The Republic of East Gorteau (東ゴルトー共和国, Higashi Gorutō Kyōwakoku) is one of the nations in the Mitene Union.[1] It is ruled by Supreme Leader Ming Jol-ik and taken over by the Chimera Ant King after his birth.[2] It is an isolationist nation, with its capital city being Peijin.[3] The palace rests outside of Peijin in the wilderness. The country ceases to exist after the Chimera Incident.
Overview
East Gorteau's location on the map
The Republic of East Gorteau is a dictatorship, possibly of the Fascist type. Apparently, all powers (government, legislation, army) are held by the sole figure of the Supreme Leader, making him an absolute ruler with unlimited authority over the citizens.
The flag of the Republic of East Gorteau
This form of government derived from a bloody revolt that established the new ruling class, which is said to be extremely wealthy whereas most of the population lives in poverty. However, TV stations report that "in other countries, more than half the people starve to death before the age of 10". Financial aid received from other countries is not used for the impoverished, but is spent in luxury goods for the rich and war equipment. There are also rumors that East Gorteau has cut ties with all other nations in order to increase the entity of the financial aids received through negotiations, and that part of the money is used to build nuclear weapons.[4]
Following the events of the Chimera Ant Arc, the Republic of East Gorteau ceases to exist and the territory being absorbed by others countries members of the Mitene Union. As the result, the country is now jointly governed by the others countries in the Mitene Union. The Chimera Ant's existence and incidents are being cover-up by the international governments and the Hunter Association with the cover up story is that Diego lures the citizen of the country to the palace to be massacred through forced mass suicide. However, it seems certain that the Hunter Association, most likely following the orders of the V5, has hidden the truth to the public.[5]
Spy System
An intricate and efficient system to detect spies is in effect in the country. Killua described it to Gon, admitting he had heard about it from his brother Illumi, who in turn was probably quoting Zeno. Gon described it as a "carrot and stick system".[4]
According to him, a very potent informant system called "finger-pointing group" regulates the information. Reward money is given for discovering spies, uncovering evidence of a revolution and catching defectors in the act. If the informant points surpass a certain amount, the ranks of all the members of the group increase. On the other hand, if a report turns out to be false or a member of the group is a traitor, the entire group is punished. Family members are divided in different groups, so if a group attempts to escape to another country, the rest of their families are sentenced to death or imprisoned for life; if an entire family is caught defecting, they are executed without questioning.[4]
Trivia
- East Gorteau is an allegory for North Korea.
- In reality, Ming Jol-ik has not been involved in the government of the country for thirty years: a dead ringer resides in the palace and talks to the nation in his stead,[5] while the individual who actually controls the nation is Bizeff.
- Zeno used to do infiltration missions in the country in the past.
References