Chapter 597: How Much Have You Consumed?

In international politics, the weight of words ultimately varies with national power.

The political burden was heavy for South Korea and North Korea to reject the agreements made by the U.S., China, and Russia.

While Kim Jong-il might have taken a strong stance, Jang Seong-taek was different.

Having seized power after ousting Kim Jong-il, Jang Seong-taek needed to show concrete results.

"After this secret meeting in Singapore, China will immediately begin providing food and oil aid. The U.S. plans to start its aid right after the North-South summit, once the sanctions are lifted, but…"

To quell his discomfort, he articulated the immediate benefits of this agreement.

There were two choices: uphold pride or seize pragmatic benefits.

— "I understand. Let's proceed with that. I'll inform the Director of the General Political Bureau."

Fortunately, Jang Seong-taek chose pragmatism.

"Well done. Next time, let's strengthen our position and speak more assertively. After all, right now, it's North Korea that's at a disadvantage."

— "That's the plan."

"In twenty years—or even just ten—North Korea's status will change. Let's make it happen together, Chairman."

A slight smile crept across Jang Seong-taek's face as he responded swiftly.

— "Thank you, President Kim Mu-hyeok. By the way, is it alright to hand over the development of the special economic zones in Sinuiju and Rason to China and Russia? Shouldn't you be handling this?"

His remark brought a smile to my lips effortlessly.

Whether he was worried about me or keeping an eye on China and Russia, I couldn't tell.

"Thank you for your concern. I expected this, so it's not a problem."

— "I see. By the way, Medvedev's administrative officer has already visited Pyongyang to discuss Rason. Just like you, they're offering to forgive debts to Russia under the condition we lease it to them."

So that was why Medvedev visited Pyongyang.

I had a rough idea, but Russia's actions had been quicker than China's.

After all, Russia had the most intelligence on North Korea's possible upheavals, so they must have been preparing in advance.

"I'm fine. I have plenty of other projects. It's better to accommodate their demands and move forward for the sake of the future."

— "Well, if you're okay with it, I can go along. I'll inform the General Political Bureau chief. Please communicate this well to the Southern negotiation team."

"Understood."

The call with Jang Seong-taek concluded.

About an hour after the call, a tipsy Myeong-su stumbled into the hotel room.

"Hey, brother!"

Clearly having had a drink or two, I shook my head, responding bluntly.

"How much have you consumed? Some of us have been working hard all day."

Myeong-su laughed, the scent of alcohol wafting heavily as he spoke.

"Hey! Who's drinking for the fun of it? That Choi Ryong-hae is a total drunkard! I've seriously increased my alcohol tolerance since stepping into politics. But that guy drinks like a bottomless pit! I wonder if his liver can handle it. Anyway, all this is for the sake of peace between North and South, right?"

He was just joking. Stepping into politics turned him into quite the sly fox.

I chuckled softly at Myeong-su's playful demeanor.

Manager Ma handed Myeong-su a refreshing bottle of water.

"Thanks, Manager. You really are the best! That Mu-hyeok just keeps nagging…"

In response, Manager Ma nodded silently and stepped outside.

"Hey, Manager, still the same stoic guy, huh?"

Myeong-su grumbled as he plopped down on the sofa.

Maybe it was the alcohol, but he staggered until he finally sat down.

"Always the same. That's why I like him."

"Not that I'm talking nonsense. You're the same, buddy."

Myeong-su opened the water bottle handed to him by Manager Ma, took a good swig, and set it down.

"Ah, I can finally breathe a bit. So, what's up? Why the rush to call me?"

I updated him on the negotiations with the three countries, which spanned from morning until evening.

As I wrapped up my explanation, Myeong-su's expression shifted constantly.

He continued to gulp down water, the bottle quickly emptied.

"So this is how it's going to be. We just need to relay this to the South Korean negotiation team, and it'll be fine."

"Is it truly agreed upon like this? What have I been doing all this time? This is insane!"

Myeong-su sighed in disbelief and crumpled the empty water bottle.

"Well, at least we now just need to agree on the topics for the North-South summit."

"True, but this just isn't right. Why are other countries agreeing on issues concerning South Korea and North Korea? And the reduction of U.S. troops stationed in South Korea? All decided unilaterally without even negotiating with our country?"

With a grimace, Myeong-su muttered.

The reduction of U.S. troops stationed in Korea was a significant concern for South Korea.

"It's because China and Russia demanded it. They're maintaining U.S. troops here due to North Korea, but as soon as North Korea gives up its nuclear weapons and a peaceful atmosphere is established, those troops will pose a huge threat to China."

"Even so, such matters need to be discussed with our government beforehand. This gives the opposition ammunition to attack us."

"Well, who knows? Some progressive party members are already advocating for the withdrawal of U.S. troops. Do you think they'll use that to attack?"

"Ah, I don't know anymore."

Myeong-su pressed his temples, clearly suffering from a headache.

"Got a headache? Want some painkillers?"

"No way! I just drank; there's no way I'm taking painkillers. How can we reverse the decision to reduce U.S. troops? This is a massive political burden."

I understood Myeong-su's reaction, but the agreements were already done.

It was tough to take things back now.

"We're not withdrawing U.S. troops, just reducing them. What's the big deal?"

"Easy for you to say! Our country relies heavily on U.S. troops! If they reduce their presence, we'll have to redirect funding from other areas into defense spending!"

"It's still going to be tough. This deal was struck after major clashes between the U.S. and China."

I elaborated on what had been discussed at the negotiation table.

I laid out everything from troop withdrawal to the U.S. offering the card of redeploying nuclear weapons.

"Wow… this is crazy… they even brought up nuclear weapon redeployment? That's insane!"

Myeong-su gasped, his jaw dropping.

"After fierce discussions, we agreed on reducing U.S. troops. In return, we're showing active support for the North-South summit, and we'll push for sanctions to be lifted immediately after its conclusion. China will start providing food aid and energy resources like oil. So, it's unlikely they'll back out of the agreement. The U.S. is also invested in this. If Korea opposes and this deal collapses, the neocons will regain their footing."

"The hardliners? Still, this isn't something I can decide alone. I need to contact the President."

I glanced at my watch; it was already past midnight.

"Hey, shouldn't President Yoon be asleep by now?"

Myeong-su chuckled as if my words were ridiculous.

"What do you mean? People like us don't have bedtime! How many people know the president's direct phone number? If I call, he'll know it's urgent and pick up."

With unwavering confidence, Myeong-su proved to be right. Shortly after making the call, he began speaking.

"Mr. President, this is Lee Myeong-su."

"Put it on speaker."

Nodding, Myeong-su set the phone to speaker mode and placed it on the table.

— "Hmm, what time is it now?"

"It's just past midnight. I apologize for calling at such a late hour."

— "No problem. Just hold on for a moment."

Yoon Chang-ho's voice sounded groggy, as if waking from sleep.

There was a brief rustling sound, and then Yoon Chang-ho's voice came back clearer.

— "Representative Lee, what's going on at this hour? Is there a problem with the negotiations? I assumed you'd make some concessions. Haven't I given you enough discretion?"

"Yes, but this seems beyond my capacity to decide on my own, so I reached out to you."

— "What's it about? Tell me."

Myeong-su conveyed the details he had heard from me to Yoon Chang-ho.

— "Hmm…"

Throughout the conversation, Yoon Chang-ho sighed intermittently. His exasperation was evident when I mentioned that reversing the agreements would be difficult.

"And that's why I'm calling you."

— "Were you at that negotiation?"

"No, but Mu-hyeok was there."

— "Kim Mu-hyeok? Is he beside you?"

"Yes, he's listening on speaker mode."

Yoon Chang-ho called out to me.

— "Kim Mu-hyeok."

"Yes, Mr. President."

— "What on earth happened? How did this issue of reducing U.S. troops get involved with the North-South summit?"

"It was a demand from the Chinese side."

— "I know that from what Representative Lee told me. Please elaborate for me."

Encouraged by Yoon Chang-ho's request, I resolved to explain in a bit more detail.

"The Chinese side leveraged the sanctions to exploit North Korea's intentions to reform and open up. Their demand was for the withdrawal of U.S. troops, which pose a threat to them. Since North Korea is a realistic threat that may abandon nuclear development to pursue reform, they argued that South Korea maintaining U.S. troops creates prolonged tension."

— "I see. They could interpret it that way. So, the U.S. responded by bringing up redeploying nuclear weapons and China threatened to provide North Korea with nuclear arms?"

"Yes, that's correct. Ultimately, Kissinger stepped in to mediate the situation."

The mention of Kissinger caught Yoon Chang-ho's attention.

— "Kissinger? The same Kissinger I know? So he's currently in Singapore?"

"Yes. I heard he was invited by the president. He supposedly had made a stop in Singapore beforehand, right?"

— "Hmm… he must be leading that negotiation. I also invited Kissinger to seek diplomatic advice on how to handle things with North Korea."

"He emphasized the importance of an unofficial visit before going to South Korea for backchannel negotiations. It seemed more like it was initiated by China too. Given his close ties with them, he's probably someone that can alleviate the pressure from the neocons. He was indeed the right person for the task. Thanks to him, we reached an agreement promptly."

If Kissinger hadn't been involved, the negotiations would have become even more complicated due to all the pushing and pulling.

I was skilled in negotiations that leveraged threats and weaknesses but unfamiliar with diplomatic strategies.

— "Hmm. I see. However, the reduction in U.S. troops… This may cause quite an uproar among those from the Conservative Party."

"But it seems hard to revoke. The U.S. wants this too. They've been advocating for it since before, right? They managed to bury the issue during the Iraq deployment, though."

The question of U.S. troop reductions and defense costs had always been a point of contention between Korea and the U.S.

Ongoing debates about the costs of maintaining U.S. troops abroad always stirred controversy in the U.S.

Additionally, due to various political reasons, discussions about U.S. troops in South Korea were standard during Korea-U.S. summits.

— "True. That topic came up during the recent visit to the U.S. as well."

"So you'll have to accept it. Overall, this negotiation is not detrimental to Korea in any way. In fact, it may even be beneficial. If China takes the lead in supporting North Korea, it gives the government a justification to provide free aid as well. It'll also make it easier to pacify opposing views. Moreover, while China and Russia focus on developing Sinuiju and Rason, Korea can negotiate and secure most of the business there. Economically, we won't lose out at all."

Yoon Chang-ho remained deep in thought, letting out a series of quiet hums.

"Mr. President, you know there's no better money-making venture than infrastructure projects. Daehyeon becomes a massive corporation precisely due to the successes in multiple construction projects in the Middle East. We can't just let others reap the rewards of our hard-earned success. I'll take the lead to ensure that domestic companies secure their share. Such large projects can ultimately be presented as government achievements."

— "Phew… Tomorrow morning is going to be a nightmare. The top aides will surely oppose this as well. But I understand now. Let's agree to that. However, make sure to let them know we need to make certain agreements regarding a ceasefire at this summit. If both China and the U.S. find some common ground, subsequent matters shouldn't be too hard, right?"

At Yoon Chang-ho's remark, I couldn't help but ask again.

"A ceasefire?"

— "Right. We can't maintain a truce forever. For North and South to exchange freely, we ultimately need to declare a ceasefire. It might be difficult for now, but some level of acceptance is necessary from the concerned parties."

Look at that. Yoon Chang-ho seemed to be contemplating a broader perspective.

"Myeong-su will handle that without issue."

— "Come on! You can't be absent from that discussion."

"We can discuss that later in the Blue House. For now, it feels wiser for Myeong-su to negotiate on that front."

— "Phew… Got it. As soon as you land in Korea, head directly to the Blue House. Is Representative Lee still there?"

In response to Yoon Chang-ho's call, Myeong-su answered.

"Yes, Mr. President. I'm right here."

While Myeong-su conversed with the president, I rose and walked towards the window.

Pulling back the curtains, I noticed the bright full moon hanging in the sky. As I gazed at the luminous moon, I pondered deeply.

'A ceasefire…'