Three at Dawn, Four at Dusk

Today, a broadcast report on Trump's tariff policy included the following content:

"South Korea and the United States are struggling to narrow their differences on details. The U.S. is pressuring South Korea to invest $350 billion in cash entirely in areas desired by the U.S., and after South Korea recovers its investment, the U.S. would take 90% of the investment returns. However, the $350 billion investment scale exceeds 80% of South Korea's foreign exchange reserves, making it practically impossible for our country to handle in full cash, leading to difficult negotiations."

The media company that produced this report is one of Korea's core news organizations, composed of individuals who graduated from Korea's top universities and passed fierce competition to join the company.

The core issue is America's unfair and humiliating pressure, yet the report emphasizes the difficulty of meeting the U.S. demand in cash rather than the fundamental problem.

The Brainwashed Elite and Trump's Calculation

Has Elon Musk's neural chip already been implanted in their brains? Perhaps we should think a step further. Is there even a need to develop a separate neural chip?

Seeing the protests with American flags, Trump can only have one thought: "If I can't extract money from Koreans, I'll be remembered as the world's biggest fool."

Trump: Hey! Rusk. I'm right, aren't I?

Rusk: Yes. It's hard to believe, but you're right, sir.

Trump: But they say those minds are good at making semiconductors.

Rusk: It seems that product requires a high brainwashing index to manufacture.

Modern Interpretation of 'Three at Dawn, Four at Dusk'

The current situation in Korea perfectly matches the Chinese classic saying 'Three at Dawn, Four at Dusk' (朝三暮四). However, Korea's elite media groups would likely respond to this criticism by saying:

"The analogy of Three at Dawn, Four at Dusk doesn't fit because Koreans are 'human beings' not primates."

Although everyone knows the story, perhaps today's situation arose because people don't accurately understand the tale of Three at Dawn, Four at Dusk.

The Story of Three at Dawn, Four at Dusk

A monkey keeper said to his monkeys while giving them acorns:
"From now on, I'll give you three in the morning and four in the evening."
The monkeys became angry and displeased.
So the keeper changed his words:
"Then I'll give you four in the morning and three in the evening."
Hearing this, the monkeys were pleased and satisfied.

Although the total quantity hadn't changed, the less intelligent monkeys were happy. This story gave rise to the term 'Three at Dawn, Four at Dusk' to describe the tactic of changing only the appearance to gain advantage over foolish people.

Two-Tax Lure (兩稅誘盜) - Modern Three at Dawn, Four at Dusk

Applying this story to the current situation in Korea, we can create the modern term 'Two-Tax Lure' (兩稅誘盜). This strategy involves first presenting an unbearable condition (25% or 30% tariffs) to shock the opponent, then when they come to negotiate, presenting the originally intended condition (15% tariffs + $350 billion investment), making the opponent mistakenly believe they've gained a concession while actually being robbed of assets. This perfectly describes the current tariff situation between the U.S. and Korea.

Meaning of Two-Tax Lure (兩稅誘盜)

A strategy of luring the opponent with two tax rates to deceive and fleece them

• Two (兩): Two

• Tax (稅): Tax, tariff

• Lure (誘): To entice, attract

• Steal (盜): To steal, deceive

While the classic Three at Dawn, Four at Dusk was a simple deception, Two-Tax Lure is a much more sophisticated psychological operation used in international negotiations and power politics. The problem is that its essential requirement is the low intelligence of the opponent.

Currently, a secondary operation is underway: making the impossible demand of "100% cash," then preparing to offer the alternatives of "mixing cash and bonds" or "reducing the amount." Then the Korean government will feel satisfied as if they've gained a major concession or become envious of each other.

Ultimately, the U.S. can easily achieve the structural subordination it originally aimed for. What's surprising is that when analyzing Trump's reaction, he seems annoyed even by the process itself.

"The conclusion is obvious anyway. It's pathetic that I have to pretend to negotiate with these fools."

Conclusion: Biased Intelligence and Subservient Psychology

This incident reveals the biased intelligence and brainwashed subservient psychology of Korea's elite groups. Korea's current political situation makes this even clearer, as there are forces that would criticize Trump even if he made concessions under the current conditions.

Today's broadcast accurately showed the pain of this era.

The reality where we're not just playing the monkey's role in Trump's typical Three at Dawn, Four at Dusk negotiation strategy, but actively pretending to be loyal monkeys, made my day even more miserable.