Shilla Pact

To be blunt, Premier Moon Jae-in has not made many friends in the South as of recently. His actions, when justified by himself and his inner circle, make sense. Jae-in is the first Premier of a united Korea in a century, and is tasked with the difficult job of keeping the North in the union. The Union, in economic, political, and social terms, is heavily leaned towards the South, and his actions in Pyongyang and in calling an early election have not made him any more popular in the North.

In essence, going into the past year, Jae-in has had it in mind that the primary issue he has to deal with is an increasingly dissatisfied and disconnected North. The Workers' Party of Korea, though powerful, lost parts of its central base in the recent elections. In the Northern provinces - especially the ones on the border - they are losing their grip on power. With this in mind, Jae-in initiated a number of initiatives to keep the WPK and the North in the fold, most notably the passage of the Northern Economic Opportunity Act and the sacking of the Foreign Minister following anti-Chinese/pro-Uyghur statements. In achieving the goal of pacifying (at least temporarily) the WPK, the Premier's actions have been successful.

However, the Premier did not consider the degree to which the South - where his base lies - would despise the concessions.

In slighting the chaebols so directly and blatantly, the Premier made a dangerous decision. In Korea, the chaebols have immense money and influence, and were rapidly working on expanding that influence into the North. Through a single piece of legislation, Jae-in not only prevented this expansion, but also facilitated the Kim family to rise as another chaebol, based in the North.

In seeking political parties in the North, the chaebols had very few options. The WPK was obviously off the board. The centre-left coalition were the ones to pass the Act, and the centre-right parties provided the necessary support for the Jae-in government to function. So, enter the Grand National Restoration Party (GNRP).

The GNRP is an oddity. Though it carries elements of the right-wing populist wave that overtook the world in the latter half of the 2010s, the defining characteristic of the party is its support for monarchy. The party is led by Yi Kwon, the 27 year old heir to the ancient House of Yi, and one of the key tenants of the party is the elimination of a "Supreme Leader" - a distinctly Northern phenomenon - and the establishment of a King. The GNRP is the only party to a) be potentially friendly to chaebol interests, b) be not part of the governing coalition that has hurt Southern interests and the interests of the chaebols, and c) not bat-shit insane. Therefore, in the luxurious presidential suite of the Hotel Shilla in Seoul, the Shilla Pact was reached.

Parties to the agreement include the House of Yi, the Lee family, the Chung family, the Koo family, and the Shin family. With them comes immense political, economic, and cultural power, not to mention major corporate organizations such as Samsung Group, the series of Hyundai-adjacent groups, LG Group, Lotte Group, and many more. In short, the agreement is an informal, gentleman's alliance regarding support and funding in the upcoming elections. In exchange for financial backing from the chaebols, the House of Yi (and therefore the GNRP) agree to look out for chaebol agreements.

Inadvertently, the Shilla Pact functions as a restoration of the Yangban - a group of aristocrats that dominate the political and economic landscape of the Korean nation. With this and continued clandestine support from the increasingly powerful military and intelligence establishment, the GNRP is set up for success.