Empire of the Ring

Although Youngho asked Suh Min-seok to find out about what the British Foreign Secretary had been up to, there was no track record of him left.

It was too much to ask to find out about the head of the British intelligence agency’s moves since if it was not an official visit, all of his whereabouts must be in secret.

Soon, the Foreign Secretary contacted Youngho asking if they could meet on a suite room on the 16th floor of a hotel at 2 p.m. the next day. It was just one floor below the hotel floor where Youngho was staying. He did not expect that the minister would ask to meet in a suite room even though it was not supposed to be a secret meeting. This must be the reason why reporters could not find his trace.

Even if they were to meet officially, the press would not pay attention to it because it was so natural for a guest attending a royal wedding to meet with the groom’s side. The minister intended to hide the fact that the two were meeting. It meant that he was going to have a secret conversation.

“Minister, I was startled when you asked to meet.”

“Oh, I’ve been waiting for two days to meet you, the Duke of the Arirang Autonomous State.”

“I’m just the head of a small, newborn state. I don’t have anything to say for sure, but I’m lucky to have a relationship with the Danish royal family. That’s what the media has been after.”

“Didn’t you try to get your state exposed to the press?”

“…”

“The existence of the autonomous state is now known to the world, even to the extent that the Kazakh government cannot afford to tamper with it. Wasn’t it your plan to prepare the state in case another administration tries to shake it in the future?”

If Nazarbayev stepped down from power, the state’s position could be shaken by the new regime. This continued to bother Youngho, and that was why he unveiled the autonomous state even at the risk of being harassed by the media. No one would touch it easily if it was in the world’s spotlight.

“That was part of my intention. If it was visible to you, I can assume that the Kazakh government already knows about it too.”

“The Kazakh government will ignore it even if it knew about that since there’s more to gain from having the Arirang Autonomous State. Politicians in multi-ethnic countries are generous in that regard. We’ve already learned from the past that it’s a lot better to offer their own space to embrace immigrants.”

“I don’t know what power the Arirang state has.”

“You’ve got a lot of power now, haven’t you? The fact that every royal family in Europe has recognized it is proof of that.”

“Well, I guess you’re right.”

“That’s it. Most European countries represent constitutional states. Although the king is only symbolic, he is respected and loved by the people. Kings sometimes wield rusted swords on their backs. Do you know how powerful that still is? The Queen of England’s words is more influential than hundreds of words spoken by politicians.”

“That is good to hear. It seems that my intentions worked.”

“That’s right. Now, no one in the international community is afraid to deny the Arirang Autonomous State. The Kazakh government will accept even if the Arirang state wants independence since maintaining a good relationship with the autonomous state will be more profitable. That’s how we see it.”

“You’re going too far with your imagination. The Arirang Autonomous State will remain as a member of Kazakhstan. I’ve never thought of our state without Kazakhstan.”

Youngho was stunned to hear those unexpected words from the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom. How did the British Intelligence Service come to that conclusion? That made him wonder if the U.K. would support the independence of the autonomous state.

“Well, if that’s your plan, perhaps that’s how it will be. But things change when there’s a certain variable. Do you think Kazakhstan will stand forever? You know about the Kazakh borderland near the Russian border, don’t you? Russian residents there are working toward their independence from Kazakhstan.”

“I know that. I’ve discussed it in depth with President Nazarbayev.”

“So, you also communicate with the president in general with domestic politics.”

“That’s only because it was directly related to the future of the autonomous state. The president doesn’t want an armed conflict with Russia.”

“Our government has been also closely watching that. If Russia put the Russian residents in the area just like the Crimean Peninsula in Ukraine, there’s no way for the Kazakh government to deal with it.”

“The Kazakh government could redraw the border. Mr. President thinks that it’s not a big deal to give up a little piece of the huge land. We all know that we can’t fight Russia and win. He thinks it’s better to take some of the lands off and get the benefits in return.”

“President of Nazarbayev is known to be a nationalist, but his idea is surprisingly reasonable.”

“Giving up the territory would be only temporary.”

“…”

“He’s trying to build power until he could reclaim the territory. No one would feel comfortable giving up the land where their ancestors’ spirit is breathing.”

Minister Boris Johnson looked surprised at Youngho’s bombshell remarks. The two were the only people in the room, but he shushed Youngho and looked around as if he was checking if there was anyone around.

“Is it okay to tell me such an important secret?”

“You’ve already predicted the future of the autonomous state, so what more can I hide? It doesn’t look like the British government’s going to fight against Kazakhstan since you told me about Russia’s situation. Didn’t you come to help us?”

“Hahaha… You got me.”

“What does the UK want to get from Central Asia? I’d like to ask you what your intention is in telling me about Russia’s trend.”

“To speak frankly, I wanted to know your perspective on this. Forgive me if I was too blunt.”

“Not at all. I wouldn’t have told my whole intention to a person whom I’ve never seen either. When you asked me to meet secretly, I guessed that we would be talking about business.”

“We were right to come to you. The British government has been watching the Arirang Autonomous State for a long time. So, I’d like to make a suggestion.”

He took a sip of tea and sat close to the table. Youngho also leaned forward to listen actively.

“The British intelligence service wants strategic relations with the Arirang Autonomous State.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I heard there’s an intelligence department in the state, isn’t there?”

“If you count several local branch offices of the Arirang Autonomous State in different regions of Central Asia, yes, we surely have it.”

“Our MI6 agents in Central Asia confirmed that your agents clearly seem to be well-trained, isn’t it so?”

“I wouldn’t deny it. We’re only at the level of normal information-collecting activities.”

He did not bother to say no since the minister seemed to be sure of the intelligence department of the autonomous state. It would be better to say with confidence that there were well-trained intelligence agents.

“Our intelligence service does not interfere with or manipulate the political situation of other countries like the United States. It’s just a pure collection of information, just in case. There are not many of our agents in Central Asia or Russia, so it is difficult to gather information. That’s why I’m proposing to share information.”

“Do you mean that the British intelligence service is also willing to share information with us? What would knowing the world’s high-quality information do good for a small state like us? I’m not interested in the world. I only care about our autonomous state.”

“I’m sure it won’t be a bother. We are also willing to supply you with the information equipment and special weapons your state needs. It’s going to help the state build its own power.”

“There’s little information coming from our local agents. I don’t know if it will help your home country.”

“It’s better than blocking your eyes and ears. I’d like to go further and also learn about Kazakhstan’s trends. Is it possible?”

“It sounds like you’re telling me to spy on Kazakhstan.”

“Don’t think of it as national affairs, think of it as international affairs. You are a foreigner in Kazakhstan anyway.”

“…”

“Isn’t your county going to need information from Russia and China that borders Kazakhstan?”

At the end of their long talk, Youngho shook hands with the Foreign Secretary before they parted ways.

Today was the day when the two states reached a surprise agreement on the exchange of information. The next time Youngho visited Great Britain, he would exchange a memorandum of understanding with the Foreign Secretary.

In exchange for supplying information to Central Asia, the minister would give information about Russia and China and promised to provide commissioned education and equipment support for the intelligence agents of the autonomous state. Now the state’s agents could receive systematic training.

***

“Really? Our agents can get MI6 training and British high-tech equipment too?”

“How many times do I have to tell you so you would believe it?”

Jong-il jumped when Youngho informed him of his meeting with the British Foreign Secretary. Since he was a big fan of James Bond from the 007 series, he was so excited to hear the news that the autonomous state would be collaborating with the British intelligence service.

“That’s because I don’t believe it. The US CIA only gives us a few pieces of equipment and get a ton of information every day. Great Britain is still a gentleman’s country.”

“Don’t believe that about the gentlemen’s country. They’ve done all sorts of bad things in the past. Look at how many colonies they have. He said he doesn’t interfere with other countries’ politics, but I don’t believe that. I only agreed to do the partnership because he already knew about our intelligence department.”

“What’s the matter? It’s exciting just to be able to receive advanced information education. I should also take the training in England for this opportunity. I can also compare the difference with the U.S. CIA.”

“You’re too old to receive their training. You’ll embarrass yourself among the young agents. We can just go and watch our agents receive their training.”

“I have a ring and leather shoes. What are you worried about?”

“You’re going to wear it to the British Intelligence Service? If you use the power of the ring, they’ll try to dissect your body.”

“Why are you scaring me? Don’t worry, my body feels like it’s in its 20s.”

“Let’s go together next month to formally exchange MOUs, and take a look at the educational scene.”

“Will they show it to us?”

“You’re qualified because you’re the director of the Intelligence Department of the Arirang Autonomous State. Of course, you should see it. Shouldn’t we know what kind of training our agents will be getting? If it’s on the same level as us or below our level, we’ll be better off without their training.”

Since the agents of the autonomous state received training from Youngho and Jong-il on the basis of the U.S. intelligence’s training without proper textbooks, they needed properly structured education. Therefore, the British’s proposal for commissioned education was also a good opportunity to compare with the intelligence education of the autonomous state.