Dear Comrade

＜ Chapter 21. New Sun of the Republic (2) ＞

Chapter 21. new sun of the republic (2)

An urgent breaking news suddenly appeared on Chosun Central Television.

Read at readwn.com

Not only the state-run Chosun Central Television, but also Pyongyang TV, JBS, and other broadcasters, which opened this year, have suspended regular broadcasts equally.

And when the cry of the announcer’s sombre yet complicated voice delivered the sad news first, the entire republic was paused for an instant.

On the streets of downtown Pyongyang, women, middle-aged men, the elderly, children and young people all laid down their hands, sat on the floor and cried while looking at the sky.

The security guards also did not stop this, but comforted the fallen citizens, or looked up at the sky and lamented the death of the leader.

And soon, the official announcement of the young general secretary, who is now a permanent resident, was played on all the radios, and those who overcame the sadness a little earlier or those who were watching this change with a slightly different perspective from other people, quickly wept. I wiped and turned up the volume of the radio.

– To all comrades of the people of the Republic. I am enduring indescribable sadness here… Comrade Kim Il-sung, who was the general secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea and President of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to all the people of the DPRK, died of sudden illness yesterday, November 17, 1989, at 3 o’clock. know you did

Lee is a bar. The funeral will be held in Pyongyang two months later on the first day of the New Year, and all party officials and I, who inherited his legacy, myself, General Secretary Kim Jeong-hwan, will lead the funeral committee and lead all remembrance.

As soon as the official announcement was over, all radio and TV channels played revolutionary songs and funeral songs, including ‘International Song’, as well as hymns to Kim Il-sung distributed by the Propaganda and Agitation Department.

Breaking the precedent, these hymns continued until late into the night.

Birds were caught everywhere, and citizens of Pyongyang, regardless of age or sex, offered harmony in front of the statue of Kim Il-sung in Mansudae, or those who were blessed with emotions began to pound the ground and weep.

One notable thing is that compared to the relatively young students and young people who silently meditated and expressed their sorrow relatively calmly, the people who cried sadly as if the world had been destroyed were mainly old people with full of wrinkles. .

– Aigoo… Now that the President has gone to heaven, what will our republic do now… Who else but him will lead our Korean people to liberate south Korea from the US imperialists…

– Don’t be too sad. elderly comrade. His illustrious son, the general secretary, took over, and from now on, the republic will develop further and head towards a strong and prosperous nation.

– No matter how it is… The general secretary is young, how can he follow the determination and leadership of the president… It was only a year ago that General Kim Jong-il died at the hands of weightlifters, but the sky seems to be jealous of the development of our republic. .

– Hey, comrade. It’s not necessarily like that, but hasn’t the general secretary been doing well for the past year? The president also named him as his successor in the upheaval in Pyongyang last year… Maybe he could lead the republic better than the president.

– What? Now you are disparaging the president’s achievements!

– When did I say that… A comrade who says that is not disparaging the opinion of the president in choosing a successor? First of all, didn’t the president appoint the incumbent general secretary as his successor? It must have been because he thought that the general secretary would lead the republic well. now old man

Are you against the losing president’s spirit?

– Oh, no, not that…

Amid these whispers, foreign correspondents from Pyongyang rushed to spread the news outside the republic, and within a few hours, media outlets around the world, including the southern part of the Korean Peninsula, reported the death of the ‘Red King’ (which was the French press)’s expression. was announced to the public.

Meanwhile, another upheaval, hidden by the upheaval of this era, was taking place in Pyongyang.

Aww!!!! The door opened wildly and the strong soldiers poured in like a tidal wave, raising the blue-stained old man from his seat and arresting him.

All the elderly were at least 70 years old, and they were wearing military uniforms with various decorations.

“Oh Jin-woo, former Chasu! Former Marshal Ri Eul-seol, former Chief of Staff Choi Kwang, and former Director of the General Political Bureau Cho Myung-rok! This recoil bastard’s bastards, if I lifted even the tip of a hair, I blew my head straight away! Everyone stay still!”

“Bae, Lieutenant General Baek Seung-cheol! Cho, let me see the general secretary just once! Even if we look at the contributions our elders have made to the republic and the revolution…”

All the elderly people who got up rough started to pray to the arrester, Lieutenant General Baek Seung-cheol, who was like his son, with a frightened face.

At that time, there was a young man walking through the open door, escorted by soldiers.

Read at readwn.com

Next to him was an old man who was younger than the old men who were tied up like a shackle, but still over sixty years old, politely assisting him.

“If you wish, I will let you see. Anyway, I was curious about the faces of the reactionaries who tried to usurp this republic by intimidating President Abaddy, who was not well.”

“Second, general secretary!”

“Hong Gye-seong’s second order!”

The young man who came in looked at the old people who were trembling with Oh Jin-woo as the head, and then he smiled and shook his head.

“Everyone ate enough to get old, what did you covet more? I was dismissed from all the positions I held, but I know that until my death, I have guaranteed luxury that ordinary citizens can’t even dream of.

The other elders had their faces reddened and their heads bowed at the ridicule of the general secretary, Jeonghwan, who came in through the door, but as much as the head of the head, Jinwoo Oh, still shouted the whale whale with a voice supported by evil.

“You bastard with no blood on this hair! You are the one who will surely destroy this republic! Even if I become an original demon, I will cut off your hair, so be prepared!”

“Ah, I have no idea what you are talking about. Comrades, no matter how old a revolutionary elder is, if he gets old and senile, there is nothing he can do about it. So, it seems that it is your duty as a leader to provide comfort before that. Isn’t that right?”

“Hey hey…!!! Did you think that General Kim Jong-il didn’t even know that you and Hong Gye-sung killed that Ganna? You’re the best child for the sudden death of the president? And now, to sell this republic to the US imperialists…”

“I can’t listen any more. drag it away Don’t forget to be gagged until you die of nonsense.”

Soon after, the military elders, including Chasu Oh Jin-woo, who shouted to leave, were dragged outside with masks and gags on.

Jung-hwan, who had never looked back at them, instructed Hong Gye-seong, who was next to him.

“Keep yourselves locked in, the execution will be done after I take office in the new year.”

“… Wouldn’t it be better to get rid of it right now?”

“It’s midday now. Under such circumstances, it would be a bad idea to publicly execute the anti-Japanese partisan elders of Abbadi. Above all else, the first priority is to stabilize the republic. It’s a crime… I can make something suitable for it.”

At first, Jeong-hwan thought about executing Oh Jin-woo, etc., by accusing him of attempted assassination for the sudden death of Kim Il-sung, just like in the case of Kim Jong-il.

However, the positions of Kim Jong-il and Kim Il-sung in the minds of the people of the republic are completely different, and it would be difficult for them to think that they had allowed Kim Il-sung, the sun of the republic, to be assassinated even after Jeong-hwan took office as general secretary.

When Jung-hwan’s decision not to execute Oh Jin-woo’s clan right now showed minor dissatisfaction on Hong Gye-seong’s face, Jeong-hwan read his mind and glanced at him. “Anyway, even after I retired, all the old men who controlled most of the generals and military officers were gone. Congratulations.”

Hong Gye-seong flinched at Jung-hwan’s light glance, but he quickly found his composure and bowed his head to express his gratitude.

“As always, I am just a servant who obeys the command of Comrade General Secretary, so please understand my loyalty! Our People’s Army has served on the front lines with the resolution of gun bombs wherever the Republic and the General Secretary are sent!”

“I believe you know the intention of entrusting this arrest to you and Lieutenant General Baek, not Director Kim Young-il. It is a respect for the military to take care of themselves within the military, but at the same time, now that I trust Cha-soo Hong and the officers around him, I am entrusting him with this kind of work.”

“I know! I didn’t let you down!”

‘Well, it was necessary to cool Kim Young-il’s head a bit. Anyway, with this, the remaining support for Kim Jong-il has completely disappeared.’

It will take some time to erase the traces of the Kim family from this republic, but Kim Jong-il has already begun to disappear from the minds of the people of the republic.

It will take a little longer for President Kim Il-sung than that, but if the wave of capitalism strikes rapidly now, the Juche ideology and Kim Il-sung will also one day receive a cold and proper evaluation.

Of course, for now, I will have to support Junghwan until he fully establishes his position.

Jeonghwan approached Baek Seung-cheol, who was commanding his subordinates from one side, and asked a hint.

“Hmm, a military commander who is about the same as a lieutenant general is in direct command, and it looks good.”

“No! The general secretary puts a lot of effort into catching these weightlifters, so how can I sit still?”

“right. good attitude. Just do it like this. I’ll watch you in the future.”

‘Do it when you give it a chance. I’m sure you’re not stupid enough to not understand these words.’

In fact, Baek Seung-cheol had the same thoughts in his head as Jung-hwan had expected.

‘Now in the military, there are only Cha Soo Hong and General Secretary above my head. Although I am not as old as those old people, Cha Soo Hong is not young, and the general secretary also needs a check-in force in the military. chance

You must catch it when it comes!”

Baek Seung-cheol swallowed his saliva at Jeong-hwan, who looked into his eyes with a faint smile on his lips, and raised his voice even more in front of his subordinates.

“That Baek Seung-cheol swears eternal and immortal allegiance to Comrade General Secretary, the leader of the nation leading the Republic! I will do my best, so please trust me!”

“right. As always, the military should be led by young people. Where can all the dying old men fire and defend this republic? Comrade Lieutenant General Baek has a lot to look forward to.”

Hong Gye-seong, who was excited to seize power in the future at the strange words with a strange meaning, also hurriedly straightened his posture.

Hong Gye-seong is just over sixty now, which is by no means a small age by general standards, but it is unreasonable for him to maintain his power over the years in North Korea, where retired generals over 80 are meddling in the military power under the pretext of being a revolutionary elder.

Read at readwn.com

Now that Kim Il-sung died and all the elders of his age were removed, Hong Kye-seong, who was thrilled with the thought of taking command of the army except for Jeong-hwan, indirectly tells that if Jeong-hwan thinks differently, he can meet the same fate as the elders at any time. was warned with

In the midst of a strange atmosphere for a moment, Junghwan shrugged his shoulders as if nothing was wrong and gave the order again.

“I’m just going to go. Then please take care of it.” And after a month and a fortnight passed, the new year of 1990 has dawned.

As important as New Year’s Day in any country, New Year’s Day is a very important holiday in North Korea.

On the first day of the new year, rice cakes and gifts are sent in the name of the party and the leader in North Korea in the same way as in Korea (due to financial problems these days, this has decreased.) It was much more important.

It was because it was the funeral of Kim Il-sung, the national father of the republic, and the day when the general secretary, who had led the republic for a year, was inaugurated as the true leader.

Contrary to the general analysis of domestic and foreign experts that the funeral, inauguration, and New Year’s Day are to be held separately (of course, there is no such thing as a general theory), the funeral committee decided to hold the three events at once. surprise people

made it

The main event during the ceremony was a march from Dongdaewon Station, where the Juche Tower is located, to Moranbong Station, passing through Daedonggang Station, to commemorate the founding of the Juche ideology, the greatest achievement (?) of the deceased Kim Il-sung.

And the inauguration ceremony to announce the beginning of the era of Kim Jeong-hwan, the new general secretary, was planned to be held at Kim Il-sung Gwangjeong in Jung-gu, a plaza that symbolizes North Korea.

In the funeral schedule for the past month or so, the name of the general secretary occupied the top row of all lists, and the Chosun Central Broadcasting System and the Rodong Sinmun, which are the first to report funeral-related news after stopping almost all regular broadcasts, also focused on the general secretary’s actions. did.

At this point, not only the people of the Republic, but also the Korean people could not know who would succeed Kim Il-sung as the new sun of the republic.

And finally, on the first day of the new year, when the snow flickered, the funeral began in a solemn atmosphere.

As a huge black British Rolls-Royce truck loaded with Kim Il-sung’s coffin slowly passed in front of the people, the people gathered in front of the Juche Tower of Ideas ripped their hearts out and wept.

On the other hand, foreign reporters focused their attention on the eight members of the funeral committee who formed a procession around the carriage.

And among them, the one who drew the most attention, the son and successor of Kim Il-sung, who is now lying in the carriage, and the true protagonist of today’s event (funeral + inauguration + New Year’s celebration), who has now become the undisputed leader from general secretary, what was Kim Jeong-hwan thinking? ….

‘Hey, it’s terribly cold. It’s hard to hold the weight, so why is the car moving so slowly?’

Unlike his solemn expression on the outside, Junghwan sniffed at the cold of Pyongyang, which is a different dimension from his last birthplace, South Korea.

Of course, I grumbled in my head, and I knew why this damn Rolls-Royce lorry was crawling like a slug.

This event, so to speak, is not just a funeral, but a kind of proclamation.

A ceremony to honor the predecessors and at the same time declare to the people and the world who will lead the next republic.

So it’s good to move as slowly as possible, so that everyone can recognize the faces of them and the next generation of Republic cadres.

Of course, there are many people who lined up around the people who mourn the death of their comrade, who purely led them, regardless of the issue of restructuring the power structure. % did not exist.

‘How can I truly grieve over the death of a human who is not my father in the first place, and even after reincarnation, I’ve met face-to-face at most 10 times in 4 years?’

Regardless of whether Kim Il-sung was the head of the Korean War and whether the state was reduced to a private property in order to maintain his power, Kim Il-sung was just a stranger he met by chance.

The problem that worries Jung Hwan even more now was his mother, Kim Myung-ae, rather than Kim Il-sung of the truck, which has now focused all his attention in Pyongyang .