1979, Manager Kim is Inheriting Dictatorship! - Chapter 120



Only Krnovel

Episode 120

“Yes. I plan to issue an emergency measure on January 1st of next year, the beginning of the new millennium. Would the party be able to cooperate? As you know, such emergency measures depend on the party’s follow-up legislation.”

Representative Min Jeong-gi, who had been smiling until just a moment ago, speaks with a worried expression.

“Huh, Mr. President. Of course I agree with the ban on preferential treatment. However, there will be strong resistance from the other side. The regime may even be shaken. Is that okay?”

“Have I ever implemented such a policy once or twice?”

“The resistance may be stronger than when the Hanahwe was disbanded in the past or when the real-name financial transaction system was introduced. If the Hanahwe had military power, the other side has judicial power. In some ways, judicial power is stronger than military power.”

Representative Min may be exaggerating a bit, but the power that the judiciary actually possesses is beyond imagination.

There have been numerous instances throughout history where other regimes have messed with the judiciary and suffered bloodshed.

‘Still, it’s not something that can be left untreated and left alone just because it’s sick.’

“Of course I understand that they are a powerful force. But that doesn’t mean that there is anything particularly positive about preferential treatment. If we continue to do this, isn’t it ultimately a sin against future generations?”

Representative Min Jeong-gi fills a bowl with makgeolli and empties it in one go.

“Ugh… …! Okay! I’ll give it a try. I can’t stand seeing people committing crimes, spending huge amounts of money, and then getting released on probation.”

I looked at him with a serious expression and answered with a grin.

“Don’t worry too much. As long as they have the support of the people, they won’t be able to do anything.”

* * *

January 1, 2000.

Finally, the 20th century has ended and we have entered the 21st century.

There were many issues, such as preparations for the World Cup, emergency measures that would be announced on January 1, and trade conflicts with the Middle East, but still, South Korea entered the new millennium much more advanced than it had been in its original history.

“cue!”

The broadcast begins with the PD’s cue sound.

The announcer looks at the camera and says the first comment.

“Hello, citizens. This is KBC announcer Yeom Seung-je. Today marks the end of the 20th century and the beginning of a new millennium, the 21st century. As announced, today I will be speaking with President Kim Jung-guk for approximately two hours. First, I would like to ask President Kim Jung-guk to greet the citizens.”

The camera is pointed at me.

I looked straight at the camera, bowed my head, and started greeting.

“Hello, citizens. This is President Kim Jung-guk. The year 1999 has passed and the new millennium of 2000 has begun. I hope that this year will be filled with only good things and that your home will be filled with peace.

Today, it may be long if it’s long, and it may be short if it’s short, but for the next two hours, I will talk in detail with the announcer about the Republic of Korea so far and how our government will hold the key to the Republic of Korea in the future. Thank you.”

I finish my story with a sigh of relief, and the camera returns to the announcer.

‘I was nervous about broadcasting at first, but now I’m used to it.’

“Haha. Thank you. But before we begin the conversation in earnest, I heard that the President has some surprising news to share with the people. What is it, Mr. President?”

This story was not pre-arranged, but was told just before the broadcast.

Even the announcer had no idea what was going to happen.

“Oh, yes. That’s right. Actually, the decision was made a while ago, but it was a story that was conducted in utmost secrecy due to practical negotiations, so I’m only telling you about it now.”

“I’m even more curious since you said it was a top secret story. What kind of surprising news did you bring, Mr. President?”

I asked the announcer about the 2002 World Cup while watching him complain.

“Announcer, are you aware that Argentina cancelled its bid to host the 2002 World Cup a few months ago?”

“Oh, yes. Of course. So I understand that the 2002 World Cup will not be held.”

“Yes, everyone knows that… … .”

I trail off a little.

And at this point, the announcer also seemed to have noticed something.

“S, no way… … .”

I looked straight into the camera before the announcer hit the players and announced that Korea was hosting the World Cup.

“Citizens, our Republic of Korea has decided to host the 2002 World Cup.”

The announcer is so surprised that he stands there dumbfounded for a moment, unable to say anything.

But, as expected from a professional, he quickly grabs the microphone and asks me a question.

“Mr. President, is that true? Are you really going to host the 2002 World Cup in Korea?”

“Yes, of course. In fact, the land for the stadium and other things have already been coordinated.”

The corners of the announcer’s mouth keep going up.

The announcer conducting the interview is a well-known soccer fan, so he can’t help but laugh when he hears about the World Cup.

However, he continued asking questions, holding back his laughter as much as possible.

“Mr. President, as a soccer fan, I am very happy that the World Cup is being held in Korea. However, I am also worried. With the current strength of the Korean national team, it is difficult to even advance to the round of 16. If we are eliminated in the group stage, I am also worried that the World Cup will not be a success and will only result in a loss… … .”

The announcer’s point was valid.

According to what I’ve heard from several soccer officials recently, the general consensus is that the South Korean national soccer team’s current level of skill is at its peak at the round of 16.

Of course, this was the maximum, and in most cases, the prevailing opinion was that it would not be easy to even get through the group stage.

The results of the 2002 World Cup, which changed history even on smartphones, were all blinded and could not be viewed even if you paid points.

But I had already seen how far the South Korean national soccer team went in 2002, so I had faith that they would do well this time too.

“Haha. I don’t know much about soccer itself, so I don’t know much about performance or anything like that. But I still expect our national team to make it to the semifinals, right?”

The announcer looks slightly bewildered.

“Yes… …? The semifinals? Mr. President. No matter what, isn’t the semifinals too much?”

I laughed a little and answered that it was just wishful thinking since I don’t watch soccer games much.

“Haha. Is that so? I don’t have much time to watch soccer games, so I don’t know much, so I just said what I hoped for. However, even if our results aren’t very good, this World Cup won’t be in the red. FIFA has negotiated pretty good terms. For example, we’ve negotiated that the Korean government will take the profits from the broadcasting rights for this Asian event.”

“Is that true? If that’s true, then there’s no need to worry about a deficit. As expected, you are the President. Are you personally in charge of hosting this World Cup as well?”

“No. Prime Minister Park Dae-chun is in charge of the overall management of this World Cup, and Korea Football Association Chairman Oh Hyun-tae is assisting. Since they know and like soccer better than I do, I thought it would be much more beneficial for them to prepare, and that is how it is actually going.”

The announcer’s mouth corners kept going up as he spoke.

No matter how hard he tried to hold it in, he seemed unable to contain his joy because he loved soccer so much.

“I see. This time, it’s not the President himself who will be doing it, but Prime Minister Park Dae-chun who will be in charge of it. Prime Minister Park Dae-chun is also famous for his bulldozer-like work, so I’m looking forward to this as well. I never expected it, but I feel like I’ve received a great gift. I can’t wait for two years. Oh, and is it possible that Mr. President, like me, soccer is your favorite sport?”

I answered the announcer’s question immediately.

“No. I like baseball and basketball better. Haha.”

“Oh, yes… …? Are you kidding?”

“No. Apart from hosting the World Cup, I like baseball and basketball better. That’s true. Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m going to support baseball and basketball more or show favoritism.”

The announcer smiles slightly, as if embarrassed.

“Haha… I see. Well, I guess everyone likes different sports. I think that’s understandable since there are many people who like baseball or basketball. Well, let’s stop talking about the World Cup here and continue the conversation in earnest.”

The announcer passes over a cue card and begins asking the next question.

“Mr. President, it’s been 20 years since you took office. You’ve been in office for quite some time. How do you feel?”

It wasn’t an easy question from the very first question.

But the answer to this question has always been set since the second term of office.

“Of course, I think he has been in power for a while. However, since the process is not problematic, I think there is no problem with him being in power for a long time.”

“Does that mean you’ll run in the next presidential election too?”

This time again, the announcer’s question was sharp.

But the answer to this question was also set.

“Yes. I will continue in politics as long as my health allows. However, if the people do not elect me, I will have to step down at any time. Haha.”

If I lose in the presidential election, I plan to retire without looking back.

If I wasn’t chosen by the people, it meant that my judgment was already clouded, so there was no point in being greedy any longer.

“I see. I think that even if you run again next time, many citizens will probably vote for you. Oh, and come to think of it, fraudsters might not vote for you. Hahaha.”

The announcer lightens the mood in a cheerful way.

“Haha. Now that I think about it, the announcer was talking about fraud, so I thought of something. The Ministry of Justice recently released statistics on fraud. They said that the number of fraud cases has decreased by about 70% compared to 15 years ago.”

“I think the fact that the number of fraud cases has decreased so drastically is because strong punishment and strong recovery of criminal proceeds are having an effect. Oh, since we’re on the subject, I have one more question for the President.”

“Yes. Please make yourself comfortable.”

The announcer looked at me with a sharp expression and asked a question.

“Mr. President. Although the majority of the people believe that strong punishment for crimes is good, some people think that the punishment is too strong. Some even say that this is a police state. What do you think about this?”

This was a common refrain when the first strict penalties for fraud crimes were introduced.

Although it is a minority, such opinions still come out quite often.

I may be right, or I may be doing it the right way.

But the people wanted strong punishment for the fraud I committed.

Therefore, I had no intention of changing this keynote while I was in power.

“Of course, I think there are people who think that way. And I don’t think that thinking is necessarily wrong. There is some truth to it.

But I think so. At least in a proper country, good people should not suffer losses. If South Korea lives well like it did in the past, it will never return to being a country that suffers losses.”

The announcer nods.

“I see. That’s right. A society where people say that living a good life is stupid is ultimately a society where trust in one another has disappeared.”

There is a lot of talk about social issues that have come to the forefront recently.

Next, there is talk about the economy.

“The economy is actually the area in which the President excels the most, and even the opposition party, the Gongmin Party, acknowledges it, so I don’t really have any specific questions to ask.”

“Still, I can’t just pass over the economy, so please ask me some questions. Haha.”

The announcer flips through the cue cards a few times and then starts asking questions to see if he found a good question.

“Then let me ask you this question. Today is the beginning of the 21st century. What industry do you think is most important in this 21st century?”

It was a question about a new industry.

I simply answered the announcer’s question.

“Energy businesses like the 7th mine are important, but I think the information and communications IT industry is the most important, especially in the 21st century. Hardware businesses like semiconductors are important, but the software industry is also very important.

It may seem like a bubble now. Of course, there is a bubble to some extent. But I think that in 20 years, these companies leading the IT industry will stand tall as leading companies in the global economy. Of course, Korea will be at the center of it.”

After that, there is talk about the economy and various social and cultural issues.

Before I knew it, the time was approaching the promised two hours.

The announcer was slowly trying to wrap up the conversation.

“Now, the time for the conversation is almost over. I can’t leave out this story. Can we say that there will be no special envoy this Lunar New Year?”

I nodded and answered in a firm voice.

“Yes, that’s right. Unless they are really sick enough to be unable to endure prison life, or there are special reasons for considering it, there probably won’t be more than ten this time either.”

“I see. If there are any inmates watching this broadcast, I’m disappointed. Haha.”

“There’s nothing we can do about it. If someone commits a sin, ‘everyone’ must pay the appropriate price.”

I emphasized the word “anyone” a little bit because I wanted to say something a little later.

The announcer seemed to be unaware of my thoughts as he was preparing to end the conversation.

“It’s really time to end now. Mr. President, is there anything else you would like to say?”

I began to talk about the main purpose of today’s conversation that I had prepared.

“Announcer, do you remember the real-name financial transaction system that I implemented about 20 years ago?”

“Yes. Of course I remember. I think that was when President Kim’s immense popularity began. I was a college student at the time, and I actually became a fan of the president from that time. Mr. President, why did you suddenly bring that up?”

The announcer asks me with a curious expression.

“Are you planning to take some kind of emergency measure today like you did back then?”

I nodded, looked into the camera, and spoke in a solemn voice.

“That’s right, my fellow citizens. I am now, at this moment, taking temporary presidential measures. From now on, I will prohibit anyone who has served as a judge or prosecutor for more than five years from working as a lawyer. This also applies to lawyers who have served as a judge or prosecutor for more than five years.”