World Domination through Planet Development - Chapter 33
Only Noblemtl
Episode 33. Appointment of Kim Chol-ryong as First Secretary of the 9th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea
On the day of the 9th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea.
Lieutenant Lee Young-ho gave the truck driver a hug and got out of the car.
I got a ride in the car.
He could have used the vehicle owned by the division commander, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so.
Still, I somehow managed to arrive in Pyongyang on time.
Even before he entered Pyongyang, he could sense that there would be great changes in the country.
First of all, it is true that Comrade Kim Jong-dong died, but all the soldiers at each checkpoint were replaced.
In this republic, no matter where you go, there is a checkpoint at every intersection.
To restrict the movement of people, soldiers are stationed at each checkpoint to check passes.
Normally, soldiers in uniform would be on guard at all times, but at every checkpoint they passed, there were troops armed enough to carry out special operations.
And when he passed the checkpoints and entered Pyongyang, he was confident.
Because the armed forces seen at the checkpoint were running wild throughout Pyongyang.
They move in groups, almost like platoons, and they seem to have more ships than ordinary citizens. Of course, that may not be true in reality.
But where on earth were these elite soldiers in Joseon?
If there are this many soldiers like this, wouldn’t it have been better to go to war with South Korea and achieve communist unification a long time ago?
Lee Young-ho, who had been having a brief delusion, came to his senses.
There was no time to indulge in such sentiments right now.
Because there isn’t much time left until the party convention.
He hurriedly began to seek out the chairman of the Workers’ Party of Korea.
Party convention chairman.
The venue we arrived at was bustling with quite a crowd of people.
Likewise, armed soldiers were standing guard everywhere.
He was looking around and monitoring everyone entering and leaving the premises.
Some free time.
Only then did Lieutenant Lee Young-ho slow down his steps and slowly enter the conference hall.
The interior of the convention center was even more spectacular.
Every wall inside the stadium was lined with armed soldiers.
Every time he passed by, soldiers would stare at him, and a sense of tension that wasn’t there before naturally arose.
It was as if an execution ceremony was being held for everyone who entered here today.
Lieutenant Lee Young-ho went toward the information desk where there was quite a large crowd lined up.
Wait in line for a few minutes.
The line moved pretty quickly and it was soon his turn.
“Where are you from?”
“I attended as a representative of the commander of my 6th Division.”
The female comrade at the information desk glances at him.
“Oh, are you here as a representative of the reactionary Choi Dong-cheol?”
Choi Dong-cheol is a reactionary… .
The word reactionary made me feel the atmosphere of the current situation anew.
“you’re right.”
“Are you Lieutenant Commander Lee Young-ho? Please show me your party membership card.”
“All right.”
But how do you know my name?
A moment of doubt crossed my mind, but there was no reason for me not to know.
Especially in a situation like now, all the lists are probably being confirmed more definitely, so shouldn’t we see it as something natural?
I couldn’t help but believe that it wasn’t just a bad thing.
Lee Young-ho quickly took out his party membership card from his bosom and handed it over.
The female comrade briefly examined the party membership card and then handed it back to him. At the same time, she gave him something else.
“Take these with you. When you get in, sit in row 2, number 36. Don’t forget. Row 2, number 36.”
“Thank you.”
Number 36 in row 2.
I walked away, mumbling the seat number to myself, as if I was afraid I would forget it.
He accepted the items given to him and immediately entered the convention hall.
The convention hall already had quite a few party members seated and waiting.
What’s surprising is that even though so many people are gathered, it’s as quiet as a mouse.
“Number 36 in row 2… .”
Lee Young-ho went to his seat, mumbling the number in a very small voice.
When I arrived at my seat, everyone sitting around me was wearing military uniforms.
It looks like the soldiers are gathered on one side.
However, something particularly unusual about them caught Lieutenant Colonel Lee Young-ho’s eye.
The thing was that they all looked like they were around my age.
There was not a single general-level official in sight who would attend the party convention.
A thought crossed Lieutenant Lee Young-ho’s mind, but he tried not to think about it too deeply.
How long did I have to sit down and wait?
Before we knew it, the party convention hall was full.
Inside the convention center, a quiet atmosphere is maintained.
The moment when you wonder when it will start.
That was when.
[rising!!]
At the loud noise, everyone in the party hall jumped to their feet.
And this one appears with a heavy load on his back and powerful steps.
In fact, most of the people here don’t know who the author is.
The only thing we know for sure is that the author is now a powerful figure in the party.
Thud thud.
He walked to the center and sat down in the empty center seat.
The seat where the party leader always sat.
It was Kim Jeong-dong’s seat.
Then he reached out and adjusted the installed microphone.
[Ah. Hmm! At around 5 o’clock on the 12th! Comrade Kim Jong-dong and his family were killed by evil rebels.]
The content goes straight to the main point without any greetings.
His tone was extremely aggressive, as if to show how angry he was.
[Here I, Kim Chol-ryeong! Immediately deal with the subversive elements within our Security Department! Rapidly dispatch our units to various locations! Summon 1,624 traitors who had sympathized with the rebellion and execute them on the spot! The ringleader is Choe Hae-ryong, Director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People’s Army! Kim Pyong-chol, Marshal of the Korean People’s Army! Ri Gil-yong, General of the Korean People’s Army! The Korean people… ]
His name is Kim Cheol-ryeong.
Those three characters were engraved on everyone in the hall.
The people Kim Cheol-ryeong mentioned afterwards were all big names.
Not only in military rank, but even Choi Hae-ryong, who was first mentioned, was a formidable figure, being a member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the Workers’ Party of Korea and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly.
If you just look at the business cards, Kim Jeong-dong was the next most powerful person.
A person like that would rebel? No, the countless generals under him?
By this point, everyone here had no choice but to notice.
Who really started the rebellion?
[…more!]
After finishing his speech, which had lasted quite a while, he picked up the glass of water next to him and drank, as if his throat was choking.
After that, the person sitting next to him started speaking.
He was a quiet man who was so powerful that most people knew him even if he didn’t attend the party convention.
A politician who did not serve in the military, he was a man with so much power that he was called the number two man in North Korea.
He was a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea and a deputy director of the Organization and Guidance Department, holding the power over personnel affairs in the party.
The Republic. That is, the real power of the Workers’ Party of Korea is summarized in three things.
These are military power, personnel power, and intelligence agency operation power.
And the person currently at the center of the Workers’ Party of Korea, Kim Chol-ryeong, owns the authority to operate the intelligence agency through the secret police organization called the Ministry of State Security.
And then he took over the power of appointment by winning over the quiet man sitting next to him, and lastly, the overwhelming military power of an unknown origin.
In other words, since he already has those three things in his hands and is wielding them, this republic is already in the hands of a man named Kim Cheol-ryeong.
[Our Organization and Guidance Department would like to inform you that we are trying to resolve this issue by temporarily electing the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea in order to fill the administrative vacuum resulting from this urgent matter.]
The position of First Secretary remains vacant to this day.
Originally, it was Kim Jong-dong’s position, but after he was promoted to General Secretary, it was kept as a position in case of emergency.
It seemed like Kim Cheol-ryeong was currently trying to use that spot.
Jo Yong-eun spoke in a very soft voice, unlike Kim Cheol-ryeong.
There was never a time when the voice was raised.
[The list of candidates for the election includes Comrade Kim Chol-ryong of the Ministry of State Security, Organization Secretary Jo Yong-woo, and Premier of the Cabinet Kim Hun-dok. However, I, Jo Yong-woo, have already assumed the important duty of a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, and therefore I hereby declare that I will voluntarily withdraw from the election.]
Quiet, who said he was on the list to run for office, but then suddenly announced his resignation.
And then suddenly someone in the auditorium stood up.
The person on the list was Kim Hoon-deok.
[I, Kim Hoon-deok, am of advanced age and am physically weak, and therefore I am unable to perform my duties. Therefore, I hereby declare my voluntary resignation.]
He also suddenly declared his resignation.
Then he sat down again.
[Since there are no other candidates, we will then hold a vote in favor of electing Comrade Kim Cheol-ryeong of the Ministry of State Security as First Secretary. Those who are in favor are advised to submit their ballots in favor.]
Clank. Clank.
The back door of the convention center, which had been closed, was opened.
As soon as Jo Yong-wook finished speaking, armed soldiers waiting in front of the door came down the passage carrying the ballot box.
The ballot box has ‘Agree’ written in large letters.
The soldiers began to come down, counting each person and taking their ballots.
The election box soon arrived next to Lieutenant Colonel Lee Young-ho.
When it was his turn, Lieutenant Lee Young-ho hurriedly began searching for a ballot paper among the items he had received.
The ballot paper he quickly found had his name printed in large letters.
They wrote down the names in advance and handed them out.
This was the ballot paper.
He put his ballot in the ballot box.
Comrade Kim Chol-ryeong agreed to be promoted to First Secretary, currently the highest position in the Workers’ Party of Korea.
The soldiers climbed up onto the stage carrying the ballot boxes.
Then, the secretariat party members who were sitting opened the ballot box and started checking the ballots on the spot.
“Lee Jin-hyeok agrees!”
“Choi Byeong-gyu agrees!”
He began counting the votes by calling out the names of those who voted in favor.
I counted the tickets for quite some time.
“4,992 votes in favor out of 4,992 total delegates!”
After hearing the results, Jo Yong-i began to calmly present again.
[We hereby announce that Comrade Kim Chol-ryong has been elected as First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea by unanimous vote of all delegates.]
After finishing his speech, Jo Yong-eun stood up and began to applaud.
Clap clap clap clap.
Then, the representatives who participated in the convention quickly stood up and began to applaud.
Lieutenant Colonel Lee Young-ho also stood up and applauded after seeing this.
Clap clap clap clap.
A thunderous applause echoed throughout the venue.
Should we continue for a while?
Soon, Kim Cheol-ryeong, who had been watching quietly, raised his hand.
At one gesture from his hand, everyone stood still at once.
Kim Cheol-ryeong, who confirmed that it had become quiet, adjusted the microphone with his hand again.
[Dear people of the entire country, soldiers of the People’s Army, and fellow countrymen. This country is now in an unprecedented crisis. However, I believe that if we all always and unwaveringly trust and follow the Party even in the midst of difficulties and trials, we will be able to overcome any difficulty. As the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, I will create a new Republic and… ]
Kim Cheol-ryeong’s speech has changed significantly.
Everyone at the party convention hall began to hold their breath as they listened to his acceptance speech.