1979, Manager Kim is Inheriting Dictatorship! - Chapter 62



Only Krnovel

Episode 62

Even though it was already the time when everyone had left work, all the construction workers and related public officials gathered together because they were suddenly called by the President.

Those who arrived were bewildered by the fact that the President had suddenly called them at this hour, without any prior notice.

“Mr. President, what brings you here at this hour···”

The Seocho-gu mayor asks in a very tense voice.

“Mayor. Was this department store originally designed to have five floors?”

Let’s get to the point from the beginning, the mayor trails off.

“Well, there are so many buildings under construction that I don’t know what to do with each one… Please speak to the head of the housing department!”

The mayor turns the conversation to the head of the housing department who is standing next to him.

“Oh, that’s true···.”

The head of the housing department, like the district mayor, is not able to speak properly.

‘They’re both accomplices…’

“Please bring both the original design and the most recent design.”

I looked at Chairman Sampoong and said.

“That, that.. We only have the latest blueprints, and the original blueprints have already been discarded···.”

“Do you think that makes sense now? Bring it on!”

Only when I became furious did Chairman Sampoong have his employee bring both blueprints.

And in the meantime, a director from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport who had been called in advance had arrived.

The director of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport was wearing glasses and his hair was very disheveled.

The clothes were a mess, with kimchi soup and thread all over the place, showing how long they had been worn.

At least he wasn’t someone who looked like he would take bribes like the civil servants here.

“I’m sorry to call you at this late hour.”

“Oh, no, Mr. President. But what brings you here at this hour?”

“Here, look at what’s different about these two blueprints.”

“Is this the blueprint? Okay.”

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport director receives the design drawings and checks them from all sides.

And then, he told me.

“This blueprint is probably the original blueprint for the building. It seems like the building was originally designed to be four stories. However, it seems like it was later changed so that it could be built with five stories, like this blueprint.”

“Do you think this expanded design is reasonable, sir?”

The manager thinks for a moment and then speaks.

“I find it difficult to understand the approval of this design change. In this way, if you build an extension to a building that was originally designed to be four stories without considering groundwork and other things, it could expose you to various risks even after completion. In my common sense, this design change is difficult to understand.”

“I see. Thank you. For coming at this late hour.”

I thanked the bespectacled manager and then looked back at the Seocho-gu officials and Sampoong officials.

“Have you heard? The director of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said that it was a design change that he couldn’t understand. I really wonder how such a design change with so many problems came about. What do you think, mayor?”

I glared at the mayor and asked.

He couldn’t say anything and just fidgeted, looking at the floor.

“Tell me about the mayor! How did this building get redesigned to be five stories?”

“That, that···.”

The mayor is speechless.

‘When you open your mouths, you’re not human.’

[Seocho-gu District Office head and Seocho-gu District Office housing officials. Gave large bribes to Sampoong in exchange for permission to change design.]

After the collapse of the Sampoong Department Store in the original history.

This was revealed at the end of the prosecution’s investigation.

Sampoong bribed government officials to obtain permission to change the design of the building, which was originally planned to be a four-story building.

And this expansion was one of the major reasons for the collapse of Sampoong.

“Were you involved in approving this design change?”

This time, he looked at the houses and civil servants and asked.

They, like the mayor, were left speechless.

I looked at the people and said.

“Here, stop construction right now. We’ll start a full safety inspection again tomorrow.”

When the story of construction halt came up, the chairman of Sampoong, who had been quiet, became excited and spoke.

“Stopping construction? Even if you are the President, this is too much!”

“We cannot allow this dangerous construction to continue. Starting tomorrow, construction on this building will be halted.”

I told him again, clearly.

But he didn’t give up and talked back to me.

“Mr. President, I am also from Jungjeong. How can you do this to someone from the same Jungjeong? This is our Sampoong’s most important business. If this construction is stopped, Sampoong will collapse!”

“.. .. .. .. ..”

‘Sampoong is going to collapse···.’

He was a man who seemed to care about his own business collapsing, but not about buildings collapsing and killing or injuring people.

The death toll from the Sampoong Department Store collapse was 502.

The damage amounted to approximately 270 billion won.

It was the worst accident in the history of the Republic of Korea.

It wasn’t a natural disaster.

It was literally a man-made disaster.

The disaster that would not have happened if only the basics were followed happened because of people who say they can do anything as long as they make money.

I barely held back my urge to curse as I explained to him.

“A large-scale audit will be conducted on Seocho-gu, Seoul City, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, including Sampoong. If there are no problems, the government will compensate for the damage caused by the delay in construction.”

But even when he appeared human, he was still arrogant.

“This is not it! How can you become a dictator like this without any procedures!”

He takes a step forward and protests harshly.

I was already half out of my mind.

At that moment, the chief of security, who had been listening quietly, took out a gun and stood in front of Chairman Sampoong.

“Take one more step from there. You’ll really die. You.”

The chief of security was a former member of the National Intelligence Service and was basically a quiet man who rarely spoke.

But he was merciless to those who crossed the line like this.

Only after the third chairman discovers the gun does he step back.

“Starting tomorrow, form an audit team and start the safety audit here again.”

###

Starting the next day, construction was halted and a safety audit of Sampoong Department Store began.

A group of about 20 auditors, including university professors, begin an audit of the entire Sampoong Department Store.

Of course, to guard against possible bribery, no Sampoong employees were allowed to approach nearby.

And then two weeks later, the audit results came out.

The audit team announces its results in front of Sampoong officials and government officials, including me.

I asked the representative of the gratitude group.

“What do you think? The results of the safety audit of Sampoong Department Store.”

“Yes, Mr. President. Based on the findings of our monitoring team, we believe it is appropriate to dismantle this building as is.”

The head of the audit team begins to explain while showing the materials.

“There are more than a few problems, such as poor construction and excessive reconstruction. Even if it is completed, it would not be surprising if it collapsed at any time. In fact, it is surprising that there were no problems during construction.”

At that moment, Chairman Sampoong steps forward excitedly.

“We did everything properly with permission! What’s the problem?”

The shamelessness is not ordinary.

Even though many architecture professors and experts have already determined that there is a problem, he says this.

‘It’s not much different this time either···.’

The words he said at the time of the Sampoong Department Store collapse were so famous that even I, who was not even born at the time, knew them and they will be remembered for generations to come.

‘Collapse means that not only will it harm our customers, but it will also ruin our company’s assets!’

Of course, the nuance of this statement was that if the building collapses, the company’s assets will also be destroyed, so why would they build the building shoddily? Even taking that into account, his attitude after the Sampoong collapse was the worst.

I didn’t want to waste any more time on this.

This building is one that should not exist in the history of the Republic of Korea where I live.

“There is nothing more to hear. Order the entire Sampoong Group to cease operations, order the demolition of this building, and conduct a full investigation of all Sampoong employees.”

As the story of a suspension of business came up, Sampoong’s chairman became even more excited and frothed at the mouth.

“Suspension of business! Our Sampoong has contributed so much to the national economy, so why can’t we just reinforce the building? Think of the damage this suspension of business will cause to the national economy!”

“Shut your mouth!! The era of people like you leading the economy is over!”

It was ridiculous to risk 500 deaths for immediate profit.

Even if it seems profitable now, this building will eventually collapse if it is built like this, even if it doesn’t collapse in 1995.

And if a building like this department store were to collapse, the tangible and intangible property damage that would occur would be incomparable to the current damage of several billion won.

Now it was time to break away from this golden rule.

This kind of golden supremacy may seem like it would bring huge benefits in the short term, but it will eventually lead to greater losses.

“Speak to the prosecution and police and start an investigation into Sampoong, Seocho-gu, and the entire area.”

“Yes, sir. I understand. Mr. President.”

And then a few months later.

[Arrest of key figures involved in bribery related to the faulty construction and expansion of Sampoong Department Store. 13 people including the chairman of Sampoong Department Store, Seocho-gu mayor, 2 employees of Seocho-gu Office Housing Management Division, 3 Seoul City officials, 2 employees of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. A total of 21 people were arrested. The government said it will continue to conduct thorough audits of faulty construction. It is reported that Sampoong Department Store, which was on the verge of completion, will be dismantled at the end of this month.]

In the Republic of Korea that I created, the name Sampoong disappeared into history like this.

###

“CEO, how about doing a little more? I’m still doing it, but you should do it for 20 more years.”

“It’s too much. Now I have to make room for my juniors. There are many people who are better than me. And more than that, my eyesight is getting worse, so it’s not easy for me to do my job properly.”

CEO Choi Hyun waves his hand, rejecting my offer.

January 1990.

To celebrate the new year, I had lunch with the floor leader and Representative Choi Hyun.

Representative Choi Hyun had announced his retirement from politics this summer due to age and health reasons.

“Haha.. that’s too bad.”

“I had to take care of my body like the President, haha.”

As the luncheon draws to a close, the topic of the Olympics comes up.

The first story I brought up was one related to the tourism industry.

“But now that the Olympics are slowly approaching, shouldn’t we revitalize the tourism industry?”

“Yes, there are still not enough hotels and attractions around the stadium.”

Representative Min Jeong-ki, who had been quiet, opens his mouth and chimes in.

He was a first-term member of the National Assembly, but before he knew it, he had risen to become a senior member of the party.

He was a strong candidate for party leadership after Choi Hyun.

I continued talking, agreeing with what Representative Min said.

“That’s right. As Representative Min said, hotels and tourist attractions are important. But isn’t it even more important to make people who have come want to come back to Korea?”

Both Representative Choi and Floor Leader Min nod their heads.

“Mr. Choi, Mr. Min. Do you know when people are most disappointed when they go to a tourist destination?”

They think deeply for a moment.

I told them about the story I had told the Blue House staff the other day.

“I think it is also very important to establish a system for this tourist fee. Recently, a Blue House staff member went on a trip to the countryside and was told that he was from out of town and did not know much about the area. After being treated like that once, he seems to never want to go to that area again.”

Min, the floor leader, tells his own story as if something had occurred to him.

“That’s right. I also went to the beach with my family for vacation a while ago and was really upset because of the ridiculous prices. I wanted to call the government officials and say something, but I held back because I didn’t want to ruin the mood of the trip.”

I nodded and said.

“It may seem like a minor issue, but I think we need to improve from these minor aspects. Wouldn’t it be more profitable to accept tourists who come 10 times at a normal price rather than to rip off a one-time customer?”

CEO Choi Hyeon also sympathizes with the story and says:

“It’s a good idea. Recently, as the demand for tourism has increased rapidly, domestic tourism has also increased explosively. In order to properly foster the tourism industry in the future, I think we should start thinking about a reasonable fee system for tourist attractions now. There may be some opposition right now, but I think these problems should be improved before the Olympics.”

Both representatives returned home promising that they would definitely pass the relevant bills in the National Assembly.

Of course, even after the bill was passed, there were still mountains of work to be done, including issues related to street vendors.