1953 Bare-handed Tycoon - Chapter 415



Only Krnovel

415 – Mirror

“I heard that the opposition party is insisting on holding the presidential election at the end of the year. I think they are trying to open the National Assembly first and make a fuss if I make a mistake.”

Chairman Park’s eyes became fierce as if he was very annoyed just thinking about it.

The keynote speech understood Chairman Park’s feelings.

Chairman Park, who had only been a soldier but suddenly became a political leader, must have found it difficult to endure the seemingly inefficient and wasteful political strife.

His complaints continued.

“I can’t believe this is happening even though we won the general election by a landslide. I asked them to reach an agreement with the opposition party, but they ended up begging for help from a small number of opposition parties.”

Chairman Park seemed to be dissatisfied with the Democratic Republican Party’s leader and core leadership.

The keynote speaker smiled at Chairman Park, who was expressing his dissatisfaction.

“Mr. Chairman, I think politics is like that.”

“That’s how it is, so it shouldn’t be like that. If we move in unison for the sake of the national interest, won’t we be able to escape poverty as soon as possible? It seems like those people are only focused on seizing power. They just oppose without even knowing what’s going on… … .”

Chairman Park put a cigarette in his mouth, seeming hurt.

“The opposition party attacks me like this. Where did all the money the Democratic Party government made go? Why is only half left? The newspapers are the same. They ask where all the money went, but do you think I would have bought candy with that money?”

After May 16, foreign exchange reserves fell by half.

Foreign exchange reserves, which stood at $250 million at the end of 1961, were now around $100 million.

“In order to build factories in Korea, we bought machinery from overseas, and since fertilizer is still in short supply, we bought fertilizer from overseas. Not long ago, because they said there was a severe food shortage, I signed an emergency import agreement for 100,000 tons of wheat flour from Japan. What would have happened if we had held onto that money without spending it? Food was expensive, and people were starving, so should we have just watched that happen?”

Anyone who took charge of the finances of a poor country was bound to get criticized.

The keynote speech was that even if the Jang government had been in power, the current difficulties would have continued in the same way.

“If you had just watched, I would have criticized you for just watching.”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. No matter what I do, I’m going to get cursed at.”

Kijo nodded to Chairman Park’s words.

The president was in a position where he could not help but be criticized.

I wondered if there was a single president in this country who lived a comfortable life after leaving office.

Every president’s glory was short and his suffering was long.

It was a shame that I couldn’t say that all the presidents of this country were like that.

The keynote speech was to provide an explanation that would resonate with Chairman Park, who has a military background.

“Sir, if a naval battle breaks out, the ships of both sides will engage in a cannon battle. But whether you win or lose, you can’t win without getting hit at all.”

“The problem is that we have more ships, but we are being beaten up unilaterally.”

“There are more ships, so respond with ease. The other side that is firing hard now will eventually run out of shells, right?”

“Are you saying we should just run around avoiding the enemy until they run out of shells?”

“Isn’t that also a strategy? In politics, you should never completely sink the other side’s ship. If you do, you will be criticized as a dictator.”

“You already told me… … .”

Chairman Park stopped talking.

I had read newspaper columns written by opposition parties and dissidents who talked about dictatorship.

I thought that it might have been a bit unfair from Chairman Park’s perspective.

Chairman Park is currently keeping his mouth shut and carefully watching public opinion, so he must be emotionally hurt by people calling him a dictator.

“It seems to be the basic equation of politics that if you take power, you become a dictator, and if you fail to take power, you become a difficult opposition leader.”

“under…….”

Chairman Park sighed.

“But still. Shouldn’t there be at least one opposition politician who can say that the government did a good job? I don’t understand how they can say that everything is wrong.”

Kijo smiled and said to Chairman Park.

“If I do as the chairman says, I’ll be ostracized and labeled as ‘Sakura.’”

“Sakura?”

“Have you heard of the word ‘Sakura niku’?”

“Isn’t that what you mean by horse meat?”

“That’s right. It’s a saying that came about in the past in Japan because there were people who sold horse meat as beef.”

“Horse meat is as pink as cherry blossoms. I’ve seen it before.”

“Politicians who cooperate with the government are not like beef, but horse meat. They will be called spies, traitors, and sakura.”

“Oh my… … .”

Kijo smiled as he looked at Chairman Park, who was looking frustrated.

“Please give in. First of all, it looks like the chairman should give in. In politics, it’s better when the powerful give in first.”

“Wouldn’t the people say that Park Chung-hee is not cool?”

The keynote speaker laughed heartily at Chairman Park’s words.

“Otherwise, the opposition party will never back down. If the opposition party says to hold the presidential election in the second half of the year, you should say, “Okay, let’s do it.” Instead, you will have no choice but to compromise and say, “Let’s do it in the early part of the second half of the year.”

“I don’t want it to be past August at the latest.”

Chairman Park seemed willing to give in for about two months.

I thought the keynote would be okay at that level.

Because in the history of the Republic of Korea, the presidential election was held in August.

The keynote speech was to prevent Chairman Park from becoming too involved in political strife.

“Mr. Speaker, if the opposition party picks a fight, don’t get involved. If the opposition party picks a fight, ignore it and just present a vision for the country and move forward.”

“Vision? Hasn’t the revolutionary government’s goal already been set?”

“We need simpler words that resonate with the people.”

“What is your goal?”

“It’s unemployment relief.”

“Resolving unemployment?”

At that time, Korea’s unemployment rate reached 40%.

Four out of ten people are unemployed, and the problem is that there are no jobs for those who are really struggling to make a living.

It was not a luxury problem like voluntary unemployment that arose later.

“Who doesn’t know that? Can’t you see that I’m trying to create jobs?”

“I know, Mr. Chairman. But the answer lies abroad.”

“Hey, how come I don’t know that? I’ve already issued instructions to the embassies in each country. I’m telling them to look for things that Koreans can do in the local area. I told them to contact me as soon as they find something.”

I knew the keynote too.

But there was one thing that Chairman Park didn’t know.

Lee Ki-heung, the Economic Planning Board resident officer dispatched to the Korean embassy in West Germany, visited the Ruhr coal mining area in West Germany in accordance with the instructions given by Chairman Park.

When I got there, I saw Italians, Turks, Spanish, and even Japanese working as miners.

I thought that if Japanese people could work in West German coal mines, so could our people.

Moreover, since the domestic economy was improving and many Japanese were returning to Japan, I was happy to be able to fill that position.

Lee Ki-heung traveled around the Ruhr region’s coal mining companies, selling to Korean miners.

“Our people are poor, but hard-working. The men have all been trained in the military and are accustomed to group living.”

The German companies responded positively, telling him that he needed to get permission from the German employment office.

When Lee Ki-heung found out about this and reported it to the Korean ambassador to Germany, the ambassador became furious.

“Why are you doing that! When laborers come to Germany, there are a lot of troublesome things! Are you going to take care of all that work?”

Lee Ki-heung was surprised and discouraged by the unexpected turn of events.

No matter how hard the military government tried, there were many places where bureaucracy could not be broken.

The one who helped him was Kim Jong-pil.

In the history of the Republic of Korea, Kim Jong-pil, who went on an overseas trip in 1963, visited West Germany in August of that year.

He came to meet his 8th classmates from the Korea Military Academy at the Korean Embassy and heard unexpected news.

His colleague, Commissioner Yoon Heung-jung, heard Lee Ki-heung’s words and went to the Ruhr coal mine face himself to check the mine conditions and push forward with the project, but he found out that the project was being hushed up due to the lukewarm attitude of the Korean ambassador.

Kim Jong-pil then called Chairman Park and informed him that West Germany was trying to hire miners from our country, but that things were not going well.

This was how the floodgates opened for the dispatch of miners to West Germany.

The keynote speech was to bring the event forward by six months.

“Mr. Chairman, please try contacting the West German embassy. Don’t ask the West German ambassador, but ask the staff directly to see if there are any jobs available in West Germany.”

“Check with the practitioner?”

“Yes, Mr. Chairman, when you were in the military, didn’t you feel that it was better to visit the field directly or hear from the field workers rather than asking the staff?”

“That’s right… .”

Chairman Park captured the nuance of the keynote well.

This was because he had experienced that middle managers could cut reports coming from below or change them to suit their own tastes.

The keynote went one step further.

“Before entering Korea, I bought a copy of a local newspaper at the Japanese airport and read it. There was news that Japanese workers who had been working in West Germany were returning to their home country one after another. There was also a story about how there was a serious labor shortage in West Germany.”

“hmm…….”

The keynote speech briefly mentioned two professions.

“It seems there is a particular shortage of miners and nurses.”

“Yeah, both are tough jobs.”

“How about calling each local embassy in each country and checking with them one by one?”

Chairman Park nodded silently.

Kijo said he would also try.

“I will also do my part. I will recruit as many workers as possible to go to Vietnam, increase the number of deep-sea fishing boats, and hire more sailors. And I will do road construction not only in Vietnam but also in Thailand and Indonesia.”

“Thank you.”

Chairman Park took Kijo’s hand.

The keynote speech was that Chairman Park hoped to escape the opposition’s attacks and focus more on the economy.

Chairman Park was not suited to political strife. He was more suited to the image of a father who worked silently for his family and fed them.

The keynote speech was to make it impossible for anyone, whether they liked or disliked Chairman Park, to deny that he was a hard worker.

I thought that was Chairman Park’s way of life and his destiny.

“So how many people do you plan to hire?”

“We are aiming for 2,000 people.”

“2,000 people? Then that’s the level of a regiment commander.”

“How many unemployed people would you like to rescue, Mr. Chairman? Oh, Mr. Chairman, you are already a four-star general, so you should rescue 750,000 people according to the number of military personnel.”

“Is that so? Then I guess I got this star for nothing. It’s burdensome, so let’s swap ranks.”

Kijo smiled as he watched Chairman Park laughing brightly while joking.

Every time he saw Chairman Park smiling brightly, Kijo’s heart became complicated.

He has not yet become a dictator, and he has not dreamed of taking power for the rest of his life, as he is obsessed with the idea that no one else can do it.

He did not leave his human servants, like butchers, to solve his own problems ‘on their own’.

He was now pressed for time and was suffering greatly from the pressure of public opinion.

Although it was difficult for him, he continued to show that kind of attitude.

I wanted to see Chairman Park succeed by being aware of others’ feelings but also stubbornly pushing forward with what he believes is right.

When Kijo couldn’t take his eyes off Chairman Park, he asked.

“What are you staring at like that? Is there something on my face?”

“no.”

“If you have something to say, just say it. Don’t hide it for no reason and embarrass me.”

Kijo vowed in his heart that he would do so.

“Oh, and about the Korea-Japan talks.”

Chairman Park spoke about claims negotiations.

“I hope you don’t feel too burdened. I didn’t mean to ask you to receive the entire $800 million in compensation in cash.”

The keynote speaker nodded.

“If Japan refuses to pay more money during the claims negotiations, we should at least get steel manufacturing technology or shipbuilding technology.”

“Is that okay?”

“Do you have to catch a fish to be considered successful? Getting a fishhook might be a greater success.”

Chairman Park continued speaking, clenching and unclenching his fist.

“What if we build a comprehensive steel mill and produce a million tons of steel a year? If it doesn’t sell, what are we going to do with it? Shouldn’t we be building ships or something?”

The keynote speaker was pleased that his plans and Chairman Park’s vision were aligned.

It seemed like we were thinking similar things.

“If it is difficult to provide an additional $200 million worth of technology, try to make a fuss and ask that Korean companies be allowed to participate in Japanese government public projects. Try to make it possible for Korean companies to win bids for Japanese government projects. Let them participate in building bridges and dams and learn technology.”

“All right.”

“And I heard that Japan made a tank with their own technology in 1961. Let’s get that tank technology. Shouldn’t we also make our own tanks to counter the North Koreans? How much trouble did we have during the Korean War because we didn’t have tanks?”

Chairman Park’s orders continued without pause.

He must have quickly forgotten what he said to me not to feel burdened, because he was burdening me again.

“Tell them that too. Japan, you are safe from communist expansion because of us. Didn’t we block North Korea and China on the Korean Peninsula? So ask them to give us tank technology to block North Korean tanks.”

The keynote speech was to present Korea’s security shield theory to Japan.

I thought it was quite possible that it would work.

“Anyway, come to the Blue House often. I won’t be a burden to you in the future. I knew you weren’t coming because you felt burdened.”

“That wasn’t the reason I stopped coming,” Kijo replied with a smile.

“I will do that.”

“okay…….”

Chairman Park nodded and looked out the window.

“Once the presidential election starts, we won’t have much time to see each other. Let’s meet often before then… … .”

Chairman Park’s gaze was directed into the distance.