Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: A Groundbreaking Proposal
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“This is unsettling.”
I chugged two cans of cola as soon as I left the hospital room.
But the heavy feeling in my gut remained, and I ended up getting another can from the vending machine.
“You’ll get diabetes at this rate.”
After offering his advice, Vice President Kim Young-gi walked over to the vending machine himself.
Despite his words, it seemed he was feeling just as frustrated.
He drained the can in one go and tossed the empty can into the trash with a flick of his wrist.
“Minister Oh Joong-geun made a mistake. There’s a time to be cautious and a time not to be…”
He began to denounce the new Minister of National Defense.
He’d been holding his tongue, but seeing the victim seemed to have pushed his patience to its limit.
“Then again, if it was the President’s will, there was nothing he could do.”
He corrected himself with a meaningful smile.
A thought suddenly occurred to me, and I posed a question to him.
“About the Yeonpyeong Island and GP incidents. Was the final decision made by the President back then as well?”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
“Then can we really blame only Minister Oh Joong-geun this time?”
“The final decision rests with the President, but guiding that judgment is entirely the minister's responsibility. To put it simply, if Minister Oh had been so inclined, he could have easily reduced the casualties.”
“Which sounds to me like the strong responses during the Yeonpyeong Island shelling and the GP incident were ultimately your judgment, not the President’s.”
At that, Vice President Kim gave a wry smile.
A silent admission that I wasn't wrong.
It must not have been an easy decision to make, and I was once again struck by how remarkable he was.
“By the way, why did the President want to see you?”
A few days ago, Vice President Kim had visited the Blue House at the behest of the NIS Director.
But he still hadn’t told me the reason.
On a baseless hunch that I might get an answer today, I asked the question.
“He offered me a position.”
“What kind of position?”
I tilted my head in confusion.
The issue of him moving to a public corporation had been settled when he joined Jaewoo.
What other position could they possibly offer him?
“I hear they’re reorganizing the Blue House’s structure. It seems a new position called Chief of National Security is being created. He offered it to me.”
“Chief of National Security?”
That position wouldn't be established in the Blue House for quite some time.
So why a sudden reorganization at this point?
As I blinked in bewilderment, he seemed to misinterpret my expression and let out a dry chuckle.
“You don’t have to worry. I politely declined. I made a promise to you, Chairman, and I can’t very well break it, can I?”
“…”
I was stunned once again.
Not just because he had turned down a minister-level position, but because the fact that he did it for me, of all reasons, seemed to fill an empty space in my chest.
It occurred to me that acquiring a man who keeps his word like that might have been a stroke of sheer luck.
“I’ll have to give you a promotion soon.”
I replied with a joke and got into the car.
Our next destination was a meeting with the current Minister of National Defense and the Director of the NIS.
As I’d told Captain Yoon Tae-hwan, the Ministry of National Defense had asked me for a solution a few days after the incident, and today was the day I was scheduled to deliver my answer.
“Is something going on?”
The Ministry of National Defense building seemed unusually busy today.
In particular, there was a noticeable increase in the number of navy generals, more than I’d ever seen before.
I guessed it was the aftermath of the Baengnyeong Island incident.
“Welcome.”
Minister Oh Joong-geun shot up from his seat as we entered the room.
After a brief handshake with me, he immediately extended his hand to Vice President Kim and spoke with a look of shame.
“There’s nothing I can say to you, sir.”
“What do you plan to do now?”
Vice President Kim Young-gi asked bluntly.
His charisma was as potent as ever.
Although he was now a civilian, Minister Oh Joong-geun treated him with extreme caution.
“That’s what’s giving me a headache. With the World Cup approaching, we need to avoid our country’s security becoming an international issue. But there’s no guarantee they won’t provoke us again.”
Hearing that, I began to understand why the military’s response to this incident had been so lackluster.
The Korea-Japan World Cup was a grand festival.
But in the eyes of the world, this country was still in a state of armistice, a nation fraught with instability, and we would have wanted to prevent that aspect from being highlighted.
In other words, they were worried that an excessive escalation would be broadcast all over the world.
‘It’s possible that’s what North Korea was aiming for. But who was the fool who hesitated to respond because of the World Cup? Any provocation, big or small, would be known to the world anyway. They should have at least responded decisively.’
My gaze naturally shifted to Minister Oh Joong-geun.
Perhaps he had been watching me all along, as he was staring right at me.
“Ahem, the reason I asked to see you, Chairman Jin, as I mentioned before, was to discuss whether there are any countermeasures for future provocations.”
I already knew that from our phone call.
It had kept me up for several nights.
In the end, I had reached one conclusion.
“As a matter of fact, regarding that point…”
Knock, knock!
Just as I was about to speak, someone knocked on the door.
“My apologies for being late.”
The person who entered was the Director of the NIS.
He was so out of breath that he must have rushed to get here on time.
“What happened?”
Minister Oh Joong-geun asked him as he entered, without any preamble.
“The President has approved it.”
The NIS Director’s subsequent reply was equally difficult to decipher.
As Vice President Kim Young-gi and I exchanged puzzled glances, the Defense Minister spoke.
“Ah, I had actually requested the President’s advance permission for a strong response in case North Korea provokes us again in the West Sea. The NIS Director has just brought back his answer.”
“Tsk, locking the barn door after the horse has bolted.”
Vice President Kim Young-gi reacted to his words.
Perhaps feeling a sting of guilt, Minister Oh Joong-geun’s face flushed as he changed the subject.
“I have no excuse for that. In any case, what we want from Jaewoo is a solution to the changes in North Korea’s patrol boats. As you know, this time North Korea mounted a tank cannon on a patrol boat, causing our military considerable trouble.”
His words were essentially a request for Jaewoo to solve the firepower deficiency of the Chamsuri-class boats.
But how was that possible under the current circumstances?
Small patrol boats like the Chamsuri-class were incapable of mounting armaments larger than 40mm.
It seemed they were ruling out the construction of new patrol boats, probably because there wasn’t enough time.
Building a vessel takes at least several years.
There was no guarantee that North Korea wouldn’t launch another provocation in the meantime.
“I’m sorry, but no matter how much we modify the existing Chamsuri boats, it’s impossible to mount the level of armament you desire.”
“You think I don’t know that? But with our forces already stretched thin, we can’t afford to permanently assign our PCCs to defend the northwestern islands. It’s frustrating.”
The Defense Minister grumbled as if overwhelmed by the reality of the situation.
His eyes, now fixed on me, pleaded with a desperate hope, as if asking if there was truly no way.
Finally, I brought the meandering conversation back on track.
“If we think a little differently, there is one way.”
At my words, everyone’s gaze turned to me.
Our eyes met, and Vice President Kim Young-gi gave a slight nod. I took a short breath and continued.
“How about installing 127mm naval gun turrets on the coast of Baengnyeong Island?”
“…”
For a moment, everyone stared at me.
Their expressions seemed to ask what kind of out-of-the-blue suggestion that was.
I pointed to Baengnyeong Island on the map on the desk and continued my explanation.
“The idea is to install fixed 127mm naval guns here, and here, on the ground. And if we use AESA for precision guidance, we would essentially have the same land-based precision artillery system using smart munitions that we exported to the U.S. Navy.”
“…Install naval guns on land? Is that possible?”
“Why wouldn’t it be? Naval gun developers conduct land-based tests before mounting them on ships anyway. We’re just proposing to install them permanently, not for testing purposes.”
“…”
The Defense Minister blinked.
It was a novel idea, but his expression showed he was skeptical about its feasibility.
I pointed to a part of North Korea on the map and continued.
“The 127mm naval smart shells we’ve developed can be fitted with a RAP booster. In that case, we can secure a maximum range of over 180 kilometers, making it possible to shell areas near Pyongyang.”
“…”
“Even if we don’t go that far, the mere presence of this system would make North Korea not even dream of naval provocations. If we wanted to, we could annihilate not just their damn patrol boats, but their bases as well.”
“…Wouldn’t that provoke a backlash from China? Baengnyeong Island is only 180 kilometers away from China’s Rongcheng. With such a formidable weapon right on their doorstep, wouldn’t they have something to say about it?”
The atmosphere in the room grew heavy.
They were flustered by this unexpected turn in the discussion.
But I had already considered that point when I made the proposal.
In fact, now was an easier time to suppress China’s objections.
As our economy develops, our dependence on China will only increase. Would it be possible to install a long-range precision artillery system right on their doorstep then?
Honestly, if it were up to me, I’d want to build an airport on Baengnyeong Island right now, while China’s interference is relatively minimal.
“We’ll have to poke China sooner or later anyway. So I don’t think we need to worry about that.”
As my thoughts deepened, the NIS Director interjected.
“What do you mean by that?”
The Defense Minister asked with wide eyes, and I, too, watched his lips with curiosity.
“Actually, there was a meeting with some ministries at the Blue House this afternoon.”
“A sudden ministerial meeting? What was the topic?”
“It was about building an airport on Baengnyeong Island. It came up so suddenly that we only had a brief meeting today, but the Ministry of National Defense will likely have to attend soon. In any case, if that passes, installing a land-based smart artillery system shouldn’t be a problem.”
For a moment, I wondered if I had misheard.
He was presenting a solution to the very complaint I had just been thinking about.
Why all of a sudden?
Wasn’t the issue of building an airport on Baengnyeong Island not supposed to be proposed until 2016?
“It’s already on the agenda?”
The Defense Minister seemed to be aware of the matter already.
When our eyes met, he continued as if making an excuse.
“Ah, actually, the Chairman of the JCS, Lee Dong-wook, proposed it before, and it was discussed within the Ministry of National Defense. On the grounds that the inconvenient sea route makes it difficult for marines to travel and that it would help promote tourism. Well, that was just an excuse. The primary goal was to check China and North Korea.”
General Lee Dong-wook had been the Deputy Commander of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command until recently.
Along with Lieutenant General Kim Tae-ik, the commander of the 7th Mobile Corps, he was one of the few who thought like me.
I had imagined he would stir things up when he became the Chairman of the JCS, but I never expected him to hit a home run on his first at-bat.
“Did the Chairman of the JCS not propose building airports on other islands as well?”
I asked the Defense Minister, just in case.
Sure enough, he replied with a look that said, ‘How did you know that?’
“He did propose pushing for airport construction on Heuksan Island and Ulleung Island as well, but how did you know about that, Chairman Jin?”
I felt a chill run down my spine.
I could instantly tell what General Lee Dong-wook was aiming for.
Unsinkable aircraft carriers.
He was planning for the future hegemony struggle with neighboring countries.
“Ah, I believe the Chairman and I briefly touched upon that subject in passing once. By the way, what conclusion did the Ministry of National Defense reach?”
“For now, the Baengnyeong Island project was deemed feasible. As for Heuksan Island, we decided to revisit the discussion after observing the progress on Baengnyeong. As you know, Heuksan Island's location is a bit ambiguous to use North Korea as a pretext.”
“Then Ulleung Island is…”
“Ulleung Island will also be difficult for the time being. We don’t need to stir up trouble while co-hosting the Korea-Japan World Cup.”
I felt a pang of disappointment.
In truth, now was a better time to deal with Japan’s opposition as well.
Still, there was no need to be disheartened.
Now that the will was confirmed, it would be possible someday.
“Anyway, it’s a bit surprising that this has already been reported to the President. I’m the one in charge, yet I didn’t even submit the proposal. Who on earth… Was it the Chairman of the JCS?”
The Defense Minister said, his tone clearly displeased.
The NIS Director stepped in again, waving his hands as if to clear up a misunderstanding.
“It wasn’t a recommendation from the Chairman of the JCS. The President brought it up himself.”
“…”
At those words, everyone’s eyes widened simultaneously.
What could be said when the President himself had proposed the agenda? The Defense Minister’s expression softened slightly, but he didn’t seem completely at ease.
‘I never realized he was such a petty person… Seeing how he is, this guy won’t last long either.’
“In any case, for that reason, installing ground-based naval guns on Baengnyeong Island seems possible. I will report back to the Blue House, so please prepare a detailed business proposal, Chairman Jin.”
The NIS Director stood up after his brief request.
How much money could the installation of just a few naval gun systems possibly bring in?
And yet, my heart swelled, perhaps because this country was, little by little, beginning to change its future.
“I’ll prepare it as quickly as possible.”