Chapter 505: Chapter 505: Calm Down and Sit
Michael held a position overseeing all U.S. intelligence agencies, yet surprisingly, he was down-to-earth. The more we talked, the more I liked him.
Of course, he sometimes hinted at his political opinions, but someone in his position couldn't completely detach from politics.
If he could have, he wouldn't be sitting in that chair. We wrapped up our meal discussing the Middle East.
As he had boasted, the food was quite good.
When we finished eating, dessert and coffee arrived. I raised my glass and asked a burning question.
"What do you think about North Korea?"
"Ah, Charlie. You're Korean, right? The North Korean issue must hit close to home for you. For us, focusing on the Middle East is the priority right now. So, we're not paying much attention there due to a severe lack of manpower."
"But you can't just ignore it entirely. You've labeled it part of the 'Axis of Evil' after all."
Michael, who had been elaborating, chuckled awkwardly.
"Haha, true enough. Still, they haven't shown any major movements. Or rather, it seems they've become even more closed off. Ever since that coup attempt, HUMINT has been completely wiped out. You might know more about this than we do; I heard Zhang Chengtao met with them in China recently…"
Concerned he might upset me, Michael trailed off and scrutinized my face.
Of course, the U.S. couldn't have failed to notice that. I brushed it off casually, shrugging.
"Sure, they met, but Manager Zhang didn't say much. He doesn't seem to have regained his strength yet."
I had no reason to divulge everything I knew.
"That makes sense. After all, he was sidelined and then managed to return to Pyongyang. I'm aware that China pressured to get Zhang back in power."
How did he know that HUMINT had all been wiped out? Oh, did he gather that from China?
Michael lifted his coffee cup. After taking a sip, he continued speaking.
"There are limits to what we can observe through satellites or wiretaps. Ultimately, it's a matter of human intelligence… Rebuilding that will take quite some time. I've heard South Korea's intelligence agencies suffered a total HUMINT collapse as well."
"I suppose that's true, isn't it? I don't have detailed knowledge in that area anyway."
"I see. The two countries with the most information on North Korea are likely China and Russia, but our relations with them aren't exactly strong, which is unfortunate."
Despite the age of information, what we really could rely on were people.
Satellite images and all kinds of high-tech equipment couldn't replace the insights of those living there.
But that had completely collapsed due to the recent coup.
As a result, Russia and China were also struggling to grasp the deeper issues within Pyongyang.
The already closed-off North Korean regime had become even more reclusive, while the U.S. and South Korea's response was growing sluggish.
"Michael, what do you think would happen if a coup occurred in North Korea?"
I set down my glass and asked calmly. My sudden question made both Michael and Jessica widen their eyes.
"…Do you have some inside information?"
I slowly shook my head.
"No, isn't that the case for all regimes? Especially dictatorial ones; when the economy falters, top officials often stage coups. That's what happened in Africa and with various dictatorships in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. You know better than I do how they fell. If such a thing were to happen, what do you think would occur?"
North Korea's collapse. Surely the U.S. had anticipated this situation and prepared some scenarios.
"Hmm… We have run simulations as well. If it happens, China will be the first to intervene, followed by Russia. South Korea and the U.S. will step in together, and Japan will probably try to get involved too. There'll be five countries trying to squeeze into that small place—it could turn into a battleground for great powers for the first time since World War II."
The U.S. didn't provide detailed insights, but their envisioned scenario was simple.
They intended to divide North Korea into five parts, with the U.S., China, Russia, South Korea, and Japan carving it up.
They're really planning this out. I raised one corner of my mouth in a smirk and lifted my glass again.
"What if it were a pro-U.S. regime?"
"…You mean to say a pro-U.S. regime could arise in North Korea? That's just as unlikely as Japan becoming communist, isn't it?"
"That's why I said 'if.'"
"In that case, the opinions from the White House and Washington will carry more weight, don't you think? But speaking personally… I believe that would lead to even more chaos in North Korea. Considering its location, it's even more likely. Russia and China would never allow North Korea to become pro-U.S."
This time, I turned to Jessica and asked.
"What do you think, Jessica?"
Jessica tilted her head as she listened to our conversation.
Perhaps pondering our discussion, her expression had turned serious.
"I don't think anyone wants North Korea to become pro-U.S. But as you mentioned, given its location, I believe U.S. politicians might welcome it. This would be a chance to move U.S. forces stationed in South Korea closer to the North. If such a scenario unfolds, the Cold War may very well begin anew."
"Your opinion isn't that different from Michael's."
"Charlie, I know you're not someone who tosses out comments carelessly. You must have some information behind this. It's not just idle speculation."
Sharp for sure. I met her eyes and said firmly.
"I don't have any. This is the same question I asked in China. I was just curious about the perspectives of others in their respective positions. No one knows when or what will happen."
"By the way… I did hear rumors that you were asked by Kim Jong-il to facilitate peace talks with North Korea at the White House. It's strange to hear you talking about a coup now. You must have some insight."
Jessica didn't believe my words. While I often dealt with Jessica, her reaction was definitely different from Michael's.
It was rather amusing to see how she tried to extract answers from my question.
"Rumors are just rumors; they can't become truth. I was simply curious about the thoughts of the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, who oversees all U.S. intelligence agencies. And yours too, Jessica, because you're the person I'm closest to."
Just then, Michael spoke up.
"You seem rather close to Jessica, Charlie."
"Close? I'm not sure that's entirely accurate. I just find her easy to deal with since we've been interacting for a while. Building trust takes time, after all. I believe we've established quite a bit of it over the years."
"Hmm."
I could see the reasoning behind his direct approach. He likely wanted to engage me without Jessica influencing our conversation.
But it wasn't necessary. I wasn't interested in that.","59″: So far, I had signaled that I needed Jessica present in our discussions.
Michael swallowed hard, pretending not to notice my signal.
Across the table, Jessica winked at me with one eye.
"I understand your point now."
Michael willingly nodded.
He was giving up quickly. Or perhaps he wasn't fully surrendering, planning to gather information through Jessica instead.
"Getting back to the main point, North Korea is best off right where it is now, as a hostile state that cannot threaten American soil. If internal upheaval occurs, the U.S. military will intervene, without a doubt."
If Zhang Chengtao took power, it would all be over once U.S. forces got involved.
Whether to apply pressure through China and Russia or persuade the U.S., that was something I would have to think about more.
At that moment, both Michael and Jessica's phones rang at the same time.
I said to the two of them, who were gauging my reaction,
"Answer it. I'm fine here."
"Then excuse us."
Both stood up and moved toward the window.
But timing couldn't have been more ironic. As Manager Ma knocked and entered, he whispered in my ear.
"Boss, we've detected signs of a nuclear test in North Korea. President Yoon Chang-ho has summoned an emergency national security meeting at the Blue House."
Kim Jong-il had conducted a nuclear test earlier than I had anticipated.
Not just the U.S., but I had also failed to foresee this timing.
Nodding slightly, I shifted my gaze to Michael and Jessica.
Both of them wore expressions that were tensing up in real-time.
It seemed that call was related to the nuclear test as well.
Michael and Jessica hurriedly ended their calls and returned, looking flustered.
"Sorry, Charlie. Something urgent has come up; we have to leave."
"Of course. This is about the nuclear test, isn't it? The timing is quite uncanny. I just brought up North Korea, and now we're receiving news about their nuclear tests."
Michael and Jessica appeared to share my thoughts.
Michael's expression even bore a faint shadow now.
Yet, the two quickly composed themselves and bid farewell.
"We'll take our leave for now. Jessica."
"Charlie. See you next time."
Having exchanged farewells, they swiftly walked away, leaving me behind.
South Korea, of course, and the U.S. had called an emergency NSC meeting.
Myeong-su had also canceled all his plans and was coming to the hotel.
I called Han Gyeong-yeong, who was in Russia.
"Hey, Hyung. Busy?"
"No. Everything's been canceled. North Korea is reportedly conducting nuclear tests…"
Russia also seemed to take this issue seriously.
"What's the atmosphere like?"
"Here? Everyone's faces have turned to stone. It must be an unexpected situation. That man Kim Jong-il is truly unpredictable."
I unconsciously nodded at Han Gyeong-yeong's words. Kim Jong-il was indeed the most unpredictable when it came to defying expectations.
"Find out the situation and mood in Moscow and call me back. For China… I should contact Wen Jiabao to gather information."
"Okay. I'll call you as soon as I find out anything."
I hung up and contemplated deeply.
There were clearly genuine crises related to North Korea's nuclear provocations.
But they wouldn't actually begin serious tests until three years later in 2006.
During that time, the Korean stock market had taken a hit, which helped me remember the year clearly.
There had been signs back then, but this time there were none; it was an abrupt attempt at nuclear testing.
What could have caused such a twist? Had the coup derailed the clandestine negotiations with the U.S.?
No, that couldn't be right. No matter how I thought about it, my involvement must have posed a significant threat.
It seemed I truly was seen as a major threat and had acted without restraint.
My mind grew tangled. How could I properly address the rapidly changing situation around me?
"Hey, Mu-hyeok!"
Myeong-su's face was pale as he hurried into the hotel.
"What's the rush?"
"Damn, aren't these guys crazy? A nuclear test?!"
"Calm down and sit."
Myeong-su's hands were shaking. I offered him a cool glass of water from beside me.
After gulping it down, Myeong-su took a deep breath. Finally, his face started returning to normal.
"What did the Blue House say?"
"They've convened the NSC, so they're likely in a meeting right now."
"How did you find out about the nuclear test?"
Myeong-su slowly explained the situation.
"The Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources detected an artificial seismic wave around M3.6 in the North Hamgyong Province's Hwadae County. Both the U.S. and Japan picked it up as well, and after compiling the information, it was concluded to be an artificial earthquake due to a nuclear test, leading to the immediate NSC meeting."
"Were there no precursor signs or preparation work beforehand?"
Myeong-su nodded vigorously.
"The National Intelligence Service, as well as the military's intelligence agencies and the U.S. forces in South Korea, didn't anticipate it at all. How does this even make sense? We have all this advanced equipment, yet we couldn't predict something this important? What on earth was the problem?"
Aside from the latter days of the Kim Hak-gwon administration, they had provided North Korea with extensive support and maintained a peaceful stance.
To maintain that atmosphere, they reduced the NIS's North Korea division, which resulted in a significant reduction in surveillance capabilities. And this was the outcome.
Well, the abruptness of Kim Jong-il's actions was likely the key reason no one saw this coming.
Frustrated, I raked my fingers through my hair and sighed.
"Wait a minute. Let's call Wen Jiabao. North Korea must have reached out to China."
I pulled out my phone and immediately called Wen Jiabao.
"—Kim Mu-hyeok. Let's talk later."
While Wen Jiabao picked up right away, he seemed unable to engage in a conversation.
His voice was tinged with urgency as he tried to end the call quickly.
"One moment, Premier Wen. Were you aware of the North Korean nuclear test?"
"—I wasn't aware. If I had known, I would have informed you ahead of time."
I? Wen Jiabao had just said my name. Not 'we' but 'I'.
"So, are you saying Hu Jintao was aware of it?"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone