“Is this true?”
The Blue House State Council Chamber.
President Gim Sang-cheol, who usually emphasized communication with the people, had convened a closed-door State Council meeting for the first time. It was because of the upcoming ROK-US summit, exactly one week away.
But the ministers’ expressions were all grim.
“Yes… that’s correct. This is the trade agreement the United States wants.”
“How is this a trade agreement in any way? It’s like the Eulsa Treaty.”
The ministers of foreign affairs and trade and industry in charge of US negotiations hung their heads with faces full of guilt.
It was a miserable sight. The US Department of Commerce had demanded a five-hundred-trillion-won investment fund for the US in exchange for imposing a 15 percent tariff. They claimed that the near-zero tariff up until now had been a special favor from America, and that it was now time to pay the price.
“Good grief…”
Gim Sang-cheol massaged his temples.
“Those bastards are no better than thugs, are they?”
“…”
“This is what typical gangster bastards do. ‘Why haven’t you paid protection money when we’ve been protecting you all this time?’ Prime Minister, to me it looks like America is demanding a sitting fee right now. What do you think?”
Yi Chan-ho answered bitterly.
“It doesn’t look any different to me either…”
“Why are they like this? Wasn’t it the United States that grabbed us by the collar and forced us into an FTA twenty years ago? Are we not allowed to speak up about that?”
“Forgive me for saying so… but I don’t think it holds any meaning. The White House already considers the FTA a scrap of paper.”
Gim Sang-cheol raised his head with a bitter smile.
“Anyway, it seems the outcome will be decided around here, so let us all speak frankly now. Must we accept America’s demands?”
The moment his words ended, Minister Gim Sang-heon sprang to his feet.
“Over my dead body!”
His face was so flushed red it looked ready to burst.
“Not only is it impossible to raise these investment funds for the US, but even if we could, we absolutely cannot spend them on something like this! From what I’ve heard through various diplomatic channels, Donald is a man without scruples. He is a man who tells you to kneel if you bow your head, and to bark if you kneel. Would anyone in their right mind tell a perfectly fine neighboring country to become their fifty-first state? If we show a subservient attitude to this bastard from the start, we’ll be wearing a dog collar for the next four years—no, forever. This trade agreement is absolutely unacceptable.”
When his passionate speech ended, Minister Choe Myeong-gil, seated across from him, opened his mouth.
“No matter what kind of man he is, it doesn’t change that he is a president directly elected by the American people. We must face reality. If we rashly adopt an anti-American stance now, we could become the target of punitive tariffs instead. Then every problem becomes more serious. Currently, major nations including Japan are competitors with export portfolios overlapping with ours. If Donald’s tariffs hit us harder than others, only our companies will go bankrupt.”
The two glared at each other.
Though from the same camp, the two were polar opposites in color and had always been famous for fighting whenever their eyes met.
“Minister Choe. No matter how much I think about it, you seem to be wrong this time. Then how will you raise the five hundred trillion won in investment funds for the US?”
“We’ll have to think about it.”
“Is that money that will come out just by thinking? It’s the entire annual budget of our government! We’d have to offer up all of our national pension assets, or take on debt to hand over to them—how is this not treason?”
“Rather than making clumsy moves and falling out of America’s favor, it would be a hundred times better to take on debt and lend money to the US. You are the one being irresponsible, Minister Choe. If we are hit with a 25 percent tariff, it will be a direct blow to our corporate exports—do you think domestic jobs will remain unscathed?”
“Then is there any guarantee that 25 percent tariffs will be the end? Right now in America, whether Democrats or Republicans, they are all clamoring to build factories in their own country. They won’t bother reclaiming Apple’s factories they left in China, but they are hell-bent on squeezing allied nations. Do you think those who turned the FTA into a scrap of paper won’t come back with second and third demands?”
“We can decide that when the time comes.”
“If we decide then, the national coffers will have already rotted away!”
Led by him, the hardline ministers rose like a swarm of bees.
“Minister Gim is right on this! Minister Choe seems like a truly dangerous person to have in the cabinet!”
“The first button is the most important! If the current government folds powerlessly, future administrations will have to negotiate tariffs under even worse conditions!”
“How is this in the national interest in any way!”
The moment their words ended, the appeasement ministers rose like a swarm of bees.
“Do you want to see our companies collapse from targeted tariffs? Then do you think jobs will remain safe?”
“Even Japan, which has more government debt than us, has already signed a tariff agreement! If we go against the grain in this situation, Donald will make an example of us!”
“Minister Gim, how does international order run on pride? Right now, we must bow our heads!”
While they bickered back and forth, Sang-heon opened his mouth again.
“Such a humiliating negotiation cannot happen. Setting aside pride, this is a matter of national interest.”
Myeong-gil retorted.
“Minister Gim, you seem to keep forgetting that our opponent is America.”
“Does a higher weight class mean automatic victory? Then why did the Tang Dynasty lose to Goguryeo twice?”
“In the end, it was Silla, which lived holding its breath, that unified the Three Hans. Now is the time to hold our breath.”
Sang-heon glared daggers.
“Then since the topic has come up, let me add one more thing. In my view, America is a nation in decline. Outwardly it grows, but there is not a single thing—from its domestic drug problem to wealth inequality—that is not in chaos. Isn’t its economy on the verge of festering and bursting? Today’s problem is ultimately America squeezing allied nations because it cannot handle its thirty-six-trillion-dollar debt. Isn’t the first time difficult, but the second time easier? America’s debt is already at an unmanageable level. These unreasonable demands will continue going forward.”
“That doesn’t mean China can be an alternative. Our people would never accept that.”
“Where is there an ‘absolute’ in diplomacy? America was once an ally of the Soviet Union. If America keeps presenting bills that even China doesn’t present, will the people’s pro-American sentiment truly continue? Fat chance. Even Osama bin Laden was once an ally of America!”
Before more dangerous words could come out, the President opened his mouth.
“That’s enough, everyone.”
He let out a deep sigh, then smiled bitterly.
“Let us end today’s State Council meeting here. I have fully heard the ministers’ positions.”
*
“Hoo…”
After the meeting adjourned, Gim Sang-cheol returned to his office and massaged his temples for a long while.
He did not know what choice to make in response to America’s suddenly changed course.
It was true that America’s recent movements had been deeply suspicious. Its economy and technological prowess were growing so fearsomely that second place seemed a misnomer, yet its internal problems refused to be easily resolved.
Currently, Korea too was judged to have reached extremes in political conflict, but it was nothing compared to the American political world, where assassination ran rampant. The United States now ranked overwhelming first in every inequality indicator from the Gini coefficient onward, and no matter how he looked at it, there seemed to be no way out.
The economy was strange as well.
How was the exchange rate maintained at that level even though the US base rate was twice as high? In other words, just how many bonds and dollars had they been printing?
America had become a country that was overwhelmingly first in absolute terms, and had reached eighth place with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 120 percent. This was a worse indicator than China.
“Prime Minister Yi. If the cabinet atmosphere is like this, the party atmosphere must be even worse, mustn’t it?”
“…That is indeed the case.”
“What is the party line?”
“Generally hostile. However, they conveyed that they would unconditionally follow whatever decision the Blue House makes.”
Gim Sang-cheol weakly placed a cigarette in his mouth.
Why on earth was America acting like this… Was it truly a sign of ruin?
“To me, it seems best to hold out as much as possible. What do you think, Prime Minister?”
“It is the wisest choice. Holding out until America’s midterm elections… but looking at US public opinion, the tone does not seem likely to change much.”
“Do you think protectionism will last long?”
“Yes. Donald’s approval ratings are not falling significantly. And that mess happened just days into his inauguration.”
“…So it seems America has truly changed?”
Gim Sang-cheol’s face continued to darken.
“What happened with the Foreign Ministry negotiations? Did you speak with Japan about that matter?”
“Yes, that’s right. In fact, since we announced our intention to inherit the agreement, their response was not bad. However…”
“Domestic public opinion is the problem?”
“That’s right. It is a sensitive issue, and furthermore, it is something we fiercely opposed when we were in the opposition, so I cannot gauge how public opinion will turn.”
Gim Sang-cheol spoke with a bitter smile.
“It is truly an issue I would rather not touch, but you are saying we have no choice?”
“…Yes. From what I have seen through various channels, Donald will raise that issue very directly.”
“If I resolve that matter, will the tariff problem be easily solved?”
“…It seems difficult. From Donald’s standpoint, the ROK-US-Japan trilateral alliance is a given, and tariffs are a separate issue.”
“I see.”
After pondering briefly, Gim Sang-cheol stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and spoke.
“Then let us do it.”
“Pardon?”
“Let us stop by Japan first before going to America. Please coordinate the schedule.”
“So soon? But…”
“The Bak Geun-hye administration took all the blame anyway. The backlash is probably less now than it was then. Let us inherit the comfort women agreement.”
Politics is truly a difficult thing.
Those who take the bullet are cursed until the day they go to the grave, yet the political enemies are the ones who reap the fruits.
“After all, he too was someone who did nothing but oppose for the sake of opposition when he was in the opposition. He said raising the cigarette tax made a bad president, yet he raised the cigarette tax first thing himself?”
“Th-that is true.”
“I am not a man to be burdened by sentiment. That is what politics is.”
“Yes… when you look at it closely, they reap what they sow. I will draft a suitable statement if that is the case.”
“Yes. And I heard that during the tariff negotiations, America touched on our rice again—what is that about?”
“Actually, I believe we will only know the specifics after forming a delegation to the US and holding formal negotiations. Right now, it is a negotiation over general terms, so neither America nor we know each other’s true intentions.”
“I see.”
Having said this, Gim Sang-cheol picked up the ROK-US tariff negotiation document.
“Then let us drag this out as long as possible. Listening to everything, Minister Gim Sang-heon’s words seem more correct.”
“If so…?”
Gim Sang-cheol smiled bitterly.
“I’ll be the one to hold the line in the negotiations with America.”