Echoing Arirang (Closed/Maintenance)

[The Great state of Joseon]

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[The Great state of Joseon]

Seoul
Cheong Wa Dae, The Prime Minister's Office







There was a solemn atmosphere in the conference room of Cheong Wa Dae, where the National Security Council was being held. However, the map shown by the large screen in front of the conference room was not a map of the Earth. There was a map showing completely different shapes of continents and oceans, and several red dots were marked on one side of the map.

Erica Raimi National Intelligence Service(NIS) Atlantic General Manager "The red dots on the map are Aureumterra's military units on the border of Sombreland. The number of troops in the border area has increased noticeably since they declared partial mobilization."

Prime Minister Jeong Dohyung "What is the possibility of war?"

Minister of Defense Lee Hyeyul "Right now, we think it's around 90 percent."

Prime Minister Jeong Dohyung sighed deeply. If war begin, this was already his third war.

Prime Minister Jeong Dohyung "How large is Sombreland's army?"

Minister of Defense Lee Hyeyul "They have about 150,000 troops. Aureumterra, on the other hand, has an estimated 5 million troops."

Prime Minister Jeong Dohyung "That's a dammit a lot of enemies."

Jeong Dohyung spoke in a fiery tone.

Minister of Defense Lee Hyeyul "Yes, Sombreland is in absolute numerical inferiority. Even if we participate in the war, we will be in numerical inferiority unless we mobilize all reserve forces."

Jeong Dohyung shook his head.

Prime Minister Jeong Dohyung "What are our plans?"

Minister of Defense Lee Hyeyul "The original plan of our operation was for our large forces to land on the west coast of Aureumterra and force them into a two-sided war. However, this could lead to intervention by other countries in the region, so the plan was rejected. The new operational plan is to use the Air Force to bomb Aureumterra's military facilities and infrastructure and send ground troops to the mainland of Sombreland to stop Aureumterra's troops. At the same time, the Navy will act as if it were planning a landing on the west coast of Aureumterra, and disperse enemy's troops."

Prime Minister Jeong Dohyung "How many troops do we need for the operation plan?"

Minister of Defense Lee Hyeyul "A minimum of 250,000 to a maximum of 1.25 million. 1.25 million is a number that includes part of the reserve forces."

Jeong Dohyung closed his eyes tightly. Even if it was a partial mobilization order, declaring the mobilization order was a burden as a leader.

Prime Minister Jeong Dohyung "250,000 would be good."

Director of the National Intelligence Service Park Joo Tae "Mr. Prime Minister, unless we directly attack the mainland of Aureumterra, the war will inevitably take on a war of attrition. If we put our troops in this situation, the damage to our troops will eventually increase. I'm in favor of putting in the air force and the Navy, but I'm against the ground force."

Minister of the Interior and Safety Won Na-Kyung "That's right. In the end, it's up to Sombreland to defend them. It is their fault that they lack ground forces. If we were to invade the mainland of Aureumterra directly, ground forces would be essential. But if not, the ground forces will only cost our soldiers."

Erica Raimi National Intelligence Service(NIS) Atlantic General Manager "It should also be noted that other ICON countries have not decided whether to deploy ground forces. If we are the only ones putting in ground forces, our soldiers will eventually become consumables for other countries. That's an absolutely no."

Prime Minister Jeong Dohyung "Okay. It's possible to put in the air force and the Navy, but it's hard to put in the ground force. Okay. I'll go over it. How many air and naval forces are we going to put in?"

Minister of Defense Lee Hyeyul "13 of the 14 naval carriers are available. We are going to deploy 6 of these aircraft carriers. 800 Air Force fighters and bombers will also be deployed. That's less than a quarter of the fighter jets our Air Force has. It won't get in the way of defending our mainland."

Prime Minister Jeong Dohyung "Okay. Then where do we plan to use an outpost?"

Minister of Defense Lee Hyeyul "We will seek cooperation from Neo-Korea. We plan to conduct operations based on their air base."

Prime Minister Jeong Dohyung "That’s good. Then we also need to be prepared if Aureumterra attacks our mainland. To what extent are the troops prepared for this?"

Minister of Defense Lee Hyeyul "We are operating all of our military's air defense systems and have ordered each unit to raise its alert level. The Navy and Air Force are patrolling our territorial waters and airspace periodically."

Minister of the Interior and Safety Won Na-Kyung "We have also instructed police to tighten their vigilance against major facilities to prepare for terrorist attacks."

Director of the National Intelligence Service Park Joo Tae "To prepare for cyberattacks, our National Intelligence Service is on high alert for cyber terrorism and monitoring all hacking attempts. We have also ordered domestic counterintelligence teams to be on high alert."

Prime Minister Jeong Dohyung "Okay. We'll continue to consider whether to deploy ground troops. So that's it for today's meeting. Thank you, everyone."

The conference was over, but the cogs of war began to turn faster.

[The Great state of Joseon]

Seoul
Cheong Wa Dae, The Prime Minister's Office

Director of the National Intelligence Service Park Joo Tae "So we must send our precious soldiers for the 'alliance' that despises us. Is that right?"

Park Joo Tae was restless with rage. The atmosphere at the Cabinet meeting, held after foreign products were burned at the Sombreland-Aureumterra Border, seemed quite different from before. The incident seemed to alarm Joseon.

Minister of Justice Hwang Sekwang "To be honest, I don't think we must help a country with negative emotions. I think it's right to break the alliance treaty even now and declare that we won't be involved in anything that happens between Sombreland and Aureumterra."

Minister of Foreign Affairs Han Soyeon "I'm also negative about us helping Sombreland, but I doubt it's that easy to break an alliance once agreed upon. Relations between countries are not something that can be changed at will."

Minister of Justice Hwang Sekwang "But there is no reason for us to sacrifice our troops. Sombreland seems to want us to protect them unconditionally, but that is impossible in international relations. You don't think we're gonna protect them after all this, do you? We need to get out of this altogether."

In the end, Prime Minister Jeong Dohyung had to step up to calm the angry atmosphere.

Prime Minister Jeong Dohyung "I don't think it's easy to change relations between countries. This seems to have been acquiesced by Sombreland's government, but it is not directly led by them. That's why we won't be able to break the alliance for that alone. But we can't just ignore this. They launched a psychological attack targeting us. We need to clearly show our position that there will be no military support without a formal apology for this."

Minister of Defense Lee Hyeyul "Mr. Prime Minister, If we give military support to a country that has insulted us, the people will think it negatively. That could adversely affect your's approval rating. Trust between the two countries has already been broken. It is unreasonable to give military help to a country that insulted us."

Prime Minister Jeong Dohyung "I will take your advice carefully. Without proper action from Sombreland, the alliance between the two countries will no longer exist."

[The Great state of Joseon]

Seoul
Jongno







At a Korean restaurant in Jongno, Seoul, meetings of high-ranking officials from all walks of life, politicians, and high-ranking government officials are held more frequently than elsewhere. The reason why they meet at a fancy restaurant where they have to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars per person is not to show off their money. It is because of the security system of this restaurant.


Various anti-tapping systems, including windows that generate random vibrations, are the main feature of this restaurant, which is differentiated from other places, and this is also the main reason why high-level officials choose it as a meeting place.


The hallways and entrances of the restaurant were quiet with few people in sight, but each room, separated by a solid partition and a door in contrast to the hall, was filled with guests.


Although anyone can use the restaurant for money, rooms located halfway between the entrance and the innermost part of the building are not given to everyone. The number of people allowed into this room is limited to high-ranking government officials.


Therefore, the room is often empty, but today the room was crowded with people.


It seemed like an ordinary dinner table, which served as a fraternity between fellow bureaucrats, but at the same time as everyone sat down, the table was filled with conversations about work.

The Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Jang Goeun "The talks are taking place between Sombreland and Aureumterra. We don't know what's going to happen in the future, but at the moment, Aureumterra is considered likely to launch an attack."

Minister of Foreign Affairs Han Soyeon looked at documents prepared by the National Intelligence Service. Talks between the two countries were taking place in Provincia Cathalina-Magea - she had a hard time pronouncing this - The future direction may vary depending on how the talks between the parties proceed.


The key was who made concessions. At present, there is no evidence to suggest that Aureumterra has lost military confidence. Sombreland also showed no signs of backing down, but at the same time, they appeared to be seeking a peaceful solution.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Han Soyeon "In the end, it will depend on who is more at a disadvantage. Or they can both think of each other as having an advantage. Then there is a good chance that the negotiations will break down."

The Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Jang Goeun "If the negotiations break down, there will be a war."

Director of the National Intelligence Service Park Joo Tae "Of course. That gives us another problem. Will the war end in a local war, or will it be an all-out war?"

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Bum-Seok "Both possibilities pose a problem for us. If the war ends in a local war, our ground forces will not only be put in a meaningless war of attrition, but if our damage is severe, it could adversely affect domestic public opinion. If war is escalated to be an all-out war, well, I don't want to think about it, but if that happens, deploying a large-scale ground force is inevitable."

Han Soyeon shook her head.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Han Soyeon "A massive invasion of Aureumterra may lead to intervention by other countries. That makes the problem even more complicated."

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Bum-Seok "The real way to end the war is for us to invade the capital of Aureumterra directly. But if that is difficult, the war will be a war of attrition, even if it goes in a positive direction. There is no choice but to question how much damage we will suffer in such a situation and whether the people will tolerate such damage."

Adrian Quaritch was quietly listening to others. This was the first such meeting for him, and none of the people in here held any lower positions than him.


Adrian Quaritch began to speak cautiously as a moment of silence began.

General Adrian Quaritch "If the war becomes a war of attrition, we will have to risk the political lives of not only the prime minister but also everyone here. If our soldiers are sacrificed in a war of attrition, of course, the people will protest. One way to less the political burden is to limit our military support to air and naval support. Of course, if that happens, the ground war may have to be handled by Sombreland. But the price we have to bear is too high for us to deploy ground forces."

Jang Goeun nodded.

The Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Jang Goeun "In reality, I think that's the only way we can take it. Especially if the war takes on a local war pattern."

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Bum-Seok "Of course, if the war becomes all-out, our ground forces could be deployed to defend the capital of Sombreland. But I agree with Quaritch. The benefits of deploying ground troops in a war of attrition are limited, but the costs to be paid are enormous. But air and naval forces are more free from this price. Because they are relatively less likely to suffer significant damage than the Army."

General Adrian Quaritch "In particular, unmanned weapons will greatly reduce our burden. That is already proven in the New England War. I think just half of the Unmanned Fighter Wings we have could allocate enough air support."

Minister of Foreign Affairs Han Soyeon "I don't know if that's enough. I understand that Aureumterra has 5 million troops. Even if only one-fifth of them go to war, that's too many for Sombreland to handle.“

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Bum-Seok "We don't know the full military potential of Sombreland yet. At least in New England they fought pretty well and contributed to the victory. There's also no guarantee that all of Aureumterra's troops are elite troops. Sufficient air support will help Sombreland effectively."

Minister of Foreign Affairs Han Soyeon "Then, do you have detailed operational plans in place in case of war?"

Kim Bum-Seok smiled significantly.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Bum-Seok "There's a detailed operational plan in place, but it's not me who's in charge, it's this dude."

Kim Bum-Seok pointed to Adrian Quaritch. Quaritch then said without showing signs of embarrassment.

General Adrian Quaritch "Sir, It is an honor for you to trust me. But I have recently held command in the War of New England, and I understand that by convention, one person is never given command of consecutive military operations."

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Bum-Seok "I'm not talking about the position of commander. The next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is General Quaritch."

Quaritch was surprised.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Bum-Seok "It's already been decided by the prime minister. I've been the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the past three years. It was an unusually long term. I think it's time to hand over the seat to my successor."

Kim Bum-Seok smiled at Quaritch.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Bum-Seok "General Quaritch has demonstrated his capabilities in North America. It is the ironclad rule of our organization that if you prove your capabilities, you can rise to any high position. The position of chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is no exception."

Quaritch was slightly embarrassed, but soon regained consciousness.

General Adrian Quaritch "Thank you, sir. I will do my best not to be an embarrassing successor. I will repay you for trusting me."

[The Great state of Joseon]

The Northern Ocean








The Northern Ocean is a cold ocean. Lee Gon recalled sailing in the North Pacific on a training ship as a cadet at the Naval Academy. Warm seas such as the South Pacific have a strong feeling of resort, but cold seas such as the Northern Ocean have a strong smell of brutal battlefields.


Having risen to the rank of colonel after the New England War, Lee Gon is now at sea as captain of the aircraft carrier, not as a destroyer. He was born with royal blood, but Lee Gon felt more comfortable when he came to the sea than to the palace, and he was used to protecting the sea.


And he was now standing at the door of another war. A total of two aircraft carriers and 16 combat ships, including his aircraft carrier KHMS Bukhansan, have arrived in the Northern Ocean, while another two carrier groups are heading to the Northern Ocean.


War clouds hang over this sea. It was obvious. Tensions between Aureumterra and Sombreland have escalated in the past few days. The military power of the two countries is on the verge of a clash, and it is clear that the damage to the two countries will increase in the event of a war.


Of course, Joseon is also involved in their dispute. That's why he's here, and that's why he has no choice but to stay alert.


The situation is running on edgeways. Troops from both countries have gathered at the border, and other countries, including Joseon, are already preparing for war. The clock of war is ticking.


"Captain. The reconnaissance plane is ready to take off," the deputy saluted Lee Gon and reported. Taking off E-2D AEW aircraft means the fleet is in hostile territory. In other words, this is already a dangerous area.

Colonel Lee Gon "Launch the aircraft. Don't forget to report to me every half hour."

Joseon once again stepped into a dangerous place.

---

The Great Kingdom of Joseon
Busan, Naval Operations Command



At dawn, a long time after dusk, sailors were busy preparing to leave the port at a pier that appeared a few kilometers inside the seemingly peaceful main gate of Naval Operations Command.

The reason they move at dawn is not to be detected by satellite reconnaissance. This is because secret movement is the key to this operation. The crew of two Yu-lyeong class SSGN submarines and three Haesin class SSGN submarines diligently carried supplies inside the submarines.

As soon as they were ready to sail in just an hour, the crew boarded the submarine one after another. When all the crew boarded the five submarines, the submarines began to slowly exit the dock. Slowly exiting the pier, the submarines dived into the sea. As if a giant black whale were going into the sea, the submarines began to move underwater.

The submarine's captains unsealed documents bearing instructions from the Chief of Naval Staff and confirmed the instructions.

---

To: Task Force 105
Subject: Operational Instructions

---

Confidential
No disclosure to non-affiliated personnel

• Sail to the Northern Ocean, approach 50 nautical miles off the coast of Aureumterra, and wait for further instructions.
  
• Report any unusual matters without delay.

Jeong Dohyung, Prime Minister
Lee Hyeyul, Minister of Defense
Lim Kyungtae, The Chief of Naval Staff

[The Great state of Joseon]

Hwanghae Province
Hwangju Prison









"Move fast! You shit! Why is this useless fellow moving so slow?"


Even today, the prison guard forced Cho Doo-chul to bend his back to make him look strange and then move down the hallway. Not only Cho Doo-chul but also the prisoners imprisoned here had to move in a bizarre posture so that they could not resist the prison guard. But for the prisoners, even such time was sweet. Even the air in the hallway felt fresh for prisoners who had to be locked in a narrow room of less than 3.3㎡.


In Hwangju Prison in Hwanghae Province, a.k.a Orca Prison, the prisoners were not recognized as human beings. Here, prisoners in Orca prison are treated like that because they have committed crimes that are unforgivable in society. Murderers, sex offenders, knife rampage offenders, and numerous other criminals have been held in Orca Prison. And they had to spend the rest of their lives in Orca prison, being treated worse than animals. The reason was simple. It is to treat the beasts as beasts.


"Move fast! Did your legs get stiff after sitting down? If you don't want to be beaten, walk fast!"


Cho Doo-chul's eyes flashed at the guard's shouting. The guards did not treat the prisoners as people. Rumor has it that within a month, three prisoners were killed by assault by prison guards. Cho Doo-chul didn't want to be beaten to death.

In fact, the sins of those trapped in Orca prisons were a factor that provoked the anger of prison guards. Cho Doo-chul was jailed here after being sentenced to life in prison for committing a terrible sex crime. In addition to Cho Doo-chul, many prisoners were brought to Orca Prison after committing numerous crimes. The guards did not regard them as people and treated them as worse than livestock.

Orca prison looked ambivalent. The pain inflicted on the prisoners was inhumane, but the pain was also a price for the sins they committed.

The guards dragged Cho Doo-chul into a room. The room was dark and the air was cold and dry. The guards forced Cho Doo-chul's head up and made him look straight ahead.



"Who is this shit?"



Surprisingly, The man sitting in the middle of the room was a soldier. It was not known why the soldier was here, but Cho Doo-chul could see that today was a different day than usual.



"Prisoner number 524."



The guard saluted the soldier and replied. His attitude was completely different from before. Of course, his firm hand was still holding on to Cho Doo-chul and not letting him go.



"What is the physical condition of prisoner 524? Is there anything wrong? Is there a broken arm or something wrong with the leg?"



The soldier was looking closely at a file. It was a file containing Cho Doo-chul's personal information.



"There is nothing wrong with the body of prisoner number 524."



"Really? Then start right now."



As soon as the soldier said that, someone next to him put something in Cho Doo-chul's neck. An anesthetic came out of a syringe stuck in Cho Doo-chul's neck.

---

Somewhere in Hwanghae Province





"You're awake. Get him up."



It was in the hospital room where Cho Doo-chul woke up. As soon as the officer's order was given, the two soldiers forced Cho Doo-chul to stand up and put an eye patch on him.



"Walk straight. Don't make excuses for being sick. If you're late for the meeting, I'll hit you 10 times every minute you’re late."



The attitude of the soldiers was no different from that of the prison guards at Orca. They hated criminals.

The soldiers dragged Cho Doo-chul around and walked for a long time before arriving at a place and taking off Cho Doo-chul's blindfold.

It was an auditorium where Cho Doo-chul was brought. It looked like an auditorium, but all the chairs were removed and the facilities were extremely old, so it seemed like an unused facility now.

There were already several prisoners in prison uniforms. The prisoners were all handcuffed, and soldiers armed with rifles were staring at the prisoners with fierce eyes throughout the auditorium.



"Everyone pay attention!"



cried the officer standing at the front of the auditorium.

Captain Yoo Ji-soo "From now on, if anyone does not concentrate on what the colonel says, I will execute you on the spot."

The soldiers pointed rifles at the prisoners as if to prove Captain Yoo Ji-soo's words.

All prisoners, including Cho Doo-chul, were surprised by the word summary execution. Prisoners sentenced to life in prison would not have thought they would be executed. In an instant, the prisoners were buzzing and panicking.

Captain Yoo Ji-soo distorted her expression as the prisoners began to make a noise. Soon she pulled a pistol from her waist and shot it into the air.







A tremendous roar rang out throughout the auditorium, and some of the prisoners fell screaming, and the rest froze to a halt on the ground.

Captain Yoo Ji-soo "If you don't shut up, I'll execute you all! Everyone shut up!"

All the prisoners were silent at the words. Some prisoners held back their tears and trembled, while some smiled and appeared to laugh at the Yoo Ji-soo.

When the prisoners were silent, someone walked into the auditorium. He wore the rank of colonel. Yoo Ji-soo standing in front of the auditorium saluted the colonel and retreated to one corner.

The colonel stood at the head of the auditorium, turned on his microphone, and began to speak.

Colonel Park Ji-seop "Nice to meet you. I'm Colonel Park Ji-seop, who will be in charge of your command from now on. From now on, my orders must come before anything else to you, and those who do not obey them will be summarily executed."

Colonel Park Ji-seop continued as he scanned the prisoners.

Colonel Park Ji-seop "From now on, your affiliation is Army Unit 4623. Your existence in this unit is confidential, and if you divulge that you belong to Unit 4623, anyone who divulges information will be executed immediately. You guys will be trained for the next two weeks and master basic combat skills. After that, you will be assigned to a mission commanded by the headquarters. Of course, anyone who deserts or refuses to fight will be executed immediately." "Of course, you will be treated differently from ordinary soldiers. Outings, salaries, and vacations will not be given to you. However, those who have completed their two-year service will be pardoned and given freedom. In other words, if you serve in the army only for the next two years, you will be free." "If there are people who want to get their freedom sooner, so they are thinking of deserting, don't think about that. There are now a hundred grams of C-4 Composition bombs attached right next to your hearts, and officers, including me, and soldiers who will watch over you, can detonate bombs at any time."

Park Ji-seop pointed to the prisoner who laughed at Captain Yoo Ji-soo at the front.

Colonel Park Ji-seop "I'll show you a demonstration."

Park Ji-seop took something out of his pocket. It was a small remote control. Park Ji-seop looked at the prisoner for a while and then manipulated the remote control. He pressed a few buttons as if he were adjusting something, then pressed a red button in the middle of the remote control.

The prisoner's body was torn apart with a pretty loud binge. The other prisoners, who saw the figure, stood back, fright. Some prisoners vomited in amazement at the sight.

Captain Yoo Ji-soo "Everyone shut up!"

When Captain Yoo Ji-soo shouted, the prisoners froze again. Unlike when Yoo Ji-soo fired a pistol, no one laughed at Park Ji-seop this time.

Colonel Park Ji-seop "Now you know I'm not joking. From now on, you must not rebel against me, nor against the officers and soldiers who will watch you. Prisoners who do not obey orders are executed immediately on the spot. If you do our bidding well for the next two years, you will be free. But if you don't obey our orders, you will be on death row immediately."

---

The prisoners headed to their accommodation building under the watch of soldiers armed with rifles. Of course, the accommodation building was more than 10 years old since it was last used, but simple cleaning was completed so prisoners could live a minimum life.

When all the prisoners entered the building, the soldiers locked the doors of the building and began to guard.

Captain Yoo Ji-soo "Colonel, are you really going to pardon them in two years? Confidential information may be leaked, and we don't know what problems will arise if prisoners go back to society. Wouldn't it be too dangerous?"

At Yoo Ji-soo's words, Colonel Park Ji-seop drank coffee and answered in a cold voice.

Colonel Park Ji-seop "Of course, I have no intention of pardoning them. That part has already been discussed at the headquarters. They'll all be executed in two years. Few people know that prisoners are here. If we shut them up forever, the prisoners who are conscripted will not know their fate even when we conscript other prisoners from the prison two years later. This prevents prisoners from going out into society and leaking confidential information or causing problems, and can also conscript additional prisoners."

Colonel Park Ji-seop stepped on an empty disposable cup.

Colonel Park Ji-seop "So they shouldn't have sinned from the beginning."

[The Great state of Joseon]

Darlingtown

Deputy Ambassador Kang Tae-Kyung "You're really going back home now."

Deputy Ambassador Kang Tae-Kyung could not hide his regret as he saw General Yoon Joohee off at the airport. Over the past few months, a bond has formed between the Joseon delegations dispatched to ICON, and the fact that some of the delegations have now to be sent away has left all of them regrettable.

General Yoon Joohee "Because it's an order from the top. It can't be helped."

Deputy Ambassador Kang Tae-Kyung "I heard you were promoted. Congratulations."

General Yoon Joohee "Thank you. In fact, I'm a little embarrassed because it's a sudden promotion."

Deputy Ambassador Kang Tae-Kyung "It's a fact that you should be proud of being promoted quickly. Be more confident. You are capable enough, and you deserve a promotion."

General Yoon Joohee "Thank you. And, to be honest, I've been very grateful. You gave me a lot of advice about diplomatic missions, and it was an absolute help for me to fulfill my position as ambassador. In a way, thanks to you, I was able to get promoted."

Deputy Ambassador Kang Tae-Kyung "Don't mention it. I just did what I had to do."

Yoon Joohee asked Kang Tae-Kyung to shake hands.

General Yoon Joohee "Please take good care of our delegation from now on. I'll trust you. Then I look forward to seeing you in home country."

Kang Tae-Kyung smiled and shook hands.

Deputy Ambassador Kang Tae-Kyung "Please contact me when you arrive in home. Don't worry about here."

---

The Great Kingdom of Joseon
The Outskirts of Seoul



Located in a suburban area where even the city's night view is faint, a mansion is surrounded by a huge concrete fence and is protected by numerous CCTVs and bodyguards. In one room, located in the deepest part of the mansion, several people were gathering and talking. Coincidentally, they were key figures in Joseon's political and business circles.

Deputy Prime Minister Heo Joonghyuk "Do you know anything about the person appointed to the Commander of the Defense Intelligence?"

At Heo Joonghyuk's words, Park Shinwoong rummaged through a file. The file was General Yoon Joohee's personnel record file.

The Head of the Central Investigation Office of the Police Park Shinwoong "Well, what's certain is that she's not on our side. It means she can't be trusted."

Deputy Prime Minister Heo Joonghyuk "It is strange that the prime minister issued personnel appointments for the military now. Did the prime minister notice something?"

A woman shook her head at the remark.

The Chairman of the Social Pillar Foundation Jung Chung Ah "No, if that was the case, special forces would have invaded here by now. "The prime minister has not noticed yet."

Vice Director of the National Intelligence Service On Soo-Chan "There is no possibility that the Prime Minister has noticed. We have already infiltrated our people into the Prime Minister's line. They'll block the information that goes into the prime minister."

Deputy Prime Minister Heo Joonghyuk "Well, by the way, how can you be so confident in yourself?" Is there any guarantee that our plan will proceed perfectly?"

On Soo-Chan laughed at the words.

Vice Director of the National Intelligence Service On Soo-Chan "Mr. Deputy Prime Minister. Aren't you here because you think our plans are going perfectly? Don't worry. You just have to wait a little bit. The next Prime Minister."

[The Great state of Joseon]

Seoul
Cheong Wa Dae, The Prime Minister's Office

Minister of Defense Lee Hyeyul "To be honest, I don't know exactly what to call these 'Composites'. This is both human and not human. Umm... they may be a kind of human."

The Prime Minister and Cabinet were talking about the news that shook Meridon. This meeting was not an official Cabinet meeting and was more of a private one, but the flow of dialogue inevitably flowed in a work-related direction.


The content broadcasted from Meridon also resonated quite greatly in Joseon. People who are amazed at the achievements of genetic engineering, people who are concerned about the addition of a new species to mankind, where only Homo sapiens existed, and people with various opinions were engaged in heated discussions in Internet communities and in comments on news pages.

Director of the National Intelligence Service Park Joo Tae "In fact, there is only one position we can take on this. It supports the government of the allies. Other than respecting their opinions or ignoring incidents, it is bound to be interference in internal affairs."

They are not a human rights activist. It was not in their options to support Composites or to demand negotiations.

Everyone agreed that this was a matter of internal affairs for Meridon. The people gathered in the room were politicians, and professionals, not anthropologists. There was little reason for them to care about the rights of Composites. It's a cold fact, but the reality was.

Minister of Defense Lee Hyeyul "What is certain is that the Composites shot down Meridon's aircraft. The act of shooting down Meridon's aircraft within Meridon's territory is an act of enemy forces or terrorists. The gesture we have to show is obvious. In this case, we have to make a statement to support the Meridon government."

Prime Minister Jeong Dohyung "What should We say about Composites? New human species? Frankenstein?"

Director of the National Intelligence Service Park Joo Tae "I'd better not comment on it if possible. There is no need to comment."

Han Soyeon opened her mouth as she fiddled with a cup. The words that came out of her mouth were a question that lingered in everyone's heads.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Han Soyeon "How should we accept the existence of Composites? It may be a light story, but the emergence of non-human intelligent life in Sci-fi works does not bring many good results to humans. Now we have to think about it. What fate do Composites bring to mankind? What do they think of humans?"

Minister of Justice Hwang Sekwang "What is certain is that they shot down Meridon's helicopter. That means they have the will and the ability to attack humans. To be honest, you don't know what the consequences will be if you leave them alone. They asked everyone to treat them as equals to us. After that, who knows what they will ask for?"

The majority were silent on Hwang Sekwang's words, but some nodded.

Minister of Defense Lee Hyeyul "The human race is facing an unprecedented situation. We've never faced an intellectual creature other than humans. So it's natural that we don't know how to deal with it."

When he felt the atmosphere had subsided too much, Prime Minister Jeong Dohyung clapped his hands and checked his watch to evoke the atmosphere.

Prime Minister Jeong Dohyung "It's too late. Let's finish. You all did a great job today, and see you tomorrow."

Ministers stood up and walked out of the room at the Prime Minister's words. Some moved in groups, while others headed to their cars, talking to their families on the phone.



With only the prime minister, the director of NIS, and the minister of defense left in the room, the director of NIS shut the door and began speaking quietly.

Director of the National Intelligence Service Park Joo Tae "If Meridon's internal situation becomes more serious, Meridon may no longer be able to help us with our operations. We don't even know the exact plans of the coup plot forces now, and maybe we're already losing a helper."

The prime minister and the minister of defense listened with serious expressions to the director of NIS. It was not long before the minister of defense spoke in a hushed voice, as did the director of NIS.

Minister of Defense Lee Hyeyul "Keep calm. The situation won't get serious enough for Meridon to have to withdraw all of their agents abroad. Although Meridon may not be able to actively help our operations, I don't think they will withdraw the personnel they has already dispatched."

The director of NIS nodded. If the situation becomes serious to that extent, it will be like a civil war, and then Joseon will have much more to worry about, but it will not worsen to that extent.

Prime Minister Jeong Dohyung "Anyway, have you found out about the list of bureaucrats aligned with the coup forces?"

Director of the National Intelligence Service Park Joo Tae "I'm sorry, sir. I haven't figured it out yet. Internal collaborators are investigating as much as possible, but it's not easy."

Prime Minister Jeong Dohyung "All right. Please pay as much attention as you can."

[The Great state of Joseon]

Seoul, 2016
Supreme Court





"I forgive the accused."


At the words of the bereaved family in the witness stand, someone cried in the audience. The robbery and murder case, which went to trial, received a lot of media attention. Unlike other criminals, the arrested man admitted his crimes and apologized numerous times to the bereaved families, and the bereaved families expressed their intention to forgive the man. The fact that the man was suffering from life difficulties also attracted the attention of the media and people.

For this reason, the accused was sentenced to 20 years in prison, a relatively light punishment, in the first and second trials. Now everyone's eyes were on Judge Park Yohan, who was in charge of the third trial.


The bereaved family approached the accused and hugged him. The accused repeatedly cried out loud and said sorry.

The Judge of the Supreme Court Park Yohan "Everyone, go back to your seats."

Judge Park Yohan called attention and spoke to the prosecutor.

The Judge of the Supreme Court Park Yohan "Prosecutor, do you have anything else to say?"

The prosecutor rose from his seat. His swallowing sound of saliva seemed to be heard by Park Yohan.



"No comment. Mr. Judge."

The Judge of the Supreme Court Park Yohan "All right. Then I will make a judgment."

Park Yohan alternately looked at the accused and the bereaved family.

Park Yohan remembered what was written in the documents submitted by the prosecution. The accused stabbed the victim 35 times to death at the vital point with a knife, and blood was rife at the scene. The victim was an ordinary office worker man who worked late and left work. The cake prepared by the victim for his girlfriend was found crushed near the scene, and the doctor in charge of the autopsy announced that the victim died of excessive bleeding at the scene.

The accused here now was asking for forgiveness with cheap tears. He had carried a sincere young man to his death.

Forgiveness is too much for him. Forgiving him could send the wrong message to society. The wrong message is that anyone can be safe if they are forgiven after committing a terrible sin.

Park Yohan recited the verdict aloud.

The Judge of the Supreme Court Park Yohan "The accused admitted to his crime of stabbing the victim to death and stealing cash and credit cards. Considering the fact that the victim died and the brutality of the crime, it is deemed inappropriate to reduce the punishment imposed on the accused simply because the bereaved family forgave the accused. Therefore, this Court sentence the accused to death."

When Park Yohan sentenced the accused to death, the audience was filled with people's murmuring. The bereaved families were looking at Park Yohan in surprise.

But the accused was different. The accused suddenly changed his attitude after making no expression.


"I knew this would happen! Dammit! What did I do wrong?"


The police suppressed the accused's rampage and dragged him out of court. The bereaved families looked mysterious when they saw the scene. Their expressions looked absurd, and their anger seemed to be slowly rising at the fact that they had been deceived.


Park Yohan was right. People don't change easily. The idea of changing people is ridiculous.

---

Seoul, 2023
Supreme Court




Park Yohan looked at the night view of Seoul from his office at the Supreme Court. The night view of the city was beautiful, but Park Yohan wondered whether the thoughts and minds of the people in the city were also beautiful.

Of course, there will be sincere people, good people, and warm people in the city. But there must be evil people, too.

Who is good or evil cannot be distinguished by appearance. No one knows who will raise money in the fundraising box or who will steal a drunk person's wallet until he actually does it.

In other words, the whole city is surrounded by fog. People are wrapped in fog and cannot know each other's true intentions and innermost thoughts. No one knows whether people will do good or evil until actual action occurs.

The knock broke the silence of the office and pulled Park Yohan out of the swamp of thought.

His secretary and a man came in through the door.

Chief Justice of the Supreme Park Yohan "What's going on?"

Kim Hye-Won "Sir, I brought you the deputy prime minister's secretary. There's something you need to know."

Park Yohan moved his chair directly in front of the deputy prime minister's secretary with an interesting expression and sat down and looked the secretary in the eye. The deputy prime minister's secretary shied away from him.

Chief Justice of the Supreme Park Yohan "What do you want to say?"

The deputy prime minister's secretary swallowed his saliva and began to speak in a trembling voice.



"The deputy prime minister is thinking of illegally changing the regime and becoming prime minister."



Park Yohan was interested. The information he was looking for was finally in his hands.

Chief Justice of the Supreme Park Yohan "Tell me more about that illegal change of regime."

"The deputy prime minister, along with some dignitaries, is planning to stage a coup by mobilizing mercenaries. I don't know who other dignitaries besides the deputy prime minister, but I'm sure he was involved in the plan."



Deputy Prime Minister Heo Joonghyuk. Park Yohan was guessing that Heo Joonghyuk was a greedy figure, but He didn't know until now that Heo Joonghyuk harbored such an idea. Anyway, his secretary's confession revealed that he was a key figure in the coup plan.


Park Yohan handed a briefcase to the deputy prime minister's secretary.

Chief Justice of the Supreme Park Yohan "Open it."

The deputy prime minister's secretary opened the briefcase with a trembling hand. There were lots of cash inside.

Chief Justice of the Supreme Park Yohan "It's all U.S. dollars. a million dollars. Instead of receiving the money, you must report to me every day about every move and work of the Deputy Prime Minister. And you must report to me all about who he's meeting. If you take this money and you don't do what I'm told, or if you tell the deputy prime minister all the facts.........."

Park Yohan took something out of his desk drawer. One was a picture of someone, and the other was a Beretta 92 pistol.

Chief Justice of the Supreme Park Yohan "This picture is really pretty. Your wife, your children. Everyone looks happy."

The eyes of the deputy prime minister's secretary began to shake greatly.

Chief Justice of the Supreme Park Yohan "It's simple. Fulfill my orders and you'll get a million dollars to travel with your family. But if you ignore my orders or confide all the facts to the Deputy Prime Minister........you know what I'm going to say, right?"

The deputy prime minister's secretary knelt.



"I swear with my life. I'll do as I'm told. So please don't touch my family. I won't say anything to the Deputy Prime Minister. And I'll let you know everything including what time he goes to the bathroom."



Park Yohan smiled and tapped the deputy prime minister's secretary on the shoulder.

Chief Justice of the Supreme Park Yohan "Yes. That's what you must do."

---

Kim Hye-Won "Are you really going to hurt his family?"

Park Yohan turned to the secretary's question and looked at him.

Chief Justice of the Supreme Park Yohan "No, but it's a kind of safety device. Most people do their best to do things related to their families' lives. And he seems to belong to the category of 'most people'."

Kim Hye-Won nodded. It was a Park Yohan-like action, a Park Yohan-like idea.

Kim Hye-Won "I think what it would have been like if you had done something else, not a judge. General or politician."

Chief Justice of the Supreme Park Yohan "Well, what is certain is that it isn't bad now. There's nothing wrong with my plan. And as I expected, a big fish was caught in the net."

Park Yohan pointed to a small statue made of gold, placed on one side of the office.

Chief Justice of the Supreme Park Yohan "If their weapon is money, the response is simple. We can spend money, too. I have as much money as they do, so it's the easiest way."

Kim Hye-Won ""Will he move as we please?"

Park Yohan smiled and turned to the pistol on his desk.

Chief Justice of the Supreme Park Yohan "There are two powerful weapons in the world. One is money, the other is a gun. If we can't use money, we have to use a gun. But it's boring to shoot someone like the deputy prime minister's secretary."

Park Yohan pointed to the ceiling.

Chief Justice of the Supreme Park Yohan "We're going to shoot higher. Towards the monster's head."

[The Great state of Joseon]

The Great Kingdom of Joseon
Cheong Wa Dae, Seoul




After Park Yohan became prime minister, his top priority was to receive briefings from bureaucrats and staff about the policies of the previous government. The former prime minister, Jeong Do-Hyung, and the current prime minister, Park Yohan, belong to the same political party, but technically, they cannot all be the same. Park Yohan personally admired Prime Minister Jeong Do-Hyung's personality, but that does not mean that Park Yohan should take over all of Jeong Do-Hyung's policies.

Foreign and National Security Adviser Baek Hee-Ah "The next agenda is the Treaty of Alliance between Joseon and Sombreland."

Park Yohan pondered this issue while Baek Hee-Ah explained the background, content, and progress of the alliance treaty between the two countries.

Jeong Do-Hyung had an aspect as an idealist. From his point of view, the alliance with Sombreland would have been to preserve loyalty between countries. However, Park Johan had no choice but to question.

Through the alliance between the two countries, Joseon could gain only one thing. The right to station Joseon troops in Sombreland is the only thing Joseon could gain. Technically, however, it is not a benefit for Joseon. Of course, there was strategic value in securing a military base in the Esvanovia region, but it was not something worth sacrificing the lives of Joseon soldiers.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jong-Gu "Mr. Prime Minister, there is something I would like to say about this matter."

Prime Minister Park Yohan "Tell me."

Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jong-Gu "Let me put it simply. we should not uphold this treaty."

Choi Jong-Gu openly stated one of the many possibilities that Park Yohan had in mind. But in the end, it was something that someone had to say.

Prime Minister Park Yohan "Is there a reason why you think that?"

Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jong-Gu "Do you know what we get through an alliance treaty between the two countries? It's the right to keep Joseon's troops in Sombreland. That's all. And now Sombreland and Aureumterra are on the verge of going to war. We are in a situation where we have to sacrifice our soldiers' lives just for the right to keep troops in. This is not right." "At this point, we have no economic benefit, no military or diplomatic benefit, from maintaining our alliance with Sombreland. Sombreland is not a member of the multinational alliance treaty that we are involved in. There is too much we have to lose to look at just the objective of securing a military foothold."

Baek Hee-Ah also nodded and agreed to Choi Jong-Gu's words.

Foreign and National Security Adviser Baek Hee-Ah "To be honest, Mr. Prime Minister, I feel the same way. Signing an alliance treaty with Sombreland was a diplomatic mistake of the previous government. If we keep the alliance treaty, we will have to take undue risk while there is not much to be gained." "Of course, it's not as if our military can't beat Aureumterra. As far as intelligence officials know, Aureumterra has 6 carriers and ours has 17. But regardless of whether we can win or not, the loss of lives of our soldiers will be a deadly factor to the regime." "Sir, You may recall how the domestic public reacted to the loss of lives in our armed forces during the New England War. When war breaks out against Aureumterra, there is a high possibility that there will be even more serious loss of lives. That will have a serious adverse effect on your approval rating."

Choi Jong-Gu and Baek Hee-Ah made the point accurately and concisely. They were things that everyone had thought about but were not easy to say.



Minister of Defense Lee Hyeyul did not seem to agree with that opinion.

Minister of Defense Lee Hyeyul "Mr. Prime Minister, the treaty of alliance with Sombreland is a commitment between countries. It is not good to easily break a treaty that has already been signed once. Although Sombreland is not a member of the multinational alliance treaty, it is still our ally. We already have a lot of commitment for Sombreland and this will never be taken lightly." "Also, Sombreland and other countries involved are already plotting plans on the premise of our military intervention. If we break up our alliance with Sombreland, there will be chaos in other countries as well."

Choi Jong-Gu shook his head. He countered with a firm tone.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jong-Gu "Ms. Minister. The history of bilateral alliances between Joseon and Sombreland is short. Of course, we have dedicated a lot to Sombreland, but we wonder if it is appreciating it. A majority of Sombreland's citizens are negative about foreign influences. Do you know what they did right after the signing of the treaty? They were burned down products from foreign companies, including those from Joseon's. Just by looking at this, it is clear what they think of us." "And it's none of our business, no matter how other countries plan. Maybe they should revise their plans entirely. But by doing so, we can protect our soldiers' precious lives."

Baek Hee-Ah also helped Choi Jong-Gu.

Foreign and National Security Adviser Baek Hee-Ah "Sombreland ignored our advice to close the military gap with Aureumterra by implementing a nationwide conscription. The reason was to protect Sombreland's caste system. Its message to us is simple. They are putting their vested interests and traditions before territorial sovereignty. It is clear that their will to territorial sovereignty is weaker than their will to vested interests." "In this situation, there is no reason why we should sacrifice our soldiers to defend their territory. If we send troops to war, it will end up sacrificing the lives of our soldiers for the vested interests of Sombreland's royalty and aristocrats. We have no reason to do so."

Lee Hyeyul seemed to be saying something but soon closed his mouth as if he had given up. The grounds of Baek Hee-Ah and Choi Jong-Gu were obvious and understandable.

Park Yohan's idea of weighing the two opinions has already tilted to one side. He concluded. He doesn't have to keep the wrong thing until the end.

Prime Minister Park Yohan "I considered several possibilities. Of course, I tried to keep the previous administration's policy as it was, and I reviewed the agenda based on that idea. But the lives of soldiers should not be taken lightly. Our soldiers are either someone's sons and daughters or someone's fathers and mothers. I agree that their lives should not be sacrificed in vain."

Park Yohan looked around at everyone in the conference room and was silent momentarily.

Prime Minister Park Yohan "I will make a decision. As of today, the alliance treaty between Joseon and Sombreland will cease to be effective. I am ordering all army, navy, and air force personnel deployed to Sombreland as of this time to withdraw to Joseon immediately."

Lee Hyeyul replied after a small sigh.

Minister of Defense Lee Hyeyul "Alright, sir. I'll order to all unit so."

[The Great state of Joseon]

The Great Kingdom of Joseon
Seoul





A month has passed since Jeong Dohyung stepped down as prime minister. Jeong Dohyung was staying at his home in Seoul and taking a break. He could go back to the National Assembly or give lectures at universities, but now he desperately needed a break.

The first political figure to contact Jeong Doyeong, who was taking a break, was surprisingly Lee Jae-Yeon, a former prime minister. She invited Jeong Dohyung to join her for lunch at a restaurant in Seoul.


Jeong Dohyung was glad to Lee Jae-Yeon's invitation, and on the other hand, it was burdensome.

Former Prime Minister Lee Jae-Yeon "I think it was yesterday that I wished you good luck at the end of my term, but you've already become a 'former prime minister' too."

Lee Jae-Yeon took a sip of coffee with a light smile on her face. Lee Jae-Yeon's joke seemed lighthearted, but it contained her regret for the situation of Jeong Dohyung, who served as prime minister for only a short period of one year.

Jeong Dohyung replied with a look of shame.

Former Prime Minister Jeong Dohyung "Well, it was an inevitable situation. Still, it would be the most beautiful bow out for me to leave when the others clapped."

Lee Jae-Yeon shrugged. Jeong Dohyung's approval rating just before he left office was not bad, so he wasn't wrong.

Former Prime Minister Lee Jae-Yeon "That's true. At least, you're not the shortest-serving prime minister. Your term is over 6 months. Haha. So, how do you feel after stepping down as prime minister?"

Former Prime Minister Jeong Dohyung "Well, I still feel like I'll have to be briefed by my chief of staff in the morning and I'll have to make a decision on everything that's on the news. To be honest, it still doesn't feel real that I've stepped down as prime minister."

Former Prime Minister Lee Jae-Yeon "You haven't let go of the pressure yet."

Former Prime Minister Jeong Dohyung "Yes, it is."

Jeong Dohyung put down the mug after trying to drink coffee. This is because what he had been trying to say even before he came here came back to mind.

Former Prime Minister Jeong Dohyung "From the beginning of my political career, I made a pledge to create the world I want without following the shortcomings of other politicians. And I didn't forget that promise when I was a lawmaker, and I kept it in my heart when I became prime minister." "But when I became prime minister, it was tough to realize that promise. I had to pay more attention to the ruling party's approval rating than before, and I couldn't realize the policy I had in mind because I was wary of those who opposed me, and as a result, I was only focusing on my immediate approval ratings."

Lee Jae-Yeon nodded. She could see what Jeong Dohyung wanted to say.

Former Prime Minister Lee Jae-Yeon "You didn't forget your original intentions until you became prime minister, which may be a relief. I forgot all the promises I had made shortly after becoming a National Assembly member. People think I worked hard as both a National Assembly member and a prime minister, but I actually just worked so as not to drop my approval rating. I've long forgotten the purpose of making a good world or making people happy." "I vowed not to act like any other politician. After all, however, I'm no different from any other politician. If anyone stays in politics for a long time, I think that's what happens to everyone."

Jeong Doyung sighed. That sigh may be a mixture of lamentation and regret for forgetting one's determination.

Former Prime Minister Jeong Dohyung "Will Prime Minister Park Yohan forget his initial commitment too? I thought he was less influenced by political circles, so I made him the next prime minister. But maybe he will eventually forget his initial commitment and become just like any other politician…"

Former Prime Minister Lee Jae-Yeon "Well, Park Yohan rose quickly and became prime minister. That might be his weakness, but it could also be his best advantage. At least he doesn't do politics on profit or loss like other politicians, and that doesn't mean he's a populist. I believe in his freshness. He wasn't in politics long enough to degenerate like other politicians."

It was the waiter who interrupted the conversation. He brought plates of food to the table. Lee Jae-Yeon smiled at the waiter and then held a fork and prepared to eat the pasta.

Former Prime Minister Lee Jae-Yeon "Park Yohan may be different. Let's trust him."

[The Great state of Joseon]

Cheong Wa Dae(The Prime Minister's office)
Seoul




Lee Jae-Yeon had subtle feelings about her return to Cheong Wa Dae, where she left two years ago. Although she did not return to the prime minister's office as an official, but came in at the invitation of the prime minister, the fact that she was back in a place where she once devoted herself impressed her.

Lee Jae-yeon once posted an editorial on current affairs that evaluated the November incident, which shocked Joseon's politics and society. She argued that it was impossible to criticize the November incident politically because it was impossible to verify individual officials' thoughts, but on the other hand, Lee Jae-yeon had the idea in her head that the coup might have been caused by a flaw in the political system.

Park Yohan is a new and mysterious figure in many ways. His political career is short, but he is very popular with the public. Lee Jae-Yeon was not sure if Park Yohan could lead Joseon well.

Prime Minister Park Yohan “Thank you for accepting the invitation. I hope you like this place.”

Lee Jae-Yeon responded to the conversation with a smile as Park Yo-han started talking first.

Former Prime Minister Lee Jae-Yeon "Well, this was once like my house. I always like this place. Thank you for inviting me."

Prime Minister Park Yohan "That's a relief. I hope you'll be comfortable while you're here. How does your tea taste?"

Former Prime Minister Lee Jae-Yeon "Good. Earl Grey tea is my favorite beverage. You know a lot about me.“

Lee Jae-Yeon was smiling and saying only good things, but her head was full of questions about Park Yohan. Lee Jae-Yeon had doubts about Park Yohan's overturning of the previous administration's policies, and she had suspicions that this was due to Park Yohan's political inexperience.

Lee Jae-Yeon decided to settle his doubts before the conversation was ripe.

Former Prime Minister Lee Jae-Yeon "You must have been pretty unhappy with the policies of the previous administration, right? Like the alliance with Sombreland, quite a few of the policies of the previous administration have been canceled or changed.“

Park Yohan didn't make any expression at Lee Jae-yeon's words. He just thought about something while tilting his teacup.

After a moment of silence, Park Yohan replied.

Prime Minister Park Yohan "No, I have no complaints about the previous administration. I'm just doing the best I can in my place, and coincidentally, that leads to undoing the policies of the previous administration." "It wouldn't have been an easy decision to overturn the policies of the previous administration. Especially if you belong to the same party as the previous administration. Yes. It wasn't an easy decision. But in the end, someone had to do it.“

An atmosphere of silence filled the prime minister's office, and for a time there was no sound other than the sound of tea.

It was Park Yohan who broke the silence.

Prime Minister Park Yohan "I know exactly what you're thinking. It's probably doubts about me, my abilities, and my will. I fully understand. I would have done the same. A political novice with short political experience suddenly rose to the post of prime minister with only the popularity of the public and is canceling policies of his predecessor, so anyone has no choice but to be suspicious of that."

Park Yohan calmly continued, in an understated voice. His tone was not about anger or injustice, but more about trying to persuade Lee Jae-yeon.

Prime Minister Park Yohan "But I'm making the best possible choices by making the most of what's given to me. Of course, I'm well aware of the political burden and cost of revoking the policies of my predecessor. It could be seen as an insult to my predecessor, or I could face criticism for being nothing more than a political show. But I've decided to take it all. And I'm not going to shy away from the responsibility that comes with it. And I don't think my choice is wrong." "Of course, I am not perfect. My political career is short, and there is no guarantee that I am right. So I cannot do everything by myself and need the help of others. If I decide everything by myself without others, I may become one of the worst leaders in Joseon history.“

Lee Jae-yeon listened to Park Yo-han over tea and slowly reflected on her thoughts. The doubts were not resolved, but at least Park Yo-han's appeal seemed sincere.

Prime Minister Park Yohan "You may want to know why I suddenly invited you here. It is a chaotic situation in which a new international alliance has been formed, negotiations with Sombreland are underway, and a war has begun in Matsume. Amid such international circumstances, I did not invite you for small talk. You are one of the most respected leaders in Joseon. You are younger than me, but I do not have the experience and wisdom you have." "Your experience and wisdom can still help Joseon. And I need your wisdom.“

Park Yohan was silent for a moment and then went on again.

Prime Minister Park Yohan “Most of the decisions I have made so far have been unusual. And I invited you to make another unusual offer to you. I would like to appoint you as vice prime minister. Of course, it may not be courteous of you to allow someone who previously served as prime minister to work in a lower position, and you may be offended by this. But I need you enough to make such an unusual offer. As I said before, you have the experience and wisdom that I do not have, and this country still needs it. And you are still young.”

Lee Jae-yeon drank the last sip of tea left in the glass and immediately answered. Her tone was also restrained, like Park Yohan's, and there was no mixture of emotions.

Former Prime Minister Lee Jae-Yeon "As you say, your proposal is very unusual." "When I entered politics more than 10 years ago, I didn't dwell on my position and focused on the things that were given to me. I thought I might become prime minister someday, but I never thought I would be prime minister so soon. I thought of the prime minister position I was given as a gift and a task, and I did my best not to make it meaningless." "Fortunately, I completed my task and I know my evaluation was not bad. In fact, until recently, I was agonizing over a position as a university professor and a researcher at a think tank. I wanted to find out how I could contribute more to this society." "I don't think your suggestion is rude. I just think I've been given another task. I'm not going to shy away from it. After all, if this country still needs me, I shouldn't turn a blind eye to it." "As the new deputy prime minister, I will do my best to help you."

[The Great state of Joseon]

---

To: Prime Minister’s Office
From: Ministry of Defense
Subject: Recommendation to increase military readiness condition
Encryption: Extremely High

---

After conducting an investigation and questioning of 12 people arrested on Sep. 25 by a joint investigation of the National Intelligence Service(NIS) and Intelligence Security Headquarters(IHS), it was revealed that all 12 were sabotage agents who were secretly dispatched from Kaskaida's intelligence agency. Their aim was to assassinate key members of the administration, including the Prime Minister, and sabotage the National Assembly, which appears to be linked to a series of recent terrorist and assassination attempts in Anagonia and Cauteria. To prevent unnecessary domestic turmoil, NIS and IHS will not disclose the terrorist arrests and results of investigations for the time being.

Given the recent succession of terrorist attempts against a large number of PRMP member states, it is possible to speculate that Kaskaida is attempting to create political turmoil within the PRMP for a specific purpose. Given the recent political situation within Kaskaida and the increasing military tensions between Anagonia and Kaskaida, it seems that Kaskaida is trying to induce internal chaos in the PRMP in the pursuit of a specific military purpose against Anagonia, thereby weakening the PRMP's ability to respond.

Given this, it is highly likely that Kaskaida will soon take military action. While all possibilities are open from small-scale local warfare to large-scale all-out warfare, given the circumstantial evidence, there is a greater chance of a large-scale all-out war. In response, we recommend to the government raise the military readiness to DEFCON 2 and dispatch key combat units to near to Kistavich or to Yuldo.

Currently, the units we currently recommend additionally deploying are as follows.

• VII Maneuver Corps(Army)
• The 2nd Mountain Brigade(Army)
• The 1st Special Forces Brigade(Army)
• The 3rd Special Forces Brigade(Army)
• The 9th Special Forces Brigade(Army)
• 1st Fleet(Navy)
• 3rd Fleet(Navy)
• 7th Fleet(Navy)
• 16th Fighter Wing(Air Force)
• 21st Fighter Wing(Air Force)
• 25th Fighter Wing(Air Force)
• 37th Fighter Wing(Air Force)
• 39th Fighter Wing(Air Force)
• 102nd Bomber Wing(Air Force)
• 302nd Electronic Warfare Wing(Air Force)
• The 6th Air And Missile Defense Brigade(Air Force)

Additionally, we recommend that the Army Quick Mobilization Force Command immediately put 200,000 troops on call-up readiness to prepare for any eventuality. We expect that even if the situation worsens, there will be no conscription of the entire reserve. However, for regional and base defense, Army Quick Mobilization Force Command's reserve forces should remain conscriptable in case of emergency.

If an order from the Prime Minister's Office is issued, the military will implement the action immediately.

[The Great state of Joseon]

---

To: Prime Minister’s Office
From: Intelligence Security Headquarters
Subject: Periodic report#3
Encryption: High

---

The following is a periodic report that is required to be published annually by Intelligence Security Headquarters under Executive Order 5237#17 of the Prime Minister's Office. The report is divided into three parts, which cover trends in espionage operations at home and abroad, the status of international criminal organizations, and trends in major countries, and this report covers trends in major countries.

The report analyzes each country's political situation, military capabilities, diplomatic goals, the possibility of future conflicts with Joseon or already ongoing conflicts, and comprehensive measures.



Svetvostok



The current administration of Svetvostok is pursuing a major anti-corruption policy, but the entrenched corruption practices within Svetvostok’s internal society are not likely to disappear easily. This includes remnants of the past military regime that have not been properly cleared. Additionally, Svetvostok seems to be trying to improve its weakened diplomatic position through Janpia, following the recent deterioration of relations with Neo-Korea. We are concerned that these efforts may lead to enhanced relations between Janpia and Svetvostok, which could strategically encircle Joseon.

Svetvostok’s military size is quite large, but they are inferior to ours in terms of quality. While the army has a large number of troops, most are infantry divisions, and they have fewer tanks and armored vehicles than we do. This could be a disadvantage for Svetvostok in any potential armed conflict in the border areas, which are mostly plains. The Navy and Air Force are relatively small, with the Navy capable of executing an A2/AD strategy, but the Air Force is significantly inferior to ours in both quantity and quality. Their nuclear assets are well-managed and are assessed to be capable of limited assured destruction.

Diplomatically, Svetvostok is expected to align with Janpia’s Naritada route. This could form a long-term encirclement strategy against us in the Northern Ocean region. If the Naritada route is used for military purposes, it would pose a serious security threat to us.

The current regime in Svetvostok appears to be trying to avoid worsening relations with us and is taking a non-aggressive stance. Considering that the relationship between the two countries has not been openly hostile in the past, this could be seen as a positive sign. However, the possibility of a change in the ruling power and a shift in diplomatic strategy, along with closer ties with Janpia, contribute to the uncertainty of bilateral relations.

In response, we might consider increasing diplomatic contacts with Janpia, but this is assessed to have a low probability of success. For now, the short-term solution is to continue projecting naval and air power into the Northern Ocean region to prevent the militarization of the Naritada route. A long-term solution will be discussed and reported later.



Neo-Korea



Beom Dae’s regime has lasted for 39 years. Currently, Neo-Korea is evaluated to have successfully opened its economy through Lushun following the invasion of Jungg’o. Despite the recent failure of the invasion of Matsume, Beom Dae’s regime is not believed to be significantly shaken.

Recently, Neo-Korea has been heavily investing in its navy and air force, particularly the navy, while the army remains relatively small. Neo-Korea’s air force is assessed to be capable of effectively executing A2/AD. The navy, although not yet large, is expected to gain the capability to execute A2/AD effectively if its aircraft carriers are reinforced.

Diplomatically, Neo-Korea currently aligns with PRMP, but the conflict with Meridon over Matsume does not seem to be fully resolved. This could lead to future conflicts between the two countries. Relations with Janpia remain poor, but Neo-Korea does not seem to regard the recent deterioration of relations with Svetvostok as a diplomatic loss. In fact, this is likely the case.

Neo-Korea’s Pan-Hiakemirism has not yet extended beyond its territory. However, if Neo-Korea attempts to expand and project Pan-Hiakemirism externally, it will pose a security threat to us. The same applies if Neo-Korea seeks to secure a leading position in East Hiakemiria.

Due to the economic disparity between the two countries, Neo-Korea is at a disadvantage in terms of long-term warfare capabilities compared to us. Therefore, if an armed conflict occurs between the two countries, Neo-Korea is likely to pursue a surprise short-term battle. Neo-Korea does not have the capability to successfully invade Joseon’s territory or territorial waters, and while we have the capability to neutralize their attempts to block our trade routes, Neo-Korea does have the capability to provoke us near their territory or territorial waters.

To counter this, we need to further strengthen the long-range combat capabilities of our navy and air force and establish new strategies to neutralize A2/AD. Additionally, we must emphasize our willingness and capability to engage in long-term warfare in the event of significant military conflicts with other countries, thereby deterring Neo-Korea from planning short-term battles. If the situation escalates to actual armed conflict, we should pursue long-term or total war rather than short-term battles. A less aggressive approach would be to start providing military support to Matsume.
* Additional Notes: During the purge of Neo-Yangban, which concluded in August this year, circumstantial evidence was found that Neo-Korea's information assets were actively moved. We started the investigation based on the possibility that Neo-Korea attempted to intervene in our internal politics in some way, or even supported Neo-Yangban.



Janpia



Natya Anya is pursuing liberal open policies and attempting major reforms. Since this is relatively recent, we cannot yet make a hasty judgment on the outcomes of these policies.

Janpia’s military capabilities are assessed to be quite excellent. They have the ability to project naval power into other oceans, and this capability is likely to be further strengthened. In other words, if Janpia pursues an aggressive foreign policy, its military power can support the realization of such a policy. Additionally, Janpia is evaluated to have the capability to set its defense lines not only along its coastline but also in international waters or near the territorial waters of other countries, effectively can considering the ocean as its domain.

Currently, one of Janpia’s key diplomatic and economic policies is the Naritada route. This plan aims to utilize the Northern Ocean as a route for economic exchange and trade, but it could also be used to claim the Northern Ocean as their territory. This could pose a significant threat to our security.

There are no ongoing conflicts between Joseon and Janpia at present, but the Naritada route could become a point of conflict in the long term. We must prepare for the possibility of conflicts arising over the Naritada route.

Participating in the Naritada route might seem like a solution at first glance. However, this could be seen as us being absorbed into Janpia’s geopolitical sphere, which is not recommended at all. Therefore, the current solution is the continuous projection of military power into the Northern Ocean and cooperation with PRMP. Since the economic power of both countries is similar, a full-scale military conflict is not advisable.



Aureumterra



Aureumterra still maintains an absolute monarchy based on a conservative social atmosphere and order. While this may not seem like a significant political consideration, the stark differences in culture and system do not help in establishing friendly diplomatic relations. In fact, it is likely to have the opposite effect.

There are many religious communities in some of our coastal areas influenced by Aureumterra’s proselytization activities, but given that the majority of Joseon’s population is non-religious, they are unlikely to wield significant political influence. However, this can serve as one of the few cultural links between Joseon and Aureumterra, potentially fostering friendly relations.

Aureumterra’s military size is very large and is the most dominant in the nearby region. If they project their military power into the Northern Ocean, we would need to execute an A2/AD strategy.

Currently, Aureumterra conflicts with Anagonia and Neo-Korea, and their relationship with Meridon is also poor. Overall, they are not friendly towards PRMP. Therefore, it is unlikely that they will be friendly towards Joseon either.

If conflicts arise between the two countries over the Northern Ocean, we must actively execute an A2/AD strategy using our submarine assets to prevent Aureumterra’s military power from projecting into our territorial waters. Additionally, close cooperation with PRMP will ensure we have sufficient military and diplomatic deterrence. However, since Aureumterra has never specifically taken hostile actions towards Joseon, it is much more beneficial for us to avoid conflicts between the two countries while protecting our national interests.



Anagonia



Anagonia is a melting pot of multiple races, cultures, and ethnicities. This is both one of Anagonia’s greatest strengths and one of its greatest weaknesses. If Anagonia fails to manage harmony among its ethnic groups, its society will quickly become divided. The relationships between races and ethnicities cannot be ultimately resolved through any single measure. This issue requires continuous attention and management. How well Anagonia can perform this task is crucial.

Anagonia’s military size is large and very powerful, but there are some inefficiencies. For example, they still maintain battleship assets with deck guns. This brings less efficiency relative to the resources invested, and the loss incurred when a battleship is lost is greater compared to destroyers or cruisers.

Currently, Anagonia is responding to the conflict with Kaskaida primarily through PRMP. This is their most significant diplomatic issue, and it will be explained in more detail in the Kaskaida section.

There are currently no factors that could lead to conflicts between Joseon and Anagonia.



Meridon



Despite President Yui Townley’s continuous efforts, the Green Party appears to be expanding its political influence. If the Green Party comes to power, Meridon will likely revise its foreign strategy to pursue isolationism. Despite the continuous challenges faced by President Yui Townley and her administration, both domestically and internationally, such as the recent Niobe incident, her administration seems to have handled them quite well. However, it remains to be seen how these efforts will be perceived by the Meridonian people.

Meridon has a small but qualitatively superior army and a large navy and air force. Particularly, the Meridonian navy is considered the strongest in Esvanovia, except for Marquesan. The Meridonian military is one of the few that can project military power to other continents. This contributes to Meridon’s central position within PRMP.

Meridon appears to be seeking to increase its international influence through PRMP and to deter hostile actions from adversarial countries like Kaskaida. Meridon’s continuous involvement in the internal political affairs of PRMP member states ultimately enhances its influence within PRMP and broadens its influence in the international community, making it easier for Meridon to achieve its national interests through non-military means.

Currently, there are no factors that could lead to diplomatic or military conflicts between Joseon and Meridon. However, if the ruling power in Meridon shifts to the Green Party, it is likely that Meridon will withdraw from PRMP and the international community. To prepare for this possibility, we need to establish military and diplomatic strategies under the premise that we will handle issues independently. Additionally, we need to increase the proportion of domestically produced military equipment. By establishing these various strategies, we can prepare for the possibility of severed cooperation with Meridon and, if necessary, prevent Meridon from interfering with Joseon’s diplomatic and political strategies.



Kaskaida



There are significant cultural similarities between Joseon and Kaskaida, but currently, these do not contribute positively to the relationship between the two countries. Following the assassination of Kaskaida’s president, the internal politics of Kaskaida are now dominated by some military generals, and their diplomatic rhetoric is becoming increasingly harsh.

Kaskaida has a very large army and a slightly smaller(But still large) air force. Its navy has the capability to execute A2/AD strategies, but it is assessed to be at a lower level compared to ours. Kaskaida’s large army poses a significant threat to Anagonia, and their air force is likely to be used to prevent PRMP’s support forces from arriving in the event of a conflict.

Despite several attempts at communication, Kaskaida continues to adhere to its current hostile foreign policy. Therefore, it is likely that a military conflict between PRMP and Kaskaida will occur in the near future. Due to the geographical distance between Joseon and Kaskaida, our military operations would need to be centered around Yuldo. Therefore, we need to significantly strengthen Yuldo’s defense capabilities.



Arcadie



The military exerts significant influence over Arcadie’s politics, and this remains the case today. Arcadie’s military capabilities are lower than Kaskaida's, and their technology is highly dependent on foreign sources. However, its navy is assessed to be capable of effectively executing A2/AD strategies. It appears that Arcadie’s navy is considering projecting military power toward Yuldo. To counter this, we recommended deploying additional naval and air force units to Yuldo to overwhelm Arcadie’s Navy.

Following the acceptance of our recommendation by the Ministry of Defense, additional military units have been deployed to Yuldo. Therefore, Arcadie currently cannot threaten Yuldo. However, its A2/AD capabilities are still maintained.



Cauteria



Cauteria has significantly advanced military capabilities compared to its economic power. Their infantry and submarine assets are quite strong, and the rest of its national defense capabilities are considered sufficient. However, the lack of expeditionary capabilities is a weakness in Cauteria’s military strength. The severe damage to the CNS Vaaron, which was under construction, due to a terrorist attack, will negatively impact Cauteria’s expeditionary operations capabilities.

Nevertheless, they are expected to make significant contributions to PRMP. Currently, there are no elements of conflict between Joseon and Cauteria.



Aquilinia



Aquilinia seems to be relatively free from the political conflicts that are currently hitting the world. Although they are convening troops and have suspended the Open Waters policy, this is considered a thoroughly defensive measure. They are constitutionally neutral and have little chance of being an opposition to us in future global conflicts. Nuclear weapons assets seem to be contributing the most to maintaining its neutrality.

As of now, there is no element of conflict between Joseon and Aquilinia.



Amaldorei


Given Amaldorei's geographical location, maintaining a friendly relationship with Amaldorei will benefit us. Amaldorei is positioned on one of the important trade routes and will help stabilize trade if we maintain a friendly relationship with Amaldorei.

There is currently no element of conflict between Joseon and Amaldorei.

[The Great state of Joseon]

Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do Province, Joseon
14:33, March 12, 2035(2025)





Seven months have passed. Over the past seven months, Joseon's society seemed to improve quickly. While it was invisible and seemingly unchanged, Neo-Yangban's demise made Joseon's society more transparent. At some point, the long-secret, corrupt practices disappeared, and the power of the privileged class that had held power since the Middle Ages and the wealth accumulated through ill-gotten gains returned to where they belonged.

Park Yohan's long-cherished dream eventually became a reality. The emotions that weighed on him have disappeared. The Ryuhan Group stock manipulation scandal, the death of a young woman who exposed it, and the huge power cartel that concealed it have all now been resolved.

Prime Minister Park Yohan and Minister Won Na-Kyung took only a handful of bodyguards to visit the cemetery of the female employee who exposed the Ryuhan Group incident. The cemetery was a quiet space near Seoul, and a massive park that many citizens shared. It was still lonely and had only one flower on the cemetery's side. The flowers had withered a bit as if they were a little old.

Park Yohan left a white flower and a newspaper in front of the cemetery. The papers reported the execution of Lee Kwang Il, the main culprit of the Ryuhan Group case.

Minister of the Safety Won Na-Kyung "We should have come last year, but we were too late. It's all over now."

Like Park Yohan, Won Na-Kyung placed a white flower in front of the cemetery.

Prime Minister Park Yohan "Now that we're here, that's enough. Lee Gwang Il is dead. Neo-Yangban has been disbanded and everyone involved has been punished. The Ryuhan Group stock manipulation case is being investigated again, and a conclusion will soon be reached that satisfies all the victims."

Won Na-Kyung looked up at the sky. The sky was clear without a cloud, and the wind was blowing coolly. Flowers were starting to bloom everywhere, symbolizing the end of the cold winter and the arrival of warm spring.

At a little noise, Park Yohan turned to the side. Not too far away, two children were running around. A little further away, a few visitors of another cemetery seemed to be sitting on mats and talking.

Won Na-Kyung looked at the children running around with a smile.

Minister of the Safety Won Na-Kyung "Is it really all over? I'd love to believe that, but there might be something we don't know yet."

Prime Minister Park Yohan "No, there's nothing we don't know yet. The old cartel is gone, and apart from the war in Kistavich, there's no concern for us yet."

Minister of the Safety Won Na-Kyung "That's true, although war is the biggest concern."

Won Na-Kyung looked directly at Park Yohan. Park Yohan looked confident and imposing, just as he did when he first began his job as prime minister.

Minister of the Safety Won Na-Kyung "What are you going to do now, Mr. Prime Minister? I think there's still a lot you can do for this country."

Park Yohan shook his head.

Prime Minister Park Yohan "No, to be honest, my biggest goal of life has been achieved by the extinction of Neo-Yangban. However, now I can't find any other goal or purpose. But there are no negative feelings about it. The pus that has been piled up in this country for a long time has been removed, and I'm happy with that."

Minister of the Safety Won Na-Kyung "However, you still have a high approval rating, and frankly, I have no confidence that any politician other than you will do as well as you do."

Park Yohan shook his head with a slight smile.

Prime Minister Park Yohan "There is an old adage in our country called 'Leave when people give a clap.' I think now is the time. Of course, I don't intend to be an irresponsible leader who leaves the office during a war, but I have to leave when it's over. I don't intend to serve as prime minister for a long time. That's it for me. I don't intend to reign for a long time."

Won Na-Kyung nodded and said nothing. She understood Park Yohan's idea, and she also expressed tacit consent because she had similar ideas. Park Yohan achieved his goal, and for him, that was enough.

Minister of the Safety Won Na-Kyung "What are you planning to do after you step down as prime minister? I think you can do something with it because you have a lot of wealth left over by your father. Or are you planning on going to your brother's company?"

Prime Minister Park Yohan "Well, I haven't made any plans for it yet, but at least I'm sure it's not both. I don't intend to work as a businessman, and my brother's company belongs to him. Maybe I'll be writing a book, be working as a lawyer, or stay in the political world otherwise. But last one isn't very tempting."

---

---

Yeouido, Seoul, Joseon
14:34, March 12, 2035(2025)




Unlike the quiet and peaceful cemetery of citizens near Seoul, the National Assembly in the heart of the city was quite noisy. The National Assembly chamber had not been this noisy in the past 20 years, and now every other means of debate was mobilized, except for the swearing and violence. Some lawmakers were shouting up to the speaker's seat, while most others were engaged in vehement debates.

National Assembly Speaker Jeong Ki-tae repeatedly appealed with the microphone on to calm the chaotic chamber, but it didn't work out very well. Jeong Ki-tae felt frustrated that he had to lower his dignity a little to calm the conference room, and he shouted into the microphone.

National Assembly Speaker Jeong Ki-tae "Everyone, please be quiet! What a shame! Aren't you ashamed of yourself? The footage is being broadcast live to the entire nation! Please return to your seats! This is an order for a smooth meeting as the speaker of the National Assembly!"

For an instant, the chamber became quiet, and the lawmakers went back to their seats, feeling embarrassed. As the chamber regained its quietness, Jeong Ki-tae personally cleaned up the disheveled podium and spoke back into the microphone.

National Assembly Speaker Jeong Ki-tae "We will proceed with the conference again. Before the start of the conference, I will start the conference again with Ms. Na Yerin's remarks, because Ms. Na Yerin asked for her right to speak."

When Jeong Ki-tae finished speaking, Na Yerin got up from her seat and headed to the podium. She was one of the few people who stayed put and participated in the debate moderately during the vehement 'debate' process just before.

As the chamber remained calm, the sound of Na Yerin's shoes echoed throughout the chamber. Na Yerin bowed to Jeong Ki-tae at the podium below the National Assembly speaker's seat, and then grabbed the microphone without hesitation.

National Assembly Lawmaker Na Yerin "Thank you Speaker Jeong Ki-tae for giving me the opportunity to speak, and let me begin my remarks." "Our country, Joseon, has long maintained its foreign policy following the principles of the 'Continental Balance Theory.' According to this theory, our country should be wary of and contain any country that is willing or able to take control of East Hiakemiria. Our country has faithfully adhered to this theory for the past two centuries." "However, I just don't think this should be the only way forward for our country's foreign policy. Of course, it is not in our country's national interest for another country to take control of the entire East Hiakemiria, so the Continental Balance Theory should be maintained. However, we have to go further from here." "In entire Esvanovia, how many countries are the human rights of all people and individuals fully respected? Unfortunately, there are not many. This was the same in our country, and it is not perfect even today." "I think our country's foreign policy should be different from what it is now. We need to be more vocal about a country where human rights are not fully respected, and look back on ourselves." "In the past, when civilization was not developing and supplies were scarce, these values were not a priority. But now they are not. We are not mechanically a machine that works only for growth and profit-seeking, but humans with perceptions and emotions. We must be able to respect, and work toward, the rights of others as well as our rights as people and humans in a civilized nation." "My fellow lawmakers, as a country that has adopted a parliamentary cabinet system, we should be able to make legitimate demands to the administration when necessary. We should insist that the administration take our country's foreign policy further. Of course, it is not a one-sided argument, and it requires a lot of discussion and agreement with the administration, but we should insist firmly on the administration that we should act more aggressively than we do now as citizens of a civilization that respects free values."

Na Yerin, who continued to talk nonstop, grabbed her breath after finishing her speech and tried to turn her head to bow again to Speaker Jeong Ki-tae. As soon as Speaker Jeong Ki-tae was about to nod his head, one of the lawmakers in the seat raised his hand. He was an opposition lawmaker, Cheon Jae-hyeon.



Speaker Jeong Ki-tae pointed to Cheon Jae-hyeon, meaning Cheon Jae-hyeon to ask Na Yerin a question.

National Assembly Lawmaker Cheon Jae-hyeon "Well noted. I understand what you are trying to say and what you are trying to achieve through it. It is an ideal goal, and certainly it may be the way we have to go, but I can't help but have doubts about the diplomatic issues it will bring. If we implement such a foreign policy, there is a possibility of diplomatic friction with a few countries." "I like our democratic laws and procedures, and I have no doubt that it is the best political system, but I am against imposing a democratic order on other countries. All countries have a right to follow the political system of their choice. As for human rights, I agree with you, but if you insist on it to another country, it will cause us a lot of diplomatic problems."

As soon as Cheon Jae-hyeon was done, Na Yerin immediately launched a counterattack.

National Assembly Lawmaker Na Yerin "I never said let's force democracy on other countries. As far as the political system is concerned, I agree with you. We cannot force democracy on other countries. But when it comes to universal human rights, I think we should provide an opportunity for people in those countries to think about human rights, even if we don't force other countries to respect them." "I'm not saying let's impose our system on a country that has a system and culture that we don't like. It's not right. However, we all know that it is also not right to use children as a commodity or discriminate against certain races." "And, to do this, we first need to look back on our country's situation and correct the wrongs. One way could be to involve more minorities in central politics, or let the people of Yuldo, including Arcadie People, decide their own destiny."

National Assembly Lawmaker Cheon Jae-hyeon "It's a naive idea. There are too many practical obstacles for us to do that. The majority of countries would not sympathize with us, and we would actually run into difficulties."

National Assembly Lawmaker Na Yerin "It may be considered a naive idea. But if no one, including us, does anything, then one will continue to suffer. The way in which the wicked win is for the good men to do nothing."

As the argument showed signs of prolonging, Jeong Ki-tae held them back, raising one hand.

National Assembly Speaker Jeong Ki-tae “This concludes the questions session on the speech. If there are no other questions, we will move on to express the opinion session on the speech.”

---

With the day's conference ending and lawmakers leaving, Cheon Jae-hyeon approached Na Yerin's seat and shook hands.

National Assembly Lawmaker Cheon Jae-hyeon "Today's speech was great. It was a good discussion."

National Assembly Lawmaker Na Yerin "Yeah, well, it was nice to have a good discussion, too."

National Assembly Lawmaker Cheon Jae-hyeon "By the way, I really doubt that the idea will affect the whole of Esvanovia or create new norms."

It was actually an extension of the debate that took place during the conference. Na Yerin again posed as a warrior entering the debate with a relaxed smile.

National Assembly Lawmaker Na Yerin "Of course, it will be difficult to affect the whole of Esvanovia. The important thing is that we present new values and shape our diplomatic sphere of influence. We are the most developed country in East Hiakemiria, but so far we have not taken the lead in the international political arena. But if we present a new discourse and implement foreign policy to carry it out, we will be regarded as a head state with our own diplomatic sphere of influence and represent a faction on the international stage." "There are countries that are stronger in national power than us. Meridon, Marquesan, Aureumterra, and so on. It's hard for us to be on par with them by national power, but it's a possible task for us to form an international political faction and lead it. To form our political sphere, I think this is the best we can do?"

National Assembly Lawmaker Cheon Jae-hyeon "Is that your goal? It’s about securing Joseon’s political position rather than lofty ideals. To achieve that, you don't have to put forward human rights-like values. You can draw lines on the map and set our sphere of influence, or you can rally countries that share our interests."

National Assembly Lawmaker Na Yerin "Eventually, there is a limit to it. Our influence that it can shape will be limited. At best, it will be limited to East Hiakemiria, or limited to some regions. However, its scalability is even greater when it comes to universal values that everyone can agree on. Of course, no one may agree, but many countries may agree."

National Assembly Lawmaker Cheon Jae-hyeon "Is it some kind of gamble........I see."

Cheon Jae-hyeon nodded in greeting and left the chamber. Na Yerin watched the back of Cheon Jae-hyeon. Na Yerin explained her plan in line with Cheon Jae-hyeon's mindset, but it was different from Na Yerin's mindset. Na Yerin's ideal was actually in the establishment of universal human rights norms, and securing Joseon's political clout was a side benefit.

Of course, Na Yerin was also well aware that the international political arena was a place where such values were not valued. The interests of the state still hold the highest position in international politics, and this will not change. But at the same time, Na Yerin hoped to set minimum norms and values. At least so that countries or organizations that do not value human rights can feel guilty.





Cheon Jae-hyeon thought back over what Na Yerin had said as he left the chamber. What Na Yerin had argued could be a diplomatic risk for Joseon, and it was based on uncertain possibilities. The reality of international politics in Esvanovia is harsh, and it is an environment in which these things are difficult to establish.

Na Yerin was not wrong. However, it is a matter of too many realistic obstacles. Cheon Jae-hyeon wished that Joseon would choose a more efficient path.