The Day the Nation Stood Still

“Wait, you want to broadcast the summit footage? On all three major networks?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

It was a reasonable question. Naturally, there shouldn't have been any footage of the summit. But Yoon-gi had it.

“I can’t reveal how I obtained it, but I have it regardless.”

Yoon-gi had hidden a total of seven cameras at the summit location. Of course, the image quality of cameras that could be concealed in this era wasn't exactly high-definition, but it was more than sufficient to capture audio and facial expressions. Yoon-gi played the videotape he possessed through the VTR in his office.

“Ah, I need to rewind a bit.”

As Yoon-gi naturally began to rewind the tape, N and YS were feeling a different kind of terror.

‘How is this possible... Is he operating an intelligence organization within the Blue House that is completely beyond my reach? Or has the ANSP effectively pledged loyalty to Yoon-gi instead of me?’

‘My god... just how many steps ahead is he living? And he’s running an independent intelligence group out of the Blue House? Looking at N’s expression, he clearly had no idea...’

Of course, N and YS had no complaints about acting as figureheads. However, feeling a fundamental dread toward Yoon-gi’s bottomless capabilities was unavoidable. And, in a way, this was something Yoon-gi was doing well. A leader who reveals 100 percent of themselves to their constituents ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠loses their “mystique,” and their leadership inevitably fades.

“Alright, let’s watch it again.”

When Yoon-gi pressed the play button, the nonsense Ito had spouted yesterday began to play from start to finish. YS grew increasingly furious, and N, too, was turning beet red, suppressing his heavy, ragged breathing.

“Anyone opposed to a simultaneous broadcast on the three major networks?”

At Yoon-gi’s question, both N and YS shook their heads.

“Honestly, I was worried about the deterioration of relations with Japan regarding a simultaneous broadcast, but after seeing this, I’ve changed my mind. I’m in favor of it.”

At N’s words, YS also nodded.

“We need to completely fix the manners of these Japanese bastards!”

In actual history, YS had significantly boosted his approval ratings with his remarks about “fixing the manners” of Japan. The subject was the same: the Japanese Government-General building. Whether in a changed history or the original one, the true nature of a man like YS did not change. That was exactly why Yoon-gi liked him.

“I say this to both of you, but I am a person who feels absolutely no need to be on friendly terms with Japan. People claim that neighboring countries should get along, but I truly don’t understand what kind of nonsense that is. Has Japan ever treated our neighboring country well?”

“They haven’t!” YS answered quite refreshingly.

“Exactly. They haven’t. Japan has been beating us up for over a thousand years, so I don’t understand why we have to keep treating them kindly while we’re the ones getting hit. Even the Chinese dynasties of the past bullied us for thousands of years, and they only gave up once they realized there was nothing left to take from our country.”

Yoon-gi’s words struck the core of history precisely.

“That’s right! Yoon-gi, you really know your history!”

Seeing N’s confused expression, YS spoke up on his behalf.

“Mr. President, you know that Joseon claimed to be a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, right?”

“Yes? Ah, yes. I know that much.”

“The reason the Ming Dynasty recognized Joseon as a vassal state wasn’t simply because Joseon claimed to be one, but because ‘a troublesome nation claimed to be a vassal state.’”

It was actually true. Until the Middle Ages, the biggest reason for occupying land was, naturally, grain. However, compared to the size of its land, Korea had too many mountains, so grain production wasn't as high as one might expect. Of course, after the mid-Joseon period, the high-risk, high-return farming method known as the transplanting method became widespread, causing crop production to explode, but by then, Joseon had already clearly established itself as a vassal state of the Ming, so the Ming lacked the justification to invade.

“Ah, I understand. They accepted it because a nation that would be difficult to deal with if it became an enemy claimed to be a vassal.”

At N’s words, Yoon-gi spoke up this time.

“In a way, our land has been blessed and cursed at the same time. It’s difficult to grow crops because there are so many damn mountains, but thanks to that, we were able to protect the Korean Peninsula for thousands of years. And because there was no oil, it was a land of no interest to Western powers in the 1900s. That’s why Japan was able to forcibly occupy our country with the permission of the Western powers.”

What if oil had been found in Joseon? Joseon would have been occupied by Britain or France, not Japan. But because there was no oil, the Western powers essentially told Japan, “Take this and get lost,” yielding Joseon to them.

“Now that I think about it, if we had oil, we would have ended up like the Indians.”

As N nodded, YS took the baton again.

“There was no oil, so Western powers weren’t very interested in Joseon, but as soon as we gained independence, an ideological war broke out. Thanks to that, the Republic of Korea was able to receive tremendous support from the U.S., even if not quite as much as West Germany.”

The 1950s was a time when the Cold War began and, quite literally, the world was on fire. To prove that capitalism was superior to communism, the U.S. invested astronomical sums of money into third-party nations. In the 2010s, the U.S. might pressure South Korea over defense costs and whatnot, but the sincerity the U.S. poured into Korea in the 1950s was undeniably immense.

“Ah, yes. In the 50s, you could often see grown young men snatching and eating powdered milk distributed to children.”

At N’s words, YS gave a bitter smile, and Yoon-gi spoke again, as if it were his turn.

“Japan is similar to us. Because it’s an island surrounded by water, it was able to avoid invasion by China, and because there was almost no oil, Western powers weren’t very interested in exploiting it when it opened its ports. But there was a really big difference between Japan and Korea. Japan blocked the development of its neighbors by ruthlessly exploiting Joseon, and it saw an enormous war boom through the Korean War, which became the foundation for Japan’s current economy.”

The rhetorical style of YS and Yoon-gi was truly remarkable. They told what could ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠have been a boring history lesson in a quite interesting way, and on top of that, they brought it back to the original topic of Korea-Japan diplomatic relations.

“No matter how I think about it, Japan is a country that causes harm to the Republic of Korea.”

In reality, Korea was always at a loss when trading with Japan. Of course, it’s a business transaction, so losses can happen. However, Japan always maintained a disrespectful attitude toward its premium customers, which is something you can’t do unless you look down on the other party quite a bit. Seeing that they frequently commit discourtesies even when there are alternatives to the goods purchased from Japan, one could see Japan’s usual mindset.

“That’s why, in our relationship with Japan, we must aim for a relationship like that of the U.S. and Mexico.”

At Yoon-gi’s words, N tilted his head as if he didn’t quite understand.

“The relationship between the U.S. and Mexico?”

“The relationship between the U.S. and Mexico was hostile, but after the U.S. won the war against Mexico and became a superpower, Mexico became a pro-American nation. The relationship between neighboring countries is usually like this. I’m saying that instead of becoming Mexico, our country must become the United States.”

It was certainly a long story, but this long explanation by Yoon-gi and YS gave N a firm conviction as to why Korea had no reason to be friendly with Japan.

“In the first place, we don’t even need such a long explanation. Simply put, Japan bullied us, so there’s no reason to be friendly. Isn’t that right?”

At YS’s words, Yoon-gi smiled.

“That’s right.”

On the other hand, N wore a slightly worried expression.

“What the Prime Minister and Yoon-gi are saying certainly makes sense. No, it’s the truth. Korea and Japan cannot be friends. But can Korea win if it competes with Japan? Japan’s current economic power is... not just superior to Korea’s, it’s competing for first place in the world.”

It was a situation that clearly showed the difference in personality between N and YS. If YS was the type to try first and deal with the consequences later, N was the type to worry if he had to deal with the consequences. That must have been why he lived quietly under JD, watching his every move.

“Just because I’m weak, I shouldn’t just stand there and take it when the opponent hits me. We have to show them that if we fight with our lives on the line, the opponent can get hurt badly, too. Otherwise, our Republic of Korea will live forever, constantly walking on eggshells around Japan.”

At Yoon-gi’s firm words, N finally nodded.

“Fine. My political life was already staked on you anyway. So, I will simply follow your will.”

“Mr. President, just leave it to me, the Prime Minister. I will handle all the shows. In the first place, with your current mindset, you can’t properly deal with those Japanese bastards.”

It was actually a remark that could have caused anger, but N gave a bitter smile.

“Alright. I will delegate full authority to the Prime Minister. But if a situation arises where I am needed, let me know at any time.”

“Of course!”

At this moment, the diplomatic policy of the democratic Republic of Korea toward Japan was finalized.

Naturally, the video containing Ito’s nonsense was not broadcast on the three major networks under government leadership. The video was, at best, an “unofficial” recording. Therefore, the videotape containing the footage was delivered to each of the presidents of the three major networks, tucked inside a brown envelope along with “a considerable amount of money.”

A request to broadcast it during prime time, accompanied by a large sum of money. Plus, the footage was clearly going to draw massive viewership ratings. In particular, the detail that “we have requested this from all three networks” moved the presidents.

Because of this, the three major networks even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠created “trailers” to stimulate the public.

As they say, the editing skills of South Korean broadcasting stations have been world-class for a long time. Therefore, the trailers created by the three major networks were enough to spark nationwide interest. Furthermore, Yoon-gi didn’t stop there. He deliberately contacted the three major networks through MEV and paid to lease the footage. In a way, it could be called an unnecessary expense, but it was done to lay the groundwork that MEV also obtained it through the three major networks. MEV also advertised that it would screen the footage in movie theaters on the same dates and times as the three major networks’ broadcasts. It was truly a day where “the Republic of Korea would come to a standstill” was being scheduled.

And on the day promised for the broadcast, everyone who could watch TV at that time sat in front of their screens. In 1988, even someone who was just 50 years old was of an age to remember the Japanese colonial period. The Korea-Japan diplomacy of the 80s, which had originally only held unofficial summits, had now moved beyond the official, and it became a moment where the minutes of the meetings were completely exposed to the public.

“Must you really tear down the Joseon Government-General building?”

The start of the video. The three major networks edited out the mundane conversation parts entirely. They were meaningless anyway. Therefore, all the citizens began to watch Ito’s nonsense with their breath caught in their throats. And the citizens of the Republic of Korea were quieter than expected. Even as Ito’s nonsense poured out, they were silently staring at the screen. The 80-year-old elderly who had directly experienced the Japanese colonial period. The 50-year-old middle-aged who had experienced it in their childhood. The 20- and 30-year-old youth who had only heard stories from their parents. And the teenagers, or even younger children, who had heard the stories passed down from their grandparents.

But, the moment the video ended.

In 1988, the Republic of Korea, the absolute majority of its 42.03 million population, all in one voice, in unison, erupted in anger at Ito and the atrocities of Japan. And thanks to the support of the entire nation, the date for tearing down the Joseon Government-General building was moved up significantly.