Dear Comrade

＜ Chapter 19. special relationship (3) ＞

Chapter 19. special relationship (3)

“General Secretary…!!! Ma, nice to meet you. This is Neil Heywood, who has been appointed by the Prime Minister to the British Embassy in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.”

Even Construction Heywood, who shakes hands with Junghwan lightly, was also embarrassing.

First of all, I was surprised once that he was younger than I had heard, and twice that he was really good at speaking English naturally without an interpreter.

However, the most surprising thing was Jeong-hwan’s attitude toward him, which was a shabby visit because it was too simple for the highest authority in North Korea, which is rigid and authoritarian even by the standards of a communist state.

To those who didn’t know, it seemed that he had come to this place to share a drink with a friend, rather than to establish a certificate of trust to start construction work in a country.

“I don’t know if you saw it when you came, but I was late because I had to say a few words to the World Student Festival in Pyongyang. Ha, a few words won’t make the ball roll farther and jump higher. By the way, where are your credentials?”

“Here it is.”

“Let’s see… it’s all right. Congratulations on officially taking office as a public corporation, Heywood corporation. I wish for prosperity both in England and in Korea in the future.”

“Me too, I am. General Secretary Kim.”

“Okay then, now……”

When Jeong-hwan signed “Kim Jeong-hwan, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea,” with a single swipe at the bottom of the construction credential handed to him by Heywood, the surrounding reporters burst out and flashed the camera.

Just like his appearance, leaving Heywood, who was stunned by the simple and futile ceremonies, Junghwan went straight to the point after sending the reporters out.

“Now with this, the least mutual trust between Britain and our Republic has been established. Then, Sir Heywood, I have to speak with Prime Minister Thatcher and the leaders. I have already put international calls on hold, so please connect me right away and explain the situation.”

“yes? General Secretary Kim, what did you just say…”

“As you hear it. Personally, I wanted to talk on the phone directly the last time, but there is a procedure for dialogue between heads of state. Besides, since I know how the popular masses of your country and the Labor Party view our republic, I can’t help but consider the Prime Minister’s position, right?”

‘what? What the hell is going on?’

What was more embarrassing to Heywood than Jung-hwan’s request to connect the prime minister right away five seconds after he was appointed as the minister, was the words that Prime Minister Thatcher, on the other side of the continent, said to him as if he had predicted this.

– It is the friendship between the country that killed 20,000 its citizens in broad daylight and the hereditary dictatorship under it… Prime Minister, I am sorry, but I am sorry that this undermines our English tradition of liberal democracy and our relations with other allies. I’m seriously worried that I won’t do it…

– Don’t talk back like ‘other allies’, just say America. And what this young general secretary really wants is that relationship with the United States. Then, even if we don’t care, we’ll try to approach it more cautiously from the other side, so we don’t have to worry about diplomatic friction. It’s because I’m thirsty anyway.

‘I don’t know.’

Desperate (?), he made an international call to 10 Downing Street in London.

After arguing with the Prime Minister’s office staff for a while, Jeonghwan was able to hear the famous Iron Lady’s voice with his own ears.

– It is an honor to meet you over the phone, Prime Minister.”

– Me too. General Secretary Kim. From the looks of it, it seems that the Heywood construction has arrived safely. I think there may be other reasons other than greetings for the development of bilateral relations in the future for making this call. Can you explain why?

‘I never dreamed that I would ever hear the upbringing of a neoliberal mother in my lifetime. But now is not the time to be impressed.’

Jeonghwan pushed aside even a moment’s excitement at the business-like yet accurate English that he was dealing with, and immediately opened up about what he was doing.

– I will speak as a representative of the Republic. I would like to offer you a diplomatic deal in this currency. Are you officially teaching with us?

– It’s a deal… I’m sorry, but I didn’t know that the relationship between General Secretary-nim’s Republic and ours had deepened that much. The recent gesture toward China was impressive, but wouldn’t it take some more time to build trust between countries? In my opinion, I still believe that South Korea is more beneficial to England’s national interest than North Korea.

– I made the wrong choice of words. I’ll fix it. If the word transaction is inappropriate, how about calling it a ‘common front’?

In the first call with the head of the other country, the establishment of a united front and the topic of formal establishment of diplomatic ties were to the point where they could not go beyond the usual procedures, but Jeong Hwan, who knew what was to come, was in no hurry.

‘Soon international economic sanctions against China will be announced. Although it is a hypocritical sanctions that will not last for a few years, it is a tenuous creed in this republic. We must establish an international position in which we can obtain the necessary investment, industrial capacity and technology transfer during the years of sanctions that we have earned by luck.’

The era is 1989, and as the need for free trade between countries increases more than ever, it is time for the WTO to appear soon.

And before and before the age of Pax Americana to come after that, there had to be a safeguard to ensure the survival of this republic.

And the US, who can provide that safeguard, and the British head, who has a ‘special relationship’ with the US, is now answering his calls from the other side of the world.

– That’s a very embarrassing proposition at first glance, General Secretary. First of all, regardless of what the united front will be against… I’m worried about what The Guardian will already say just by talking to the head of North Korea after returning home. Excuse me, but General Secretary Kim, from the outside, that is, from the Western perspective, you…

– A dictator. I know. It’s also true. He will probably continue to be a dictator in the future. But I don’t know what’s wrong with that fact. In the face of the interests of the United Kingdom or the United States returning home, there is hardly any concern about whether the leader of the other country is a dictator or not. Perhaps the Prime Minister’s cabinet will not admit that?

– I also correct words. An ‘untrusted’ dictator. No matter how much the Eastern Bloc is collapsing these days, our British ally South Korea during the Korean War… So, openly abandoning South Korea and formally establishing diplomatic ties with it would lead to diplomatic disaster. Enough to pull me out of my position as Prime Minister.

– ……………

– If you really want me and the UK to take you and your republic seriously, then please help me to convince the ministers and fellow MPs more easily. When they come out with issues like political prison camps and oppose the establishment of diplomatic ties with North Korea, shouldn’t I have something to say? You see, I’ve already been badly burned once because of my friendship with the dictator.

– The problem will be resolved soon. Oh, and if you need a ‘deposit’ for the risk in our relationship, we’ll give it to you.

True to his nickname, Jeonghwan had an intuition that Thatcher was an opponent that would not work even with hasty ideals or sloppy diplomatic investigations.

And Jeong-hwan threw the odds so that she could be confident that her relationship with North Korea could definitely serve the national interest.

– Commitment exclusively to British resource companies, including BP, for preferential exploration of all oil fields found in the Republic over the next 10 years, and at least 30% of revenue. Of course, on the premise of transferring technology, hiring local workers, and establishing a joint venture with the state-owned development company of the Republic.

– ……………!!! That’s good enough to consider.

‘After all, in this age, oil is the universal key. After all, even most people and experts now believe that oil will run out in half a century at the longest.’

Hearing the change in Thatcher’s voice, which was like an iron wall, Jeonghwan smiled of conversion.

Once the cracks start to break, the dam will collapse in an instant.

– good. I think you can believe that the General Secretary takes your relationship with England very seriously. What can I do?

– First of all, we call it an agreement because it feels a bit bad for the transaction just before. Please make the agreement in writing. So that each other can’t stick out their flippers later. First of all, how about making the Heywood Corporation next to me an official ambassador?

– Let’s propose to the parliament. Because Koreans didn’t offer us oil. But to be honest, General Secretary. Unless there is a diplomatic turning point that will give us something more than oil, that will give us more than the minimum necessary diplomatic trust between the two countries, this agreement will not cross the threshold of the House of Representatives.

– Diplomatic trust above the required minimum… For example?

– It’s like the Third Reich is resurrected from the grave and we return home and fight under one flag. Heywood may have already informed you, but I’m not good at joking, so I’m sorry if it wasn’t fun, General Secretary Kim.

Read at readwn.com

No, I’m having a lot of fun, Your Excellency.

At those words, Junghwan smiled and made a promise to the iron woman.

– Don’t worry about it. Prime Minister. Such an opportunity will come soon.

And the phone call between the British Prime Minister and the general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea ended there.

After the call ended, Jeonghwan put down the handset and smiled at the sergeant Heywood, who was looking at him with puzzled eyes next to him.

“Once again, congratulations on your arrival Bio! Ambassador Heywood.”

“What the hell is this young man thinking?”

On the other side of the ocean, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, shook her head and put down the receiver.

Trust between countries does not happen overnight.

It is the same no matter how much the oil carrot is presented, and even if all experts are unanimous in saying that the future era will be the era of oil.

Besides, it’s official training.

Korea, the lost brother of North Korea, is a developing country on the far eastern edge of Asia, but it is a member of the US global strategy against Russia and China.

In keeping with such a strategy, the UK’s basic diplomatic line is to only recognize South Korea among the two Koreas, but it would be unreasonable to change such a line in just a few months unless the world is upside down.

“The resurrection of the Third Reich… Oh my, Margaret, you also had an unexpected sense of humor.”

Having said that, I found it funny myself, so Thatcher laughed and muttered to himself.

Read at readwn.com

North Korea seems to have met a decent, rational, and capable leader in a short time, but it seems that the timing was not right this time…. Thatcher was certain.

Until a few months later, on continental Europe, I heard the news that the Berlin Wall had fallen .