1953 Bare-handed Tycoon - Chapter 395



Only Krnovel

395 – The Winner of the Talks

The four-party talks resumed.

The keynote speaker began to watch the four people conversing.

I didn’t expect much from this meeting.

I just hoped that we could talk to each other as people, not as objects of ideology or political strife.

Kim Dae-jung spoke first.

“I met the chairman in person and talked to him, and he was gentler than I expected.”

“Really? What do I look like from the outside?”

“I always saw only a serious and rigid appearance in photos and newsreels.”

At those words, Chairman Park laughed heartily and said.

“I’m a soldier by birth. A person who is always prepared for war can’t be all cheerful, right? But if you meet me at a drinking party, it’ll be fun.”

Everyone laughed at his words.

“I heard that you used to teach children. What was it like when you were a tutor?”

Jang Jun-ha asked.

*Hundo (訓導) – A term used to refer to elementary school teachers during the Japanese colonial period.

Park Chung-hee, who graduated from Daegu Normal School and taught children at Mungyeong Public Elementary School, asked with a sly smile.

“Mr. Jang, you were a teacher too, right?”

“Yes. I worked as an elementary school teacher in Pyeongan Province for about three years.”

“What grade did you teach first?”

“I taught fifth grade.”

“I taught third grade.”

Chairman Park began to talk about his days as a teacher.

“I was assigned to Mungyeong, which was surrounded by mountains on all sides. There were probably about 320 students there.”

Chairman Park’s face became softer as he recalled those days.

“At first, I got a boarding house and lived there, but the kids came all the way to the boarding house. I thought I was strict with checking their homework and punishing them appropriately, making them scared, but they still came to me.”

“You were strict, but weren’t you kind to the children? The children knew that their teacher liked them.”

Jang Jun-ha, who taught children, said.

“Well, I asked the kids, ‘What is your dream?’ often. I would buy snacks and give them one when they came to visit. My salary at the time was 45 won, but I think I spent the rest on snacks and alcohol after paying 8 won for boarding. Hahaha.”

Chairman Park continued his story with a hearty laugh.

“I really enjoyed singing with the kids. Most of them were from families that were struggling and living in hardship, but they were bright and energetic when they sang. I liked seeing that, so I taught them a lot of songs.”

Chairman Park said that while attending Daegu Normal School, he learned how to play the geomungo and the trumpet, and that he was so good at playing the trumpet that his classmates called him a “trumpet player.”

Chairman Park, who had been telling his story for a long time, also asked Jang Jun-ha a question.

“Mr. Jang, do you have any memorable memories from your time as a teacher?”

“In my first year in office, I built a school building for the fifth graders. We didn’t have a proper school building.”

“You built the building with the kids?”

Chairman Park asked with a surprised expression.

“I just cleared the back mountain with the kids. Then, the church youth and the kids’ parents came to help. The parents pooled their money and hired a carpenter, and we built it together.”

Chairman Park nodded after hearing Jang Jun-ha’s story and said.

“You must have had a hard time.”

Chairman Park Chung-hee was showing the appearance that Kijo had expected.

The common testimony of many people who met him, including Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung, was that the Park Chung-hee they met in person was outgoing and gentle.

In reality, Chairman Park treated people like that.

Rather than saying harsh words, laugh and empathize with what the other person says.

He was showing that appearance to three people.

After finishing his conversation with Jang Jun-ha, Chairman Park also asked Kim Young-sam about his family history.

“How many children does Rep. Kim have?”

“I have two sons and three daughters.”

“It’s good to be blessed. I wish I had another son… … . Everyone has more than one son, right?”

To Chairman Park’s question, everyone, including Keyjo, answered yes.

Kim Dae-jung had two sons, Jang Jun-ha had three sons and two daughters, and Ki-jo had two sons and one daughter.

At a time when having many children and sons was preferred, having two sons was the norm.

“I have only one son, and I always worry that he might be lonely.”

Chairman Park was worried about Jiman, who was born in 1958.

Then Kim Young-sam said:

“It’s okay, Chairman. I have five younger sisters, but they all grew up well and I didn’t feel lonely.”

“I see? Congressman Kim Young-sam was an only child.”

“Yes, that’s why I often go back to my hometown to do my son’s job. When the chairman started the revolution, I went to Geoje to help my father.”

When Kim Young-sam brought up the May 16 incident again, the atmosphere began to become slightly tense.

“I was helping my father at the fishing grounds off the coast of Geoje Island at dawn when I heard the radio on because of the weather forecast, saying something about a proclamation.”

I was a little worried about what Kim Young-sam, who didn’t know where the keynote speech would go, would say.

“It was a Japanese broadcast, and when a Japanese announcer said something about the proclamation number, at first I thought, ‘There’s a coup d’état in Japan.’ I thought, ‘This is a big deal.’”

Everyone laughed at Kim Young-sam’s words.

“But I thought something was strange, so I turned the radio dial and saw a Korean announcer saying, ‘Vehicles on the street, please slow down.’ As soon as I heard that, I thought, ‘Oh, the coup d’état happened in our country. There was a coup d’état in Japan, so there’s no need for our cars to slow down, right?”

The tense atmosphere was relieved when Kim Young-sam joked twice.

The keynote speaker was curious about what Chairman Park would say.

“What did your father say at that time?”

When Chairman Park asked, Kim Young-sam answered.

“Just go up to Seoul. Don’t worry about it here. That’s what he said.”

Everyone nodded.

“Actually, when I got the right to run for office and became a member of the National Assembly, my father was very opposed to it. He said, ‘Don’t do that, just take over the family business and live comfortably.’ But my mother was on my side from the beginning, so my father eventually changed his mind.”

Everyone was struck dumb by the mention of Kim Young-sam’s mother.

Because everyone knew about his mother who died from a spy’s bullet.

Kim Young-sam had a talent for manipulating the atmosphere around him.

“Before my mother passed away, there was a way to save her.”

Everyone listened to Kim Young-sam’s words.

“Before my mother passed away, this boss here said to me, ‘How about taking care of your parents in Seoul?’ Do you remember, boss? What you said when we were eating kalguksu in Myeongdong?”

“Yes, I remember.”

The keynote speaker nodded.

“I wish I had listened to the CEO and asked my parents to come to Seoul with me for just a month… I regret it so much.”

While everyone was keeping quiet about Kim Young-sam’s unfortunate family history, Kim Young-sam changed the atmosphere.

“Isn’t there anyone here who isn’t anti-communist? I will never have anything to do with pro-communist or communist writers.”

When Kim Young-sam concluded his mother’s unjust death with a resolution to oppose communism, everyone agreed and each said a word about anti-communism.

The keynote was a relief.

Kim Young-sam certainly had the star quality to lead the atmosphere and attract attention.

The conversation that followed also continued without any problems.

Eventually, the conversation turned to democracy, and it was because of Jang Jun-ha’s question.

“Mr. Chairman, what is your philosophy on democracy?”

It was an easy question for the person asking the question, but a difficult question for the person answering it.

Chairman Park, who had been smoking a cigarette and thinking slowly, opened his mouth.

“I have had several close calls with death in my life, but the most recent one was when I visited Ulleungdo Island in October of this year.”

When asked about his philosophy on democracy, Chairman Park brought up a story about how he almost died.

Kijo knew the story of when Chairman Park visited Ulleungdo.

Chairman Park went to Ulleungdo by warship, but there were no docking facilities at the port.

They had no choice but to transfer to a boat, but a storm arose and Chairman Park, who was on the boat, fell into the sea.

At that time, Navy Captain Choi Hyeong-seop, who was the chief secretary, jumped into the sea and saved him.

Chairman Park said that he had those thoughts when he fell into the sea while talking about the incident.

“The country is poor, so there are no facilities on the island that should be there, so people can die. Poverty is a terrible thing that takes people’s lives. I felt it once again.”

Chairman Park continued speaking.

“I wanted to go around the island, but I couldn’t go around the entire island. There’s no road around the island, so I had to do that. So after inspecting the area around the port, I was talking to officials from Ulleung County, and one of them said this to me.”

Chairman Park said with a bitter smile.

“Your Majesty, if you are going to abandon Ulleungdo like this, it would be better to sell Ulleungdo to Japan.”

Everyone focused on Chairman Park’s story.

“After listening to him, I realized that communism is not the enemy of democracy. Dictatorship is not the enemy of democracy. Poverty is the enemy of democracy.”

Kijo nodded to Chairman Park’s words.

“Well…, Mr. Jang, Assemblyman Kim, and Candidate Kim may not agree with what I said, but that’s what I thought. Poverty tramples on people’s self-esteem to the point where they ask to be sold to Japan…. What good is democracy to these people who are having such a hard time, and even if it’s communism, if they can just eat properly, they won’t have any reason to oppose it… … .”

Chairman Park was calm and collected, even as he made remarks that were potentially misleading and somewhat risky.

“Does that mean Ulleungdo was a peaceful place during the Japanese colonial period? No, it wasn’t. They drafted 100 young men from that small island and took them away, and cut down all the trees on Ulleungdo. Even now, there are probably many temples and buildings in Japan that have cedar trees that were taken from Ulleungdo.”

Chairman Park said, stubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray.

“What those people who are suffering and living such hardships want from me is not democracy, but to solve their hunger… , of course.”

Chairman Park paused for a moment.

“We need democracy. Let’s do it. But I think that for democracy to blossom in this land, we must first solve the hunger of the people.”

Jang Jun-ha, who had questioned Chairman Park’s remarks, raised a question again.

“Can’t we solve hunger by practicing democracy?”

Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung also showed expressions of agreement with Jang Jun-ha.

“is it so?”

Chairman Park looked like he didn’t quite agree.

“Then, Mr. Jang, let me ask you something. During the Liberal Party era, voters would vote for the Liberal Party candidate if they received rubber shoes from him and buy him makgeolli. Was this the fault of the person who bought the vote? Or the fault of the person who received the money and voted for him?”

“I think they are both wrong.”

Jang Jun-ha answered.

“Okay. Let’s assume that both are wrong, as Mr. Jang says. Then I ask you this. If the voters had been well off, would vote-buying have happened?”

“I don’t think so.”

“That’s what I’m talking about. When all the people live well, the ability to think correctly is cultivated. We don’t have to talk about rigging elections or voting for people who take advantage of others. It happens naturally.”

No one could refute it.

The keynote speech was whether Chairman Park would push his argument harder or back off a bit.

I was hoping for the latter.

Chairman Park thought that he could not distance himself from them here.

I just hoped that Chairman Park wouldn’t break the contact points that the three of us had worked so hard to create.

The general idea was that now was not the time to decide who was right and who was wrong.

Finally, Chairman Park opened his mouth.

“I think my thoughts and yours may differ. Since we’ve set a specific time to talk today, I think it would be better to meet a few more times and have a drink and talk instead of reaching a conclusion here. I think I might change my mind a little in the meantime.”

Chairman Park himself answered the question that had been troubling his opponent.

Then everyone answered yes.

Looking at Chairman Park, Kijo thought that he was someone who had prepared for revolution by communicating with people in their 30s in the military.

The art of speaking that makes hot-blooded people come back to you by giving them something to say rather than pushing their own thoughts with age and position.

I thought he had mastered that kind of speaking skill.

I think that during the revolution, I realized that when trying to win someone over, it is better to make the other person look forward to the next meeting rather than just telling them to follow you because you are right.

In doing so, the keynote speaker saw that Chairman Park had expressed his thoughts on democracy very boldly and honestly.

Unlike later politicians, who were afraid of turning on a recorder when meeting privately with other politicians or being honest because they were worried that the other person might be secretly recording or recording them, he was different.

This must have been possible because it was a time when politicians strictly kept private conversations between each other confidential.

The keynote speech offered one suggestion to change the mood.

“Now, time is almost up and it is time to wrap up the conversation, but it seems that only Chairman Park has accepted the demands of the three people. This time, I think we should also listen to Chairman Park’s demands.”

Three people agreed with the keynote speech.

Chairman Park gave instructions to the three people.

“I will ask that of the new president who is elected next year, but I would like to ask of those here first. Next year or so, KISA will undertake a project to build an integrated steel mill in Korea. This project must succeed no matter what. I would like to ask you to make efforts to create favorable public opinion both inside and outside the National Assembly.”

Everyone promised to do so at Chairman Park’s request.

Finally, after two hours of talks, Chairman Park stood up first, and everyone stood up, shook his hand, and saw him off to the door of the conference room.

Originally, it was supposed to be done by going outside the building to see him off, but it was burdensome to have the image of an opposition party member seeing off the head of government be made public during an election period.

A relatively free-spirited crowd escorted Chairman Park to the front of the building.

Before Chairman Park got into the car, Kijo said:

“Don’t hate Congressman Kim Young-sam too much. He is the one who told President Rhee Syng-man to step down from the presidency when he went to the Blue House during his term.”

The keynote speech cited an anecdote in which Kim Young-sam told Syngman Rhee, who was pushing for a third constitutional amendment, that the president should end it this time. If he did so, he would remain the nation’s eternal president.

Kim Young-sam was right.

If Syngman Rhee had not pursued a third term at that time, he could have remained in Korea honorably and enjoyed the rest of his life.

“I know that too. Kim Young-sam, that guy who at first said he couldn’t recognize the revolution, later brought up the story of his father and said that it was when the chairman made the revolution, didn’t he?”

Chairman Park did not seem to have a negative view of Kim Young-sam.

He turned to the keynote speaker just before getting into the car.

“You worked hard today.”

Chairman Park warmly shook Kijo’s hand.

After watching Chairman Park’s car head toward the Blue House, Kijo went to the conference room and said goodbye to the three people who had remained.

Kijo, who sent off Kim Young-sam, Kim Dae-jung, and Jang Jun-ha, began writing an article to be published in the Hankook Ilbo the next day.

After finishing writing the article, Kijo took the article he had written himself to the political department and handed it over to the head of the political department.

Political reporters who read the article exclaimed in admiration.

“Sir, you write good articles. You could use the title of reporter for the Hankook Ilbo.”

Everyone praised the concise and well-organized article. Kijo thought it was just a polite remark and asked.

“Can I just leave it as is?”

“Of course, sir. It’s not just empty words. It’s a balanced article that I would believe even if it was written by a professional journalist.”

Political editor Kim Ja-hwan said.

The keynote speaker asked reporters about the content of the meeting.

Then, the reporters unanimously praised Kim Young-sam.

“As expected, Congressman Kim Young-sam knows how to do politics. When people read the article, I think they will only remember Congressman Kim Young-sam.”

Reporters chose Kim Young-sam, who had strongly criticized Park Chung-hee, as the winner of this meeting.

The keynote speech at the meeting gave Kim Dae-jung the highest score, and that was the result of watching the closed-door meeting.

When I only looked at the articles that were made public, it seemed like Kim Young-sam, who was the most powerful, was getting the most attention.

“What do you think of Congressman Kim Dae-jung?”

“It may seem like a righteous thing to ask for Prime Minister Jang’s release, but it also seems like they are only looking out for their own party members.”

Kijo nodded and asked about Jang Jun-ha’s impressions.

“Professor Jang Jun-ha is neither good nor bad. As a journalist, I think he has maintained his neutrality well.”

The keynote was that it was good enough.

I thought that the winner of the meeting was not Kim Young-sam, Kim Dae-jung, or Jang Jun-ha, but everyone.