Colonel Jang Yong-Suk was in his element at last.
Up until a few days ago, he was still only a major. And he was a major only because his friend and classmate, Kim Yu-shin, interceded on his behalf, giving him a promotion from captain. North Korean authorities never knew what to make of him. He had a true photographic memory and was a whiz at logistics. However, he never could bring himself to immerse himself in the cruelty that was required of all officers. His personnel record was filled with negative remarks, sometimes ending with "Not suitable for command." That was all in the past. He was now the official minister of refugees. He had already memorized the lists of people deported from China and the lists of people executed during the past 40 years. Now it was his job to make the assignments to bring home the hundreds of thousands of Korean refugees living in China. * * * * * Talvela and Lieutenant Song were walking through the camp. They came upon a recently abandoned building. "This is where pigeon torture was carried out, where the wrists of victims were tied behind them to a bar situated about 1/2 of the height of an adult, forcing the victim to endure in a crouched position, being unable to sit or stand for hours at a time. Other victims had been forced to stand in poses that one could normally only tolerate for a matter of minutes, with severe beatings following lapses," she explained. He looked inside but stayed in the sunlight. "Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing," he pondered aloud. Lieutenant Choi walked over to them. "Sergeant Paek told me that you wanted to see me." "I have an idea concerning the buildup of Chinese vehicles on the border," said Talvela. * * * * * General Grant called his friend Alfred Terry, commander of US forces in Japan. "Al, I need you to make most of the Asians in your command unhappy. Please have all commissaries in Japan gather up all brown rice and canned tuna. Use any discretionary funds to buy more rice. Send it to me as soon as you can," said General Grant. "So the announcement is on the level? North Korea really has replaced the Kim family?" asked General Terry. "It seems so. The American who made the video announcement called me. We discussed his plan and I think he's got a good one. We will also need any spare tents, cots, and medical supplies, as well as all the medical personnel you can spare. Think in terms of the humanitarian disaster we had in the Nazi death camps," explained General Grant. "I'll have something for you by later today. Keep me informed, okay?" asked General Terry. "Roger that." “Get in touch with Doctors Without Borders,” ordered General Grant, speaking to an aide. He dialed the duty officer at the White House. * * * * * The two little girls looked like something out of a Charles Dickens novel. It was not obvious at first because of their dirty faces, tattered clothing, and ratty hair, but they were twins: Tan-na and Kan-na "I found them hiding in some bushes," said Major Seo. "I asked them where their parents were and they told me that they were orphans." Lieutenant Song bent down and asked them, "Where are your parents?" "They are dead," both replied at once as only twins can do. "How did they die?" asked Lieutenant Song knowing full well that she did not want to hear the answer. "They were killed because they stole food to feed us," explained Tan-na. Major Seo had also brought the camp commander, Moon Dung-me who had been captured alive. Talvela saw the growing look of sheer hatred on Lieutenant Song's face and he jumped in. "Why were these girls left to fend for themselves in the camp?" he demanded. Moon was unapologetic. "Their parents were enemies of the state! Their children are therefore also enemies of the state! They got what they deserved!" Talvela began speaking in a cold fury. "When professionals hang someone, they place the proper amount of weight on the person's legs so that his neck is broken quickly. But when amateurs like us hang someone, the results are never pretty. Sometimes amateurs place too much weight on the legs. When that happens, the head pops off just like on a Pez dispenser. When we hang you, I will make sure no weight is placed on your legs. Your neck will not break. You will flop around at the end of your rope like a fish on a hook. Why, I bet it will take a full minute for you to choke to death." Talvela leaned in close to his face, "And I bet that minute seems like an hour." Moon's eyes were as big as saucers. Talvela bent down in front of the girls and told them, "We will take care of you until we find you a good home, okay?" Both girls nodded in unison. Talvela turned to Major Seo. "Do you know if the camp has any clean clothes in their size?" he asked. "We have new clothes in the storeroom nearest my office!" Moon blurted out, almost in a panic. Talvela looked at him and said: "Perhaps there is hope for you yet. But the day is not yet finished." Moon shivered. Kan-na said something too softly for Talvela to hear. He bent down and asked her to repeat it. "We were really scared sleeping in the bushes all alone last night. Wild animals sniffed us like they wanted to eat us," whispered Kan-na. Tan-na continued the thought. "Our father always sang us a song when we were frightened. Will you sing us a song?" "Not me; North Korea has renounced the use of torture," whispered Talvela to Lieutenant Song. Lieutenant Song gave him a sad smile, turned toward the twins, and said, "I will sing you a lullaby I learned in the orphanage." * * * * * "Look, South Korean soap operas!" declared one North Korean teenager as she played with her smart phone which had previously only displayed insipid, jingoistic DPRK programming. They were sitting outside the fence surrounding the Swiss embassy, near a sign which advertised free Wi-Fi and noted the channel. "So cool!" answered her friend. * * * * * Talvela, Lieutenant Song, Lieutenant Choi, and Sergeant Paek were standing near the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge connecting North Korea and China. "Okay, it's a simple concept. China is probably just gathering vehicles just in case, but we can portray it as a Chinese military intervention, that Chinese military forces will cross the bridge at any moment," began Talvela. "Han-na, we need a slogan with a good rhythm, like: Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot; intimidation and propaganda are all we got," offered Talvela. Lieutenant Song smiled and shook her head. "So, does this work in Korean? North, South, it's all the same; the Korean peninsula belongs to us alone!" he chanted. "Not literally, but if I phrase it differently, it will have a rhythm," answered Lieutenant Song. "Sung-hui, let's say it together." "North, South, it's all the same, the Korean peninsula belongs to us alone!" they both chanted in unison. "Yes, it has a certain quality," offered Lieutenant Choi. "Not bad at all." "Okay, you guys, let's get rolling. I want to go live with this. Let's start with a pan of the bridge showing the Chinese vehicles on the other side. Then we'll go to a close-up of the two lieutenants chanting," directed Talvela to the assembled group including the television crew. "You guys?" mouthed Lieutenant Choi. * * * * * "Mi-ja, is that you?" asked Colonel Ko, speaking into his satellite phone. "There appears to be quite a bit of crowd noise there." "Father? FATHER?" shouted Mi-ja. She ran into the entrance of a nearby restaurant while waving at her brother, Yun-bok. "It's father!" "Yes, father, I'm in Seoul with Yun-bok in the middle of a protest. Is mother there?" she asked. "No, she is not here with me. What do you mean, protest?" asked Colonel Ko. "Two female lieutenants, from both Koreas, were on television. The camera footage showed Chinese military units staging to cross the Amnok and invade the North. Many of us are here, ditching school or whatever. I have seen groups of people dressed in company uniforms. They chanted this great slogan, 'North, South, it's all the same, the Korean peninsula belongs to us alone!' We're doing the same thing here. The noise is much louder than any sports event I've attended," explained Mi-ja. "But Yun-bok and I would like some answers. The last we saw you, you told us that we had to leave North Korea immediately. You never told us why. Your plans for us worked out perfectly, but we never knew what happened to you and mother," continued Mi-ja. "Your mother's idiot brother got caught reselling military hardware. I was given a call by one of my friends that his family and friends would be arrested, even me, a colonel. I had to make some fast decisions. Your mother's health was not good and she refused to leave the country. I refused to leave her, so the next best thing was to arrange for you and Yun-bok to leave immediately. I used both my influence and bribes to ensure that you two could get into and through China. Some ethnic Koreans met you after you crossed the river, correct?" asked Colonel Ko. "Yes, and then we traveled to Beijing. Those Koreans were worth their weight in gold. They arranged for a diversion, fake violence outside the South Korean embassy, and when the Chinese guards left their posts, we ran into the embassy. There was a small group of us and we all made it," continued Mija. "Oh, good. I ended up in a labor camp and never heard what happened. I had to make many calls to find you in Seoul," said Colonel Ko. "But what about mother? Was she put in the camp too? Where is she?" implored Mi-ja. "I wish I was there to tell you in person," started Colonel Ko. "Remember I took you and Yun-bok to the guard station and bid you farewell, with your mother staying home because she said she was feeling unwell. When I returned home, I found a note from her. She had ... hanged herself because she felt she could not handle the camp." "No, no, NO!" shrieked Mi-ja. "I'm sorry. She must have hanged herself soon after I left because she was long past help when I found her. I was arrested shortly thereafter and never even had the chance to bury her," explained Colonel Ko. * * * * * "I was quite worried that the artillery units would not be immediately subdued. There were 10,000-20,000 artillery units within range of Seoul, right?" asked Talvela. "Yes, but that was not the worst thing. There were many chemical munitions as well as high explosive ones," explained Colonel Chun. "And then there would have been a deadly stampede of people trying to escape the city," added Lieutenant Song. "It would have been death and destruction on an industrial scale," observed Colonel Chun. "By the way, did you come up with the 'We are one people' signs idea or did you borrow the idea from somewhere else?" "The latter. Posters with that sentiment appeared in reunified Germany right after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Their signs read 'Wir sind ein Volk,' we are one people, or 'Wir sind das Volk,' we are the people, the latter of which was similar to 'We are the 99%' from Occupy America," answered Talvela. "Christian, did you notice the other signs?" asked Lieutenant Song. "No, Han-na, what did they say?" asked Talvela. "They really got in the spirit of it all. One sign I saw read 'Food for Korean children.' Another read 'North + South = Korea' -- must have been an engineer," joked Lieutenant Song. Talvela smiled and looked at her for more than a few seconds. She returned the glance and continued smiling. "Everyone got in the spirit. At first I was very worried about the paltry number of officers we had, but new officers joined in very quickly. I really think all we needed was the spark and an unquenchable bonfire resulted," declared Colonel Chun. Lieutenant Song glanced at a television. "Holy cow, look at that! The streets of Seoul are jammed with people! I've never seen it like that, not even during the run-up to the impeachment!" "The announcer said before you arrived that there are probably two million people protesting. Traffic is at a standstill. Colleges canceled class for the day and asked all students to protest in front of the Chinese and Russian embassies, but most people never even get close. The mayor ordered all aircraft to avoid flying over the huge crowds just in case one of them loses power," explained Colonel Chun. "Most of the time the crowd chants what you said before." The two lieutenants looked at each other in amazement. * * * * * "Doesn't anyone want to go home?" asked Colonel Ko, back in Camp 22. "I've never been able to eat so much in my life," said one former prisoner of the labor camp. "Why leave now?" "Unlimited rice, tuna, vegetables, chicken, and beef! I think I'll stay here for a year and fatten up," added another. "Besides, I've got no home to go to. My apartment was given to someone else," said another. "I saw how the troops looked at our meal tables with more food than they had ever seen. And the military always had the best and most food! The war was over for them right then and there," added another. "Look, they're bringing boxes of Choco Pies! Yum, yum! Let's go!" shouted another, as a number of them headed for the food tents. * * * * * "Mr. Ambassador, I will make you a proposal. The Japanese government will decide whether to accept," stated Talvela. The Japanese ambassador to South Korea, Kichisaburo Nomura, said nothing. "At the signing of the peace treaty between the two Koreas, the Japanese Emperor will make a speech. This speech will begin by explaining how Japan invaded the Korean peninsula near the end of the 1800s. In 1910, Japan formally annexed Korea. But then Japan proceeded to wipe Korea and Korean culture off the map. Japan forbade the speaking and writing of the Korean language. He will announce that Japan forced perhaps as many as 200,000 women, 80% of them Korean, to be prostitutes for the Japanese army. Japan then added insult to injury by labeling them as 'comfort women' as if their being forced into prostitution was no big deal. He will apologize for the actions of the Japanese government at the time," declared Talvela. "Then Colonel Chun will accept the Emperor's apology. He will add that North Korea also perpetrated some terrible deeds, namely the kidnapping of ordinary Japanese civilians in order to facilitate language training for DPRK spies. He will announce that, starting immediately, teams of North Korean, South Korean, and Japanese officers will form to search for all living abductees. He will admit that he has no idea how many Japanese were kidnapped, but that the truth will be revealed via archive searches and interviews of relevant officials. He will conclude by apologizing for ruining the lives of abductees and their families," continued Talvela. "The alternative is that no Japanese are invited to the signing, with no mention of the abductees. If a reporter asks a question on the matter, we will simply mention that an offer was made to the Japanese government. Perhaps there will be a public uproar in Japan over this matter," concluded Talvela. "I will communicate your position to the government," replied Ambassador Nomura. * * * * * "General Grant, you are out of uniform," declared Talvela. "Who said anything about a general? I'm just Hiram Grant. I tell everyone to just say 'Hi, Hi' when they see me," joked General Grant. "Does anyone actually do that?" asked Talvela, smiling at the dumb joke. "Well, no. Everyone just looks at me like I've lost my mind," said General Grant. "Generals are not people to be trifled with, you know," chided Talvela. "But I won't be an active duty general for much longer now. I was able to put off my official retirement in exchange for taking leave of my position as commander of US forces in South Korea. Being able to run the refugee camp here is the best possible way to end my career," explained General Grant. "Were there any surprises, general?" asked Lieutenant Song. "Not really. The camp has three entrances: men, women, and small families. They are handed a Ziploc bag for their valuables. They strip and throw their ratty clothes into a trash bin. For women and girls, nurses give them a buzz-cut to ensure that lice remain behind. Then everyone takes a long, hot shower. We give them new clothes and give them a number for medical processing. We examine everyone for medical and dental problems. One thing that was not a surprise, but still plays havoc with our schedule is that almost everyone needs dental work. We do not have enough dentists to work everyone in, so the camp is quickly filling up with tens of thousands of people. We had to construct a few more tents for the overflow," continued General Grant. "And to be honest, I get the distinct impression that no one minds being in line for the dentist. That means they can continue to eat as much as they want. I am not sure if anyone has left yet. Food is becoming an issue. Al Terry, commander of US forces in Japan, sends me all the food he can, but holy cow, these people were starving. We might have to bring out the fire hoses to convince them to leave!" joked General Grant. "Christian, Han-na!" cried a squeaky voice behind them. Yoo Tok-ki almost knocked them down in her attempt to hug them. "It is so good to see you!" she declared. "Same here. Are you working here in the refugee camp?" asked Lieutenant Song. "Yes. When I heard that a refugee camp was being built, I traveled to the DMZ, stood in the roadway, and demanded that I be taken along," she said breathlessly. "She climbed onto the hood of my truck, so we had to take her with us. She rode in my truck along with my South Korean XO. Can't ignore enthusiasm like that!" beamed General Grant. * * * * * Lieutenant Song walked back to Talvela's hotel along with him. They walked past a row of televisions which were replaying his speech for the nth time: VIDEO STARTS: CHRISTIAN TALVELA: In 480 BC, 300 brave Spartans, along with other Greeks, held off an enormous invading army for one week. This heroic action convinced Greeks to forget their petty differences, banding together to defeat the enemy at the gate. Here in the north of this peninsula, events are already underway to eliminate a government which would have been familiar to slaves, peons, and serfs throughout history. A group of brave Korean military officers -- call them "The One Hundred" -- have taken control of the government and military. All weapons of mass destruction are under the direction of new management. The situation remains fluid, so we caution the leaders of China, Russia, and the USA to stay out of this; China's practice of using North Korea as a buffer zone between it and the West is now at an end. Any interference by outside countries may result in WWIII. We invite South Korean President Shon Joon-ho, along with representatives from China, Russia, the USA, and the United Nations, to travel to Panmunjom to sign a permanent peace treaty with the North. Our only condition involves the DMZ. We insist that it be converted into a permanent nature preserve with no future development allowed. A coast-to-coast hiking trail must be built including primitive stone huts for those who wish to stay overnight, absorb the new-found peace and tranquility, and admire the majestic red cranes. The DMZ always divided Koreans; from now on it will bring them together. Northerners: if you are given an order to fire on your fellow Koreans, make a wrong turn somewhere, become lost for a few hours, and wait for reunification fever to engulf your peninsula. Southerners: demand that your government immediately send food and aid to help eliminate the tension which has existed for over 60 years. Officials who delude themselves with thoughts of closing the border will be trampled, first by Koreans and then by history. Korean expatriates: emulate Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz; click your heels three times and repeat to yourself, there's no place like home. There's no place like home. To rebuild the shattered lives here, we need farmers, teachers, engineers, doctors, dentists, nurses, and public health workers. We do not need carpetbaggers, grifters, politicians, or religious nuts. We call on Doctors Without Borders to help us establish an out-processing center for the almost two hundred thousand souls, including entire extended families, involuntarily dwelling in the six major prison camps. President Shon Joon-ho -- launch your caravans of hope and family reconciliation. VIDEO ENDS: They were having such a nice conversation he almost didn't notice that she accompanied him all the way to the door of his room. Almost. "Han-na, don't you get enough of me during the day?" playfully asked Talvela as he inserted the key card into the lock and opened the door. She giggled, pushed him back gently, and shut the door behind her. Copyright 2020 Pete Prunskunas - All rights reserved.
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April 2024
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