Empire of the Ring

This visit to Kyrgyzstan was an official event after the referendum.

The whole royal family was divided into two jumbo jets to come to Kyrgyzstan. Not only the Queen’s bodyguards but also her children were here. The royal family had come to Kyrgyzstan as the head of state as the result of the referendum.

Of course, the people welcomed the royal family with great excitement.

Kyrgyzstan in May was so beautiful because all kinds of flowers were in full bloom. Unlike Arirang royal territory, which was still cold in the morning and evening, Kyrgyzstan in early May was a spring day full of greens.

“This place feels like Almaty. The entire country can be described as a resort.”

“That’s why people call this place the Alps of Central Asia. If you go to the mountains in the east, there are lots of dazzling places. But unfortunately, people here are too busy to make the ends meet, so they can’t enjoy the beautiful sceneries. People here are suffering daily inconveniences because of the scenery that we think is beautiful.”

“Why don’t we offer jobs in cities for the people who live in the valleys and remote areas?”

“Many had been fruit farming or ranching here. What are they going to do in cities? Besides, they’d be reluctant to leave their hometown.”

“We need to create jobs in cities, or we need to develop plain fields in Kazakhstan, so they can continue working and live better lives. They wished for better lives and that’s why they supported the royal family.”

Talking to Fatima these days made Youngho realize many things that he had missed.

He only thought about fostering tourism, but he never considered the situation of people who lived in remote areas.

All development projects were related to the tourism industry. Large-scale development would inevitably lead to the loss of the local people’s homes and would only offer jobs in tourism facilities, while small-scale development of small towns may be more practical for the local people, not to mention it would be less harmful to nature.

They had been forgotten and left out for a long time. The royal family would take the lead to help them get out of the poverty cycle, and then they would be absolute supporters of the family in the future.

***

The Kyrgyz public loved the royal children so much.

Among the young people, taking photos with the three children, Leon, Jelyan, and Rena, was now a popular trend. Leon, being an interracial child was bound to be adorable, but the two princesses were also so pretty that people could not get enough of them.

Jelyan was a princess since she was adopted by Youngho, but Rena was being treated like a princess by everyone naturally. It was because she was calling him her dad proudly in the public.

Youngho and Fatima did not care whether such a rumor was circulating or not. They already considered her as their child, anyway.

Rena had a beautiful appearance that she got from her mother, Katya. Even though she had just entered her adolescence, her appearance was enough to catch people’s attention.

Anyway, the prince and princesses’ popularity was increasing every day.

“Jelyan is upset that Rena is more popular than her.”

“Who dares to rank our princesses?”

“It’s search word ranking from an online search engine.”

“I guess people are searching for Rena’s name more than Jelyan’s.”

“I think so. She’s saying that the ranking keeps changing, but she wants to keep being the first place.”

“I think Jelyan is as pretty as Rena. It’s a little too much to compare the two.”

“Who dares to compare the look of the princesses? It’s just what teenagers do for fun. But I thought it was fun. It’s amazing how the princesses are old enough to care about their appearance. It is quite remarkable.”

Fatima burst into laughter.

She seemed to be excited ever since Kyrgyzstan became a federal state.

“You look very happy when you come to Kyrgyzstan. Is that so?”

“I don’t know. I feel comfortable being here for some reason. I guess it’s because of the natural environment here.”

“Then why don’t you build a villa here?”

“No. The people of Kyrgyzstan are still having a hard time, so if we build a royal villa first, they’ll point fingers at us. I’ll just be happy coming here once in a while.”

“I’m sure the people of Kyrgyzstan won’t think that way. Having a royal villa here will be proof of how much the royal family cares for Kyrgyzstan. They all know that the royal funds have been used for the reconstruction of their country.”

“Then I’d rather build a mini palace rather than a villa. The villa is used only for vacations, but another palace will be a constant reminder that we will live here as well. If you build a palace, we can enjoy summer and winter here. I think Kyrgyz people will love it too.”

The summer in Kazakhstan was hot, and the winter was breathtakingly cold.

Kyrgyzstan, on the other hand, was located lower than Kazakhstan in latitude, but most of the land was mountainous, so it was cool in summer and not so cold in winter except for the alpine region.

“Hmmm, alright. I know what you’re up to, but I’ll do that for you.”

“Oh, what are you talking about? I decided that for our children who are vulnerable to cold and heat.”

“Yes, of course, Your Majesty. It’s not because you want to be here but for our children.”

***

On the TV screen, it was showing facial recognition cameras at a bank, and a shopping mall identifying suspicious characters. Even in gas stations, people’s ID cards were scanned and even the iris recognition device was used in order to purchase gas.

In Youngho’s office, Park Jong-il and his colleagues sat together to watch CNN broadcasts.

“Look at them. Do you now believe me?”

“Be quiet, I’m still watching. Let’s talk after I’m done watching.”

Public security guards on the street frequently inspected citizens with equipment to find out what photos or videos they had on their smartphones.

The Chinese government’s efforts to suppress Xinjiang Uyghur for the past several years had turned the region into a prison city. Black armored vehicles and military jeeps routinely roamed the streets.

CNN reported news of tens of thousands of people missing in the Xinjiang Uyghur region.

Youngho, who was watching TV, swept his face with his hand. It was a habit that he used to do when he was frustrated.

It was after the March 2014 terrorist attacks at Kunming Station in southwestern China that the Chinese government began to drastically strengthen its security system in the region.

The Chinese government had pointed to independent activists in the Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region as the main culprit behind the terrorist attacks.

An unprecedented high-tech system was introduced in the process of expanding surveillance from the entranceway of the Xinjiang Uyghur region.

The spot that was used as the Silk Road gateway in the past had turned into a public security checkpoint. Here, people went through a full-body scan, an identification check, and a facial scan. Surveillance cameras were also watching every few dozen to hundreds of meters on the road.

The census forms submitted by residents included the sections where people had to write the number of overseas trips and if they had friends or families that were inmates. According to what was on the form, people were classified as three-tier risk-rated figures.

Xinjiang Uyghur’s surveillance equipment for every 100,000 people in the Xinjiang region was said to be equivalent to the amount of equipment to watch hundreds of millions in other countries.

Last year, education and training centers were established in the region. Those centers were where thousands of dissidents were being detained in the name of education and training.

Rumors of mass disappearances had been raised as people had suddenly been detained.

A CNN reporter said brainwashing programs under the guise of vocational training were in operation at the training center.

“They’re crazy.”

“It’s amazing how the CNN reporter filmed it. How brave of her, but why are they broadcasting it now? So far, they’ve closed their eyes to human rights in Xinjiang Uygur.”

“Well, because of the courageous reporter, I guess the time has come for us to act.”

“You’re not saying that you’re going to go to China, are you?”

“We should definitely sneak in there, very secretively.”

“Man, I thought I was finally on a break. I guess we’ll get busy for a while.”

“But it’s great that it’s not winter anymore, just like our jinx. We always have carried out a secret operation in the winter, haven’t we? Can you tell Commander Kabak to hurry up and come?”

“What does the commander of the Royal Armored Division have to do with Xinjiang Uyghur?”

“Last winter, Kabak recognized the secret route that Uyghur intellectuals and families of the Independence fighter organization used to enter Kazakhstan without anyone knowing.”

“I overheard it, but don’t you think the Chinese border guards know that route?”

“It’s a passage that’s been used only for Kazakhs who lived in Xinjiang Uyghur for hundreds of years. It was made in the time of Genghis Khan. Of course, the Chinese people don’t know. If they knew, there would have been no reason for the intellectuals to get away from the region using that route, is there?”

“The Chinese government doesn’t care about people in the region since they’re rather bothersome. I bet the government just let them go.”

“Do you think China will overlook their escape so easily? The people missing reported on the news are referring the people who escaped to Kazakhstan through that route. China can’t say that all those people are missing now, or the world will think that the Chinese authorities have killed them in the camp.”

“Whoa, that means they’re stuck. Then, let’s manipulate the media.”

“How?”

“There must be Kazakhs who crossed the border this time. We should ask about their whereabouts to the Chinese government. Since there are families living in Kazakhstan, we should ask that those families are wondering what happened to them. I wonder how the Chinese government will respond to that.”

“We don’t have to make a fuss. Let’s provide arms to the independence fighters through the secret route and release the royal guards to shake things up.”

“Then the Uyghurs will suffer.”

“Do you think the Uyghurs are at peace now? We’re not at the point where we can just watch and wait now.”