Chapter 19 Unknowingly accumulated diplomatic training

An important task among the tasks of the first lady is to receive foreign dignitaries. Cheong Wa Dae was busier than ever in preparations for US President Jimmy Carter's visit to Korea in 1979.At that time, due to the withdrawal of the US troops stationed in South Korea, the relationship between South Korea and the United States was in a very sensitive period, and there was even a sense of tension. When welcoming such an important VIP at a sensitive moment, no small detail should be overlooked.President Carter's first impression is like a friendly uncle next door, while the first lady, Ms. Rosalind, is gentle and graceful, exuding femininity.

The talks between my father and President Carter were sparked from the beginning by talking about the withdrawal of US troops in South Korea.My father kept mentioning how important the US military stationed in South Korea was to the peace of East Asia and the world in addition to South Korea.President Carter rejected his father's proposal to freeze the withdrawal of U.S. troops stationed in South Korea. At the same time, he also strongly questioned our country's human rights issues, which made the whole meeting exude a strong smell of gunpowder. During the talks, neither of the two top leaders was willing to back down, so no one dared to speak out.President Carter even refused the courtesy of the state guest and decided to sleep in the dormitory where the U.S. Eighth Army was stationed. This has already shown how displeased he is.

For me, the hostess of Cheong Wa Dae, this is a very embarrassing situation.One sentence or one action may cause the two countries to turn against each other, so I am cautious like walking on eggshells.While my father was having a cold war with President Carter, Ms. Rosalind and I had a serious chat.At that time, the picture of President Carter jogging with soldiers of the Yongsan US Army attracted the attention of our people, and I used jogging as an example to express the differences between South Korea and the United States to the first lady. "Seeing President Carter jogging, the citizens of our country became interested in jogging."

"Really? The president is so healthy because he insists on jogging every day. No matter which country he goes to, he will definitely go out for a jog in the morning." "Even after I read it, I think it should be of great help to health. For people with certain physical strength and health, I believe it is not a problem to run for several kilometers at a stretch, but for people who have just had surgery and feel unwell, excessive exercise will Wouldn't it be a burden instead?" "It is true that if a sick person jogs too fast, it will cause harm to the body."

"I think so too. However, I think the same concept applies to the country. Now our country is still in the pain of the division between the North and the South. It hasn't been long since North Korea went south and caused huge trauma to the whole country. At present, North Korea is still Waiting for the opportunity to go south, sending spies, digging offensive burrows, and even sending special forces to raid our Cheong Wa Dae." "so serious?" "In order to protect the lives and property of the citizens, the top priority is to protect our own country from North Korea's southward invasion and prevent the outbreak of war. At the same time, we must strengthen South Korea's economic development and relieve those hungry people from suffering. This is what South Korea is currently facing. biggest issue."

"It's also clear to me that South Korea is booming right now." "The current president is very concerned about the human rights issue in South Korea, and it is said that he is troubled by the withdrawal of the US troops stationed in South Korea. Human rights issues are important, but it is like asking a sick person to jog like a healthy person, but it will cause him physical damage. , For South Korea, which is in the tense moment of North-South confrontation and has to devote all its energy to economic development, the situation is indeed somewhat different from other countries, and I hope you can understand this.”

"You are very reasonable, and I will definitely pass on what you said to the President." It is said that President Carter heard what I said from the President's wife at the dinner that day.Because he kept asking me questions and answering them throughout the dinner, some people called that dinner the "Gunhye-Carter Talk."After that, President Carter's attitude changed drastically, and everyone was very surprised.Even the most important issue of the withdrawal of the US troops stationed in South Korea was finally decided to be cancelled.Ms. Rosalind mentioned in the reporter's interview that the opinions of the two leaders were far apart, which made it difficult to continue the dialogue. However, after she conveyed the content of the chat with me to President Carter, the disputes were resolved smoothly. point.

My father said to me more happily than ever: "Gunhye has done a great job this time and did a good job." After this opportunity, I understood that diplomacy between countries is actually carried out by people. The interests of the country, how important is a leader's diplomatic ability.I firmly believe that as long as I can give the other party a sense of trust and find the appropriate way to speak, there are infinite possibilities to create satisfactory results.

I took over the reception room my mother had used—it was a small, intimate space with a simple decor perfect for afternoon tea—and kept the ornaments and curtains that she had used.The dot pattern curtains that my mother chose at the beginning do not feel outdated even after a long time, and the frugal beauty of the reception room is also deeply loved by foreign dignitaries. When carrying out the mission of the first lady, there are quite a lot of foreign dignitaries received in the Blue House.There were distinguished guests from Germany, the United States, Sweden, the United Kingdom, France and Japan, as well as the wife of the deputy prime minister of New Zealand, the foreign minister of Costa Rica, the head of the Tunisian General Affairs Office, the wives of the ambassadors of Australia and Thailand, the wives of the foreign ministers of Guatemala and Kenya, and the ambassadors of Israel and Finland Wait, the number is countless.They sometimes tilt their heads when they see me.

"Why is this first lady much younger than we thought. Thank you very much for your thoughtful hospitality. When I return to China, I am willing to serve as a diplomatic envoy introducing South Korea." I feel pretty confident every time I hear that.In the conversation with foreign guests, giving them a warm feeling has also had a very positive effect on our diplomacy.In addition to talking about political topics such as culture, social welfare, and economic development, they will also talk about some hidden topics that are not known to the public.In fact, the first lady of every country has her own troubles. Through this way of chatting, we have also solved many political problems that are not easy to solve.

Dad often showed a satisfied expression and said, "Thanks to you, the matter was easily resolved."There are more and more opportunities to attend talks with my father when state guests come to visit.My main task is to resolve the stiff atmosphere with light topics.In order to accomplish this task, I must be fully prepared. Even for an hour-long meeting, I have to spend more time preparing.As long as it is helpful to diplomacy, I will sort it out at a glance. At this time, the accumulated experience of participating in large-scale events on behalf of my mother has played its role. Occasionally, I also acted as an interpreter beside my father, and I learned a lot in the process.My father often reminded me of the importance of diplomacy, and his diplomatic philosophy is very firm. "Giving the country to Japan during the Japanese occupation era is a kind of great hatred for people of our generation. Seeing our young children being arrested and sent to serve as soldiers in Japan but unable to do anything, the pain cannot be described in words The tragedy of the '6.25' war happened because our country's national strength was too weak. Now, in order to eliminate the fear of war on this land and make our nation prosperous, the most important thing is to do a good job in diplomacy, no matter what No matter what you do, you must put national interests first. For example, I racked my brains on the issue of sending troops to Vietnam, and even stayed up for several days before I came to the conclusion that the friendly countries that have helped us are in trouble, and we should indeed help them. , we can do more good than our sacrifice." Just as the children of painter fathers are more likely to inspire art talent than other children, I quickly became familiar with the sensitivity of diplomacy through the president's father, and also learned the important secrets of maintaining good relations with politicians and businessmen in other countries. During my tenure as First Lady, I enjoyed the opportunity to meet top and great people from all over the world, and I still maintain good communication with the people I met at that time. Diplomatic training cannot be accomplished in a short period of time, just like it takes a long time to ferment to make intoxicating red wine, it needs time and sincere training.Although I didn't notice it at the time, but now that I think about my position as the first lady, I have indeed cultivated diplomatic sensitivity through repeated preview and review.

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