The telephone rang. Christian Talvela answered, "Hello, this is Christian."
"Hello. My name is Euh Kun-Hee. I am a senior aide to Korean Ambassador Lee Kyung-ni. Can you come to the South Korean embassy in Washington DC as soon as possible? Since this is not a secure telephone, I am hesitant to discuss the matter right now."
"I could leave early in the morning and be at Washington National around noon," replied Talvela.
"Excellent. Would a 1:00 PM meeting be acceptable?" asked the aide.
"Yes, that's okay, as long as the plane isn't late. Should I ask for you?" asked Talvela in return.
"Yes, please do. And thanks for traveling on such short notice." concluded the aide.
* * * * *
Talvela told the guard at the gate of the Korean Embassy in Washington DC that Euh was expecting him. The guard called to the main building and confirmed that Talvela was legit. The guard motioned for him to continue toward the main entrance where he was met by Euh.
"Mr. Talvela, thank you for coming on such short notice. Please walk with me to Ambassador Lee's office. We have much to talk about," said Euh. They walked to Ambassador Lee's office.
"Mr. Talvela, I'll bet you are wondering why we asked you here. Please have a seat," offered Ambassador Lee Kyung-ni.
Ambassador Lee began: "We never quite know what to believe with respect to North Korea. As you know, Kim Gour-met was the leader until December 2011. Recently we received an overture from his son and current leader, Kim Young-un. He asked to see you in person. He would tell not us why. Given your interest in the Korean Peninsula, I believe you might find it educational to travel to Pyongyang to meet Kim Young-un."
"Absolutely!" declared Talvela.
"We will classify you as a temporary employee and pay you at the level of Special Representative for North Korea Policy. When can you leave?" asked Ambassador Lee.
"I suspected something like this might happen, so I brought clothes suitable for the Korean Peninsula. I can leave on the next flight," declared Talvela.
"Excellent," concluded Ambassador Lee.
* * * * *
Talvela could not believe his luck. The woman meeting him at the airport was just his type: athletic, intelligent, and quietly competent.
"Mr. Talvela, my name is Lieutenant Song Han-na. I have been assigned to assist you with your meeting in Pyongyang. My regular position in the army is in logistics, but since I have a degree in English, my superiors believed that I would be a suitable assistant for you."
"Since we will be working with each other in tense circumstances, I would like to eliminate the formality between us. Please call me Christian."
"In that case, please call me Han-na."
* * * * *
"President Park, I would like to introduce Christian Talvela," said Lieutenant Song.
"Mr. Talvela, it is good of you to travel to our peninsula. Kim Young-un's message has us dying of curiosity. Besides Lieutenant Song, do you require any assistance?" asked President Park Joon-ho.
"Given the humanitarian nightmare that is North Korea, I would appreciate it if you can supply us with a medical doctor who is familiar with the conditions there. I have a feeling that those skills might prove useful. Of course, the doctor needs to speak English," offered Talvela.
"I know just the person. I expect you will leave tomorrow for Pyongyang, so I will ask the good doctor to be ready in the morning. Anything else?" asked President Park.
"Yes, do you know anything about the North Korean woman who was seen in a video searching for grass to sell to wealthier people to feed rabbits? She said in the video that she was an orphan," added Talvela.
"I think you will find that Lieutenant Song is an expert on that subject," noted President Park.
Talvela looked at Lieutenant Song with curiosity.
"I will conclude by telling you that you will probably also deal with Kim Alco-hol, Kim Gour-met's younger sister. We believe she is acting as a regent for Kim Young-un. She is reputed to be a mean drunk and even caused her daughter to commit suicide," added President Park.
"Sounds like it will not be boring," said Talvela.
"I cannot wait to hear what you have learned upon your return," concluded President Park.
Talvela and Lieutenant Song walked out of the president's office.
"Han-na, what did President Park mean by your being an expert on orphans?" asked Talvela.
"I am an orphan myself and grew up in an orphanage. I joined the army because I have no family. I was one of the very first graduates of our officer training program for women. I keep current with orphan matters on the Korean Peninsula. I am fairly certain I could find Yoo Tok-ki, the rabbit girl. For me, she represents all of the starving orphans in North Korea," she said.
"Would you care to join me for dinner?" asked Talvela.
* * * * *
"My name is Colonel Kim Yu-shin. I will be your escort," said Colonel Kim.
"Colonel, my name is Lieutenant Song Han-na. This is Special Representative Christian Talvela. And this is Doctor Lee Mi-hyun," said Lieutenant Song.
"Please come with me," said Colonel Kim.
They walked further into the palace.
"Radiant Marshal, General Kim, please allow me to introduce Special Representative Christian Talvela, Lieutenant Song Han-na, and Doctor Lee Mi-hyun," said Colonel Kim. Turning to the visitors, he said, "This is Kim Young-un and Kim Alco-hol, the leaders of North Korea."
Talvela and Lieutenant Song looked at each other at the mention of these two being introduced as the leaders of North Korea.
"You want a drink? It's the best Canadian Whiskey. Let me get you one," slobbered Aunt Kim.
"Not now, revered aunt. Please have a seat. Mr. Talvela, I have read your blog. You do not agree with many of the policies of North Korea," stated Kim.
"To be blunt, the policies of your father have resulted in the deaths of millions of North Koreans and more than a few South Koreans, Americans, and others. Why do you not see that allowing your people to eat proper meals, and stopping the never-ending war with the rest of the world, would enable North Korea to be a much more powerful country? South Korea is the 8th largest exporting country. North Korea is 120th, just ahead of Mozambique. There is no reason North Korea could not emulate South Korea; after all, you are the same people. By switching your spending from your military, Pyongyang could become another Asian Tiger," declared Talvela as he watched Aunt Kim constantly slurping caramel-colored liquid from a large glass.
"What would you say if I told you that we want to do just that? What would you say if I told you that our generals are preventing us from doing that?" asked Kim.
"Your grandfather and father made many promises and offers over the years and all of them turned out to be vapor from a starving cloud," commented Talvela.
"You have a vivid imagination. I would like you to give us your suggestions as to how my aunt and I can wrest power from the generals," said Kim.
"I have an plan, but first I have a request of my own. You may or may not know that a North Korean woman, Yoo Tok-ki, was featured in a video which has been seen around the world. This video showed her starving and looking for grass to sell to wealthier North Koreans. She clearly lived a pathetic life," said Talvela.
Lieutenant Song looked at Talvela with a slight smile on her face.
"Before I give you any advice, I want to find this woman, if she is still alive, given her predicament. And I want to take her back with me to Seoul," said Talvela.
"Does this woman interest you sexually?" asked an amused Kim.
A thudding noise caused everyone to look over at Aunt Kim who had fallen out of her chair onto the floor. She looked up with half-opened eyes, laid her head down, closed her eyes, and went to sleep on the floor.
"No, nothing like that. She represents deprivation on a scale I could never imagine. I cannot save the world, but I will save this woman," said Talvela.
"I accept. Colonel Kim will assist you. I assume you already know the general whereabouts of this woman?" asked Kim.
"Yes, we do," offered Lieutenant Song.
"Okay, we will meet again after you find her," concluded Kim.
* * * * *
"She should be around here. This is where the truck driver filmed her. That's her, I'm sure of it! Stop the truck!" demanded Lieutenant Song.
"Let me address her. Yoo Tok-ki, please come here!" said Colonel Kim.
A pathetically thin young woman walked slowly to Colonel Kim. "Am I in great trouble?" she asked in a whisper.
Colonel Kim laughed. "No, this is the luckiest day of your life! Please get in the truck. We will take you where you can eat a complete meal for once," said Colonel Kim.
Yoo had a dazed look on her face, but she got in the truck as ordered.
* * * * *
"I am allowed to eat all this?" asked Yoo.
"Yes. What do you think about moving to Seoul?" asked Lieutenant Song.
Yoo looked at her with a puzzled expression. "Seoul?"
Talvela turned to Lieutenant Song and Doctor Lee and said in a low voice, "Tell her to take a long, soapy shower."
"Why are you helping her?" asked Colonel Kim.
"I do not know if you heard this story, but in Japan, there is a classic manga comic magazine from the 1960s called Tiger Mask about a professional wrestler who donates his winnings to the orphanage in which he was raised. On last Christmas Day, anonymous donors brought gifts of school satchels, fruit, vegetables, bags of rice, and even cash. One of them left a drawing of a man behind a tiger mask with a note of: 'I am Tiger Mask -- I have come to your city and I want you to distribute the gifts to all the children's homes here.' Another left a note saying there are Tiger Masks across Japan," explained Talvela.
"There are Tiger Masks all over the world," declared Talvela.
Lieutenant Song smiled at him and squeezed his arm.
* * * * *
As before, Colonel Kim brought the visitors to the presidential palace where Kim was waiting. Talvela wanted to make sure that Yoo Tok-ki did not disappear, so he brought her with him and ask her to sit in the corner where he could keep an eye on her. Lieutenant Song and Doctor Lee joined Talvela.
Talvela started, directly addressing Kim. "Have you studied the aftermath of the collapse of totalitarian regimes?"
Kim's eyes opened wider.
Talvela continued: "When the fascist government of Italy fell near the end of WWII, Mussolini and his mistress were strung up like slaughtered pigs. Romania's Ceausescu and his wife were put up against a wall and shot on Christmas Day, shot like the common criminals they were, just a few weeks after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. You could avoid all that, you know. By ending the state of war which exists between the two halves of Korea, you could end the starvation of your people and probably end up winning the Nobel Peace Prize."
"Korea is a shrimp between three whales, China, Japan, and the USA. The first two have tried to eat us for hundreds of years. How would you ensure that we were not swallowed up by the whales if we declared peace? How would you rebuild North Korea?" Kim asked.
Talvela hesitated for a few seconds before replying. "Your immediate concern is food and medical care. After signing a genuine peace treaty with the South -- nothing can start until that happens -- we would establish camps in all of the major cities. Each one of these camps would have a large food tent, in which basic, cooked food is given away. We would not allow raw food to be given to your government because it would be sold in the black market. A second tent would be set-up for medical care."
"You would quickly have a situation where you would be overwhelmed with people needing food, given your country's starvation crisis. I believe you would discover that you have far more orphans than you realize. After these homeless people have been cleared by the medical authorities, they would need a place to live. The solution lies in the many abandoned factories you have. The homeless people would remove the junk and fix them up to make them livable."
Kim looked at his watch. "Oh, no! Piercings Rudeman is arriving any minute! I must go now!" he shrieked as he ran out of the room.
"Piercings Rudeman, the American basketball player who declared that foreigners being held prisoner in North Korea deserved it," whispered Lieutenant Song to Talvela.
"It appears we are done here," said Colonel Kim almost too quickly.
All of them stood and started walking out of the building.
Talvela turned to Doctor Lee and whispered: "Walk behind us and converse with Tok-ki. It does not matter what you say. Just keep talking and get her to talk."
Doctor Lee just nodded his head and smiled.
Talvela, Lieutenant Song, and Colonel Kim were walking three abreast.
"Tok-ki looks cute with her new buzz-cut," joked Talvela.
"She did not relish the thought of having her hair chopped off like that, but she had lice and other nasty things on her. I made her scrub her entire body in the shower," added Lieutenant Song.
"It is very kind of you to take her back to Seoul with you. What will happen to her?" asked Colonel Kim.
"We will get her an apartment, update her knowledge of Korean, maybe even teach her English, and get her a job somewhere. She'll probably work in a restaurant until she learns a few things, but at least she will eat three meals a day," said Talvela.
"I wish we could give all orphans adequate food and shelter," volunteered Colonel Kim.
Talvela and Lieutenant Song realized this was a strange thing for a North Korean officer to volunteer and looked at each other briefly.
Colonel Kim turned his head to directly face Taleva. "I tell you as a friend, do not return to North Korea unless I invite you to see the zoo," he whispered. "Do not return if anyone else calls you." He turned his head back to face the front. "I wish you great success in your endeavors. I hope to see you soon," he said just a little too loudly and turned and walked away.
As they walked away, Talvela asked Lieutenant Song in a low voice, "What did he mean by that?"
* * * * *
Talvela and Lieutenant Song were having dinner in a Seoul restaurant.
"I read that Kim Gour-met's hobby was collecting pedigree dogs, yet he continued to eat dogs, especially dog stew. So to paraphrase the old expression regarding cake -- he wanted to have his dog and eat it, too!" joked Talvela.
Lieutenant Song simultaneously rolled her eyes and smiled. "Christian, all kidding aside, don't you think there is a strong possibility that some North Koreans would emulate the fanatics in Jonestown and commit mass suicide if their country imploded because their world has come crashing down?"
"Drink the North Korean version of Kool-Aid? I hope not, but it's always a possibility. However, people are still people and nobody likes living as an ignorant, starving slave. This has been true for centuries, with Spartacus and his band of former slaves being the best example. I will wager that the only people who would be crushed are the sycophants in the Kim family circle, in other words, the relatives and friends of the Kims and the military and civilian elite. I realize that North Korea is probably the most extreme case of national indoctrination the world has ever seen, but look at what happened in East Germany. No one committed suicide and no army units attempted a coup."
"So, Han-na, are you going to show me some of Seoul's nightlife?"
* * * * *
Lieutenant Song's home telephone rang and she answered it. "Yes, Colonel, I will give him the message. I will call you right back."
She hung up and called Talvela. "Christian, it is Colonel Kim. He wants to know if we can return to Pyongyang tomorrow morning. He sounds a little stressed," she explained. "And he specifically stated we are going to the zoo."
"Tell him we will be there at 8:00 in the morning," Talvela said.
* * * * *
Lieutenant Choi Sung-hui had given up all hope long ago. When she first arrived at the prison camp, she was tortured by a sadistic male guard who used a cattle prod, inserting it everywhere he could. Later she witnessed the same guard beat a small girl to death for hiding a few grains of wheat in her pocket. She had been imprisoned because her sister picked up a South Korean leaflet. North Korean authorities imprisoned her immediate family, as well as the generation above and below.
Now she had been summoned to the commandant's office for reasons unknown. She was sure she would be shot -- or worse. She was surprised to see a number of other prisoners, all former army officers, along with two current officers. They were all being fed the largest meal she had seen in her entire time in the prison. She did not waste time asking about the situation; she just sat down and started to eat.
* * * * *
Talvela and Lieutenant Song arrived at the presidential palace promptly at 8:00 AM. Colonel Kim ushered them into a small office, different than the large room in which they had previously met.
"I apologize, I have no time for pleasantries. You have no idea how lucky you were before. Kim had told me that I was to arrest and jail you because of the content on your blog. I can only guess that Rudeman's arrival caused him to forget his plan. Later, I spoke with him. He told me that the only reason he did not have me arrest you at first was that he wanted to see this woman you mentioned and rape her. He ordered me to travel to all of the prison camps and execute all former army officers held there to prevent them from ever taking part in a revolution. Then he said some bizarre things, most of which I do not remember. The craziest thing was his order for me to kidnap the entire American All-Star Basketball team during its travels to Europe, and bring all of the team members here to Pyongyang for his personal amusement. I believe he is as nutty as his father," Colonel Kim breathlessly exclaimed.
"Actually, wouldn't he need two teams to play a game?" deadpanned Talvela as Lieutenant Song glared at him.
Colonel Kim ignored his attempt at levity. "And then he ordered me to arrest and execute a long list of officers in a purge, with many of the officers being my friends.
"So what did you do with him?" asked Talvela.
"Something I did not tell you before because I was not sure of who I could trust was that I have some friends in the officer ranks who agree with me that the direction of North Korea must be reversed. We are not many -- only 16 in all -- but we are willing to die to stop the madness here. I called my friends and we arrested him and placed him under house arrest just before I called you," explained Colonel Kim.
"You have already started the clock. We have very little time to act," said Talvela. "Here is what you must do today. Your friends will be busy. Two of them will immediately travel to each prison camp. They will order the prison commander to release to them all army officers. If we had time, it would be best if we could verify that all of these officers were not guilty of an actual crime, such as murder, but we have no time for that now. We will have to chance it. You will need to forge papers for your friends to appear as if they are operating on direct orders of Kim." "Have your friends inform the camp commanders that the prisoners are being released for a suicide mission against South Korea. Make sure they understand that this is top secret and that any release of information will result in one more prisoner being added to the camps: them. They must not communicate with the commanders of the other camps. Bring all of the officers back here for a meeting. That should give us enough time," said Talvela.
"Traveling to the camps, loading the officers onto buses, and returning will require most of the day. What will you do until we are finished?" asked Colonel Kim.
"Lieutenant Song and I need to return to Seoul to coordinate some things with South Korea. We will call you as needed. I would like to speak with one of your officer friends now in regards to the announcement you will make tomorrow morning on television," finished Talvela. "By the way, what did you do with Rudeman?"
* * * * *
All of the released army prisoners had been given a thorough scrubbing. They were all significantly thinner than they had been before and their new uniforms fit poorly.
Colonel Kim entered the room. "Please sit down and save your strength. You will need it later."
"84 of you were released from the prison camps. There are 16 of us who were lucky not to have been sent there. That makes an even 100. All of us will have the most important day of our lives tomorrow. This is a day about which you will tell your grandchildren -- and maybe they will even pay attention," Kim joked.
A few of the officers smiled, but most of them were still unsure of what they were going to be asked to do.
"You will participate in the greatest adventure of all, releasing North Korea from the shackles of the last 100 years. All of you have been assigned important missions. It is possible that the failure of any of you will result in failure of the entire mission. I realize personal initiative is not something we have been trained in, but you must exercise it today. If someone interferes with you, you will do whatever it takes to complete your mission. If you need to tie him up and stuff him into a filing cabinet to keep him quiet, then do so. If you need to shoot him in both shoulders to prevent him from calling an aide, then do so. If you need to shoot him in the head to immediately silence him, then do so. No one will question your motives later. However, I must tell you that many of the senior leadership knows some very important things, for instance, the location of the billions that has been stolen from us. We really need to interrogate these senior officials to plan our future and it is difficult to interrogate a dead man," lectured Colonel Kim.
"In ancient times, the 300 Spartans fought to the death while they delayed a massive army. Their exploits are legendary even today. There are 100 of us, so perhaps we will be remembered as the 100 Koreans or even just the 100. But this will only happen if we all do our job. And it will help no one if we fight to the death. To paraphrase the American General George Patton, we need to make the other guy fight to the death. Okay, pay attention, here are your assignments," said Colonel Kim.
* * * * *
Sergeant Paik Tae-jing was going to be the first one out of the door of the helicopter.
Just before it landed, he opened the door and looked out at the sleeping prison camp. Dawn was still a few hours away.
After the landing, he jumped out, followed by his squad. They ran as fast as they could to the barracks to which they had been assigned. All of the soldiers quickly and efficiently set up their equipment. Hurry up and wait, that's how the military is.
* * * * *
"Was that the noise of a jet engine?" wondered Sergeant Paik.
He had been ordered to paint the side of the main barracks with his laser and that was what he was doing. To his left and right, his fellow soldiers had set up machine guns to kill the labor camp guards who were not blown to bits.
He was a part of the ROK commando team at Camp 22, the largest of the six major prison camps in North Korea with an estimated 50,000 prisoners, with the entire archipelago population approaching 200,000. They had flown from South Korea directly to the camps without DPRK radars detecting them. But did Chinese radars detect them?
The commandos landed during the night because intelligence had told them that was the best time to catch the majority of the guards asleep in the barracks. They needed to kill as many as possible in the barracks because of the sheer number of them, around 10,000. The DPRK used so many guards because of its level of brutality, with the prisoners sometimes revolting against the constant torture.
Sergeant Paik's orders were simple: all guards were to be killed as quickly as possible because they would start killing prisoners to eliminate witnesses against them in later war crimes trials. He was stationed at the main barracks, but other ROK troopers were stationed outside guard shacks and other guard buildings. As soon as his bomb exploded, the turkey shoot would commence.
Their briefing had explained that camp guards had tortured, raped, murdered, and otherwise abused untold numbers of prisoners, including little children. If nothing was done to stop it, more people would die in one day than on any firebombing raid on Germany or Japan or either of the atomic bomb blasts.
"Holy cow!" thought Sergeant Paik. The entire building was leveled in a deafening blast. He was not expecting such an enormous detonation. His friends with the machine guns would not have much to do.
* * * * *
Talvela and Lieutenant Song had been up all night arranging for the contents of the vehicles in their caravan. As soon as they climbed into the front seat of the truck, with a South Korean soldier at the wheel, they fell asleep, with her leaning against him.
The caravan had traveled to a point just beyond the view of the North Korean border guards. An officer banged on the side of their truck to wake them up. "It's 8:30 AM. Wake-up! It is time to go!" he declared.
Talvela struggled to wake-up. "Han-na, finally, we're sleeping together," he whispered.
She straightened two fingers, slipped them between two of his ribs, and inserted them forcefully, causing him to sit upright because of the sharp pain.
"Coffee would be much better," he said.
Their truck engine rumbled to life, along with the other engines in their caravan. They started to move forward.
* * * * *
Sergeant Paik and his fellow soldiers walked through the remnants of the bombed-out barracks, with bodies and body parts lying about as if a giant child had thrown a tantrum while playing with his toy soldiers.
"Look at all these machine guns! They could not have known we were coming, so the weapons must have been stored here in case of a prisoner revolt. It's a good thing we did not underestimate them. They were third-rate soldiers, but with this many machine guns they could have inflicted lots of pain on us," he declared.
* * * * *
Lieutenant Choi saw the approaching caravan, with vehicles ranging as far as the eye could see. She had been assigned the task of returning to her prison camp, this time as a liberator. There was a score to settle. It was going to be a beautiful day.
The young North Korean reporter standing beside her was already videotaping the approaching caravan. The footage would be aired immediately after the announcement from Colonel Kim. Yes, the revolution would be televised.
* * * * *
Talvela switched on the small television in the cab. It was tuned to North Korean television. He could see the usual belligerent female announcer being escorted from the stage. Then the camera switched to one covering a much younger woman who started to announce the weather. She started in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, giving the weather for the major North Korean cities. She continued without a hitch down south, giving the weather for Seoul and the major South Korean cities. At 30 seconds before 9:00 AM, she stopped announcing the weather and declared, "It is going to be a beautiful day throughout the entire Korean Peninsula!"
"Showtime!" Talvela exclaimed.
* * * * *
Colonel Kim called the first of the divisional army commanders, Dong Kee-tae, someone he had known for many years.
Divisions were the key to control of the military for two reasons. First, as is true in any military, they are the smallest unit capable of independent combat operations. And second, divisional commanders were the lowest ranking officer to be awarded a Mercedes automobile. In other words, they had real power and they had something to lose if they didn't join the revolution.
"General Dong, as you saw on television, Kim Young-un and his aunt have been deposed. It is time to stop the insanity which has gone on for over 60 years. You and the other divisional commanders are the key to a new Korea. If you agree to go on television and declare your support for an end to mass starvation and deprivation, the other generals will fall in line behind you. Will you do it, sir?" asked Colonel Kim.
* * * * *
General Hiram "Ulysses S" Grant, commander of U.S. forces in South Korea at Yongsan Garrison, Seoul, knew he was in his last days before retirement. He had recently made a comment to Canidae News which U.S. President Supercilious Moffie found unacceptable. The comment was: "Moderate Muslims? Listen, there are only three types of Muslims. The first category consists of the killers, the people who behead and explode suicide bombs. The second category, the largest one by far, consists of people who agree with the killers but don't have the balls to kill for themselves. And the third category consists of lapsed Muslims, those who have figured out that what they have been told is a crock. This third category includes the many women who are killed every year by their families because they wore Western clothing or dated non-Muslim men."
As a result, he was already planning his retirement party. It seemed like both a million years and only yesterday since West Point.
General Grant's nickname of "Ulysses S" was a bad joke stemming from his abstinence from alcohol, as the original Ulysses S. Grant took to alcohol like a fish to water. He thought it was amusing to go to the bar during official functions and call out in his booming voice, "Ginger ale, straight up!" The bartenders often thought he was a little weird.
His telephone rang and he answered it.
"General Grant, my name is Christian Talvela. I am the Westerner you just saw on North Korean television. You were watching, right?" he asked.
"Yes, my South Korean aide suggested that I start watching just before the weather-girl came on. You people were keeping something from me," General Grant chided.
"Sorry about that. If we told you, then you'd have had to tell Washington, the Swiss cheese of secrets. I have a few requests," said Talvela.
"Shoot," replied General Grant.
As the truck carrying Talvela and Lieutenant Song crossed the border, she noticed that there was a large, hand-painted sign. It was obvious that it was painted in a hurry. The sign read, "We are one people." Lieutenant Song made a mental note to ask Talvela if he had anything to do with that. She was sure he had.
The truck stopped for only a minute, but the conversation between Talvela and General Grant did not miss a beat. Lieutenant Choi got in the truck behind them. The truck, and the convoy, rumbled on to the north.
Their convoy was only one of six headed for the major labor camps. The guards had already been eliminated before they could begin executing their prisoners, but the convoys still drove as fast as they could because food was a major issue. A few trucks diverted to Pyongyang, but the majority continued on to the camps.
* * * * *
General Dong was standing in front of a video camera.
"General, we are live in, three, two, one," prompted the nervous, young reporter.
"My name is General Dong Kee-tae. I am placing the forces of my division in support of Colonel Kim Yu-shin and the other officers who have overthrown the selfish and cruel Kim family. Today is a new day for Koreans. Let it be a peaceful one."
* * * * *
When the ROK troops had first arrived at the artillery sites just north of the DMZ, the atmosphere was as tense as it could be. North Korean troops watched with grim expressions as ROK soldiers set up a mobile canteen.
The ROK soldiers also set up two large televisions, back-to-back, under a tent with a generator to power them. The televisions were switched on and started displaying North Korean Central Television. The program consisted of Colonel Kim Yu-shin's announcement followed by ten minutes of scenes from South Korea, then the announcement again followed by ten minutes of scenes from North Korea, repeated over and over again. Announcements from divisional commanders were also being played.
Colonel Ko Yoon-dae, the North Korean officer in charge, one of The Hundred, had previously arranged for some of the children of the junior soldiers to be transported here. They were standing around him with apprehensive looks on their faces. He bent down to them and said in a soft voice: "Go over to the canteen and have breakfast. It's okay. Children will eat before adults today."
The children walked to the canteen just as the ROK troops started putting on their white hats. Talvela had recommended that they all wear the tallest and silliest-looking white kitchen hats they could find. As one of the ROK soldiers bent over to speak to the children, his tall hat fell off. One of the North Korean soldiers snickered at the sight. Then the ROK soldier placed the hat on the head of one of the children and it promptly fell to his shoulders because it was too big for him. As the soldier quickly pulled the hat up to avoid suffocating him, the boy started giggling. Then a number of North Korean soldiers started to laugh at the sight.
The ice was broken.
* * * * *
The arrangement of two televisions was being repeated all over North Korea, including labor camps and military bases. North Koreans gathered around the televisions in amazement, especially regarding the scenes of ordinary life in the South.
"Do you think it is true?" whispered one woman to her husband. "The war is finally over? We no longer have to pretend that the Kim family is anything other than a group of hyenas?"
"Look how big the children are!" whispered another woman to her friend. "They are not mere skin and bones like our children."
* * * * *
Colonel Kim was waiting for Talvela and Lieutenant Song.
"Your speech was a little wooden," commented Talvela.
"Yes, I am not used to giving such speeches. I think your videotaped speech was much better than mine," said Colonel Kim.
"Time will tell," predicted Talvela.
"Ever since we arrested Kim, he has been demanding to speak with you," admitted Colonel Kim. "We brought him to the palace because we thought you might want to ask him some questions."
"Good thinking," replied Talvela.
Colonel Kim, Talvela, and Lieutenant Song walked into the palace.
Kim Young-un stood up as soon as he saw Talvela. "What is the meaning of having me arrested?" demanded Kim. "My people love me and will soon loudly demand for me to speak to them and reverse the mutiny of the past hours."
"Only in your dreams," replied Talvela. "Sit down. You are no position to demand anything."
"All of the animals in the forest cried when I made my first appearance," pleaded Kim.
"Probably because they knew you would eat many of them soon," retorted Talvela.
"And people weep when I make an appearance," again pleaded Kim.
"Let me tell you of a common occurrence with Stalin. He would enter a large room and the audience would applaud. And they would applaud. They would applaud for many minutes because they were all afraid of being the first person to stop applauding. They knew that the secret police would soon arrest the first people to stop applauding. So everyone applauded until Stalin raised his arms and then the applause immediately stopped. Stalin was such a sadistic freak that he kept the applause going until people's muscles hurt from the strain of constant clapping," explained Talvela.
"Let's get something straight right now. Most North Koreans only pretend to adore you because of the atmosphere of fear your grandfather and father created. If anyone protested or even displayed a bad attitude, they were arrested and often sent to a labor camp, along with the generations above and below them. And at least some of the people who cry are the usual, useless sycophants and toadies who will lose their vaunted place in society if you lose power," clarified Talvela.
"I demand to be treated better!" stated Kim.
Talvela ignored his plea. "You know, you could have been a world-wide hero. People who voluntarily relinquish power are admired throughout the world. You would have won the Nobel Peace Prize. You could have made speeches where people gave you thunderous applause. Genuine applause. I could have obtained VIP seats for you at the next NBA All-Star Game and probably for many years to come," explained Talvela.
Kim's eyes widened at the mention of basketball.
"You best think of your future. Billions of dollars were stolen from the North Korean people and deposited in European bank accounts. This money must be returned immediately. This is your only bargaining chip. Unless you want to spend the rest of your life scrubbing toilets, you had best tell us what we want to know," demanded Talvela.
* * * * *
The truck carrying Talvela and Lieutenant Song arrived at Camp 22. Both exited the truck. The camp had already been secured by South Korean commandos.
Talvela and Lieutenant Song started walking through the camp. One of the 100 officers who had taken control of North Korea and a former resident of the camp, Major Seo Sun-kyu, met them.
Major Seo got right to the point. "Colonel Kim called. He said that Chinese tanks are massing on the Chinese side of the bridges over the Amrok River."
The Amrok River was generally known as the Yalu River in the West, but "Yalu" is a Chinese word.
"Can we call him now?" asked Talvela.
"Immediately," replied Major Seo.
Major Seo dialed the number and handed the telephone to Talvela.
"Colonel Kim, have Chinese forces started crossing the bridges over the Amrok River yet?" asked Talvela.
"No, but it looks like they might do that any minute. We cannot allow Chinese forces to enter the country. They might be thinking of reinstalling their quasi-puppet or even his oldest brother," reflected Colonel Kim.
"I agree. We need to stop them, but at the same time we cannot start a war. Here's my suggestion. Roll as many tanks as there are lanes onto the bridge and park them in the middle, one behind the other. Place them at the middle of the bridge, just barely inside the Korean side. Then when Chinese tanks roll onto the bridge, it will only take a few seconds to separate the tanks, with one blocking each lane. I seriously doubt if China will resort to a shooting war. I think this is a game of chicken where they expect you to back off first," said Talvela.
"Good idea," replied Colonel Kim.
* * * * *
Lieutenant Choi had arrived in Camp 22 with the main convoy, but went off in search of a different quarry. She walked to the guard supply office. She was sure she would find the tool she needed. Yes, there it was -- a cattle prod. She put in a bag along with a length of rope, a pocket knife, and a small roll of sticky packing tape.
She went in search of the guard who brutally abused her with possibly the same cattle prod. She had previously mentally nicknamed this guard Sergeant Fatbutt after his corpulent body. Fatbutt often spent time in a clearing behind the guard supply office, so she checked there first. She was in luck; he was there. He had changed his clothing to that of a prisoner to avoid being shot. He was hiding here now to avoid having one of the prisoners identify him.
She was betting that she could directly approach Fatbutt without him realizing that she was formally an inmate in the camp. She applied just a touch of makeup to further disguise her appearance. She put the bag in her left hand and the prod in her right hand, with her right hand behind her back. She walked straight toward him. At the last second, she brought her right hand from behind her back to expose the prod.
She pressed the business end of the prod against his temple, which caused him to go silly for a few seconds. That was all the time she needed. She dropped the bag and prod. She quickly threw him to the ground, face-down, and tied his hands behind his back.
She pressed the business end of the prod against his temple once again. It wasn't really necessary, but she enjoyed seeing him twitch. She tied his legs at the ankles. She once again pressed the prod against his temple. She tied his legs together just above the knee. She pressed the prod against his genitals and held it there for about 30 seconds. Even though he was in agony, the three ropes ensured that he could not move much at all.
She tied a ten meter length of rope to his ankles and dragged him to an old, filled-up latrine trench. She knew it was deep enough because she had helped to dig the trench. She turned the spigot on a nearby water hose and placed the nozzle at the edge of the trench. She oriented Fatbutt's body so that his feet were at the edge of the trench, with his body parallel to the long axis of it.
She walked the free end of the ten meter length of rope to the other end of the trench. She walked back to Fatbutt.
"Do you remember me? You took great pleasure in abusing me. Now the shoe's on the other foot," hissed Lieutenant Choi.
All this time the water hose was converting the latrine trench from solid waste to a semi-liquid stew of shit. Uncontrolled fear showed in his eyes. She used the tape to fix the prod's on-switch so that it would remain on. She taped the cattle prod to his body so that the business end was firmly touching his genitals. She walked back to the other side of the trench and pulled his body into the trench; this way she would not get dirty from splash-back.
The cattle prod shocking his genitals ensured that he was unable to hold his breath. The equipment on his belt reduced his buoyancy just enough so that he would not remain above the floating turds.
She watched him until he sank beneath the surface. The story of Lazarus would not be repeated here.
* * * * *
General Grant called his friend Alfred Terry, commander of U.S. forces in Japan.
"Al, I need you to make most of the Asians in your command unhappy. Please have all commissaries in Japan gather up all brown rice and canned tuna. Use any discretionary funds to buy more rice. Send it to me as soon as you can," said General Grant.
"So the announcement is on the level? North Korea really has replaced the Kim family?" asked General Terry.
"It seems so. The American who made the video announcement called me. We discussed his plan and I think he's got a good one. We will also need any spare tents, cots, and medical supplies, as well as all the medical personnel you can spare. Think in terms of the humanitarian disaster we had in the Nazi death camps," explained General Grant.
"I'll have something for you by later today. Keep me informed, okay?" asked General Terry.
"Roger that."
General Grant told an aide to get in touch with Doctors Without Borders. He dialed the duty officer at the White House.
* * * * *
The two little girls looked like something out of a Charles Dickens novel. It was not obvious at first because of their dirty faces, tattered clothing, and ratty hair, but they were twins: Tan-na and Kan-na
"I found them hiding in some bushes," said Major Seo. "I asked them where their parents were and they told me that they were orphans."
Lieutenant Song bent down and asked them: "Where are your parents?"
"They are dead," both replied at once as only twins can do.
"How did they die?" asked Lieutenant Song knowing full well that she did not want to hear the answer.
"They were killed because they stole food to feed us," explained Tan-na.
Major Seo had also brought the camp commander, Moon Dung-me who had been captured alive. Talvela saw the growing look of sheer hatred on Lieutenant Song's face and he jumped in. "Why were these girls left to fend for themselves in the camp?" he demanded.
Moon was unapologetic. "Their parents were enemies of the state! Their children are therefore also enemies of the state! They got what they deserved!"
Talvela began speaking in a cold fury: "When professionals hang someone, they place the proper amount of weight on the person's legs so that his neck is broken quickly. But when amateurs like us hang someone, the results are never pretty. Sometimes amateurs place too much weight on the legs. When that happens, the head pops off just like on a Pez dispenser. When we hang you, I will make sure no weight is placed on your legs. Your neck will not break. You will flop around at the end of your rope like a fish on a hook. Why, I bet it will take a good minute or two for you to choke to death." Talvela leaned in close to his face, "And I bet that minute seems like an hour."
Moon's eyes were as big as saucers.
Talvela bent down in front of the girls and told them, "We will take care of you until we find you a good home, okay?"
Both girls nodded in unison.
Talvela turned to Major Seo. "Do you know if the camp has any clean clothes in their size?"
"We have new clothes in the storeroom nearest my office!" Moon blurted out, almost in a panic.
Talvela looked at him and replied, "Perhaps there is hope for you yet. But the day is not yet finished."
Moon shivered.
Kan-na said something too softly for Talvela to hear. He bent down and asked her to repeat it.
"We have been really scared sleeping in the bushes all alone. Wild animals sometimes come up to us and sniff us like they want to eat us," whispered Kan-na. Tan-na continued the thought. "Our father always sang us a song when we were frightened. Will you sing us a song?"
Talvela whispered to Lieutenant Song, "But North Korea has renounced the use of torture."
Lieutenant Song gave him a sad smile, turned toward the twins, and said, "I will sing you a lullaby I learned in the orphanage."
* * * * *
Colonel Kim was explaining to Talvela and Lieutenant Song how things went on the first day. "When the units from the South met up with the artillery units, it was tense at first. But we followed your advice and used buses and trucks to transport the wives and children of the most junior soldiers to the gathering. Given that there was plenty of South Korean food available, when someone saw how the children were eating as much as they wanted for the first time in their lives, the war was over for them right then and there."
"Yes, I was quite worried that the artillery units would not be immediately subdued. There were something like 2000 artillery units within range of Seoul, right?" asked Talvela.
"Yes, but that was not the worst thing. There were many chemical munitions as well as high explosive ones," explained Colonel Kim.
"And then there would have been a deadly stampede of people trying to escape the city," added Lieutenant Song.
"It would have been death and destruction on an industrial scale," observed Colonel Kim. "By the way, did you come up with the 'We are one people' signs idea or did you steal the idea from somewhere else?"
"The latter. Posters with that sentiment appeared in reunified Germany right after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Their signs read 'Wir sind ein Volk,' we are one people, or 'Wir sind das Volk,' we are the people, the latter of which was similar to 'We are the 99%' from Occupy America," answered Tologfors.
"Christian, did you notice the other signs?" asked Lieutenant Song.
"No, Han-na, what did they say?" asked Talvela.
"They really got in the spirit of it all. One sign I saw read 'Food for Korean children.' Another read 'North + South = Korea' -- must have been an engineer," joked Lieutenant Song.
Talvela smiled and looked at her for more than a few seconds. She returned the glance and continued smiling.
"Everyone got in the spirit. At first I was very worried about the paltry number of officers we had, but new officers joined in very quickly. I really think all we needed was the spark and an unquenchable bonfire resulted," declared Colonel Kim.
* * * * *
"Mr. Ambassador, I will tell you two stories, one of which will occur. The choice of these two stories depends entirely upon the Japanese government," stated Talvela.
The Japanese ambassador to South Korea, Kichisaburo Nomura, said nothing.
"The first story is this. At the signing of the peace treaty between the two Koreas, the Japanese Emperor will make a speech. This speech will start by explaining how Japan invaded the Korean Peninsula near the end of the 1800s. In 1910, Japan formally annexed Korea. But then Japan proceeded to wipe Korea and Korean culture off the map. Japan forbade the speaking and writing of the Korean language. At this point the emperor will bow and apologize for the extreme disrespect of the Korean people," continued Talvela.
Ambassador Nomura almost imperceptibly shook his head sideways.
"And the emperor will announce that Japan then did the unthinkable. It forced around 300,000 women, 80% of them Korean, to be prostitutes for the Japanese army. Japan then added insult to injury by labeling them as 'comfort women,' as if their being forced into prostitution was no big deal. The emperor will again bow and announce that he is embarrassed by the actions of his father and the Japanese government. He will apologize as humbly as he ever has and will ask the Korean people to forgive him if they can," declared Talvela.
Ambassador Nomura sat there stone-faced.
"The second story is this. A reporter will ask me after the signing of the status of the Japanese people who were kidnapped by North Korea over the past decades. The reporter will ask when North Korea will work with Japan to determine if any of these people are still alive, and if so, to allow them to return to Japan. I will reply by stating that Japan must think these people are mere collateral damage and not worth worrying about. I will explain that Japan refuses to discuss and/or negotiate the matter. Perhaps there will be a public uproar in Japan over this matter," concluded Talvela.
"I will communicate your position to the appropriate authorities," icily replied Ambassador Nomura.
* * * * *
"General Grant, you are out of uniform," declared Talvela.
"Who said anything about a general? I'm just Hiram Grant. I tell everyone to just say 'Hi, Hi' when they see me," joked General Grant.
"Does anyone actually do that?" asked Talvela, smiling at the dumb joke.
"Well, no. Everyone just looks at me like I've lost my mind," said General Grant.
"Generals are not people to be trifled with, you know," chided Talvela.
"But I won't be an active duty general for much longer now. I was able to put off my official retirement in exchange for taking leave of my position as commander of U.S. forces in South Korea. Being able to run the refugee camp here is the best possible way to end my career," explained General Grant.
"Were there any surprises, general?" asked Lieutenant Song.
"Not really. The camp has three entrances: men, women, and small families. They are handed a Ziploc bag for their valuables. They strip and throw their ratty clothes into a trash bin. For women and girls, nurses give them a buzz-cut to ensure that lice remain behind. Then everyone takes a long, hot shower. We give them new clothes and give them a number for medical processing. We examine everyone for medical and dental problems. One thing that was not a surprise, but still plays havoc with our schedule is that almost everyone needs dental work. We do not have enough dentists to work everyone in, so the camp is quickly filling up with tens of thousands of people. We had to construct a few more tents for the overflow," continued General Grant.
"And to be honest, I get the distinct impression that no one minds being in line for the dentist. That means they can continue to eat as much as they want. I am not sure if anyone has left yet. Food is becoming an issue. Al Terry, commander of U.S. forces in Japan, sends me all the food he can, but holy cow, these people were starving. We might have to bring out the fire hoses to convince them to leave!" joked General Grant.
"Christian, Han-na!" cried a squeaky voice behind them.
Yoo Tok-ki almost knocked them down in her attempt to hug them. "It is so good to see you!" she declared.
"Same here. Are you working here in the refugee camp?" asked Lieutenant Song.
"Yes. When I heard that a refugee camp was being built, I traveled to the DMZ, stood in the roadway, and demanded that I be taken along," she said breathlessly.
"She climbed onto the hood of my truck, so we had to take her with us. She rode in my truck along with my South Korean XO. Can't ignore enthusiasm like that!" beamed General Grant.
Everyone just smiled.
* * * * *
Lieutenant Song walked back to Talvela's hotel along with him. They walked past a row of televisions which were replaying his speech for the nth time:
VIDEO STARTS:
CHRISTIAN TALVELA: In 480 BC, 300 brave Spartans, along with other Greeks, held off an enormous invading army for one week. This heroic action convinced Greeks to forget their petty differences, banding together to defeat the enemy at the gate. Here in the north of this peninsula, events are already underway to eliminate a government which would have been familiar to slaves, peons, and serfs throughout history.
A group of brave Korean military officers -- call them "The One Hundred" -- have taken control of the government and military. All weapons of mass destruction are under the direction of new management. The situation remains fluid, so we caution the leaders of China, Russia, and the USA to stay out of this; China's practice of using North Korea as a buffer zone between it and the West is now at an end. Any interference by outside countries may result in WWIII.
We invite South Korean President Park Joon-ho, along with representatives from China, Russia, the USA, and the United Nations, to travel to Panmunjom to sign a permanent peace treaty with the North. Our only condition involves the DMZ. We insist that it be converted into a permanent nature preserve with no future development allowed. A coast-to-coast hiking trail must be built including primitive stone huts for those who wish to stay overnight, absorb the new-found peace and tranquility, and admire the majestic red cranes. The DMZ always divided Koreans; from now on it will bring them together.
Northerners: if you are given an order to fire on your fellow Koreans, make a wrong turn somewhere, become lost for a few hours, and wait for reunification fever to engulf your peninsula.
Southerners: demand that your government immediately send food and aid to help eliminate the tension which has existed for over 60 years. Officials who delude themselves with thoughts of closing the border will be trampled, first by Koreans and then by history.
Korean expatriates: emulate Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz; click your heels three times and repeat to yourself, there's no place like home. There's no place like home.
To rebuild the shattered lives here, we need farmers, teachers, engineers, doctors, dentists, nurses, and public health workers. We do not need carpetbaggers, grifters, politicians, or religious nuts. We call on Doctors Without Borders to help us establish an out-processing center for the two hundred thousand or so souls, including entire extended families, involuntarily dwelling in the six major prison camps.
President Park Joon-ho -- launch your caravans of hope and family reconciliation.
VIDEO ENDS:
They were having such a nice conversation he almost didn't notice that she accompanied him all the way to the door of his room. Almost.
"Han-na, don't you get enough of me during the day?" playfully asked Talvela as he inserted the key card into the lock and opened the door.
She giggled, pushed him back gently, and shut the door behind her.
* * * * *
Kim Young-un woke up in a cold sweat as he had every night since he had been dethroned. The nightmare was always the same.
A pale horse walked toward him, carrying his grandfather. In his hand was a blood-red sword. The horse's skin was on fire.
Then the rider morphed into his father. In his hand was a glass full of red wine. The flames disappeared, only to reveal an animal with sickeningly protruding ribs. The horse was mere skin and bone.
Finally the rider became him. In his hand was the severed head, dripping blood, of a former pop-singer girlfriend. The horse's skin disappeared entirely, with the horse consisting only of a skeleton
Then the skeleton collapsed. As the bones fell to the ground, they were transformed into wood. As he fell following the wooden bones, they formed themselves into a structure and he found himself lying on top of it.
A glistening liquid was poured on the wooden bones by apparitions garbed in white robes. A match was lit and the structure set ablaze. As the flames licked at his corpulent body, ghosts from the past started to appear.
First came the millions killed in the Korean War. They swirled around him, accusing him of murdering them in the name of some cult of personality nonsense. They accused him of being responsible for making the decision to invade the South in a vanity-inspired attempt to reunify the peninsula under his sadistic leadership. He tried to cry out -- "But it was my grandfather who did that!" -- but he could not speak. The apparitions marched back and forth across his body, simulating the times that the cities were occupied and then re-occupied by the opposing forces.
Next came the millions of people who died of starvation in the 1990s. These ghosts were composed largely of children, mere waifs, who wailed that they died because he built a skyscraper that reached to the sky, with the money for this building being diverted from money needed for basic foodstuffs. He wanted to cry out -- "But that was my grandfather and father's doing!" -- but he was unable to utter a sound. The apparitions threw balls of fire at him, with the fireballs shrieking the words "Sunshine Policy" as they raced toward him.
Last came the ghosts of people who died in the many labor camps, starved to death because the food intended for them was diverted by the military and elites for black market activities, or were executed simply for trying to escape from their East Asian purgatory. Their mouths were filled with grass because that was all they could find to eat. Kim thought to himself that his grandfather created those camps and dreamed up the philosophy of treating people as badly as Japan, the occupier of Korea for decades, did during WWII, with his father continuing those policies. He wondered why the ghosts did not accuse him of killing them because he shared responsibility for that horror by not reversing the policies he inherited.
Then the fire beneath him became fireworks, with rockets flying into the air and exploding in every conceivable color. At this point, he was launched into space. He rocketed into the air, but gravity started slowing him down. Just as he reached the apex of his trajectory, he exploded into a million pieces. This is when he always woke up.
He went into the kitchen of the apartment to get a glass of water. This was not the accommodation to which he had become accustomed, the park filled with large mansions, water slides, and every imaginable luxury, in the forest north of Pyongyang. This was a plain apartment with no luxuries whatsoever. And all they gave him to eat was rice, nothing like the lobster, crab, and French wine which was always served in his father's, and then his, house.
He went back to sleep.
* * * * *
The handmade sign on the bars read, "Do not feed the animal!"
"Didn't this used to be the monkey enclosure?" asked one child of her friend.
"Yes, but the monkeys disappeared a long time ago. I think the Kim family ate all of the animals in the zoo," answered her friend.
"It's funny how he is too tall for the cage. He cannot even stand up completely," continued the first.
"Hooh, hooh, hooh, hooh!" they both shouted as they slumped over and brought their arms up and down, simulating how a monkey walks.
Two painfully thin adults stood behind the children. One of them asked, "Did you bring it?"
"Yes, of course," said the other as she produced a small snake from her bag. "Here's your lunch, Rudeman," she said in broken English as she threw the snake between the bars.
Rudeman grabbed the snake, bit its head off, and wolfed the body down. He had not eaten in days and did not know when he would see another meal.
"How long do you think it will be before he gets the runs from the parasites in wild snakes?" asked the first adult.
"Everyone I know developed diarrhea almost immediately. Now this animal will know how we were forced to live in the camps," replied the second adult.
"I'm an American citizen!" he cried. "I deserve better! Where's my friend, the Marshal? He'll get me out of here, I'm sure," pleaded Rudeman.
The children and adults laughed.
* * * * *
Lieutenant Kok Mu-hwan was going to sit outside all day today.
He had been captured in the Korean War. At first, he was held in a POW camp with all of the other UN troops, but then for reasons he did not know, he was transferred to a different camp along with other South Koreans and some Americans. He spent a few years in this camp before being transferred again. No one told him, but it was obvious that the new camp was in the Soviet Union. He was interrogated daily, but mainly he was being worked to death. Rations were minimal and disgusting, often containing live insects. His fellow prisoners died in large numbers. That's the problem when a war ends in a cease fire, he thought, with the evil side not being occupied.
He tried to keep track of time, but his captors were adept at transferring him from time to time to a different cell, and they almost always found his notes. He estimated that he stayed in the Soviet camps for five years. Then he was transferred again, back to North Korea. None of the Americans were transferred with him, though he honestly wasn't sure if that was because the Soviets had killed all of them through torture and neglect, something they appeared to specialize in.
Not long after his transfer back to North Korea, he was assigned a temporary wife. One day his captors marched him into a squalid room and pushed a North Korean woman into the room. The guards sneered at him, said, "Make us another slave," and closed the door behind them.
He was much luckier than his fellow captives, as his companion, Ong Su-bin, was fairly good looking. She was a member of the songbun-hostile class -- North Koreans were divided by the founder of the count