Chapter 396
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Somalia
In December 1990, as EA was still reeling from the chaos of its private debt crisis, the Korean ambassador to Somalia, Bae Jeong-guk, headed to the presidential palace to meet with President Mohamed Siad Barre.
On the surface, it might seem like relations between Korea and Somalia were fine, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Right after General Siad Barre seized power in a bloodless coup in 1969, Korea had severed diplomatic ties, just as it had done during the Ethiopian coup.
"Well, we had our reasons too."
That diplomatic break pushed Somalia toward the United States.
But the shift was only temporary.
Through the administrations of Lee Seong-jun and Kim Jeong-gil, and into Jang Dong-yoon's regime, Korea reversed course.
"What's done is done. Let's make the best of it."
Jang wanted to showcase some diplomatic successes to the public.
As part of those efforts, he aimed to pull Somalia back into Korea's camp.
Jang's initiatives paid off, and Korea and Somalia restored decent relations.
Diplomatic missions reopened, and formal ties were reestablished.
Even so, Somalia didn't magically revert to Third World status overnight.
Afterward, it lingered in the gray zone between the First and Third Worlds.
Jang's successors, Lee Seok-gyun and Bae Seong-jun, opted to maintain the status quo on Somalia.
"Trying to cut ties now would just make us a laughingstock."
Bae wasn't fond of Somalia, so he didn't push for deeper engagement.
That was how Korea and Somalia kept each other at arm's length, like distant neighbors.
Even if Pyongyang showed interest in Mogadishu, it wouldn't change much.
The current Siad Barre regime was slowly crumbling under rebel assaults anyway.
'What’s going to happen to this country?'
As Ambassador Bae pondered, his car pulled up to the presidential palace.
An officer at the entrance bowed deeply.
"His Excellency is waiting for you."
"Very well."
Bae headed straight for the bunker where the president's office was located, as if it were routine.
Lately, President Siad Barre had been hiding out in the bunker next to his palace office, tormented by rebel threats.
He spent most of his time secluded there.
"His Excellency is in that room."
The officer escorted Bae to the door and politely withdrew.
Typically, foreign ambassadors had to wait ages just to get a few minutes with a head of state.
But superpowers like Korea or the United States were different.
They could get as much time as they wanted, whenever they wanted.
Bae sat down across from President Barre.
Barre was a man who gave off an ordinary, unassuming vibe, but that was just a facade.
Beneath that plain, mild-mannered mask lurked a dictator who had ruled for over twenty years.
The ambassador shook hands with the president and took his seat.
"You're here about the rebels, I presume?"
"Yes, Your Excellency."
Bae asked if the Somali government could still control the situation.
Barre responded to the ambassador's question with a confident expression.
"Our forces will surely prevail."
Would they, though?
The rebels had already closed in near the capital, Mogadishu.
From Barre's bluster, Bae could tell he was just posturing.
It was something he'd known before even arriving.
The conversation wrapped up in thirty minutes.
As Bae finished and was leaving the palace, an explosion rocked downtown.
"Your Excellency, get in the car, quickly."
Even Bae, with his long experience in developing countries, felt his stomach drop.
The Taegukgi fluttered in front of the vehicle, but there was no guarantee it would stop bullets.
"Looks like the rebels have entered the capital."
"Already?"
Bae looked incredulous.
Were the NIS and intelligence service asleep at the wheel?
Choi, the NIS liaison officer, bowed his head at the ambassador's rebuke.
"I'm sorry, Your Excellency."
Back at the embassy, Bae's team scrambled to assess the situation.
An hour later, the NIS reported back to Bae.
"Rebel forces have definitely entered Mogadishu proper."
"And the government troops?"
"They still have some fight left, but they won't hold the capital long."
Regime change was all but inevitable, then.
Bae immediately requested instructions from Pyongyang.
Should they prepare to engage the rebels, or start evacuating the embassy and expatriates?
Pyongyang's reply came in three hours.
"Prepare to evacuate the embassy and all Korean nationals abroad."
The response from Pyongyang wasn't surprising.
Why keep an embassy open in a non-ally amid all this chaos?
Bae ordered the expatriate evacuation to begin.
Pyongyang sent four large transport aircraft to assist.
The massive planes landed one after another at the cramped Mogadishu airport, intimidating everyone on the ground.
"Sending four of those giants to a tiny country like this? Superpowers live up to the name."
As Korea mobilized, major powers like the United States and France followed suit with their own aircraft.
Soon, Mogadishu Airport was packed with planes from the world's heavyweights.
"No room left to land."
The superpowers didn't stop at aircraft.
They deployed warships offshore too.
Korea sent the largest contingent: its carrier strike group from Djibouti forward-deployed to waters off Somalia.
"See to it that the evacuation proceeds without a hitch."
"Of course, Mr. President."
Bae hurriedly secured buses and vehicles to evacuate the Korean community.
Fortunately, threats had been mounting since '89, so there were fewer than a hundred Koreans in Somalia.
Mostly corporate expats and tuna company staff—easy enough to track down.
But Korea wasn't just responsible for its own people.
"Take care of us too. We're allies, right?"
Korea couldn't ignore the Second and Third World nations clamoring for seats.
Pyongyang allocated most of the flights' capacity to them.
It even arranged transport to the airport.
Even so, with the situation deteriorating, it was no sure thing they'd evacuate everyone.
Rebels entering the capital sparked riots and looting everywhere, hampering operations.
"At this rate, we won't make it out in time. If Mogadishu Airport shuts down, we're done."
"Then we should send a message to our rebel friends before that happens."
Pyongyang issued stern warnings to the rebels to avoid disrupting the evacuation.
"If you interfere with the withdrawal of Korean or Second and Third World nationals, you'll taste our wrath."
"Are you threatening us right now?"
"Choose your actions wisely."
Korea demonstrated its resolve by sending carrier-based fighters on low-level runs over Mogadishu.
As eighteen jets screamed over the streets, the rebels felt a chill run down their spines.
"Don't believe us? Test it. We'll bomb you flat."
The threat worked.
"The rebels have halted their offensive?"
"Yes. They're pausing for a week."
President Siad Barre, hearing that Korea's show of force had spooked the rebels, wondered if Korea might help him after all.
"If the Koreans help us, offer them all the fishing rights they want—whatever concessions they ask for."
Barre figured enough sweeteners could sway the Koreans.
But that was delusions of grandeur.
Korea didn't see Siad Barre as a legitimate negotiating partner.
"He wouldn't have run the country into the ground if he was ever legit to begin with."
Siad Barre had repeatedly done things no normal leader would: the war with Ethiopia, reneging on democratization promises, the stadium massacre.
Korea viewed him as unfit to rule for those reasons alone.
"Of course, staging a coup against our allies disqualified him from the start."
Ambassador Bae didn't even relay Barre's offer to Pyongyang.
Barre waited for Korea's response, but the Koreans focused solely on evacuation.
After a long wait, Somalia's president realized they had no interest in his proposal.
They just wanted out of Somalia.
"Damn them all."
Throughout mid-December, Korea deployed eight transport flights in total, evacuating 100 Koreans and 9,700 Second and Third World nationals.
While Korea efficiently evacuated others alongside its own, the U.S., UK, and France prioritized their citizens and pulled out.
They fielded fewer planes than Korea and lacked nearby bases, leaving no spare capacity.
"What about us?"
The remaining First World nations, stranded without flights, had no choice but to beg Korea.
They requested help without full confidence Korea would oblige.
"Hop on."
Korea accepted their pleas readily.
In the end, Pyongyang accommodated 500 First World citizens without other transport options.
That included 12 Americans.
"We compete when it counts, but saving lives comes first."
The First World praised Korea's actions.
"Makes you feel like the global village really is one family."
"Today, at least, Pyongyang earns some credit."
For a moment, an unexpected thaw swept the international scene.
Some even hoped the new Cold War might thaw into a post-Cold War era.
But with U.S. and Korean interests clashing, the Cold War was far from over.
In the grand scheme, the Somalia evacuation was just a blip.
The brief softening from the Somalia pullout shattered in January, with the new year bringing fresh turmoil.