American Strategic Deception Bureau

　At the beginning, their founding president, Syngman Rhee, once rolled around and threw a tantrum in public on the South Lawn of the White House, crying like an eighty-year-old child.

　The current President Park Chung-hee, in the name of seeking compensation for Korean laborers in World War II, obtained $800 million from the Japanese government (US$500 million in compensation + US$300 million in low-interest loans). However, the money was not distributed to the victims or their families, but was all invested in industrial construction.

　The problem is that almost all of the Korean Peninsula's iron and coal mines are located north of the 38th parallel. South Korea, which has no resources, wants to develop heavy industry, and currently cannot engage in military expansion and plunder foreign countries. Wouldn't the result be a catastrophic loss?

　Just watch, I dare to fight

　I bet that after Park Chung-hee steps down, the Koreans will definitely play dirty and bring up old issues again, and continue to demand compensation from Japan!

　So, Dr. Kissinger, you must remain calm when negotiating with the South Koreans. Don't be intimidated by their fierce attitude. But don't be fooled by their brazen rhetoric either. After all, the whole world witnessed how disastrously the South Korean army fought in the last Korean Peninsula War..."

　After listening to Dr. Kissinger's complaints, Firi was also quite moved. In the eyes of later generations of Chinese, South Korea has always had a stereotype of arrogance, as if all Koreans are arrogant and only know how to steal traditional culture from China all day long, and then claim to be the world's greatest power.

　On the Internet, Koreans are also known for their unreasonableness, foul language and bragging, and are known as the first of the "Five Constant Virtues of the Other World".

　The reality of modern Korean society is even more outrageous than the stereotypes on the Internet.

　If the Japanese like to write chess manuals, they will be shocked and at a loss if their opponent does not make moves according to the routines they have written.

　Then Koreans just like to daydream, madly imagining their own greatness, and arming themselves with crazy and mysterious self-confidence.

　South Korea actually has little influence in the world, and its biggest impression is that it's America's dog. The US has always stationed troops in South Korea, making it a modern-day colony. Yet, South Korea deceives itself by claiming it's simply paying the US to act as a bodyguard, and it's incredibly proud of it.

　Little do they know that foreign countries have long seen through South Korea's forced smile. If they don't expose it, they are just fooling around with South Korea. Even if they do, South Koreans will close their eyes and refuse to acknowledge the fact: they even believe that the US military is not willing to protect everyone, and that they must be unique to receive the US military's protection!

　—To call being colonized a kind of honor? The mindset is so abnormal that it's not an exaggeration to call it a mental hospital disguised as a country.

　Colonel Alexander Haig, who was sitting on the other side, was not interested in the madness of the South Korean government and people. In the eyes of the arrogant master of the Stars and Stripes, the stupidity and madness of the barbarians in distant places were normal and not worth worrying about. As long as they could obey under the big stick of the US military, it was enough.

　Just out of the instinct of a soldier and politician, Colonel Haig casually asked: Since the US military stationed in South Korea has withdrawn from 60,000 to only 20,000, and will continue to withdraw to only about 2,000, its existence basically only has symbolic significance.

　So, does the South Korean government intend to take back command of the South Korean military from the commander of the US forces in South Korea?

　——In Colonel Haig’s opinion, since South Korea is now ruled by a military government, military dictators would generally want to seize military power, right?

　However, since the Korean War, President Syngman Rhee has handed over full command of the South Korean military to General Douglas MacArthur. He subsequently signed the Daejeon Agreement and the Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States, stipulating that the US military enjoys extraterritoriality in South Korea and can operate freely throughout the territory. The South Korean government has no command authority over the South Korean military, and all South Korean troops must obey the orders of the commander of the US Forces Korea.

　In the past, the US military presence in South Korea has consistently maintained over 60,000 troops, far outstripping the South Korean military in combat effectiveness, effectively shouldering the primary defense of the 38th parallel. Under these circumstances, the South Korean military was effectively a supporting force for the US military in South Korea, and of course, fully obeyed US command.

　In addition, impoverished South Korea also needs to receive financial subsidies from the United States every year to keep the country running.

　——They have to rely on the US military for protection and rely on US aid to support their families. It would be unfair if Koreans did not listen to their American father under such circumstances!

　But now, the US military is withdrawing from the 38th parallel on a large scale, leaving their military bases, trenches and various facilities to the Koreans.

　The extremely bleak domestic economy also made it impossible for President Nixon to continue to generously allocate funds to aid South Korea in the following years.

　Now that armed protection has disappeared and financial transfusions have been cut off, would South Korean President Park Chung-hee, who is a military man, want to take back the command of the South Korean army and truly experience the thrill of being the commander-in-chief of the entire army, instead of only being able to mobilize a few "air-transfer troops" without the nod from the United States?

　Colonel Haig thought so, so he asked Dr. Kissinger, who had just returned from South Korea, about this matter.

　Then, he got an incredible answer from Dr. Kissinger: "Take back the command of the South Korean army? President Park Chung-hee never mentioned this! No, to be precise, he was afraid that we would hand over the command of the South Korean army to the Blue House! So he repeatedly begged the US Forces Korea to continue to take charge of the South Korean army. He would only feel at ease if the United States was in charge of his army!"

　The two directors and deputy directors of the Strategic Deception Bureau: ???

　They are trying to accuse North Korea because neither China nor the Soviet Union could control North Korea.

　But it is an indisputable fact that South Korea is a puppet South Korea. Just look at the South Korean army and it can basically be fully proved.

　In the 21st century, self-satisfied Korean netizens generally believe that their country's military power is the strongest in Asia and second in the world, second only to the United States, and that its army is the strongest in the world. The armies of China, Russia, and Japan are completely ignored by Koreans.

　In their view, South Korea can beat any other country in the world except the United States! This fully demonstrates what arrogance is.

　On the surface, the South Korean military does appear to have some strength. In the 21st century, the active-duty force alone boasts 750,000 personnel, and thanks to its compulsory military service system, it possesses a robust wartime mobilization capability. It also boasts 4.5 million reserve troops, a 3.5 million militia, and a Coast Guard of approximately 10,000 personnel. It possesses over 2,000 tanks, over 3,000 armored vehicles, thousands of surface-to-air missiles, 600 advanced fighter jets, and hundreds of attack helicopters. The South Korean Navy also possesses a significant number of new destroyers, frigates, amphibious assault ships, and submarines.

　To be honest, the modern equipment that the South Korean military possesses is indeed among the best in the world in terms of both quantity and quality.

　Combined with the world's sixth-largest active-duty military and the second-largest reserve force, the South Korean military truly stands out—only China, the US, and Russia can truly surpass it in terms of troop numbers. For a tiny nation like South Korea, this is undoubtedly a case of aggressive military spending.

　In contrast, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces next door have only 37 people, about half the size of the South Korean army, and almost no reserve forces.

　South Korea's military might would be a dominant force in Europe, Africa, South America, or the Middle East, but it's a shame it's in the "monster room" of East Asia. Compared to its neighbors, it's at the bottom of the heap—it's truly a shame to have such a large army but no place to use it.

　What shattered the hearts of South Koreans even more was the fact that the so-called "world's best" South Korean military was so powerful that it was hard to say if it was actually South Korea's own military.

　Because the South Korean government did not have command of this army, according to the original timeline, it was not until 1994, after the democratization of South Korea, that the South Korean government finally took back the peacetime command of the South Korean army. However, the wartime command of the South Korean army still remained in the hands of the US military.

　Moreover, the reason why the South Korean government does not have the command of the South Korean military is not because the White House is holding on to it and refuses to give it, but because the South Korean government itself is unwilling to take it!

　Why? Because, under a long-standing US-dominated system, the South Korean military has become deeply dependent on the US military. Whether it's intelligence, training, or command, it relies heavily on the US military. The US military provides 95% of South Korea's strategic intelligence, and over 70% of its tactical intelligence. If it were completely independent, the South Korean military would barely be able to conduct daily operations, let alone fight a war, and would be completely in the dark about intelligence.

　Then, the reason why South Korea maintains such a large and modern army with good statistics is all because of its neighbor to the north. There is motivation only when there is pressure.

　But data is data, facts are facts. No matter how good the data looks, a real fight is another matter. A higher-ranked team doesn't necessarily outperform a lower-ranked team. Otherwise, there wouldn't be war in this world; all it would take is a comparison of who has the best data.

　It is very regrettable that in all the military conflicts with North Korea, South Korea has basically been the one that lost face and is still at a disadvantage overall.

　This makes the outside world wonder: Even if wartime operational command is eventually transferred, can South Korea truly shoulder the responsibility of defending the country?

　Therefore, the issue surrounding the return of wartime command of the South Korean military is not primarily due to the Americans' reluctance to let go, but rather to the South Korean military's general feeling of being unable to handle the situation, and the South Korean people's lack of confidence in their own military. Ultimately, there can only be rounds of negotiations and repeated extensions, endlessly.

　In fact, the modern South Korean government after democratization’s demand to take back the wartime command of the South Korean army is largely just a show, just a pretense for the people who really think they are the "largest country in the universe", and they don’t take it seriously at all.

　Even when the U.S. military really wanted to withdraw, the South Korean government would often show extreme panic and unwillingness, crying and begging the U.S. military to stay and protect them. For example, when Kissinger went to South Korea to discuss the withdrawal of U.S. troops with President Park Chung-hee, he originally wanted to discuss whether to return part of the land of the Yongsan Command of the U.S. Forces in South Korea as compensation to South Korea and a symbol of friendship.

　If we say that the US military still has some respect for the Japanese capital Tokyo, it has placed its US military bases in Yokota and Yokosuka, which are slightly away from the center of Tokyo, so that most Tokyo citizens can turn a blind eye to them and pretend that they are still living in a "normal and peaceful country."

　Then in South Korea's capital, Seoul (not yet renamed Seoul at that time), the presence of US troops stationed in South Korea can be described as blatant.

　The US-ROK Combined Forces Command, or Yongsan Air Base, is located squarely in the heart of Seoul, the capital, where land is scarce and valuable. It occupies a vast 2.5 square kilometers, the equivalent of a US concession. For a long time, only US and South Korean forces were allowed in and out of Yongsan, making every South Korean feel like they were living in a colonial settlement.

　In addition, when President Yoon Seok-yeol came to power, the South Korean presidential palace was also moved out of the Blue House.

　Taiwan moved into Yongsan District, effectively moving into the Yongsan US military base. While the US Imperial Army maintains numerous bases around the world, including in the UK, it seems no country, with the exception of Iraq, has voluntarily placed its highest seat of power within a US military base. Even in Iraq, after years of conflict subsided, the Iraqi government reduced the size of the US-controlled "Green Zone" and moved its presidential palace outside the US military base.

　South Korea is a unique case in which it has taken the initiative to move its presidential palace to a US military base in peacetime.

　But consider the last King Gojong of the Joseon Dynasty, who once moved the palace to the Russian embassy...

　It seems that it is not very strange that Koreans in the 21st century can do such things?

　Since the King of Korea could hold court and announce his decrees in the Russian embassy, ​​the President of South Korea could naturally also work and govern in the US military base.

　After all, it is a giant mental hospital disguised as a state-run institution. No matter what abstract and outrageous things it does, it should be understandable.

　Of course, it was still the 1970s, and the South Korean presidential palace was still in the Blue House. Park Chung-hee, the military dictator who came to power through a coup, was probably a little more rational and had a little more real toughness than the later elected presidents of the universal great nation who were like actors.

　But when Kissinger, arriving as a special envoy of the US President, informed him of the impending large-scale withdrawal of US troops and his desire for South Korean forces to take over sole defense of the 38th parallel, confronting the "Northern puppets," both President Park, his "South Mountain ministers," and even the opposition activists on the streets were utterly terrified. A remarkable scene ensued, with both the government and opposition parties united in their efforts to demonstrate loyalty and retain US troops.

　"

　Wait, South Korea now has no money to pay the Pentagon for stationing troops, and we no longer need South Korean soldiers to bleed and die. So how does South Korea want to keep US troops on the Korean Peninsula and provide them with a vibrant market? Is it just crying and making a fuss?

　After hearing Dr. Kissinger's description of the attitudes of the South Korean government and opposition parties, Phiri asked, somewhat bewilderedly, "While it's said that crying gets milk, how can diplomacy be achieved through crying? Even French Prime Minister Daladier cried so hard during World War II, but he still couldn't get 'planes that could block out the sun' from the United States."

　"Yes, the domestic finances are currently in such a difficult situation that a significant cut in military spending over the next few years is inevitable. The Pentagon simply does not have the money to continue to maintain a large-scale troop presence in a peaceful region. According to the Pentagon's observations, General Kim of North Korea has shown no signs of starting another war."

　Colonel Alexander Haig shrugged. "Besides, we've already left enough weapons and ammunition for the South Korean army. We've even handed over the atomic bombs. If even nuclear bombs can't deter a North Korean invasion, I don't think leaving tens of thousands of American troops behind will be enough to guarantee a complete solution."

　So, since the South Koreans are unwilling to reimburse our military expenses, what reason do they have to cling to us and not let us go?

　"Well, the South Korean government is doing its best to retain our troops. The ostensible reason is, of course, fear of a North Korean invasion. But in reality, the Korean Peninsula has been at peace for eighteen years, and neither side of the demarcation line wants another war. General Kim certainly still dreams of unifying the peninsula, but Pyongyang lacks the strength to launch a large-scale war on its own. And with the Sino-Soviet antagonism growing, it's unlikely that Moscow and Beijing will put aside their differences and join forces to support Pyongyang.

　Based on my observation, President Park Chung-hee seems to place greater emphasis on the consumer market that tens of thousands of US troops stationed in South Korea would bring..."

　Dr. Kissinger spread his hands. "Even the most junior American soldier earns more than ten times the average monthly income of a South Korean. The tens of thousands of American soldiers stationed in South Korea represent a natural consumer market. South Korean President Park Chung-hee is currently developing heavy industry, and his foreign exchange income is insufficient to cover his expenses. He still hopes to earn dollars from the Chinese troops stationed there. Now, this market where he can earn dollars is suddenly disappearing. How can he not be furious?"

　Therefore, he expressed sympathy for the United States' difficulties and no longer insisted on the US military being responsible for the primary defense of the 38th parallel. However, he hoped to at least retain a large US military logistics and rest base in South Korea, allowing US soldiers in Asia to frequently visit South Korea for leisure and vacation, giving Koreans some opportunities to earn US dollars.

　——Wait, doesn’t the South Korean government have to pay protection fees to the United States every year?

　You are clearly using your own money to support a bunch of American soldiers, so how can you expect to make money from the US troops stationed in South Korea?

　Let me explain here that throughout the Cold War, the military protection provided by the United States to South Korea was always free of charge.

　Not only do US troops stationed in South Korea have to bring their own rations and pay their own way to garrison along the 38th parallel, but the White House also provides massive financial support to the South Korean government annually. Furthermore, the US troops' spending has significantly boosted the South Korean economy. They are truly the biggest suckers among suckers, the biggest losers among losers, and the biggest losers among losers.

　However, Koreans think this is normal. During the Imjin Campaign during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, when the Ming army assisted Korea and repelled the Japanese pirates, it was also the Wanli Emperor who covered all the military expenses of the Ming army and even paid a large amount of expenses for the Korean army. In the end, the Japanese pirates retreated and the Ming Dynasty's finances were bankrupt. Although the Korean Peninsula was devastated, as long as the Korean literati said some flattering words to the Ming emperor, they could live their previous life again.

　It was not until the 1990s that South Korea became a "developed country" and was asked by the United States to share military expenses. Even so, Koreans were still very reluctant to do so.

　Willingly, highlighting "You have to protect me, but I don't want to give you money."

　Prior to this, South Korea's only direct assistance to the United States was its participation in the Vietnam War, where it sacrificed lives on behalf of the US military. Furthermore, even during its participation in the Vietnam War, the South Korean military's logistical expenses were covered by the Pentagon, and the military even had to pay additional money to the South Korean government as a "reward."

　So, despite South Koreans constantly shouting about gratitude and saying things like "measure the resources of the three Koreas to please the US," if you ask them to actually take even a tiny amount out of their wallets, they'll immediately burst into tears, as if they've been cut 3,600 times by a slow slicing.

　Of course, no matter how loudly the Koreans cried, it didn't stop the American chaebols from opening their bloody mouths and, through a series of crude financial operations, gobbling up most of the fruits of South Korea's "Han River Miracle" in one gulp. By the 21st century, the majority shares of several major chaebols such as Samsung had fallen into American hands. The Koreans worked like slaves every day, exhausted to the point of losing their descendants, just to work for the Americans...

　No matter how much the Koreans cried and wailed, and how much they demanded an attitude from their American masters, they were destined to be treated like cattle and horses. Therefore, after discovering that fighting and throwing tantrums were useless and that American capitalists had no regard for respect, the Koreans could only deceive themselves and pretend that the Americans were not their masters but their bodyguards.

　But it was only 1971, and South Korea's economy had only just begun a few years of rapid growth under President Park Chung-hee's rule. However, due to South Korea's weak economic foundation, these few years of prosperity were insufficient for a complete transformation, and the "Miracle on the Han River" remained elusive.

　It is simply impossible to expect the current Koreans to scrape out a huge sum of money from their teeth to support tens of thousands of US troops stationed in South Korea.

　On the contrary, Koreans are still counting on making money from the US military to subsidize their livelihoods!

　But the Pentagon itself has no money, so it can only withdraw its overseas troops back home and demobilize them, or transfer them to wealthy places and ask for "cooperative funding" - for example, Japan and West Germany were asked by the United States to share more military expenses, and many US troops stationed in South Korea were withdrawn to Japan to support them.

　After all, Japan was a defeated nation in World War II. Like the Jews of medieval Europe, it inherently carries original sin in today's international community, and any exploitation by its American masters is perfectly justified. Furthermore, Japan is now wealthy, and it's time to show its filial piety to its American father by donating money.

　In comparison, South Korea is completely broke. So seeing that the United States is no longer giving money, it wants to get some "transfer payments" from Japan.

　President Park Chung-hee's intention was to allow the South Korean army to defend the 38th parallel on its own—General Kim Jong-un didn't seem ready to attack anytime soon. However, he hoped that even if American soldiers withdrew from the peninsula, they could use Japanese money to spend in South Korea, thereby boosting the South Korean economy.

　But the question is, why would US troops stationed in Japan go all the way to South Korea to spend money? Wouldn't it be better to spend their time in Japan?

　By the early 1970s, Japan's economy had taken off. Tokyo boasted skyscrapers comparable to those of Manhattan, and its entertainment offerings far surpassed those of Seoul, South Korea. Even in terms of tourist attractions, Japan's tourism industry was more formal, more comprehensive, and more welcoming than South Korea's.

　The gentle charm of Yamato Nadeshiko was widely praised by Americans in the opera "Madame Butterfly" as early as the 19th century!

　In comparison, the social outlook and urban construction of South Korea on the other side of the Tsushima Strait are at most similar to those of mainland China during the same period, and its scenery is far inferior to that of Japan - Mount Fuji is at least still in Japan, while Mount Kumgang is in North Korea across the 38th parallel!

　Moreover, the Korean entertainment industry was not well developed these days, boy groups and girl groups were not very popular, and Americans didn’t like to eat kimchi!

　Japan's various small electrical appliances, fuel-efficient cars and motorcycles are already very famous in the current Western society, but Korean products... well, they are still synonymous with shoddy products. Not to mention whether they can be sold, they have almost no presence in the international market!

　——Compared to Japan, which is now very influential in the international community, the "hermit country" on the Korean Peninsula really has no appeal at all.

　What methods could President Park Chung-hee use to lure Americans from Japan to South Korea, a country with nothing to offer, for vacation?

　The Korean side’s answer was that although they had nothing, they at least had one traditional flagship product that was well-known in the East: [Silla Maid]!

　The South Korean government stated that in order to attract American military personnel to vacation here, they will vigorously develop special tourism in the capital. They plan to build the largest comfort station in Asia, centered in Itaewon in Yongsan District, to recruit handsome men and beautiful women from all over the country to provide entertainment for friendly foreign military personnel.

　Those heavy-tasting special projects that are not easy to get in Japan can be provided in the Longshan Red Light District, and they are much cheaper..."

　Dr. Kissinger said, "The land and infrastructure abandoned by the Yongsan U.S. military base with the withdrawal have been used to transform it into a giant pleasure district, with women, casinos, and narcotics. The South Korean government has even relaxed regulations on even more outrageous things..."

　Fili listened for a while, thought about it, and finally understood what it meant.

　It seems that because Thailand in this dimension has been communistized, Red Thailand will no longer be a land of transvestites, nor will it have the extravagant lifestyle of Pattaya. So, South Korea wants to develop a "smokeless industry" to seize Thailand's ecological niche in this other world?!

　Chapter 559: Do you want to be the commander of the US forces in South Korea?

　Itaewon, a popular tourist destination in modern South Korea and a de facto red-light district, is located next to the Yongsan U.S. Army Base. In the 2000s, it became famous for the largest mass stampede in Korean history during Halloween.

　Many people who had never been to South Korea had only heard at that time that there was such a place for pleasure in the South Korean capital that was comparable to Pattaya in Thailand.

　In fact, Itaewon has a very long history as a red-light district. It was known as the "Heterosexual House" as early as 400 years ago.

　In the beginning, Itaewon was the home of the Joseon Dynasty's post station for receiving foreign envoys. Occasionally, foreign travelers would have affairs with Korean women, leaving behind mixed-race children. However, because the number was small and not large-scale, it did not attract much attention.

　During the Imjin War, Japanese pirates captured the Joseon capital of Seoul in 1592 and raped nuns and noblewomen, leaving behind many mixed-race children. After the war, these bastards, whose foreign blood was a symbol of historical humiliation, faced widespread discrimination and ostracism. They were forced to live in neighborhoods near post stations that accommodated foreigners, where they were known as "Itaiwon."

　However, as time passed, the Imjin War and Toyotomi Hideyoshi's ambitions gradually faded into obscurity. Koreans, increasingly reluctant to recall that tragic history, began to dislike the unpleasant sound of "Itaewon" and changed it to "Itaewon," its Korean equivalent.

　Just like Beijing’s Fenchang Hutong, which was renamed Fenyang Hutong.

　However, what the North Korean people never expected was that on their land, the version would roll back and history would repeat itself...

　——After three hundred years, the Japanese devils are back again!!!

　From the late 19th century to the early 20th century, through the Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese Empire successfully realized Toyotomi Hideyoshi's old dream and conquered the Korean Peninsula. Yongsan in Seoul became a garrison for the Japanese army, and Itaewon next to Yongsan became a large comfort station serving the Japanese army.

　(Note: Before the First Sino-Japanese War, the Qing army led by Yuan Shikai was also stationed in Longshan, but the period was too short and the social impact was relatively limited.)

　The Japanese recruited numerous comfort women in Korea, sending the unlucky ones to other countries while the more fortunate ones were placed in Itaewon to work there. Many Korean traitors also opened Japanese-style teahouses and prostitute houses in Itaewon for profit, providing various types of entertainment for the Japanese military officers and soldiers stationed in Korea.

　As a result, a large number of comfort women and Japanese-Korean mixed-race children reappeared in Itaewon, and after three hundred years, it once again became a real heterosexual house!

　After waiting for the end of World War II, the Japanese left Seoul and the Americans came again.

　After the Korean War, the former Japanese Yongsan Barracks became the U.S. Army Yongsan Base. The former Itaewon comfort station, likewise, became a prostitution district catering to American soldiers. The U.S. military in South Korea dubbed it "Hooker Hill." Bars, restaurants, clubs, nightclubs, and dance halls mushroomed here, creating South Korea's most famous den of pleasure and debauchery.

　Of course, more mixed-race children are also appearing in Itaewon, injecting more international and high-quality genes into the Korean people who are full of bad roots.

　The problem is, if tens of thousands of American soldiers remain stationed in Yongsan, they'll have no choice but to seek pleasure in Itaewon. But now that these troops are leaving, how will the Korean girls of Itaewon attract American soldiers to return?