In the novel, the Little Prince met a pilot who had crashed in the desert, but the modern-day Little Prince visits the office of Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-baek, who is deep in contemplation within the Yongsan presidential office.

The Little Prince strode in and gazed silently at the desk, piled high with "Plan B" documents and various security papers, beside which lay a faded "Military Service Truth Record."

Ahn Gyu-baek looked at the child with startled eyes. Unfazed, the Little Prince kept his eyes on the stacks of documents and spoke in a low, steady voice.

“Minister, on my small planet, I spend every day cleaning volcanoes and weeding out baobab saplings. Though my planet is small, I had no need for numbers or calculations because I was with the things I love.

But people on Earth force others to be tamed and try to steal precious memories just to achieve their own ends. It seems you are all trying desperately to deceive the world in the name of efficiency. Minister, why do adults even manipulate numbers to serve their purposes?”

When the Minister hesitated, too flustered to answer, the Prince continued.

“Moving military academies to the provinces will attract talent and improve efficiency, you say? That is merely the magic of false numbers created artificially for a specific goal. Can the sanctity of security, the value of efficiency and honor, the spirit of national defense accumulated over 80 years, and the military’s identity be converted into visible numbers? Does the ‘Plan B’ you mentioned at the State Council contain the tearful devotion of those who seek to protect these sacred grounds, or the safety of the 52 million people?”

“When the purpose is unjust, truth vanishes and obsession takes hold. What is most important is invisible and can never be stolen. The depth of a connection fostered with good intentions is as precious as life itself. Isn’t the truth found in the hearts of those who seek to protect it, rather than something proven by numbers?”

“Minister, look at the garden you see from your office—white lilies, red roses, and blue hydrangeas, each in its place and blooming beautifully. If someone advised you to ‘bunch all these beautiful, unique flowers together and replant them’ for the sake of efficient garden management, would you do it?

Trying to integrate the Military, Air Force, and Naval academies into one ‘Armed Forces Academy’ is an act of ignoring the unique fragrance of each flower to cram them into one place. Can you guarantee that flowers uprooted without reason will not wither while being moved?”

As the Minister remained silent, the Little Prince said, “Minister, you don’t have to answer. The answer is already written in your hesitating eyes.” He then carefully opened the ‘Military Service Truth Record’ lying nearby.

“Minister, the seven months and thirty days of service recorded here… these may be simple numbers. But the truth is, the moment it is uttered, it is recorded not only in your mind but in the universe, so no one can erase it.

Truth is like the seeds of the ‘baobab tree’ rooted in one’s own planet. It is small and precious. But the seeds of lies, no matter how much you hide or ignore them, will eventually grow massive and shatter your planet to pieces.

The aides standing by you in your distress and the spokespersons defending you against countless suspicions are the very people who will be the first to reveal the truth once they decide it can no longer be hidden. How long do you think their calculated self-interest will cover for you? Keep this in mind: No one’s loyalty can be earned with a record stripped of honesty.

Will you endure the infinite resentment of others just to hold onto one chair? For the sake of your remaining healthy years, you must now repent, let go of what needs to be released, and walk the path of atonement. Step down from that cold office now. The only way to bring life back to the devastated security garden is a ‘courageous retirement.’ Before the truth shatters your planet, judge yourself with your own hands. I hope you, too, can remain a star in the universe.”

The Little Prince stood up and looked the Minister straight in the eye. Darkness had settled heavily outside the window. Preparing to depart, the Prince spoke one last time.

“Minister, it is time for me to return to my planet and do my cleaning. I offer you a small piece of advice to cherish our precious encounter: Stop inciting the public’s anger. If you look with your heart, you will clearly see what action is necessary now.

Koreans are fundamentally kind; if you repent with tears and ask for forgiveness, they will soon forget. But if you hold on with malice, they will punish you cruelly. Stepping down of your own volition is the only way to make the flowers of security you destroyed bloom again. If you are still hesitant to retire, look back on the past year of destruction in the security garden.

Under the pretext of ‘creating self-reliant peace,’ you tore down the garden fences yourself, and in the name of ‘reform,’ you even tried to pluck out the eyes of counterintelligence that kept pests away. You have been branded not as a gardener expanding the security garden, but as a destroyer seeking to erase it. It has even been registered at the Universal Records Center. Ha...

Judging oneself is far more difficult than judging others. The desert is beautiful because it hides a well somewhere. For you to leave beautifully, use your final power to reinstate the 35 soldiers who were dismissed for following orders, and all those who faced disciplinary action regarding the 12.3 martial law. I hope for God’s blessing on the future of Minister Ahn Gyu-baek once you have found the truth.”

◆ Commissioner Park Pil-gyu

Editorial Writer, Han-Mi Ilbo

Korea Military Academy, 40th Class