Seoul - Washington DC hotline

[Caleb]

The dragon was stirring at last, his head was turned west, but his tail was dipped in the Yellow Sea, and who knew what ripples that tail would make? If there was one certain rule to politics in the far-east, it was surely this: when China mobilized, so did everyone else. For Lee Dae-Hyun, President of the Republic of Korea, it was an especially delicate situation. If China was going abroad, how might the North react? By all reports, the situation in Europe was spiraling rapidly; would North Korea take advantage of the turmoil to give its final response to the question of reunification? And what of the restarted nuclear program, truly, how far had they developed these weapons—weapons which could reduce Seoul to dust? There were rumors of war, and men were apt to act foolishly when war was in the air.

Lee breathed a heavy sigh and placed the vibrantly red phone back into its cradle. He dropped his elbows onto the desk, massaging his eyes tiredly. He had just contacted the Joint Chiefs and ordered the Military Readiness Level, MILRED, to be raised to the second highest level. Once the order filtered through the chain-of-command, Korean soldiers on leave would begin to return to their units, commanders would begin to equip companies more thoroughly, safety protocols would be traded for security protocols, and whole divisions would be mobilizing and heading towards…well, where else, towards the border.

There was one other order of business, however. The United States still maintained a large military presence in Lee’s nation, and President McKinley deserved, at least, fair warning of Lee’s intention. His picked up the phone once more.

“This is President of the Republic of Korea Lee Dae-Hyun calling for President McKinley.”

 

[lol not primary]

"Sir," his secretary said as she entered the Oval Office. McKinley had his head down against the desk, frustrated over the recent turn of events in Eurasia to the point of having a Migraine Headache. "South Korea's on the line for you, Mr. President."

Sighing, President McKinley raised a hand in acknowledgment before sitting up. Running his hand through his hair for no real reason(After all, it wasn't as if President Dae-Hyun could see him), the President picked up the phone on his desk, hitting the "1" button as he did so.

"Hello?"

 

[Caleb]

“Please hold a moment,” the secretary, nearly 7000 miles away, responded in English, “I’ll contact the President immediately.”

Some heads of state, President Lee knew, would object to being processed through a secretary before finally reaching the President of the United States. Many other politicians would smart at the idea of being given second billing to nations like Russia, China, and the UK—all of who had a direct line into the White House. Lee, however, was not one of those foolishly egotistical politicians who felt that the world revolved around them; he knew that his role was that of servant to the Republic of Korea. Minor inconveniences were nothing in the long view.

”Hello?”

One word, but it conveyed mountains of fatigue and concern—usually politicians answered the phone cheerily, with something like a verbal smile. Lee could sympathize, the last forty-eight hours had frayed his own nerves incessantly. “President McKinley, it’s President Lee, of South Korea,” Lee spoke as smoothly and tranquilly he could manage under the circumstances, the hint of an accent, that not even a Harvard education could erase, creeping into his usually flawless English, “I wanted to inform you that I’ve just raised the readiness level of the South Korean military. We’ve had word of the ridiculous accusations the Russian government is throwing around, and wanted to reassure you that the Republic of Korea stands with you.”

To say that South Korea relied solely on the U.S. would be excessive, but, it never hurt to have an ally in good stead. The ever prevailing question, of course, was North Korea’s nuclear arsenal. Lee’s country had been refused the ability to manufacture their own, so they relied on the United States as a nuclear deterrent. And then of course, the ever present question of China.

 

[lol not primary]

McKinley was distressed at the idea of the Militaries of the East raising their awareness levels, but knew that it was also inevitable. With Russia and China attacking Countries so close to their own, he was actually surprised at how long it was taking for Oriental Nations to prepare themselves for any kind of invasion or attack on their own homes. The United States, however, had not deployed any type of Military forces to Training Exercises or anything of that sort, as a show of good will, though Black Ops were always running under his Administration.

"Thank you, Mr. President for your support." he said, leaning back in his chair. No sense in being uncomfortable, after all. McKinley leaned forward soon after, however, to grab a sheet of paper that contained the messages exchanged between the Secretary of State and the Russian Prime Minister. Things were looking up and down at the same time.

"I'll admit that, given the evidence I've heard from the Russians, their accusations are sound and justified, even if they are wrong. Still... Something doesn't sit right with a group of Terrorists in Georgia having Passports and everything needed to get into the United States without much trouble."

 

[Caleb]

President Lee could sympathize with his western counterpart. Often a country like the United States could be vilified just by nature of its international presence. Indeed, as a result of South Korea’s involvement in the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, relations with the international community had cooled; Lee had worked hard to ensure that South Korean involvement was seen as a decision of the previous administration, and outside of his control.

“Off the record Mr. President, Russia’s findings, coming so swiftly and identifiably after the act, seem suspect…perhaps even contrived.” It was not an uncommon tactic, historically speaking; find some way to blame a foreign power and then heap all of the justification for your own actions on top of your accusations against said power. “In any case, it is not Russia that concerns me chiefly, but China. Let us assume that Russia is justified in their pursuit of these Georgian terrorists— that doesn't explain why China should feel the need to mobilize its army as well?

“There is also the fear that North Korea will take advantage of the distractions in Europe to make a move militarily…I know it’s much to ask, but do you suppose that the Republic of Korea and the United States are due for some joint-military exercises, perhaps a mock naval engagement in the East-China Sea? I’m sure having your Japanese-based carrier group and our fledgling blue-water navy co-operating together would send a powerful message.”