Chapter 94

SIDE EP - Puppet Play

[There are three reasons why Won Ok-bun should not become the President. First, she used the military for political purposes. Second, she is using the military for political purposes. Third, she will use the military for political purposes.]

[Please refrain from excessive negative campaigning.]

[This is not negative campaigning but facts. When did she not dissolve the reserve forces and the guilds? Now, to win the election, she is calling up the reserve forces to retake Seoul—]

[There has never been any talk of re-mobilizing the reserve forces!]

[Then how do you plan to retake Seoul?]

[That requires more careful discussion—]

[How can the Chief of Political Affairs at the Blue House not answer such a question?]

[Advisor Lee Ho-jeong! Do not take state affairs so lightly! This is an issue that requires more thorough discussion—]

[Then you should have discussed it and spoken about it. Who is taking politics lightly? You are engaging in populism without any discussion—]

[Please stick to your speaking time!]

[What needs to be upheld is not the speaking time but principles. With 1.5 trillion won embezzled from the defense budget. Who had the prosecutor indict someone for a small food donation to soldiers? That person, Han Seung-moon—]

[Please stop spreading false information!]

[It came from Commander Kim Doo-sik.]

“Kyaah...!”

A cold, calm female voice countered the excited middle-aged voice. The face of the Chief of Political Affairs at the Blue House was flushed red, while Lee Ho-jeong maintained a poker face.

“The image is coming. The image is coming.”

“Indeed, the fighting spirit is strong.”

In the office, Han Seung-moon, who was watching the TV debate, sighed in admiration, and Yang Il-ho, who was sitting next to him, smiled and spoke.

“I really didn’t expect the situation to unfold like this...”

“Indeed...”

“Is someone inside the Blue House helping her...?”

“Who knows...”

Debates are not the flower of the election, but they are certainly one of the largest leaves. Countless politicians have risen and fallen through debates, making them a significant variable.

[The policy of retaking Seoul is a highly authoritarian idea. It sounds like something the Nazis would do—]

[Hey!]

[Is it not a policy that kills people?]

And Lee Ho-jeong was raging as if she had found her calling, diving straight into the main points with provocative word choices that resonated with the audience.

Moreover, she made her opponent angry first and then pretended to be calm herself.

“Indeed, someone who has been on SNS for a long time is different...”

“With 10 years of Twitter experience, you could be a debate master.”

“Releasing a keyboard warrior into the world...”

If Lee Ho-jeong heard this, she would immediately counter, “It’s not Twitter, it’s Instagram!” But the magical sound of the doorbell made Yang Il-ho jump up.

“Yes!”

Yang Il-ho opened the front door with a smile as bright as Kim Gu, and a delivery person in a helmet extended a metal bag.

“One sweet and sour pork, one black bean sauce noodles, one spicy seafood noodles, right?”

“Yes!”

“It’s 198,900 won.”

Yang Il-ho extended his card, but the delivery person waved it off.

“I can’t take that. The card company...”

“Oh, really? When did it go bankrupt?”

“The boss said to only accept Samsung or GS cards...”

Yang Il-ho turned around and shouted.

“Representative!”

“Yeah. I have a card I took from Geum Soon.”

Han Seung-moon, limping, swiped the card, signed the card reader, and even signed the delivery person’s helmet, who was excited to recognize him. Only then could they eat their lunch.

Yang Il-ho shook the unopened black bean sauce noodles vigorously, while Han Seung-moon, without hesitation, opened the sweet and sour pork sauce—

“Aah, aah!”

It spilled.

“...”

Yang Il-ho, with a dead look in his eyes, made a face like Kim Gu after losing the country, and Han Seung-moon asked nonchalantly.

“What? Was it a dip-eat dish?”

“...Why do you do this to me, brother?”

“Hmm. If you’re frustrated, maybe you should grab power.”

“You need to reflect on your character, brother.”

* * *

I am political commentator San Nabi.

The political arena is a mess, and I seem to be posting frequently these days. Whether it’s a good or bad thing, it seems to be a bad thing. The world is a mess, and the political arena is a mess, so I can’t sleep because of the barking dogs.

[A photo of Han Seung-moon with dark circles under his eyes. He looks so tired that it has become a national meme.]

Just a week ago, I expressed my opinion that the next president would be Won Ok-bun.

The main reasons were: Han Seung-moon needs a constitutional amendment to run for president. The National Party is not proposing policies. Won Ok-bun, as the acting president, already holds power.

In reality, the National Party, even Han Seung-moon, fell into the quagmire of negative campaigning, and thanks to Won Ok-bun’s counterattack, the mainstream of the National Party, the Kim Jo-in faction, was completely marginalized. And Won Ok-bun took control of the political situation.

[A photo of Kim Jo-in being summoned by the prosecution. A semi-transparent KBS public broadcasting watermark is visible at the bottom.]

However, I will completely retract my opinion. Won Ok-bun cannot become president.

Who would have known? The task of retaking Seoul, which seemed so obvious, was labeled as Nazi-like authoritarianism, and all the media seemed to be in cahoots, elevating a self-employed person named Shin Su-gwang to a god-like status.

Thus, this new face, Shin Su-gwang, emerged as a rival to Won Ok-bun, maintaining a close race in terms of support. Despite the hype, it’s a mind-numbing result.

At this point, it seems like a typical political anomaly. And I am a commentator who failed to predict it. I have no intention of making excuses. Who can predict natural disasters?

However, the reason I am writing this is that this is not a natural disaster. In other words, it was a carefully planned play from the beginning.

I want to call this election a “puppet play.”

[A photo of a marionette on strings. It looks scary due to the shadow.]

This election has been a meticulously planned propaganda campaign by a strategic force from the beginning.

As I have repeatedly mentioned in previous posts, Won Ok-bun would immediately impose martial law and control the media whenever a minor issue arose. She is the type of person who spends all day checking social media, as evidenced by the warning I received from the National Media Commission. Since then, I flinch whenever I see a Matiz.

However, strangely, all the media except KBS are attacking Won Ok-bun. It’s a rare sight to see the main frames of the Chosun Ilbo and the Hankyoreh align.

However, the media is a group that is highly sensitive to profit. Journalists always arrive first where there is power and money. They are not a group that attacks power.

Therefore, logically, the media attacking Won Ok-bun means that the media is certain that Won Ok-bun will not become the next president.

What’s strange is that they started attacking her when she was effectively the only candidate for the next president.

[A screenshot from Naver News. “Looking back on the first half of the Won Ok-bun administration: Is South Korea truly safe?”]

In other words, the media knew something from the very beginning that the general public did not know, and attacked Won Ok-bun. This means that from the beginning, there was something behind the political situation, and I analyzed it from a highly extreme and conspiratorial perspective. Only then did the pieces fall into place.

‘Puppet masters’ do exist.

The others are merely puppets on strings. I don’t know how many puppets were involved in this intricate social dynamic, but Yang Pan-seok, Han Seung-moon, and Shin Su-gwang can be considered the main puppets.

They dismantled Won Ok-bun’s past, present, and future.

The real start of the political situation was Yang Pan-seok’s negative campaign. This was when Won Ok-bun began to waver. He called her a puppet of Cha Jae-gyun, and there were many convincing recordings.

Yang Pan-seok dismantled the ‘legitimacy’ of the Won Ok-bun administration.

Next was Han Seung-moon. He caused shock with the suicide attempt of Yeo Do-yeon and the acid attack by Seol Jin-won, then brought 30 hunters to shake up the central political scene and framed Won Ok-bun, who was revered as the ‘defense president,’ with a defense scandal. Although she quickly counterattacked and neutralized it, it still had an impact.

Han Seung-moon dismantled the ‘achievements’ of the Won Ok-bun administration.

Next was Shin Su-gwang. A common video on Naver TV’s political channel suddenly went viral, reaching 20 million views and quickly rising to become a presidential candidate for the National Party, achieving the task of blocking the retaking of Seoul. I will discuss the issue of retaking Seoul in another post, but in any case.

Shin Su-gwang dismantled the ‘vision’ of the Won Ok-bun administration.

There are three elements that sustain all political power in human history: the legitimacy of the administration, its achievements, and its vision.

Whether it’s a monarchy or a democracy, an administration without ‘legitimacy’ is caught in historical issues. An administration without ‘achievements’ causes immediate public dissatisfaction. Lastly, an administration without a ‘vision’ is one that cannot create the future the public desires.

These three elements can be seen as the past, present, and future of power.

Therefore, Won Ok-bun, who has lost these three elements, cannot become president.

[A photo of Won Ok-bun. Her face is distorted with a troubled expression.]

However, I also believe that Shin Su-gwang cannot become president. South Korea is a clear elitist society, and the public will never place a self-employed person like him above them.

Moreover, even if the ethical issues of retaking Seoul are pointed out, elections are anonymous, and morality is not directly related to voting. Ultimately, people vote based on their own interests, regardless of others’ lives.

Additionally, while retaking Seoul may now be seen as evil due to media manipulation, it is ultimately a value judgment with clear opposing views. Those who will die in the fight will oppose it, and those who won’t have to fight will support it.

I believe that the puppet master of this grand puppet show will emerge with the magic of a moderate compromise, a national grand compromise, and co-governance and coexistence.

And with the argument for a change of government in the lame-duck Won Ok-bun administration, they will win the election as easily as twisting a child’s wrist.

The puppets have also done well. Yang Pan-seok ousted Kim Jo-in, and Shin Su-gwang quickly rose to a national political figure. As for Han Seung-moon, I don’t know.

Perhaps His Excellency will give him a hat.

[A photo of former President Yu Jae-gwang taking the oath of office. His political advisor, Yang Pan-seok, is smiling with half-closed eyes in the VIP seats behind him.]

*

“Our economy has collapsed, and our national defense is precarious.”

At the Jirisan National Cemetery, where the graves of many hunters are located, numerous journalists were broadcasting live against the backdrop of the towering National Cemetery Tower.

“However, there is a solution. We must achieve national reform. We must adapt to this abnormal society to survive. We must resolve the food crisis through international trade and moseok business, and achieve the national defense mission through scientific and systematic superhuman cultivation.

And only at the end of this long journey of regeneration. We can retake our homeland, I believe.”

With a troubled expression, Yang Pan-seok, embodying all the world’s worries, bowed his head and cried out in a hoarse voice.

“Respected citizens. We must unite...! We must stop the politics of conflict, division, and hatred!”

When he raised his head, his bloodshot eyes were filled with only certainty.

“Therefore, I, Yang Pan-seok, will run for the 21st presidential election and propose a coalition cabinet to the National Party.”

The journalists began to murmur. However, Yang Pan-seok continued his powerful speech without a waver.

“The 5th industrial revolution. And the first abnormal reform! I will establish the most powerful government department in constitutional history! And this is a task that only the people of this land can create!”

The game is over.

“I earnestly request the National Party’s floor leader, Han Seung-moon.”

Please take charge of the Abnormal Management Department.

SIDE EP

Puppet Play

START