I Will Stage A Coup D’état - Chapter 3



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EP.3 How to Roll a Pen (1)

Most soldiers in Western societies today begin political activities after retirement.

Actions like writing a memoir, giving a lecture, getting the press involved, or running for president.

Of course, that’s a common story for soldiers in a weak democratic society.

In our militaristic Korea, where the law of the jungle rules, things are a bit different.

It is not seen as strange for an active-duty general to storm into a newspaper office that has written an article he does not like, assault the reporter, and then “physically persuade” the owner.

What I’m saying is that there’s no problem with me engaging in political activities in the newspaper.

Oh, it would be a problem if the higher-ups were offended, but I guess I’ll have to accept that.

I stopped the car in the new Pyongyang city center, where there were tall buildings that looked like they were going to pierce the sky.

A massive, 54-story building stood tall in front of me.

This is the ‘Yeongmyung Building’ where Korea’s largest daily newspaper, the Korea Daily, is based.

“Your Majesty. This is the Korea Daily.”

Jeong Gil said as he opened the car door.

As I entered the lobby, a middle-aged man who appeared to be in his fifties, who had been waiting for me after receiving a call, bent his back at a right angle.

“This is Cho Joong-dong, the president of Korea Daily, General.”

“Nice to meet you, President Cho.”

Jo Joong-dong shook hands with the president of a media company, throwing away his pride and shaking hands with the chairman of a conglomerate.

I began to doubt whether the person standing before me was a salt merchant rather than the owner of a media company.

But if you think about it, it’s not such a strange sight.

In South Korea, where politics are relatively normal, media power overwhelms political power.

Because politicians in democratic countries are attention seekers who are thirsty for a single line in the newspaper.

But this is the cold-blooded Korean Empire ruled by the military.

If the media and other powers stiffen their heads in front of military generals, they will immediately be struck down with a hammer.

It is not a lukewarm retaliation from a democratic country like a tax audit, but it can tear your balls off in a ‘physical dimension’.

Just this year, there were three newspapers that were shut down by the military.

Even large newspaper companies like Koryo Ilbo and Dong-A Ilbo could not be an exception.

We took the elevator and headed straight to the president’s office.

While the elevator was going up, Jo Joong-dong looked at me and then sighed.

“I heard that the reason the General came to our newspaper office today was to publish an ‘editorial.’”

“exactly.”

“Is this, by any chance, something to do with the military budget?”

Recently, a media outlet was shut down after an article broke about bribery in the military.

The military employed a ‘strategy of silence’ to prevent people from speaking out about their wrongdoings, but that did not mean that people could not see the truth.

Even if the brain is a military unit made of muscles, newspapers that make a living by writing are not unaware of that fact.

It was obvious what Jo Joong-dong was trying to say.

‘Please refrain from saying things that could unnecessarily offend readers. It’ll make our newspaper’s circulation drop.’

I had no intention of putting Korea Daily in an awkward position.

“That’s not what I’m talking about.”

Only then did Jo Joong-dong’s face brighten a little.

As soon as I arrived at the president’s office, a slender young secretary brought me coffee.

We had coffee and talked about ‘my true intentions’.

Cho Joong-dong looked a little surprised when I told him that I would express my ‘opinion’ for the ‘future of the country.’

‘Does the military junta that plays around thinking they’ll get their money back think about the future of the country?’

I knew you were thinking something like this.

I decided to start by correcting Jo Jung-dong’s perception.

“Mr. Cho, what kind of country do you think this is?”

Jo Joong-dong immediately responded to my orthodox question.

“Yes, it is a ‘responsible constitutional monarchy’ with His Majesty the Emperor as the central figure above and the Prime Minister leading below.”

It’s called a responsible constitutional monarchy, but if you interpret it in Western terms, it’s a Prussian-style quasi-constitutional monarchy.

Is that a constitutional monarchy?

“A military dictatorship that only has the appearance of a constitutional monarchy. That is what I think this country really is.”

Jo Joong-dong opened his mouth slightly at my straightforward expression.

“Is that a truly modernized country? Can it be called a proper modern nation?”

“that….”

“If this country is to truly stand shoulder to shoulder with the West, reform is necessary.”

It’s a very common trope in this country.

It is reform, innovation, and revitalization.

There have been countless talks about changing the country.

But what’s important is not what the words say, but who says them.

The moment the word ‘reform’ came out of my mouth, a member of the military and a member of the royal family, Jo Joong-dong’s eyes trembled greatly.

I positioned my character as a patron who aspired for ‘Western reform’.

This was just the right amount of detail to express my character in the newspaper.

“What do you think, President Cho?”

“Well, of course I think reform is necessary.”

Jo Joong-dong was not one to easily reveal his true feelings.

Well, that’s a given.

What kind of person would reveal all of their true feelings just because a military leader came and said something unexpected?

I decided to end my appeal to Jo Joong-dong at this point.

“That’s what I’m trying to say. Suggestions for the future of the country. I want to put that kind of story in the newspaper.”

A common story.

But the speaker is a general of royal descent.

“Is this an article written by the general himself?”

“Of course. Since I came all the way here to ask for it, I would like you to place it in a conspicuous place.”

“I will pay special attention to it.”

Jo Jung-dong promised me a place at the front of the editorial.

This is enough for now.

I also stopped by the Dong-A Ilbo and got the same promise.

In fact, if you’re just going to submit an editorial to a newspaper, all you have to do is make a phone call and send an assistant.

However, the reason I met with the owner of the media company was to make him aware of the possibility that I could become a player in the ‘political game.’

No matter how excellent your abilities are, if those around you do not recognize you as a presidential candidate, you will have no chance of running for president.

Now, it was as if I had started my campaign to become the top candidate of the future Korean Empire.

After the newspaper comes the book.

I started to write by splitting my time.

Unless you can use a rational sales strategy that mobilizes power like Hitler, the book has to be entertaining.

A book like that is, after all, a novel.

I decided to write a novel that could contain my ‘thoughts’.

Among the books I ‘translated’ while working as a translator, there were many light novels that came over from Japan.

Among them, if there is a novel that can show ‘national modernization and developmental dictatorship’.

‘Galaxy X Bear Legend would be appropriate.’

The original theme of this novel, written by Yoshiki Tanaka, was which is better: the worst democracy or the best monarchy.

However, this novel could be interpreted very differently depending on one’s perspective.

This is the great achievement of His Majesty the Kaiser, the liquidation of feudal evils, the modernization of the fatherland, and the unification of the universe based on this.

By cleverly tweaking the content a little, we could have put the spotlight on this.

However, there was no need to completely remove the democratic hymn embedded in the novel.

This is because it is a device that appeals to the public that this military band might have a different perception from other military bands who solve everything with ‘guns and swords’.

Anyway, as I was writing both editorials and novels, I felt like ten bodies were not enough.

Because I was so short on time, I had to cut down on my sleep.

‘If you don’t get enough sleep, you can’t live long.’

Well, would there be anyone who would prepare a coup while thinking about their health?

I have to prepare even if it means losing sleep.

The first editorial calling for reform in Korea was published and soon received a response.

-Young General Lee Seong-jun, diagnosing the reality of the empire with a cool head.

Ordinary people neither knew nor needed to know what the names of the Army’s military generals were or what they were thinking.

But the story was different for officers in the military.

They wanted as much information as possible about the One above them.

In such a situation, it was strange that information about a young general who claimed to be a pioneer of reform was not talked about in the newspapers.

I sent Jeong Gil to the officers’ mess hall to get a feel for the atmosphere.

An hour later, Jeong Gil, who had finished his meal, reported the results of his reconnaissance.

“There was a lot of talk about Your Excellency among the young officers in the restaurant.”

“Specifically.”

“There was a heated debate over the claim that in order to reform the Korean Empire, it was necessary to first change the outdated systems and rituals.”

The result was better than expected.

In the conservative military, ‘reform’ was not easily supported.

In this environment, the fact that there are people who agree with my argument enough to have a ‘debate’ means that my agenda setting was not wrong.

Rather, it was on the very good side.

Well then, I guess we can start moving slowly.

“aide.”

“Yes, General.”

“Starting tomorrow, I will be eating with young friends at the officers’ mess hall, so prepare accordingly.”

“All right.”

Of course, I didn’t think of dining with officers as an opportunity to confirm my authority as a general.

The dining table with them was not that of a high-ranking general, but as an ideologue.

I was thinking of testing it on the spot.

How effective is the spearhead of the ideology I have established in this empire?