Rogue Generals: A Different Post-EDSA Uno Philippines TL

Sorry for the very long delay, and Rogue Generals is officially back after a very long hiatus, OMAKEs aside.

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Chapter Ninety-Eight: The Second Korean War Part Four


SEOUL COMES UNDER HEAVY NORTH KOREAN ARTILLERY FIRE, INCHEON AND GIMPO AIRPORTS TO CEASE OPERATIONS TEMPORARILY AS FOREIGN NATIONALS LEAVE SOUTH KOREA
Japan Times
October 6, 2002

(Seoul) - The South Korean government today has announced that all foreign civilian aircraft not yet departing from South Korean soul have up to 48 hours to depart, as President Lee Hoi-Chang has ordered that Seoul-Gimpo and Seoul-Incheon Airports are to cease operations while the North Korean forces are on the verge of advancing into the South Korean capital. In addition, several South Korean government officials have also evacuated from the capital to the city of Daegu, where they have set up an interim government that will oversee the daily administration of the entire country. South Korean military officers have confirmed that the North Korean forces have in fact, started launching artillery strikes at the outskirts of the South Korean capital, primarily around the towns of Paju and Yangju. In response to the North Korean artillery bombardment of Seoul, the South Korean military have started to deploy most of its aircraft to carry out various airstrikes around the North Korean positions, with a few bombing runs against the supply routes that are used by the KPA.

"Seoul will withstand the bombardment by our old enemy, which has never given up its ambition to reunite the Korean peninsula under their dangerous communist ideology. We have never forgotten how close we came to losing our freedom back in 1950, and so we are more than prepared to take the fight to the communists in Pyongyang," says President Lee, during the session in the South Korean National Assembly. "To that effect, I have given the order for various airports within the border regions to cease operations temporarily, and for the airport staff to relinquish control of the airport to the Republic of Korea Air Force for their usage."

In the meanwhile, all of the airports that are operating in South Korea other than the ones close to the front lines have also decided to cease operations temporarily, and to open its use to the South Korean Air Force, which is in a need of several airfields from which they could use to repair damaged aircraft, as well as to allow other friendly forces to use its airfields to bring in fresh troops and heavy equipment. So far, the reinforcements coming primarily from the Philippines and the US military bases in Okinawa and Japan have used the recently closed Busan Airport and Port to ferry in troops and equipment, while British, Canadian, and Australian forces have landed in the smaller port of Mokpo. Other troops from minor nations have landed in the port of Pohang, including the troops from Turkey and Azerbaijan. At the same time, the Kemp administration has also announced that the US military has ordered its nuclear arsenal to be prepared, just in case the North Korean forces have launched their own nuclear bombs. Although President Kemp's decision to increase the alertness level of the American nuclear arsenal have been met with skepticism, many foreign governments have expressed their concern.

"We are dealing with a rogue state that has a nuclear arsenal of their own, and will not hesitate to use them," says US Vice President Lamar Alexander, during an interview with NBC. "However, we are also trying our best to show restraint by not launching the first missile, despite the President's temptation to do so."

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FORMER KARATE KID CASTS HOLD A PEACE RALLY IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALLING FOR THE DOWNFALL OF NORTH KOREAN COMMUNIST REGIME, AS WELL AS FOR US MILITARY TO SHOW MORE RESTRAINT IN DEALING WITH NORTH KOREAN ARMY
San Francisco Times
October 13, 2002

(San Francisco) - In what is emerging as a growing trend among certain actors, several film casts from the Karate Kid series have staged a peace rally in the outskirts of San Francisco. Led by Pat Morita, the newly created peace organization called the Miyagi Peace Alliance, named after his iconic character in the Karate Kid films, have launched initiatives to educate the public about the ongoing conflict in the Korean Peninsula, as well as calling for the end of the North Korean communist regime and to restore peace in the entire Asia-Pacific region. Although the Miyagi Peace Alliance has no clear leader, as collective leadership is exercised, Morita has been elevated to a de facto honorary founder of the alliance. In addition, several stars like Martin Kove, Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, and Thomas Ian Griffith, have also joined the peace rally, and has called for all communities, regardless of ethnic and religious origins, to come and join the rally.

"We have seen what war can do to a country like the two Koreas. I remember the time when I personally campaigned in this beautiful city for our government to help the Philippine administration of Corazon Aquino fight against the former dictator in Ferdinand Marcos, unaware that Artemio Tadiar was waiting in the wings. Like a cobra, Tadiar struck first against his former boss, then struck hard against President Aquino, and showed no mercy to his political opponents," says Kove during his speech in John McClaren Park. "However, we are disturbed by the growing political extremism expressed by President Jack Kemp when he called for another crusade against communism. What has that crusade brought to us now? Mass murder, torture, various human rights abuses, and a deepening divide that threatens to split this country. I say to you, fellow Americans, set aside your anger and work towards peace."

The launching of the Miyagi Peace Alliance was at the initiative of both Morita and Kove, and while the organization was seen as an attempt to reunite the Karate Kid stars together, they were eventually united by a cause for peace. However, the Miyagi Peace Alliance activists who joined the group during the rally have been met with counter-demonstrators who support the war effort, and there was even a report of a fight between Kove and several far-right activists, who accuse the Miyagi Peace Alliance of being under the pay of Chinese and North Korean spies.

"These actors should just stick to acting, and not get involved with politics. It only makes them even stupider than they already are," says US Army Sergeant Kevin Mellanby, who is slated to be deployed to South Korea in a few days. "Our President has promised the American people that he will bring down the North Korean communist regime, and we fully intend to carry out that promise."

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CHINESE MILITARY AID ARRIVES IN PYONGYANG AIRPORT AS KOREAN PEOPLE'S ARMY FORCES CONTINUE PUSH TOWARDS SOUTH KOREAN CAPITAL, NEWS OF BURMESE UPRISING CONFIRMED BY CHINESE INTELLIGENCE
South China Morning Post
November 15, 2002

(Pyongyang) - China's military officials have confirmed that around 120 tonnes of military equipment have arrived in Pyongyang Airport as the Korean People's Army have continued their slow push towards the South Korean capital of Seoul. The Minister of National Defense of the People's Republic of China, General Chi Haotian, has reported to have said that the North Korean forces were in dire need of upgraded infantry equipment, as their own licensed copies of the AK assault rifles have started to degrade, due to years of neglect and lack of resources needed to maintain them. Replacing their older AK derivatives with the QBZ-95 assault rifle that originated in China and was recently introduced in 1997, the North Korean military have started to slowly decommission some of their older equipment, especially the ones that consume more resources needed to keep its maintenance. Additionally, several Chinese volunteers have also arrived in North Korea, presumably to help train the new North Korean conscripts that have recently joined, but General Chi has also confirmed that these volunteers are actually Chinese special forces. Moreover, around 400 volunteers from Armenia have arrived as part of their live training exercise in actual combat, as part of their military education in the People's Liberation Army National Defense University.

"While I would be confident to say that our North Korean comrades might be able to force the South Koreans into a negotiating table, I'm not sure as to what the long term outcome will be if they won," says General Chi, during an interview with Chinese state television reporters. "If I had to travel to the DPRK to advise Chairman Kim on the conduct of the war, I would have told him to just force the South Koreans and Americans into a stalemate that might be more beneficial to them than their enemies."

Although not all heavy equipment was shipped to the DPRK, the Chinese government has shipped enough ammunition to the Korean People's Army, including grenades and most importantly, QW-1 Vanguard MANPADS and HJ-8 anti-tank missiles that the North Korean military needed. However, the planned intervention in North Korea was placed on hold, mainly because Chinese military intelligence notified Chairman Bo of an invasion of Myanmar by Western-backed Burmese exiles with ties to the old junta. The Burmese soldiers who served the former military junta were equipped with American weapons, as well as carrying additional Australian and Filipino military equipment. In addition, the CIA has been rumored to have triggered the uprising, mainly by engineering an incident where Burmese civilians protesting their government's alliance with China have spiralled out of control to the point where the caretaker federalist government had no choice but to launch a brutal crackdown on the increasing amount of rioters. The suppression however, played right into the hands of the CIA, which gave the signal for an uprising, as well as the Bay of Pigs-esque invasion of Burma by the Burmese exiles.

"Burmese patriots! We have come back home to liberate you from the yoke of the Chinese giant, and we have also come to settle the score with our enemies who have exiled us from our land!" says Burmese general Than Shwe, upon his arrival in the 'liberated' city of Yangon, accompanied by the exiles who followed him. "Now is the time to overthrow the weak, corrupt, and illegitimate government, which has taken orders from its Chinese master, and to show China that Myanmar shall be the same nation that once defeated their invasions in the past. The spirit of the Konbaung kings who fought the Qing Emperor. We shall defeat the Chinese communists, and if possible, we will even launch an invasion of China itself, to retake the lands that are populated by our ethnic kinsmen!"

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FINLAND OFFERS TO SEND SOLDIERS AND EQUIPMENT TO SOUTH KOREA AS CONFLICT IN THE KOREAN PENINSULA WORSENS, PRESIDENT LEE ACCEPTS THE OFFER
The Sun
November 12, 2002


Finnish troops engage in a military exercise somewhere in central Finland. The Jäätteenmäki government has agreed to send not only military and humanitarian aid to South Korea, but has also offered to send volunteers to help the South Korean government fight against the invading North Korean forces.

(Helsinki, FINLAND) - As Finland prepares for its upcoming parliamentary election next year in March, the incumbent government of Prime Minister Anneli Jäätteenmäki has sent an offer to the South Korean government, of which Finland proposed to deliver much needed military equipment and humanitarian supplies to their South Korean counterparts. A grateful President Lee Hoi-chang had not only accepted the Finnish offer, but also assigned the port of Changwon for the Finnish Navy to operate their ships and to drop off Finnish volunteers who are sent to South Korea to participate in the ongoing conflict. As a result, over 6,000 Finnish troops have arrived in the port of Changwon over a period of two to three days. The decision made by Prime Minister Jäätteenmäki however, has aroused some criticism from within the Finnish government and especially the Finnish public, who felt that they were being dragged into a war far away from their territories.

"It doesn't make sense for Prime Minister Jäätteenmäki to send those troops halfway across the world, when our commitment to national defense is more important," says Social Democratic Party of FInland Chairman Paavo Lipponen, during a session in the Finnish parliament. "We are supposed to remain a neutral country that doesn't get involved in any foreign entanglements. That was why I was also against Finland's entry into NATO in the first place."

The issue of Finnish aid to South Korea in itself wasn't controversial, given that humanitarian supplies were also sent along with the military equipment. Rather, it's the fear of Finnish soldiers returning home from South Korea in body bags that has caused the controversy to erupt in the first place. The last time Finland has engaged in open military conflict was during the Continuation War, where Finland fought the Soviet Red Army to a standstill, only to stop once the Moscow Armistice was signed and Finland was forced to pay war reparations to the USSR. In addition, Finland still retains the conscription system, meaning that all Finnish adults over the age of 18 are required to serve for a period of two to three years. At the same time however, various Finnish military leaders had seen the deployment of Finnish volunteers to South Korea as an opportunity to gain valuable combat experience and to apply its lessons in the event of a war with the East Slavic Federation. Additionally, the majority of the Finnish military equipment that is being sent to South Korea are mainly armored personnel carriers, but a good chunk of the other military equipment that is being sent to South Korea have consisted of 5 BLG-60M2 armored vehicle-launched bridge and VT-55AS armored recovery vehicles. However, the Finnish military has launched a series of overhauls, where they were looking to remove military vehicles that they've obtained from the former Soviet Union, especially PT-76s and T-72 battle tanks.

"I have discussed this issue of Soviet military vehicles that we've kept for a while with our government, and as a result, we have come to a conclusion that we're making plans to send the surplus tanks to the South Korean military, and to any other foreign nation which has troops fighting in South Korea that are interested in acquiring our Cold War era T-72s and PT-76s," says Finnish Defense Minister Matti Vanhanen, during a press conference in Helsinki."

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CHINA GIVES HARSH CRITICISM TO CANADA OVER MP'S ANTI-CHINESE COMMENTS DURING LAUNCHING OF PEOPLE'S SOLIDARITY PARTY OF CANADA
Vancouver Sun
November 9, 2013

(Regina, SASKATCHEWAN) - The Chinese government has issued a harsh sounding criticism against the Canadian government, for what they saw was an attempt by one of the MPs to 'incite hatred against China', over a comment made by MP for Hamilton Centre in former Conservative Party of Canada member Michel Trudeau. The comment in question, refers to Michel Trudeau's answer to an audience member during a question and answer period in the inaugural launching of the People's Solidarity Party of Canada, which was formed over the merger of the Pauper Party and the Libertarian Party. When asked about which governmental system does he like and dislike, Michel Trudeau gives out his controversial answer.

"There is a great amount of contempt and antipathy that I have for China, because their basic dictatorship allows them to commit mass murder and various other war crimes on a whim," says Michel Trudeau. "We have not forgotten their military aggression against Vietnam and the Philippines in the 1990s, and we have not also forgotten that members of the People's Liberation Army were instrumental in the torture of Canadian POWs who fell under their captivity during the Second Korean War."

Trudeau's comments on China however, did not go well with his oldest brother Justin, who had taken a controversially pro-China stance.

"Michel's comments, while they are true, are also wrapped in this increasingly assertive form of Sinophobia. His comments are derisive and racist, and he should apologize for it," says Justin sternly during a session in Parliament, despite the jeers that were thrown at him from his political opponents.

Both brothers have had frosty relations with each other over political differences, and while Michel and his half-brother Kyle Kemper are officially confirmed as members of the People's Solidarity Party of Canada, Justin remains a staunch member of the Liberal Party. However, the comments made by Michel has not only angered the Chinese government, but that of the Chinese Canadian community, albeit for mixed reasons. In addition, PSPC interim leader John Turmel, who formerly headed the Pauper Party of Ontario in the provincial level, had at one point established the federal counterpart in the Pauper Party of Canada, with Ron Gray as its official party leader, and with him in de facto control of the PSPC, he has come out against both Trudeau brothers and their comments regarding China.

"Mr. Michel Trudeau's comments reflect a young politician who is inexperienced in the art of politics, and needs guidance on how to conduct himself in public as a political representative," says Turmel during a press conference in Regina. "Mr. Justin Trudeau on the other hand, should also keep in mind that not all Chinese Canadians are supportive of their country, as the majority of the wealthy Chinese business families that have settled in Canada are political opponents of Bo Xilai and Wang Shaoguang, and they have legitimate reasons to be afraid of Justin Trudeau's unabashed support for the Chinese New Left. Or he may be pretending to show support, as he is good at political theater. Just take a look at his record when he played a minor character in the popular sitcom, Friends."

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"In what was to become North Korea's equivalent of the Battle of Stalingrad, the KPA forces had expected an easy victory in the town of Gangneung as they continued their offensive. Indeed, the North Korean forces had captured over 70% of the city, but the remaining 30% of Gangneung's urban geography remained in the hands of the South Korean and coalition forces. Only the southern bank of the Namdae River remained outside North Korean control, but this is where the fighting was at its thickest, primarily because of the Gangneung Air Base that the South Korean military still retained control of. It was at the Battle of Gangneung that the legend behind the notorious volunteer brigades had arisen. The Berdugo Brigade that was led by a rising star and Tadiar protege in Jovito Palparan, had played a role in the successful retaking of the Catholic Kwandong University against a garrison of 600 North Korean soldiers that occupied the building, although their first notoriety came when most of those North Korean soldiers surrendered only after being bombarded with multiple flash bang grenades, did the Berdugo Brigade soldiers massacred them all. Yet, their true scope of the brutality would only be revealed once they've entered North Korean territory for the first time. Even when the North Korean forces outnumber them by approximately 2 to 1, they've suffered their first defeat of the war. While North Korea may still enjoy a few more victories, the Battle of Gangneung would become the turning point in the Second Korean War, as the survivors of the Kwandong University ordeal would eventually be recruited into the redemption brigades, albeit as a separate battalion under the command of the South Korean military and the Korean Central Intelligence Agency. The so-called Kwandong Battalion would earn a reputation for being one of South Korea's most brutal homegrown paramilitary units, and would also play a role in the notorious Pyeonghwa Motors factory strike, where members of the Kwandong Battalion, along with the other paramilitary units that were hired by the bankrupted company, would massacre over 700 factory workers as punishment for going on strike. Those 700 factory workers originally came from the now-former North Korea, and it was this massacre that played into the hands of the defunct Provisional Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and a radical politician named Huh Kyoung-young, that the seeds for Korea's first post-reunification political conflict was planted." From "Korea After the Reunification War", released by KBS Documentaries, April 27, 2018.

Yes, although in this case the territories of what is OTL North Korea would be placed under a special status. What I would gradually see is that the provinces of OTL North Korea would have a special status where they would be given more economic and political reform, starting with the ones that are the closest, and after either 20 to 25 years, that province would be considered integrated enough to relinquish its special status, but the implementation would be done every five years, so for example:

Kangwon would be the first to be given immediate political and economic reform, followed by both North and South Hwanghae, although I would see the South Korean government merge the two Hamgyongs, Hwanghaes, and Pyongans into just a unified entity, instead of leaving them as separate provinces. Imagine if the OTL proposal to split Palawan had gone through, that's what those ex-North Korean provinces are like.

And as we may have already seen ahead, these reforms will run into a sort of trouble that might become worse for Korea overall ITTL, so basically a fast kind of reunification that creates more problems than solutions. However, a reunited Korea would also be a geopolitical wild card that might be unpredictable, and China might have a bigger interest in Finlandizing the entire Korean peninsula, as to prevent any potential invasion into its territory from the Korean Peninsula (having in mind the Japanese invasions of the past), and at the same time Japan would also have a bigger interest in keeping a reunited Korea neutral for the same reason as China does (likewise to prevent any potential seaborne invasion of the Japanese homeland from any hostile power, which explains why in the 1900s a Russian-aligned Korea was a security threat to Japan).

And today Philippine time, it is the anniversary of EDSA Uno.

In a couple of chapters, we would get back to SE Asia, and address the Patani conflict, and in a future update, I’ll cover TTL’s version of SARS in the Zambezi Flu pandemic.