder down."
"Pardon?"
It was the most generous praise Kim Jung-kil had ever heard from him.
"A ruler doesn't need to command the masses. Mastering just one thing—his own desires—is enough for the fundamentals."
Lee Sung-jun's lavish assessment fueled Kim Jung-kil's expectations.
Kim Jung-kil reread Jang Dong-yoon's file from the beginning.
"Born the son of urban poor, he's charged ahead without ever slipping from the top of his class."
A common virtue among Daehan's successor prospects.
From the start, Daehan's successors boasted exceptional academic prowess.
But there was one key difference.
Patience.
Even under the crushing stress of grueling studies, Jang Dong-yoon never showed a hint of irritation.
Here, Kim Jung-kil saw the special quality Lee Sung-jun had mentioned.
Was it possible Jang Dong-yoon simply never felt academic stress, so no outbursts?
Absolutely not.
This was deliberate, mindful of evaluation.
Even in extreme pressure, he controlled his emotions with scrutiny in mind.
It hadn't stood out much in the written evaluations, but this difference shone through in academy training and on the job.
Jang Dong-yoon made minor slip-ups in his duties but never a major blunder that would mar his record.
"Thorough self-manager, indeed."
That left just one thing to probe.
The true face beneath Jang Dong-yoon's mask.
At Kim Jung-kil's order, the National Intelligence Bureau installed wiretaps and surveillance in Jang Dong-yoon's living area.
"Director, if this causes issues, you'll have to back me up."
"No worries."
Using the equipment around him, the Bureau scraped together every detail of Jang Dong-yoon's movements.
The covert ops team monitored his private life around the clock in shifts.
Kim Jung-kil aggregated the intel to analyze Jang Dong-yoon's character.
Jang Dong-yoon harbored a fierce ambition to rise.
The common drive among those from the bottom.
'Many of the revolutionary comrades were like that.'
The urge to climb was human nature.
"Director, nothing unusual so far."
"That's my take too. Still, push a bit harder. It's for the nation."
"Understood."
The Bureau even probed Jang Dong-yoon's personal connections.
One fact repeatedly confirmed: his evaluations were exceptionally positive.
At this point, there was nothing more to see.
Kim Jung-kil called off the surveillance on Jang Dong-yoon.
He submitted the report to Lee Sung-jun.
"You verified down to his core, and he's clean?"
"Yes, Your Excellency."
"Not so fast."
Lee Sung-jun never gave blind trust.
Generous assessment of talent and faith as a successor were worlds apart.
"I'd like to know Your Excellency's intentions."
"Prepare a test."
Lee Sung-jun ordered a re-verification of Jang Dong-yoon.
"Women, undue status, wealth. Give him what men crave and watch for changes. His restraint so far might just be because he hasn't had them yet."
"Understood."
Kim Jung-kil carried out Lee Sung-jun's orders without question.
Covert operations targeting Jang Dong-yoon began immediately.
"You're saying tempt this man?"
"No need for much. Just get him to spill even a level-three secret."
The National Intelligence Bureau first laid a honey trap.
When a beautiful woman approached feigning chance encounter, Jang Dong-yoon fell for it quickly.
They'd confirmed his type and sent a close match; the result was predictable.
Soon after meeting, the operative became a frequent visitor to his home.
But coaxing state secrets out of Jang Dong-yoon wasn't easy.
Even after intimate pillow talk, when she probed about secrets in bed, he shut it down sharply.
"Enough of that talk."
After several attempts, the Bureau confirmed Jang Dong-yoon wasn't swayed by women alone.
"He doesn't seem the type to fold for sex."
"Then try money."
A front company under the Bureau approached Jang Dong-yoon with a discreet offer of favors.
"No need to worry about prying eyes. Just nudge our documents to the front of the review queue."
Do that, and get a fortune.
Easy money, no bribery stigma.
Would he refuse?
The Bureau thought not, but Jang Dong-yoon did.
"I don't take that kind of money."
With the op failed, Kim Jung-kil issued a personnel order in the Prime Minister's Office name.
"Section Chief Jang Dong-yoon of the Ministry of Finance is transferred to the National Security Service."
What was the National Security Service?
The grim reaper of the bureaucracy, what public officials called the Audit Office.
Its power was beyond imagination; even a section chief there could make central directors and bureau heads bow.
"Section Chief Jang, looking forward to working with you."
"I knew you'd catch the higher-ups' eye."
Bureaucrats congratulated Jang Dong-yoon's promotion and showered flattery.
Everyone around celebrated his rise, but Jang Dong-yoon showed no joy.
He carried on stoically as always.
'Doesn't he realize his status has changed?'
Kim Jung-kil watched for shifts in Jang Dong-yoon's demeanor, but saw none.
Jang Dong-yoon maintained the exact same attitude as at Finance.
A few days later, Lee Sung-jun inquired about the re-verification.
"What were the results?"
"No issues at all. He's ironclad on self-discipline."
"No issues whatsoever."
Lee Sung-jun didn't buy it.
Not flawless; just well-hidden.
Who in the world lacks blemishes?
"Have the Bureau start another investigation."
"Pardon?"
"Verification must be thorough."
Lee Sung-jun wasn't soft enough to anoint a successor just for outlasting others.
Dig and dig again.
If an intolerable flaw surfaced?
Replace him.
Until a satisfactory sprout emerged.
Kim Jung-kil intuited that successor vetting would continue right up to Lee Sung-jun's last day as prime minister.
Such was the merciless scrutiny demanded of Lee Sung-jun's successor.
From the perspective of Daehan's supreme ruler, Lee Sung-jun, who single-handedly upheld the nation, this demand was only natural.
If some mediocrity sat in Daehan's prime minister's seat, his legacy could crumble overnight.
The giant propping up Daehan alone couldn't afford to lower his suspicious gaze from his successor.
"Understood."
Kim Jung-kil understood the prime minister's fears and bowed as always.