21st Century Goguryeo

December 11th, 2023, 09:30

An underground bunker at the Blue House National Crisis Center, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Namju

Director Lee Young-jin and Director Kang Ki-won visited the underground bunker conference room to attend the NSC (National Security Council) convened early in the morning. They had with them the final report based on Jjang chun's statements and confessions which had been collated over the past several days.

The NSC frequently convened in the underground bunker of the Blue House National Crisis Center due to the Korean-Russian war. Today it had gathered to receive an interim briefing from the National Intelligence Service on the plasma core technology leak related to Professor Woo Jin-gil.

With the NSC members seated at both tables and President Choo Eun-hee at the head, Director Kang Ki-won began the briefing while standing next to a wall equipped with a screen.

Director Kang Ki-won, who held a microphone in one hand, continued his briefing on the three days following the arrest of Jjang chun, focusing on information obtained through intensive interrogation.

During the 20-minute briefing, standing members who attended the NSC meeting listened, in what felt like a serious atmosphere.

"This concludes the interim briefing on the plasma core technology leak."

Director Kang Ki-won, who put the microphone down on the podium table, bowed his head and made his way to the seat behind Director Lee Young-jin.

"Is it those Chinese again? Those troublemakers are always interfering with our country and not helping us. Shouldn't we take this opportunity to take action against them as we did to Japan?"

"That's right. We shouldn't let it go. Just as we took action against Japan two years ago, the People's Liberation Army of the New China must be abolished and our Armed Forced should be stationed there so it won't happen again."

Kim Young-chul, deputy prime minister of the Ministry of Unification Policy, who is from North Korea and is considered conservative as a bureaucrat, patted the table lightly and looked around at the other top committee members. In response, Minister of Justice Park Bum-tae did not hesitate to make a sympathetic remark as well.

Two years ago, South Korea, which won a series of wars against Japan, China, and the United States, called the First Northeast Asian War, ended things amicably with peaceful discussions with the United States. However, things with China and Japan were different.

In the case of Japan, Korea had been ruled by Japanese colonial rule for 36 years, starting with the Gyeongsul government in 1910. The Japanese surrender clause, which was iron-clad had the Republic of Korea Armed Forces stationed in Japanese territory for 100 years.

Even at the time of the end of the Korean-Chinese War, there were opinions that the Chinese surrender clause should include the abolition of the People's Liberation Army and the Korean Armed Forces stationed in Sangju. However, some bureaucrats opposed it. They felt that it was not enough for just the Republic of Korea Armed Forces to be stationed in the Chinese territory, which is dozens of times larger than the Korean Peninsula. Instead, they wanted to separate the independence of the minorities and the Han tribe in China into at least two.

As a result, China, formerly called the G2, disappeared as minority ethnic groups became independent and Han Chinese-centered China was divided into three countries, but China's military power, which inherited the Communist Party, was stronger than expected and continued to grow after two years of civil war.

Minister Park Bum-tae pointed out this part. He wanted to say that if China's People's Liberation Army was completely abolished at the time of the war and the ROK Armed Forces were stationed, he would not have thought of doing this.

"I also agree with Deputy Prime Minister Kim or Minister Park's opinion, but now we have to recover or discard the leaked plasma core technology. I think we should take national measures after that."

In this unification regime, Minister Lim Tae-yeon, who was reappointed as the Minister of Next-Generation Technology and Cooperation, cautiously expressed his opinion to calm down the tension in the conference room.

"Right. I think the recovery or disposal of key technologies leaked just by Minister Lim's words comes first. As mentioned during the briefing, isn't the NIS currently doing well? I hope you don't rush to mediate disagreements on the measures to be taken in the future in New China."

Prime Minister Lee Yoon-yeon added Minister Lim Tae-yeon's opinion in a calm tone. However, the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, known as a conservative, vented with enthusiasm again. Seeing his expression twitching, he seemed excited.

"Shouldn't the National Intelligence Service do things their way and put political pressure on New China? We're not the same Republic of Korea that we used to be."

What Minister Jung Tae-guk said while his saliva sprayed everywhere, was never wrong. It was not a time when the Republic of Korea, which achieved the unification of the two Korean nations and now reached an equal position with the United States, was surrounded by neighboring powers and could not express political influence. Whether politically, economically or militarily, the Republic of Korea was a powerhouse among the powers that could say what they wanted to say to any country.

"Let me tell you something."

Minister Kang Yi-sik of the Ministry of National Defense slightly raised his hand and opened his mouth.

"I feel the same way as Minister Jung, and I would also like to advise the president to put military pressure on New China. However, the Republic of Korea is currently at war with Russia. The war is currently in favor of the Republic of Korea, but if a war breaks out with New China, while we can win, I think our Armed Forces might suffer considerable damage."

The president and other standing committee members listened carefully to Minister Kang Yi-sik.

"I think we should officially take action against New China after the Korean-Russian war while waiting for the leaked confidential technology to be recovered or discarded."

"Well, I see. Our Armed Forces have fought so well that we sometimes forget that we are at war with Russia. Hahaha."

The atmosphere of the conference room quickly became friendly due to the calm opinions of Minister Cha and Minister Kang Yi-sik, who had conflicting opinions between the two sides, and Deputy Prime Minister Kim Young-chul's joking remarks. President Choo Eun-hee, who had only been listening so far, opened her mouth.

"Thank you for that. Every one of your opinions are important. I also think recovery and disposal of the leaked confidential technology is the top priority right now. Also, although it can put a lot of pressure on New China, what if it continues to cover up the secrets stolen by New China? I think things might become difficult for our NIS agents working in Beijing. What do you think, Director Lee?"

President Choo Eun-hee, who was calmly speaking, turned her head toward Director Lee Young-jin and asked a question.

"Yes, Mdm. President! As Mdm. President has said, we hope that we will not have to officially take any action against New China until we recover or discard the leaked confidential technology. Everyone knows how frustrating it is. If we can wait for a while, we might be able to get good results."

Director Lee Young-jin looked around at the various standing committee members and answered. Everyone nodded and accepted it.

* * *

December 13th, 2023, 18:00 (New China time: 17:00)

The Secret House of the Foreign Intelligence Bureau, Huairou District, Beijing City, New China

Manager Lee Ja-sung, who safely transported Jjang chun to the Korean National Intelligence Service, and the rest of the teams that had remained in Macau had all moved to Beijing.

Foreign Information Division 1, which joined Namgoong-won in Beijing, immediately jumped into the operation to recover the leaked plasma core technology.

During the day, he disguised himself as a tourist to collect information on the Black Tiger headquarters as well as the internal network server room of the President's room, and at night, he established an operation plan on how to proceed in the future based on information that had been hacked and decrypted. However, even though it had been almost a week, it has not been able to collect such information and has not reached the level that external network hacking data could be used.

Accordingly, Manager Namgoong-won convened a meeting with the Foreign Intelligence Division 1 and all agents to take special measures.

When it was evening, the Foreign Intelligence Division 1agents who were out returned to the secret safe house as if they were getting back from work.

Due to the convocation of the emergency meeting, the agents came in two hours earlier than other days and gathered at the fireplace which was installed on one wall of the living room, perhaps suffering from the increasingly cold Beijing weather.

"Ah, why is it so cold today? I thought my ears were about to fall off."

Chief Yoon Tae-jin wrapped his hands around his coffee cup and put them on his nose to breathe in the scent. Beijing's winter temperature in December averaged at minus 3 degrees Celsius, but perhaps due to abnormal temperatures, it has been going down to minus 10 degrees Celsius these days. It even began snowing plummeting temperatures down to minus 13 degrees Celsius.

The agents were able to maintain their body temperature thanks to the protective suit, but their faces and ears had to endure the cold air that they were exposed to.

"Chief! Please use this from tomorrow."

When Yoo Ha-yeon, the only female manager of the second team, handed it over, Chief Yoon Tae-jin opened it and removed a pair of cute earmuffs out of a paper box and shook it.

"What? Earmuffs?"

"Yes, isn't it cute? I bought them because I thought of you while I was out working today.

"Oh! I'm thankful but as an intelligence agent, if I wear things like this, it won't quite suit my reputation."

"Hmph! I bought it thinking about you."

At this time, when Chief Park Gi-woong came in and snatched the earmuffs that Manager Yoo Ha-yeon was holding and put them on his head.

"Oh! It's warm! I like it! If you don't like it, I'll use it. Manager Yoo!"

"Hey! That's mine! Give it to me!"

When Yoon Tae-jin moved toward him to try to take it away, Park Gi-woong turned around and avoided it.

"You said you didn't want it! You said it'd spoil your reputation! Why? You don't want to use it and you don't want to give it to others?"

Chief Park Gi-woong, who clenched his earmuffs with both hands, even stuck out his tongue and teased him.

"Who told that I didn't want to use it? Give it to me!"

"Oh, stop it. Hahaha, I bought a lot to give to you all."

When the two chiefs scuffled like a child over a pair of earmuffs, Chief Yoo Ha-yeon burst into laughter and took several earmuffs out of the paper box.

"Why is it so noisy? If you're all here, you should've prepared for the meeting!"

Manager Lee Ja-sung, who came down from upstairs with manager Namgoong-won, sat on the sofa, scolding the two team chiefs who were scuffling.

"Not yet! Chief of team four and the team members haven't arrived yet."

Chief Shin Eun-ha, the third team Chief, said when she saw the agents gathered in the living room.

"Team four? Oh! Team four will be a little late. I have something else to discuss. So, everyone is here except for team four, right?"

"Yes, sir! We're all here."

"Good! Let's start the meeting!"

"Yes, all right."

About ten agents looked at one wall and sat on the floor or chair in the living room.

"Then, shall we begin?"

"Okay!"

At the words of manager Lee Ja-sung, Namgoong-won stood in front of the agents and began the meeting.

"The reason I asked for an emergency meeting was that as much as our agents are suffering we have not been getting the results we are after. So I am going to change things up a bit which could be a little dangerous."

Manager Namgoong-won took a glance at the agents looking at him, looked around, and continued to talk.

"As everyone knows, we tried to decrypt all the hacked data from the external network server in the president's office but we could not find any useful information. Also, the probability that agents can get the information we need through external activities is unknown. So if we can't find it, I think we should make sure that the information we need comes out on its own."

"What does that mean? What do you mean to let it come out on its own?"

Team one manager, Gangwon Il, raised his hand like an elementary school student and asked a question.

"That's literally what I mean. If we can't find it, we have to make the necessary information appear on its own! This is it."

Manager Namgoong-won pointed to a large TV that just turned on. On the TV screen, several pictures and symbols were depicted.

"Well, I don't have to show you this kind of picture but I'm trying to make it as easy for you to understand as much as possible."

"Oh, that's…"

As experts in the field of computer hacking, Na Sung-hyun and Kim Young-kyun of the special security team pretended to know what it was at the same time.