South Korea would regret giving the Russians such a critical opportunity.
Watching the keyboard warriors' comments online, Mavi, the mastermind behind the plan, simply shook his head. Based on his calculations, the two nuclear submarines towed back by the South Koreans were about to arrive in their territorial waters. He wondered what the South Koreans would be feeling then.
As for Russia, they had already made their money and passed this mess on to South Korea. Let them be "happy."
Two days later, the South Korean semi-submersible ship, carrying glory and honor, returned from Russia. The South Korean Navy, responsible for their welcome, sent out a large number of frigates and patrol boats to escort them on the final leg of their journey.
The South Korean scientists in charge of receiving the submarines had been waiting impatiently at the naval base port. Since the day the news of the transaction was announced, the scientists had been eagerly anticipating the day these two Russian nuclear submarines would be transported back to South Korea for further study.
However, when the two submarines were successfully returned to the base port, and the scientists eagerly boarded them, what happened next shocked all the South Korean scientists and naval officers on site.
"How can these devices not be powered on? This can't be right. What's going on?" The South Korean submarine engineers in charge of operating the equipment couldn't get anything to start. The nuclear submarines couldn't even perform a basic dive. These were indeed retired, decommissioned Russian nuclear submarines!
The Ministry of National Defense official in charge of the transaction almost fainted on the spot. They had spent $1.8 billion to buy two nuclear submarines that couldn't even dive. They also had two nuclear reactors inside that they now had to pay to dismantle. This business deal was such a massive loss that they had lost their shirts!
The worst part was that they would be a laughingstock to the entire world, especially to their neighbors, North Korea, Japan, and China, who would mercilessly report on the matter. They would tell their people how foolish South Koreans were for trying to take advantage of Russia only to be outsmarted.
Adding to the Ulyanovsk nuclear-powered aircraft carrier incident in Ukraine two years ago, the amount of money South Korea had been "swindled" out of by Russia had now reached nearly $8 billion. The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was an overpayment with a flawed delivery schedule, but this submarine order was a complete loss of $2.6 billion!
"How about we sell these two nuclear submarines to China? See if they want them?" The desperate South Korean government official wanted to pass the problem on to China. But this plan was clearly not going to work. After all, they had just bought the nuclear submarines; selling them immediately would be too obvious.
They could only blame themselves. Their greed and eagerness for success blinded them, and they never expected Russia to have this trick up their sleeve. They were truly cunning. All the crucial equipment had been dismantled by the engineers. There was no valuable information left. It was like eating a fish without even leaving the bones. It was so clean that it was frightening.
Under pressure, the South Korean government finally had the scientists try to dismantle the nuclear submarines to at least understand their internal structure. But this information was readily available outside, and a simple search online could even bring up structural diagrams.
The government immediately issued a gag order. Not a single word about this swindling could be leaked to the outside world; they had to swallow their pride.
The information was indeed sealed, but the two nuclear submarines were left unattended at the base port. These two colossal vessels would naturally arouse suspicion among naval sailors and even supply ship crews. They would wonder if something was wrong with the submarines. Why were they always docked and not being used for missions or research?
People's suspicions are terrifying. Even though the government tried its best to block the news, rumors about the two submarines being useless began to spread online.
"The nuclear submarines our navy bought from Russia three weeks ago have been sitting at the base port, completely still. We haven't seen any researchers going in or out. At this rate, they'll probably rot in the seawater! Is there something wrong with the submarines?"
"I also saw those two nuclear submarines last week, and it seems no one is taking care of them. Are we really being good Samaritans, helping Russia with their nuclear waste problems? Did we spend $1.8 billion of our taxpayers' money on this? And I heard it will cost at least another $800 million to dismantle the nuclear reactors! Do they think we have too much money?!"
These rumors quickly caught the attention of the South Korean media. Some journalists, desperate for the truth and fearless, secretly snuck into the naval base with the supply ships. They took photos that confirmed the online rumors were not fake but true.
Instantly, one stone caused a thousand ripples. The chain reaction sparked by one photograph angered many South Korean citizens who were dissatisfied with the transaction. They organized spontaneous protests and demonstrations at the Blue House, demanding an explanation from the government. During the protests, clashes with the police broke out, and the situation spiraled out of control.
It has to be said that South Koreans are known for their frequent protests and demonstrations. Even some influential celebrities joined in, demanding a reasonable explanation from the government.
Finally, the top levels of the South Korean government, under immense pressure, publicly admitted that they had been swindled by the Russians.
"Citizens of the Republic of Korea, we sincerely apologize! Due to Russia's failure to uphold its promises, our country has suffered losses of more than $3 billion. We must reclaim this loss! Therefore, we have decided to impose economic sanctions on Russia, starting today! All commercial trade with Russia will be subject to the strictest control and monitoring!"
The South Korean government passed the buck expertly. When they couldn't take advantage of the situation, they downplayed their own role and cast Russia as the villain. They probably forgot that they were the ones who had loudly claimed to be buying the two decommissioned nuclear submarines to solve an environmental problem and provide economic aid to Russia.
Failing to stick with such a selfless and noble reason was truly heartbreaking for the Russians.
Almost on the same day as the South Korean government's announcement, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded forcefully: "If the South Korean government wants to impose economic sanctions on Russia, let them come! We, Russia, will not be afraid. We must also clarify one point: it was the South Koreans themselves who initially offered to help us by funding the dismantling of the two submarines' nuclear reactors. This is not us failing to uphold our promises!"