NOVPUB
Chapter 2: I Will Stage a Coup (2)
Since everything in reality follows a somewhat chaotic formula, there must be a formula to conduct a successful coup d’état as well.
So, as an inspiring plotter, I reminisced about the proud history of successful coups in South Korea.
Firstly, Park Chung Hee and the coup of May 16th.
As a General, Park Chung Hee didn’t plan his coup very well.
Because of his lack of planning, information about his plans leaked in advance, hinting Prime Minister Chang Myon about the suspicious military movements.
When the coup of May 16th began, Colonel Kim Jae-chun the military police chief, surrounded the rebellion headquarters at the 6th Army District Command and tried to arrest all the key officers.
Interestingly enough, the coup was successful not because of Park Chung Hee’s leadership but because of the improvisation of the 8th-class officers of the military academy and the efforts of the Chief-of-Staff Chang Do-yong , coupled with the indecision of the then President and Prime Minister.
Considering this, Park Chung Hee wasn’t a reliable example.
After all, a Coup that had succeeded by sheer luck and improvisation could never be a role model.
Then, how about Chun Doo-hwan , who overcame an expertly organized resistance during the Coup of December 12th?
As the Commander of the Defense Security Command, Chun Doo-hwan used the power of the military’s intelligence agency to overwhelm the suppression forces and achieved a complete victory.
Of course, without the help of the organization known as ‘Hanahoe’ , Chun Doo-hwan’s plans wouldn’t have been as effective.
However, without the criminal incompetence of the 21st Minister of National Defense, Roh Jae-hyun , and the indecisive leadership of Yoon Sung-min , the Deputy Chief of Staff, even an army of Hanahoe’s agents couldn’t have ensured the coup’s success.
In short, the success of a ‘Korean-style coup’ required the element of incompetence on the part of the government/suppression forces.
Now, knowing this, there is something important to consider.
Was this version of Korea, the ‘Korean Empire’, incompetent when it came to coups?
Unfortunately for me, this madhouse of a country had just experienced a coup.
That wasn’t good news for an aspiring coup plotter.
Like most coup leaders, the current Army Marshal, Park Han-jin was keenly focused on ‘suppressing’ any dissidents.
He created the Army Intelligence and Security Command, an expanded and reorganized version of the previous Army Counter-Intelligence Command, filling this new organization with his loyalists and supporters.
Park Han-jin’s thorough defenses made preparing for a proper coup almost impossible.
His grip on the government was iron-clad.
For now, that is.
But things change with time.
In wartime or during a state of war, units expand/reposition or change/circulate.
At that moment, a Military Regime will naturally show its weakness.
Historical examples support this.
During the Russian Revolution, the czar’s trusted guard units went to the front, replaced by newly conscripted units, creating conditions for rebellion.
If war breaks out with China, Korea might follow a similar pattern.
Hence, the opportunity will surely arise.
Even in the webtoon, there’s a ‘coup attempt incident’ around 1939, so I wasn’t being a baseless optimist.
However, preparation is essential.
My best alternative is creating an organization like Hanahoe...
The problem is that Lee Sung Joon doesn’t have such a covert organization.
What he has is only the intangible element of ‘popularity.’
However, this popularity could easily be a result of polite flattery given to a general from the royal family.
So, I decided to get an objective opinion from Jong-Gil.
“Y-Your Excellency wants to know who the high-ranking officers and generals are...that you often meet...?”
“Yes. Tell me their names. I wish to know those outside of our division or corps.”
“Well...When Your Excellency went to the Ministry of the Army, you dined with the chief of Logistics.”
“No, that was an event, tell me about private meetings and such.”
“There were none?”
What?
Could it be that...Lee Sung Joon...doesn’t have any connections in the military even when this nation is a quasi-Prussian state?
Wow...
I’m speechless.
This guy is really an idiot.
He’s worse at socializing than me!
Doesn’t he know the dangers this presents?!
Ah come to think of it, he’s a Royal...So he has never had to worry about things like this...
Fuck.
In this case, being transmigrated as a ‘Royal’ was certainly a drawback!
A General with no connections trying to pull a coup?
That’s an instant failure.
I contemplated on how to break through this serious situation.
In such extreme situations, what was needed to achieve a successful coup?
Let’s study the foreign coup leaders...
Mustafa Kemal Atatürkcame to prominence for his role in securing the Ottoman-Turkish victory at the Battle of Gallipoli.
With his newfound influence he was able to enforce laws in Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, and become the Head of State of the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
Napoleonwas just a common general, but he was chosen by Sieyes to be a pawn in the Brumaire coup, but his national popularity allowed him to become the First Consul.
The lesson here is that a politician’s popularity is a resource that can be transformed into power.
Just have to be popular, huh...There’s no reason I can’t do the same...
When I thought about overcoming the lack of connections through ‘popularity’...
A problem arose,
In the Korean Empire, the ways to gain popularity were:
“Citizens of our proud Empire! Behold! I have conquered Manchuria and expanded our lands!”
“Sons of Korea! I’ve secured war reparations from China!”
“Through my sweat and tears, our factory operations are through the roof! Support the Military-Industrial Economy, Support the Empire!”
Hmm...
Yes...Those were the avenues left open...
Even differentiating oneself from these madmen was challenging.
Hmm. That was all there was.
Firstly, the country’s economy was a wreck, so there was no money to do anything.
Secondly, I was a soldier, not a politician.
Thirdly, the public was just as insane as these motherfuckers.
If I wanted to be popular, I would need to become the War Hawk to surpass all War Hawks....But that would likely get me executed for a bunch of war crimes.
Trying to stage a coup to stay alive only to get executed was pointless.
Annnd...I’m back to square one.
Well, at least cliches still work.
And there’s no better cliche than ‘cooperation’.
Even Park Chung Hee, who led the first success story in the long line of modern coups in Korea diligently ‘cooperated’ with high-ranking officers and generals from the 5th, 8th, and 9th classes of the Korean Military Academy to form his coup army.
Of course, this had several disadvantages compared to a covert organization.
1. The risk of information leaking is much greater.
Park Chung Hee’s coup almost failed because of leaks, and in the case of the 2016 Turkish coup attempt , it outright failed.
2. It's very difficult to select collaborators.
Unless you can look into a person’s heart, you can’t be 100% sure of their actions.
3. It's time-consuming.
A covert organization can act as soon as the decision is made, but when cooperating, you can’t move until the work is done.
Many coups failed because they were detected during the preparation phase.
That’s why differentiation is necessary.
I didn’t intend to offer positions or share the spoils in some cheap rewards scheme.
The core of the ‘cooperation’ I envisioned was presenting a vision for the future, a blueprint for the future Korean Empire.
A prime example would be the coup by the Young Turks who proclaimed the birth of the Ottoman Empire as a ‘Modern State.’
Just as the Young Turks instilled a belief in guiding the country on the right path, I intended to sell ‘assurance’ to the coup participants.
My vision was a developmental dictatorship.
Anti-communism, economic growth, modernization of institutions
My vision for the Empire would be built on these three pillars.
In some sense, I’m benchmarking Park Chung Hee’s governance strategy.
But then, what of it?
This Korean Empire is a nation governed by shortsighted military heads who share a singular collective brain cell.
Of course, I’m not sure if I can execute a developmental dictatorship properly.
Without the U.S. opening its market and providing loans, I can’t run wild like Park Chung Hee.
Anyway, that’s a problem for the future.
The immediate task was to find friends to play the role of quasi-Young Turks .
Now...How can I cooperate with young and impressionable officers without raising an alarm?
It didn’t take long for me to reach an answer.
What’s my forte?
A writer, specifically, a translator.
A person who makes a living writing should use his talents.
First, I need to let people know who I am.
But how?
Books and newspapers.
With this, I’ll solidify my vision and gather followers.
As my voice accumulates, there will be those who take an interest in my claims and who will eventually regard me as their leader.
“Captain.”
“Yes, General?”
“Set up appointments with Koryo Ilbo and DongYang Ilbo for tomorrow.”
These two newspapers are prominent dailies in Goryeo and currently represent the majority of the Empire’s conservative readership.
I will project my ideas to this conservative population.
The reason was simple: the military had a conservative tendency.
Of course, there were progressive officers in the military, but their numbers were too insignificant to influence the general trend.
“The newspapers, sir?”
“That’s right.”
“Understood.”
Ah, there was also the radio.
Why did I forget the most influential weapon that made Hitler the chancellor?
Of course, as a writer, I couldn’t become a public speaker overnight.
I decided to approach the radio gradually.
After all, it wouldn’t be too late to move once I had built up enough public recognition.
I’ll have to write books too, it’s going to get busy.
Naturally, those around me would also get busy.
A Royal-blooded General, who had been quiet, was beginning to show political inclinations.
But for now, I could rest easy.
Because at least ‘for now’ I had no intention of starting a coup.
Everything would follow once my preparations were complete.
“I have drawn my sword once, but I have sharpened it for over a decade.”
A quote by Sima Yi left to his ancestors right after the Gaoping Tombs incident in the old Three Kingdoms Drama.
Just like Sima Yi, I will start sharpening my sword from now.
For the day when the blade is drawn.
Footnotes
1. He was a South Korean politician and army general who served as the [third President of South Korea] from 1962 to 1979 after he seized power in the [May 16 coup] of 1961. He is regarded as one of the most consequential leaders in Korean history, although his legacy as a [military dictator] continues to cause controversy. 2. Chang Myon was a South Korean statesman, educator, diplomat, journalist and social activist as well as a [Roman Catholic]youth activist, he was also he was the fourth and last [vice president of South Korea] till 1961 3. Chang Do-yong was a South Korean general, politician and professor who, as the Army Chief of Staff, played a decisive role in the May 16 coup and was the first chairman of the interim Supreme Council for National Reconstruction for a short time until his imprisonment.4. Chun Doo-hwan was a South Korean army general and military dictator who ruled as an unelected strongman from 1979 to 1980 before replacing Choi Kyu-hah as president of South Korea from 1980 to 1988. Chun usurped power after the 1979 assassination of president Park Chung Hee.5. **Hanahoe** ([Korean] 하나회; lit. Group of One) was an unofficial private group and [secret society] of [military] officers in [South Korea]headed by [Chun Doo-hwan], who later became the [South Korean president] during the [Fifth Republic]era.6. Roh Jae-hyun (Korean: 노재현; Hanja: 盧載鉉; 8 August 1926 – 25 September 2019) was a **retired general of the Republic of Korea Army and politician who served as the 21st Minister of National Defense**. He resigned ungracefully after the Coup d'état of December Twelfth.7. At the time of the Coup d'état of December Twelfth, he was the deputy Chief of Staff of the Korean army. After the kidnapping of the Chief of Staff Jeong Seung-hwa, he automatically rose to the top position in the army chain of command and took in charge of the whole government forces. However, he was too indecisive to make a quick decision of summoning forces to quell the rebels. He was then easily deceived by the rebel leader Chun Doo-hwan that Yoon ordered a withdrawal of the government force, which gave rebels the opportunity to advance without resistance and eventually take control of the entire Seoul.8. This is a webtoon character and not a real person9. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, also known as Mustafa Kemal Pasha until 1921, and Ghazi Mustafa Kemal from 1921 until the Surname Law of 1934, was a Turkish field marshal, revolutionary statesman, author, and the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first president from 1923 until his death in 1938. 10. It was a costly campaign for the Entente powers and the Ottoman Empire as well as for the sponsors of the expedition, especially the [First Lord of the Admiralty] (1911–1915), [Winston Churchill]. The campaign was considered a great [Ottoman victory]. In Turkey, it is regarded as a defining moment in the history of the state, a final surge in the defence of the motherland as the Ottoman Empire retreated.11. I don't think you guys need an explanations on who the shorty was... 12. On 15 July 2016, a faction within the Turkish Armed Forces, organized as the Peace at Home Council, attempted a coup d'état against state institutions, including the government and president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.13. Young Turks, coalition of various reform groups that led a revolutionary movement against the authoritarian regime of Ottoman sultan Abdülhamid II, which culminated in the establishment of a constitutional government.14. Another famous newspapaer15. Goryeo was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392.
