Great, aside from Korea, are there other plans for other nations to get outbreaks? Or this would be limited only to Korea? And how many Koreans did die on the outbreak? Since Korea is also known to have a slow birthrate would they institute pro natal policies once things have calmed down?
Epidemic at the Land of the Morning Calm - Expanded TL of Seoul Station and Train To Busan
- Thread starter Gillan1220
- Start date
Great, aside from Korea, are there other plans for other nations to get outbreaks? Or this would be limited only to Korea? And how many Koreans did die on the outbreak? Since Korea is also known to have a slow birthrate would they institute pro natal policies once things have calmed down?
Despite the title, the outbreak mainly lasts for only a month (similar to 28 Days Later) since we see in the film the zombies are the fast type and the one quick to burn out. Additionally, since they are technically-living zombies like the Ragers and hence do not eat, I made in this timeline that they would die of starvation and exposure to natural elements.
The UN has controlled the situation with the RIMPAC fleet patrolling the waters of Korea, hence the outbreak remains in South Korea.
The Death Toll will have to be decided but it will be bad since the Second Korean War will already begin, along a few unlucky North Korean soldiers that get infected from weakened but still active infected.
After the outbreak, I can assure you the ROK government will encourage reproduction to make up for the depopulation caused by the outbreak and the Second Korean War.
P.S. I currently do not have plans yet for a larger outbreak.
Second Korean War
Fate finally struck on the night of September 2nd, 2016 when the Korean People's Army bombarded the overrun Seoul with artillery and rocket pieces. Almost 63 years later since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice (technically, both Koreas were at a state of war since no official peace treaty was signed; some small-scale conflicts erupted in the past), the final showdown between North and South began.
The resulting barrage killed thousands of dormant and weakened infected and around 25,000 survivors still holed up in their homes when the outbreak first began. KPAGF T-62s, T-55s, T-72s came thundering past the JSA alongside some older T-34s and Chinese Type 59s. The North Koreans easily overwhelmed the meager U.S. and ROK defenses along the JSA. Following the simultaneous attack and surprise invasion into infected territory of South Korea, Korean People's Army Naval Force Romeo-class and Yogu-class submarines began sailing from their harbors into the RIMPAC fleet, hoping to sink an American aircraft carrier or a destroyer.
The U.S. and South Korean response was quick. In the minutes of the start of the bombardment, U.S. Air Force and ROK Air Force F-16s, F-15s, and KA-50s began engaging the older the MiG-15s, MiG-17s, MiG-21s, Su-7s, Su-25s, J-6, and J-7s of the KPAAF. The result was a clear win for the U.S. and the South Koreans. F/A-18s from the USS John C. Stennis and the USS Ronald Reagan soon joined the fray. The outdated North Korean fighter jets were swatted out of the sky like flies. For the U.S.-SK coalition, only three F/A-18s, 5 F-16s, and 3 F-15s were lost. Most of the pilots were able to eject into safety near the Busan Safe Zone.
Meanwhile, in the sea, the plan on attacking the RIMPAC fleet backfired horribly. MH-60Rs coming from the USS Chong Hoon and the USS William P. Lawrence sunk several KPN submarines and three Sariwon-class frigates. The ROKS Sejong The Great engaged on a melee with a Nanjin-class frigate and emerged victorious. The HMNZ Te Kaha, the Chilean Navy's Almirante Cochrane, and the HMCS Calgary chased one Romeo-class and surrounded the submarine. Helicopters from the three ships surrounded the vessel and ordered it to surrender or face annihilation. The terrified KPN sailors surrendered and their vessel was towed to be sent to the Jeju Island safe-zone for re-evaluation. Since In the Sea of Japan, the JDS Kirishima sunk three corvettes and one Sang-o class submarine. There was no way for the KPN to win over naval supremacy by the U.S. and their RIMPAC allies.
While the allies dominated the air and the land, in the ground was a much different story. Once the JSA and the DMZ were fully under North Korean control, the armored convoys virtually went on unopposed. Any Infected the KPA encountered were already weakened and hence were executed. Others were run over by the treads of their Cold War-era main battle tanks. While Seoul burned in the distance, the KPA could feel they were closer to their prize of capturing the South's capital.
In the international scene, both China and Russia were alarmed. The fact that North Korea invaded the South while the K-Z Virus epidemic was not declared over drew fears among the leadership of the infection, while weakened but still active, might spread beyond North Korea's borders. The Russian cruiser Varyag and the Russian destroyer Marshal Shaposhnikov, deployed to Vladivostok since the start of the outbreak, were on alert status ready to fire their cruise missiles if any infected cross into North Korea. Across the Sino-Korean border, more PLA soldiers, tanks, armored personnel carriers, helicopters, and mobile missile launchers were amassed. It may look like China may invade North Korea to restrain Kim Jong-un but the Central Military Commission nor Xi Jinping himself has made no announcements. Publicly, China and Russia condemned the invasion. Immediately afterwards, both countries cut the food, fuel, and coal supply of North Korea on the request of the United States in hopes to lessen their war effort.
The world was on edge when the Korean War was reignited. While millions glued their eyes to their TVs on the report of the K-Z Virus epidemic producing Infected which resembled the Ragers from 28 Days/Weeks Later and the zombies from the terrible adaption of World War Z, millions more returned to their TV of footages of rockets raining on Seoul and fighter jet dogfights above the Korean Peninsula. To those who could still remember the Gulf War, the live footage of the Second Korean War resembled the Gulf War syndrome but in a much more intense pace. Almost no-body went to bed in Japan, Taiwan, China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, and much of the Far East. Social media went into a frenzy again with the topic of the Second Korean War surpassing the trend of the K-Z Virus just two months ago. It was morning in North America when the war reignited. Americans and Canadians on their way to work saw the news from their TVs and smartphones. A large crowd of people gathered in Times Square in New York City with all eyes glued on the large TV screens of Good Morning America, which was already broadcasting the news. In Washington, D.C., both the White House and the Pentagon sprang into action. President Obama along with the Joint Chiefs of Staff were in the Situation Room, watching from multiple TV screens a live-feed provided by USAF Predator Drones. The administration kept in contact with the staffers in the Pentagon which in turn was connected to commanders in Korea and Japan. Battle plans were drawn up while B-52s, B-1 Lancers, and B-2 Spirt bombers in Guam and Missouri were prepared to taxi off their respective runways. Although unlikely for a North Korean nuclear weapon to hit the CONUS, the U.S. were prepared for an event of a nuclear attack not seen since the Cold War. Residents in Alaska and Guam were told to gather essential supplies and to shelter in place or head to Cold War-era fallout shelters as a precaution. F-16s, F-15s, and F-22s began patrolling the skies between Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. NORAD was constantly monitoring the airspace of the U.S. and Canada. Patriot missile batteries and Aegis destroyers in Guam were armed and ready to intercept any North Korean ballistic missile. The same occurred where the local police and SDF made announcements on evacuation routes in the likely case of an attack.
Kim Jong-un refused to believe his plan was horribly backfiring on him. The air and sea fronts were a losing battle for the KPA. Nonetheless, he ordered the KPAGF to continue on to Seoul for the "glorious liberation" of the capital from the "imperialist disease". He had kept his promise of the Sea of Fire. Kim knew nothing stood in his way to capture his prize since the ROK government was far down in Busan. If anything stood in his way, he would have the KPA execute them, infected or not. And if that did not work, he would already start his biological warfare of dropping captured specimens behind Allied lines in the Busan Safe Zone. It was his biggest gamble in his life.
Only fate would determine how this chapter of the outbreak, the worst crisis seen in the Korean Peninsula, would conclude.
The resulting barrage killed thousands of dormant and weakened infected and around 25,000 survivors still holed up in their homes when the outbreak first began. KPAGF T-62s, T-55s, T-72s came thundering past the JSA alongside some older T-34s and Chinese Type 59s. The North Koreans easily overwhelmed the meager U.S. and ROK defenses along the JSA. Following the simultaneous attack and surprise invasion into infected territory of South Korea, Korean People's Army Naval Force Romeo-class and Yogu-class submarines began sailing from their harbors into the RIMPAC fleet, hoping to sink an American aircraft carrier or a destroyer.
The U.S. and South Korean response was quick. In the minutes of the start of the bombardment, U.S. Air Force and ROK Air Force F-16s, F-15s, and KA-50s began engaging the older the MiG-15s, MiG-17s, MiG-21s, Su-7s, Su-25s, J-6, and J-7s of the KPAAF. The result was a clear win for the U.S. and the South Koreans. F/A-18s from the USS John C. Stennis and the USS Ronald Reagan soon joined the fray. The outdated North Korean fighter jets were swatted out of the sky like flies. For the U.S.-SK coalition, only three F/A-18s, 5 F-16s, and 3 F-15s were lost. Most of the pilots were able to eject into safety near the Busan Safe Zone.
Meanwhile, in the sea, the plan on attacking the RIMPAC fleet backfired horribly. MH-60Rs coming from the USS Chong Hoon and the USS William P. Lawrence sunk several KPN submarines and three Sariwon-class frigates. The ROKS Sejong The Great engaged on a melee with a Nanjin-class frigate and emerged victorious. The HMNZ Te Kaha, the Chilean Navy's Almirante Cochrane, and the HMCS Calgary chased one Romeo-class and surrounded the submarine. Helicopters from the three ships surrounded the vessel and ordered it to surrender or face annihilation. The terrified KPN sailors surrendered and their vessel was towed to be sent to the Jeju Island safe-zone for re-evaluation. Since In the Sea of Japan, the JDS Kirishima sunk three corvettes and one Sang-o class submarine. There was no way for the KPN to win over naval supremacy by the U.S. and their RIMPAC allies.
While the allies dominated the air and the land, in the ground was a much different story. Once the JSA and the DMZ were fully under North Korean control, the armored convoys virtually went on unopposed. Any Infected the KPA encountered were already weakened and hence were executed. Others were run over by the treads of their Cold War-era main battle tanks. While Seoul burned in the distance, the KPA could feel they were closer to their prize of capturing the South's capital.
In the international scene, both China and Russia were alarmed. The fact that North Korea invaded the South while the K-Z Virus epidemic was not declared over drew fears among the leadership of the infection, while weakened but still active, might spread beyond North Korea's borders. The Russian cruiser Varyag and the Russian destroyer Marshal Shaposhnikov, deployed to Vladivostok since the start of the outbreak, were on alert status ready to fire their cruise missiles if any infected cross into North Korea. Across the Sino-Korean border, more PLA soldiers, tanks, armored personnel carriers, helicopters, and mobile missile launchers were amassed. It may look like China may invade North Korea to restrain Kim Jong-un but the Central Military Commission nor Xi Jinping himself has made no announcements. Publicly, China and Russia condemned the invasion. Immediately afterwards, both countries cut the food, fuel, and coal supply of North Korea on the request of the United States in hopes to lessen their war effort.
The world was on edge when the Korean War was reignited. While millions glued their eyes to their TVs on the report of the K-Z Virus epidemic producing Infected which resembled the Ragers from 28 Days/Weeks Later and the zombies from the terrible adaption of World War Z, millions more returned to their TV of footages of rockets raining on Seoul and fighter jet dogfights above the Korean Peninsula. To those who could still remember the Gulf War, the live footage of the Second Korean War resembled the Gulf War syndrome but in a much more intense pace. Almost no-body went to bed in Japan, Taiwan, China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, and much of the Far East. Social media went into a frenzy again with the topic of the Second Korean War surpassing the trend of the K-Z Virus just two months ago. It was morning in North America when the war reignited. Americans and Canadians on their way to work saw the news from their TVs and smartphones. A large crowd of people gathered in Times Square in New York City with all eyes glued on the large TV screens of Good Morning America, which was already broadcasting the news. In Washington, D.C., both the White House and the Pentagon sprang into action. President Obama along with the Joint Chiefs of Staff were in the Situation Room, watching from multiple TV screens a live-feed provided by USAF Predator Drones. The administration kept in contact with the staffers in the Pentagon which in turn was connected to commanders in Korea and Japan. Battle plans were drawn up while B-52s, B-1 Lancers, and B-2 Spirt bombers in Guam and Missouri were prepared to taxi off their respective runways. Although unlikely for a North Korean nuclear weapon to hit the CONUS, the U.S. were prepared for an event of a nuclear attack not seen since the Cold War. Residents in Alaska and Guam were told to gather essential supplies and to shelter in place or head to Cold War-era fallout shelters as a precaution. F-16s, F-15s, and F-22s began patrolling the skies between Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. NORAD was constantly monitoring the airspace of the U.S. and Canada. Patriot missile batteries and Aegis destroyers in Guam were armed and ready to intercept any North Korean ballistic missile. The same occurred where the local police and SDF made announcements on evacuation routes in the likely case of an attack.
Kim Jong-un refused to believe his plan was horribly backfiring on him. The air and sea fronts were a losing battle for the KPA. Nonetheless, he ordered the KPAGF to continue on to Seoul for the "glorious liberation" of the capital from the "imperialist disease". He had kept his promise of the Sea of Fire. Kim knew nothing stood in his way to capture his prize since the ROK government was far down in Busan. If anything stood in his way, he would have the KPA execute them, infected or not. And if that did not work, he would already start his biological warfare of dropping captured specimens behind Allied lines in the Busan Safe Zone. It was his biggest gamble in his life.
Only fate would determine how this chapter of the outbreak, the worst crisis seen in the Korean Peninsula, would conclude.
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Once Su-An grows up, she may write a novel called "Train To Busan" that details her experience in the last KTX train heading there. Oh no, the zombies here are like the Infected from 28 Weeks Later that die of starvation and exposure to the environment since they do not eat nor try to find shelter to protect them from heat, rain, snow, etc. They are not undead but are living zombies.
Intermission
On the side note, today marks the 2nd anniversary of the K-Z Virus epidemic in South Korea. Two years later, the nation is still trying to rebuild from the devastating effects of the viral outbreak and the subsequent Second Korean War. Government operations remain at Busan as Seoul is slowly being sanitized from the corpses of the infected and rebuilt from the North Korean rocket and artillery barrage.
I'm actually curious to how CBRN units would be mobilized to deal with this contagion or if regular units would be specially trained in order to deal with it. Moreover, I actually enjoy to follow with the pace and rhythm of this projected aftermath of the events from "Train to Busan." I really want to see this continue on and hopefully finish.
Once the ROK Armed Forces realized the threat, they would start to equip their soldiers with CRBN equipment. The same could be said for the U.S. Army or U.S. Marines would equipped with MOPP gear.
In this case, the clean-up would resemble the one we see in 28 Weeks Later. The troops would resemble these:
As for the writing, I am close to finishing the saga though anyone can continue if they want.
The only problem with the mass deployment of CBRN units is simply the required amount of CBRN equipment and trained operatives of CBRN equipment to which the RoK doesn't actually have a lot of. Its just a tiny flaw that can be easily explained by the mobilization of the remaining RoK's resources to fighting the epidemic. Moreover, larger CBRN units that are available are not normally able to be combat-ready for atleast a period of 24-96 hours. (I'm nit-picky over the military, so sorry that I'm picking the CBRN details over the fact its a zombie apocalypse.)
I do appreciate that you've put time and effort into this though and I hope for the ending to be worth it.
That would explain in Seoul Station why the soldiers were not in full CBRN outfit but they had gas masks on. Perhaps the initial ROK Army responders were only briefed on the nature of the virus while the other soldier in Daegu, not one Infected soldiers wore a CRBN outfit. Again, the virus spread fast and as you said, it would take time to deploy plus the quantity of it the ROKAF's arsenal.
There are already a lot at this point. The most obvious conspiracy theory is the North weaponized it before their invasion of the South. Hold some half truth since they are attempting to weaponize the K-Z virus and plan to use it on Busan, Jeju Island, and the Japanese devils to the east.
Things Go South
On the dawn of September 3rd, 2016, the Korean People's Army finally entered the outskirts of Seoul. Soviet-era tanks and APCs rolled on to the desolate streets, crushing the decomposing bodies of the infected that died and any weakened infected from the starvation. The North Koreans thought it would be a piece of cake: capture the Blue House and plant the flag of the DPRK. Then from there, push down to Busan and weed-out the imperialists.
However, Kim Jong-un would horribly realize his plan was not going smoothly. He expected his army to swoop right across and capture for the one True Korea as the rocket and artillery barage was estimated to have killed thousands of Infected prowling the streets. While this was true for some accounts, many Infected that were not hit by the strikes survived. Once reaching the downtown portion of Seoul, the KPA encountered many surviving Infected that were strengthened from survivors that recently got bit. The KPA gunned them down with their AK-74s, RPKs, RPDs, DSHks, their APCs and tanks. The sounds of battle only attracted more of the Infected to their position. And from there, several KPA engaged the Infected with their bayonets but soon many were bit and turned on their comrades. New and fresh infected were spawned from that point. Stubborn as they were, the KPA fought on, not deterred by the casualty rate. By mid-day, more and more KPA flooded to fight the ever increasing horde, still thinking they could claim their prize.
Back in Pyongyang, Kim secretly ordered the KCNA to broadcast the DPRK's "glorious liberation" of the South. He had censored the losses his "mighty army" had endured with battles with the infected and the fact the outbreak was threatening to restart. His generals, on the other hand, knew the worse was to come. Behind-the-scenes, some disgruntled officials and military officers began secretly negotiating with the Chinese ambassador Li Jinjun, "begging" the People's Liberation Army to "invade" the country and dispose of the dictator. The Ambassador relayed this message back to Beijing, where President Xi Jinping and the Central Military Commission were in a panic to discuss a possible invasion.
In the United States, the Pentagon, on the orders of the President Obama, ordered the take-off of B-52, B-2, and B-1 bombers in Guam and Missouri to bomb KPA positions in the North Korea. The intercontinental bombers took off within minutes, ready to deliver their payload. Within hours, the mighty bombers of the USAF rained hell on KPA positions north of Seoul. The bombers spared the capital on the request of the South Korean Ambassador to the United States, as Seoul already endured heavy damage from the previous North Korean barrage. Naval units from RIMPAC fleet joined, sending their Tomahawks. The Indian Navy's INS Satpura fired its BrahMos (PJ-10) cruise missile, testing the joint Indian-Russian cruise missile in combat for the first time. The effect of the cruise missiles were devastating. The U.S. Marines based on Okinawa, already on high alert for the past two months arrived in Korea, delivered from the ships USS Bonhomme Richard and the USS Green Bay which left Sasebo for Okinawa a few days before the start of the Second Korean War.
Two days later, on September 4th, 2016, the KPA realized just two days into their invasion, the whole thing was going to hell. As Kim finally came into his senses, he reluctantly ordered a retreat of the KPA. Carelessly, they retreated with the newly Infected in pursuit. The KPAAF then deployed their Il-28 Shenyang H-5 bombers to thin the horde, but was only delaying the inevitable. The JSA lay in North Korean control, but the DMZ was slowly fortified to meet the upcoming horde. It was here Kim decide to make his final stand and if that failed, he would rely on his nuclear weapons while also sending the capture specimens to Busan and Japan as a revenge weapon.
Slowly, the Infected specimens were loaded to other Il-28s, An-24s, and An-12 biplanes and other Romeo-class submarines, ready to place the Infected behind enemy lines to make Imperialist South Koreans and the Japanese devils pay once and for all. Nuclear silos and launchers were also armed and prepared to launch.
The world was finally on edge.
However, Kim Jong-un would horribly realize his plan was not going smoothly. He expected his army to swoop right across and capture for the one True Korea as the rocket and artillery barage was estimated to have killed thousands of Infected prowling the streets. While this was true for some accounts, many Infected that were not hit by the strikes survived. Once reaching the downtown portion of Seoul, the KPA encountered many surviving Infected that were strengthened from survivors that recently got bit. The KPA gunned them down with their AK-74s, RPKs, RPDs, DSHks, their APCs and tanks. The sounds of battle only attracted more of the Infected to their position. And from there, several KPA engaged the Infected with their bayonets but soon many were bit and turned on their comrades. New and fresh infected were spawned from that point. Stubborn as they were, the KPA fought on, not deterred by the casualty rate. By mid-day, more and more KPA flooded to fight the ever increasing horde, still thinking they could claim their prize.
Back in Pyongyang, Kim secretly ordered the KCNA to broadcast the DPRK's "glorious liberation" of the South. He had censored the losses his "mighty army" had endured with battles with the infected and the fact the outbreak was threatening to restart. His generals, on the other hand, knew the worse was to come. Behind-the-scenes, some disgruntled officials and military officers began secretly negotiating with the Chinese ambassador Li Jinjun, "begging" the People's Liberation Army to "invade" the country and dispose of the dictator. The Ambassador relayed this message back to Beijing, where President Xi Jinping and the Central Military Commission were in a panic to discuss a possible invasion.
In the United States, the Pentagon, on the orders of the President Obama, ordered the take-off of B-52, B-2, and B-1 bombers in Guam and Missouri to bomb KPA positions in the North Korea. The intercontinental bombers took off within minutes, ready to deliver their payload. Within hours, the mighty bombers of the USAF rained hell on KPA positions north of Seoul. The bombers spared the capital on the request of the South Korean Ambassador to the United States, as Seoul already endured heavy damage from the previous North Korean barrage. Naval units from RIMPAC fleet joined, sending their Tomahawks. The Indian Navy's INS Satpura fired its BrahMos (PJ-10) cruise missile, testing the joint Indian-Russian cruise missile in combat for the first time. The effect of the cruise missiles were devastating. The U.S. Marines based on Okinawa, already on high alert for the past two months arrived in Korea, delivered from the ships USS Bonhomme Richard and the USS Green Bay which left Sasebo for Okinawa a few days before the start of the Second Korean War.
Two days later, on September 4th, 2016, the KPA realized just two days into their invasion, the whole thing was going to hell. As Kim finally came into his senses, he reluctantly ordered a retreat of the KPA. Carelessly, they retreated with the newly Infected in pursuit. The KPAAF then deployed their Il-28 Shenyang H-5 bombers to thin the horde, but was only delaying the inevitable. The JSA lay in North Korean control, but the DMZ was slowly fortified to meet the upcoming horde. It was here Kim decide to make his final stand and if that failed, he would rely on his nuclear weapons while also sending the capture specimens to Busan and Japan as a revenge weapon.
Slowly, the Infected specimens were loaded to other Il-28s, An-24s, and An-12 biplanes and other Romeo-class submarines, ready to place the Infected behind enemy lines to make Imperialist South Koreans and the Japanese devils pay once and for all. Nuclear silos and launchers were also armed and prepared to launch.
The world was finally on edge.
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With much of the world against North Korea, you don't expect them to win. The Chinese and the Russians are concerned of the K-Z Virus spreading to their area since Rocket Man wanted to boost his ego thinking he could take Seoul at this moment. He just created more fresh zombies instead as there were still active zombies around Seoul that were not yet overcome with starvation and exposure...
That remains to be determined since I need to do my homework of the population of Seoul or many major cities that were infected though just like in real-life, the real numbers would never be known.
The death toll would be probably be ~2 million combined from the Second Korean War, battles between hostile survivors, and other causes such as diseases or natural disasters.
The next chapter will be the turning point of the Second Korean War
Turning Point
September 4th, 2016
Kim's plan of using the Infected as biological weapons would not gone undetected. In fact, the CIA had suspicions the dictator was up to no good. And this is where his plant ultimately failed and backfired.
Radar operators at Osan Air Base noted a strange pattern of five KPAAF Il-28 bombers crossing into South Korean airspace. Within minutes, the F-15s and F-16s from the USAF and the ROKAF met them and shot them down. One bomber, in a bid of desperation, released its payload of Infected specimens over a remote area 20 km north of Busan before being shot down. The fighter jet pilots reported this and a team of ROK-UDT Special Forces backed by a K200 KIFV soon investigated the area where the parachutes were reported.
Reaching the area, to their horror, they found the writhing Infected still stuck to their chutes. Other parachutes were stuck at tree branches above the UDT operators, the Infected trying to reach them out. The operators shot all the Infected in the head. Equipped with helmet-mounted cameras, the feed was relayed to the South Korean government as Busan. Shocked, the South Koreans relayed it to their American allies plus China and Russia.
The news of North Korea using Infected specimens as biological weapons was not leaked to the mainstream media yet as it would have caused a panic. Obama personally wanted to send America's B-52s, B-2s, and B-1s over Pyongyang as a show of resolve but was backed out by his National Security Advisor that there would be unnecessary civilian casaulties.
Two hours later, the same Romeo-class submarines carrying sea-borne Infected were sunk by the JDS Hyuga helicopter destroyer which had been patrolling for North Korean submarines at the Sea of Japan. To the Japanese's horror, one Romeo-class tried to release to its Infected but were shot by snipers in Hyuga's flight deck. They relayed it back to Tokyo, where the Ministry of Defense were about to make a statement with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on regarding the North Korean biological attack.
Simultaneously an hour later, the governments of South Korea, Japan, and the United States announced that it had evidence that North Korea was attempting to weaponize the virus. While panic broke out in Busan, police and military forces were deployed to maintain order. Public opinion in the United States and Japan turned into anger as citizens of both countries wanted to make North Korea pay for this heinous act. Conspiracy theorists went wild as they pinned the blame on North Korea for starting the K-Z Virus epidemic back then in July (of course, the DPRK was not the perpetuator but only decided to take advantage of the situation). Their was a serious discussion in Japan's National Diet headed by Shinzo Abe on revoking Article 9 temporarily since the attempted attack on Japan was considered to respond in self-defense. Though the strong sentiment of vengeance, it was decided what the SDF could do was to support America and their allies for now.
The U.S., China, and Russia all ordered Kim Jong-un to cease the attack on the South. He was given until midnight, September 5th, 2016, to stand down. Though the U.S. wanted to bomb Pyongyang, both the Chinese and the Russian governments persuaded the Americans to let the PLA "handle" the situation.
Just 30 minutes before the deadline, with the horde of Seoul's Infected was about to reach the DMZ, a delusional Kim Jong-un ordered his rocket forces to launch a nuclear missile towards the DMZ. Less than six minutes later, a single North Korean nuclear missile launched and hit its target. The blast and the mushroom cloud was seen by survivors still holed up in Seoul. The nuclear attack on the infected in the DMZ was the first time a nuclear weapons was used in combat since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
Kim Jong-un breathe in a sigh of relief as it appeared his country was saved from the "imperialist disease." The news of a nuclear weapon shocked the world as the madness seemed to have never ended.
China however was tired of North Korea's BS. Just a few minutes past midnight without standing down, the North Korean coup plotters began to positions themselves as the PLA then stormed across the border into Pyongyang. The coup plotters, backed by Chinese troops, tanks, and armored personnel carriers, then surrounded Kim's residence and arrested him. A more moderate general took over and ordered all KPA to withdraw back to pre-war positions. A headache on the DPRK's part right now was how to explain the use of a nuclear weapon on the peninsula, the following radiation and fall out and how Kim will be tried in The Hague for war crimes. The United States reluctantly agreed to let China handle the provisional North Korean government while it focused on rebuilding South Korea.
With the madman in custody and the KPA withdrew, the world finally breathed a sigh of relief at the end of the Second Korean War. However, the problems were still far from over.
Kim's plan of using the Infected as biological weapons would not gone undetected. In fact, the CIA had suspicions the dictator was up to no good. And this is where his plant ultimately failed and backfired.
Radar operators at Osan Air Base noted a strange pattern of five KPAAF Il-28 bombers crossing into South Korean airspace. Within minutes, the F-15s and F-16s from the USAF and the ROKAF met them and shot them down. One bomber, in a bid of desperation, released its payload of Infected specimens over a remote area 20 km north of Busan before being shot down. The fighter jet pilots reported this and a team of ROK-UDT Special Forces backed by a K200 KIFV soon investigated the area where the parachutes were reported.
Reaching the area, to their horror, they found the writhing Infected still stuck to their chutes. Other parachutes were stuck at tree branches above the UDT operators, the Infected trying to reach them out. The operators shot all the Infected in the head. Equipped with helmet-mounted cameras, the feed was relayed to the South Korean government as Busan. Shocked, the South Koreans relayed it to their American allies plus China and Russia.
The news of North Korea using Infected specimens as biological weapons was not leaked to the mainstream media yet as it would have caused a panic. Obama personally wanted to send America's B-52s, B-2s, and B-1s over Pyongyang as a show of resolve but was backed out by his National Security Advisor that there would be unnecessary civilian casaulties.
Two hours later, the same Romeo-class submarines carrying sea-borne Infected were sunk by the JDS Hyuga helicopter destroyer which had been patrolling for North Korean submarines at the Sea of Japan. To the Japanese's horror, one Romeo-class tried to release to its Infected but were shot by snipers in Hyuga's flight deck. They relayed it back to Tokyo, where the Ministry of Defense were about to make a statement with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on regarding the North Korean biological attack.
Simultaneously an hour later, the governments of South Korea, Japan, and the United States announced that it had evidence that North Korea was attempting to weaponize the virus. While panic broke out in Busan, police and military forces were deployed to maintain order. Public opinion in the United States and Japan turned into anger as citizens of both countries wanted to make North Korea pay for this heinous act. Conspiracy theorists went wild as they pinned the blame on North Korea for starting the K-Z Virus epidemic back then in July (of course, the DPRK was not the perpetuator but only decided to take advantage of the situation). Their was a serious discussion in Japan's National Diet headed by Shinzo Abe on revoking Article 9 temporarily since the attempted attack on Japan was considered to respond in self-defense. Though the strong sentiment of vengeance, it was decided what the SDF could do was to support America and their allies for now.
The U.S., China, and Russia all ordered Kim Jong-un to cease the attack on the South. He was given until midnight, September 5th, 2016, to stand down. Though the U.S. wanted to bomb Pyongyang, both the Chinese and the Russian governments persuaded the Americans to let the PLA "handle" the situation.
Just 30 minutes before the deadline, with the horde of Seoul's Infected was about to reach the DMZ, a delusional Kim Jong-un ordered his rocket forces to launch a nuclear missile towards the DMZ. Less than six minutes later, a single North Korean nuclear missile launched and hit its target. The blast and the mushroom cloud was seen by survivors still holed up in Seoul. The nuclear attack on the infected in the DMZ was the first time a nuclear weapons was used in combat since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
Kim Jong-un breathe in a sigh of relief as it appeared his country was saved from the "imperialist disease." The news of a nuclear weapon shocked the world as the madness seemed to have never ended.
China however was tired of North Korea's BS. Just a few minutes past midnight without standing down, the North Korean coup plotters began to positions themselves as the PLA then stormed across the border into Pyongyang. The coup plotters, backed by Chinese troops, tanks, and armored personnel carriers, then surrounded Kim's residence and arrested him. A more moderate general took over and ordered all KPA to withdraw back to pre-war positions. A headache on the DPRK's part right now was how to explain the use of a nuclear weapon on the peninsula, the following radiation and fall out and how Kim will be tried in The Hague for war crimes. The United States reluctantly agreed to let China handle the provisional North Korean government while it focused on rebuilding South Korea.
With the madman in custody and the KPA withdrew, the world finally breathed a sigh of relief at the end of the Second Korean War. However, the problems were still far from over.
Endgame and Epilogue
The arrest of Kim Jong-un by the People's Liberation Army and disgruntled elements of the North Korean government brought a ceasefire on hostilities on the Korean Peninsula on the dawn of September 5th, 2016. The KPA withdrew back to their side of the border. The provisional DPRK government was in negotiation with the international community relayed via the Swedish and Swiss embassies in Pyongyang on how to move forward from the events. Parts of the negotiations demanded by America was the release of detained American citizens in Pyongyang, including American college student Otto Frederick Warmbier who was detained in the country since January 2nd, 2016. To the the international community's dismay however, reunification would not be possible since the DMZ (specifically the town of Paju which was targeted) has been irradiated following the nuclear attack on Seoul Infected horde.
One month later, on October 2016, roughly 99% of the Infected in the Korean Peninsula were wiped out, either through conventional means, radiation poisoning, or starvation. By mid-October, the ROK Army and U.S. Army entered Seoul for the first time since the outbreak. In there, they were able to rescue survivors still holed up. Roughly 2,500 died more in diseases and starvation. Those that survived were quickly transferred back to Busan for treatment.
With things having settled down in South Korea for a bit, the world then shifted its attention to the 2016 U.S. Presidential Elections. The media was providing both endless coverage of the recovery efforts in South Korea as well as the final Presidential debate of Donald J. Trump and Hillary Clinton. Various political analysts point out that a Trump victory was inevitable since Trump supporters increased at the time of the outbreak, using the outbreak as reason why illegal immigrants and refugees cannot be careless admitted into the United States. In fact, this was mirrored by Trump in his rallies across the nation. The liberal media such as the likes of CNN, MSNBC, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, The New York Times, and Yahoo News place Trump in an even bad light (which they were doing since 2015), but did nothing to stop the ever growing margin of Trump voters.
On November 4, 2016, the provisional North Korean government released the two American citizens detained in Pyongyang, namely Kim Dong Chul and Otto Warmbier where they flew a chattered plane back to D.C., meeting Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry upon arrival. It was sign of goodwill from the DPRK that no longer wished to pick a fight with its neighbors. However, the return of the American citizens would become controversial to many as it was just four days before the election.
Then came Election Day as millions of Americans went to the polls to cast their vote. Unlike OTL where it was predicted that Clinton would win, there was no media hype on Clinton winning. So when midnight came, it was no surprise that Republican candidate Donald J. Trump won the elections. Still, thousands filled the streets of many major American cities against the election result despite the clear result. Some were blocking highways while left-wing extremist group known as Antifa and the #BlackLivesMatter movement rioted and destroyed property. However, because of the clear result of the elections, there was no recount.
By December 2016, the South Korea authorities were still investigating the source of the outbreak of the K-Z Virus in the ruins of Seoul. While unable to pinpoint the source, fingers were pointed at the BioTech Corporation, a pharmaceutical company. The CEO himself was at Busan at the time of hiding and went away from the public eye for the past five months. When police raided his home on December 14, 2016, he was found hanging on the ceiling of his house. The corporation's stocks immediately plummeted until the company was seized by the South Korean government.
As 2017 came, the world looked forward to a hopeful new year. On the 20th of January, Trump was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States on a cloudy Washington, D.C. Friday afternoon. Outside the ceremony, there were countless protesters and Antifa destroying property around the D.C. Metro, resulting in the dozens of arrest of the protesters. Security was also increased, from the ATF, U.S. Marshals, FBI, DHS, USCG, U.S Park Police, Capitol Police, and the D.C. National Guard. They were not taking any chances of the slight possibility of the K-Z Virus suddenly erupting in the nation's capital on the President's inauguration. Due to the behavior of the rioters, the right-wing media labeled the phenomena as "Trump Derangement Syndrome" as anti-Trump sentiment continued among the liberal communities in America. The following day, 2.9 million people attended the Women's March Protest across the U.S. in opposition to Donald Trump's presidency.
As he took office at the Oval, one of Trump's first acts besides withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and imposing a 90-day ban from citizens coming from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen was to oversee the vaccine for the K-Z Virus as well as leading the United Nations humanitarian efforts in the Korean Peninsula – a task started by Obama – as part of his foreign policy. The vaccine would see its first clinical trials by February-March 2017, before being declared safe and distributed to the world on April 10th, 2017.
The world was severely affected by the K-Z Virus economically and culturally. China, Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore's economy went on a free fall in those two months of chaos with the loss of a trading partner. The same could be said for Australia and New Zealand which also does trade with the ROK. Comparing to a modern-day Fall of Rome, the effect's ripples were felt around the world. Both the United Kingdom and the European Union took a beating; already intensified since Brexit. Towards the migrant crisis, countries like Greece, Italy, and Poland enforced strict immigration policies. The fear of an epidemic was in the politicians' minds; one inspired from Donald Trump before he became POTUS.
Africa and the Middle East was still a mess. Racked by ISIS, Islamic militants, civil war, famine, and poverty, it would appear these places were better left to rot. Nonetheless, the U.S.-led military campaign against ISIS continued.
Despite the horrors and the chaos, the K-Z Virus epidemic in South Korea brought a light of hope to the international community. The U.S. and West cooperated with China and Russia, whom both sides are always at odds. For once, differences in East Asia were put aside for the common good. The international effort to rebuild the peninsula was slow but steady as the vaccine's distribution relieved the WHO of the resurgence of the virus.
Kim Jong-un would be tried in the Hague by November 11th, 2017, where he was found guilty of all crimes against humanity and the use of a weapon of mass destruction. He was then returned to the ROK by March 3rd, 2018 to serve another sentence. This time however, he was sentence to death by firing squad. The execution took place in Busan and was seen around the world. The Kim Dynasty, while already not the rules of the DPRK, officially came to an end as they were barred from going back into politics again.
In the current situation as of August 2018, the Korean Peninsula would remain divided due to the KPA nuclear attack on Paju that caused the 38th Parallel to become irradiated. Radiation levels still exist to this day. The South was heavily influenced by the U.S., the UK, and the West, while the provisional North Korean government was reliant on the Chinese. Under the observers of the United Nations, the provisional DPRK would begin slowly democratizing and giving freedoms to its citizens, albeit influenced from their backers in Beijing. It was a sign of hope for the oppressed citizens that could now experience liberty for the first time.
Overall, there were an estimated ~7 million deaths in that period from the K-Z Virus outbreak to the Second Korean War, though the exact numbers would never be known. Many more would follow after disease, radiation poisoning, stress, and suicides that followed. To make up for this, the ROK began incentives for repopulation to make for the loss of life.
Despite the challenges faced, the crisis was a victory for the human race as it showed that with cooperation, mankind can emerge victorious. Thoughts of the virus coming back continues to haunt the world to this day, but the vaccine would ultimate prevent that. Armed personnel were stationed at public areas as a precaution. Humanity's victory ultimately came with a heavy cost.
The story of the K-Z Virus ends here but it will continue to resonate for the ages to come.
Author's Notes:
This ends my Train to Busan timeline. If you have any stories, testimonies, newspaper clippings, headlines, Tweets, Facebook posts, and the like, feel free to add them.
If you have been following this timeline, I thank you a lot. I hope you had fun reading this timeline as it was a challenge for me to write since I was not familiar with the geography of South Korea. Nonetheless, I am proud of how it came out. Please feel free to post comments and criticisms so I can improve this timeline to be better (i.e. grammar, consistency, etc).
With that, I hope you enjoyed reading this.
To more timelines!
- Gillan1220
One month later, on October 2016, roughly 99% of the Infected in the Korean Peninsula were wiped out, either through conventional means, radiation poisoning, or starvation. By mid-October, the ROK Army and U.S. Army entered Seoul for the first time since the outbreak. In there, they were able to rescue survivors still holed up. Roughly 2,500 died more in diseases and starvation. Those that survived were quickly transferred back to Busan for treatment.
With things having settled down in South Korea for a bit, the world then shifted its attention to the 2016 U.S. Presidential Elections. The media was providing both endless coverage of the recovery efforts in South Korea as well as the final Presidential debate of Donald J. Trump and Hillary Clinton. Various political analysts point out that a Trump victory was inevitable since Trump supporters increased at the time of the outbreak, using the outbreak as reason why illegal immigrants and refugees cannot be careless admitted into the United States. In fact, this was mirrored by Trump in his rallies across the nation. The liberal media such as the likes of CNN, MSNBC, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, The New York Times, and Yahoo News place Trump in an even bad light (which they were doing since 2015), but did nothing to stop the ever growing margin of Trump voters.
On November 4, 2016, the provisional North Korean government released the two American citizens detained in Pyongyang, namely Kim Dong Chul and Otto Warmbier where they flew a chattered plane back to D.C., meeting Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry upon arrival. It was sign of goodwill from the DPRK that no longer wished to pick a fight with its neighbors. However, the return of the American citizens would become controversial to many as it was just four days before the election.
Then came Election Day as millions of Americans went to the polls to cast their vote. Unlike OTL where it was predicted that Clinton would win, there was no media hype on Clinton winning. So when midnight came, it was no surprise that Republican candidate Donald J. Trump won the elections. Still, thousands filled the streets of many major American cities against the election result despite the clear result. Some were blocking highways while left-wing extremist group known as Antifa and the #BlackLivesMatter movement rioted and destroyed property. However, because of the clear result of the elections, there was no recount.
By December 2016, the South Korea authorities were still investigating the source of the outbreak of the K-Z Virus in the ruins of Seoul. While unable to pinpoint the source, fingers were pointed at the BioTech Corporation, a pharmaceutical company. The CEO himself was at Busan at the time of hiding and went away from the public eye for the past five months. When police raided his home on December 14, 2016, he was found hanging on the ceiling of his house. The corporation's stocks immediately plummeted until the company was seized by the South Korean government.
As 2017 came, the world looked forward to a hopeful new year. On the 20th of January, Trump was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States on a cloudy Washington, D.C. Friday afternoon. Outside the ceremony, there were countless protesters and Antifa destroying property around the D.C. Metro, resulting in the dozens of arrest of the protesters. Security was also increased, from the ATF, U.S. Marshals, FBI, DHS, USCG, U.S Park Police, Capitol Police, and the D.C. National Guard. They were not taking any chances of the slight possibility of the K-Z Virus suddenly erupting in the nation's capital on the President's inauguration. Due to the behavior of the rioters, the right-wing media labeled the phenomena as "Trump Derangement Syndrome" as anti-Trump sentiment continued among the liberal communities in America. The following day, 2.9 million people attended the Women's March Protest across the U.S. in opposition to Donald Trump's presidency.
As he took office at the Oval, one of Trump's first acts besides withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and imposing a 90-day ban from citizens coming from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen was to oversee the vaccine for the K-Z Virus as well as leading the United Nations humanitarian efforts in the Korean Peninsula – a task started by Obama – as part of his foreign policy. The vaccine would see its first clinical trials by February-March 2017, before being declared safe and distributed to the world on April 10th, 2017.
The world was severely affected by the K-Z Virus economically and culturally. China, Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore's economy went on a free fall in those two months of chaos with the loss of a trading partner. The same could be said for Australia and New Zealand which also does trade with the ROK. Comparing to a modern-day Fall of Rome, the effect's ripples were felt around the world. Both the United Kingdom and the European Union took a beating; already intensified since Brexit. Towards the migrant crisis, countries like Greece, Italy, and Poland enforced strict immigration policies. The fear of an epidemic was in the politicians' minds; one inspired from Donald Trump before he became POTUS.
Africa and the Middle East was still a mess. Racked by ISIS, Islamic militants, civil war, famine, and poverty, it would appear these places were better left to rot. Nonetheless, the U.S.-led military campaign against ISIS continued.
Despite the horrors and the chaos, the K-Z Virus epidemic in South Korea brought a light of hope to the international community. The U.S. and West cooperated with China and Russia, whom both sides are always at odds. For once, differences in East Asia were put aside for the common good. The international effort to rebuild the peninsula was slow but steady as the vaccine's distribution relieved the WHO of the resurgence of the virus.
Kim Jong-un would be tried in the Hague by November 11th, 2017, where he was found guilty of all crimes against humanity and the use of a weapon of mass destruction. He was then returned to the ROK by March 3rd, 2018 to serve another sentence. This time however, he was sentence to death by firing squad. The execution took place in Busan and was seen around the world. The Kim Dynasty, while already not the rules of the DPRK, officially came to an end as they were barred from going back into politics again.
In the current situation as of August 2018, the Korean Peninsula would remain divided due to the KPA nuclear attack on Paju that caused the 38th Parallel to become irradiated. Radiation levels still exist to this day. The South was heavily influenced by the U.S., the UK, and the West, while the provisional North Korean government was reliant on the Chinese. Under the observers of the United Nations, the provisional DPRK would begin slowly democratizing and giving freedoms to its citizens, albeit influenced from their backers in Beijing. It was a sign of hope for the oppressed citizens that could now experience liberty for the first time.
Overall, there were an estimated ~7 million deaths in that period from the K-Z Virus outbreak to the Second Korean War, though the exact numbers would never be known. Many more would follow after disease, radiation poisoning, stress, and suicides that followed. To make up for this, the ROK began incentives for repopulation to make for the loss of life.
Despite the challenges faced, the crisis was a victory for the human race as it showed that with cooperation, mankind can emerge victorious. Thoughts of the virus coming back continues to haunt the world to this day, but the vaccine would ultimate prevent that. Armed personnel were stationed at public areas as a precaution. Humanity's victory ultimately came with a heavy cost.
The story of the K-Z Virus ends here but it will continue to resonate for the ages to come.
THE END
*******Author's Notes:
This ends my Train to Busan timeline. If you have any stories, testimonies, newspaper clippings, headlines, Tweets, Facebook posts, and the like, feel free to add them.
If you have been following this timeline, I thank you a lot. I hope you had fun reading this timeline as it was a challenge for me to write since I was not familiar with the geography of South Korea. Nonetheless, I am proud of how it came out. Please feel free to post comments and criticisms so I can improve this timeline to be better (i.e. grammar, consistency, etc).
With that, I hope you enjoyed reading this.
To more timelines!
- Gillan1220