1979, Manager Kim is Inheriting Dictatorship! - Chapter 69



Only Krnovel

Episode 69

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A reporter asks a student:

“What do you mean, ‘I want to express my gratitude?’”

The student began to speak, holding back his emotions.

“The person I would like to express my gratitude to is President Kim Jong-guk.”

“What do you mean by thanking President Kim Jong-guk?”

When the name Kim Jeong-guk comes up, the reporter turns on the recorder and focuses intently.

“After my father passed away, life became really difficult for my two siblings. At the time, neither of us were old enough to be hired by the factory.”

Another reporter thrusts the microphone in and asks.

“Was life very difficult?”

“Yes. My grandmother raised us alone, but she wasn’t old enough to work, so our life was difficult in many ways.”

The student paused for a moment, took something out of his pocket, and then continued speaking.

“And around the time this story hit the press, this letter and an envelope with money arrived at my house.”

“Could that letter possibly have been sent by President Kim Jong-guk?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Could you please read it to me?”

She took the letter out of the envelope and read it in a voice that seemed as if she would burst into tears at any moment.

[I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry that our government failed to prevent this tragedy. This is entirely my responsibility as the president of this country. First of all, I will make sure that the criminal who killed the fathers of the two students is held accountable.

I know how deep the grief must be to lose your father at such a young age, and I also know how worried you must be about how you will live your life in the future.

But don’t worry too much. Our government will be the tree that our students can lean on. The country couldn’t protect our fathers, but at least we will protect our students.

I won’t tell you to be bright. That would be too cruel. But don’t give up. Better days will surely come, and until then, the country will be your support.]

The girl barely held back her tears as she read the entire letter.

Then he looked at the reporters and spoke.

“This letter gave my brother and I the strength to move forward once again.”

Even in this story of siblings, the reporter was interested in something a little more provocative.

“How much money did the President send?”

“That, that···.”

As the student hesitates for a moment, the reporter provokes him.

“Isn’t that a small amount?”

“Oh, no. The money you sent me was 25 million won.”

Reporters were surprised by the amount, which was much higher than expected.

“25 million won? Are you saying that the president gave it to you out of his personal pocket?”

The student nods to the reporters’ questions.

The student continued speaking, leaving the surprised reporters behind once again.

“Thank you again, President Kim Jong-guk.”

The student stands up and bows his head at a 90 degree angle.

“Even after that, the government really supported us in many ways. Thanks to the tuition and monthly living expenses, my brother and I are still able to attend school without any difficulties.”

The reporter asks the student some potentially brutal questions in order to make the story a little more provocative.

“How did you feel about the perpetrator being sentenced to death?”

“I’m still young, so I don’t know much about whether the death penalty is right or wrong. But the day the person who killed my father was executed, I felt like something inside me was being released.”

The student spoke with tears in his eyes, as if he remembered that day.

“And more than anything else, I wanted to let you know that what the President said that day about the victims coming first was not a single lie. That’s why I’m here. Thank you for listening to my long story.”

After the students’ press conference, it was reported nationwide as the main news story that day.

The young student’s press conference touched people’s hearts, and some of those who opposed the death penalty changed their minds to support it.

As it became known that this was the reason why the president’s assets were always close to 0 won in every asset declaration, people supported Kim Jong-guk even more.

In the public hall, it’s a show no matter what.

It’s a pre-made script.

Even though they tried to cut it down, public opinion that had already shifted to one side could not be turned around.

And on Friday, November 6, 1992, the day after the presidential election, the morning newspapers were as follows:

[President Kim Jung-guk. 92.3% of the votes. Elected with the highest votes since the direct presidential election!]

[The winner was confirmed within 1 minute of the start of the vote count.]

[President Kim Jung-guk comes out to Gwanghwamun at 7 p.m. to express his gratitude to the people for his election.]

[His popularity cannot be stopped by anyone.]

[His actions seem like a dictatorship, but are not.]

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May 1993.

As the weather was starting to get warmer, I headed to Moscow, Russia.

It was his first overseas trip after successfully winning a third term.

The reason was to hold a summit with Russia, with which diplomatic relations were established not long ago.

It was the first summit between South Korea and Russia.

As the Cold War ended, diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union began to be established, and relations between the two countries rapidly liberalized.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was Russia that took the initiative in improving relations with South Korea.

And this summit was also requested by Russia.

The person who extended the invitation was none other than the current Russian President, Boris Yeltsin.

He was the man who took power in Russia after Gorbachev.

But now Boris Yeltsin’s Russia was a mess.

From a Western perspective, Boris Yeltsin was seen as a decent leader, along with Gorbachev.

But his reputation within Russia was rock bottom.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, its economy fell into ruin, just like its original history.

In 1990, just before its collapse, the Soviet Union’s GDP per capita was $5,000, ranking it 31st in the world, a fairly high ranking.

But just two years after its dissolution, Russia’s GDP per capita fell to $1,500 in 1992.

Because they didn’t even have money to pay teachers’ salaries, they gave them vodka instead, and the children’s future aspirations were at the top with the men being hitmen and the women being prostitutes, so it was a world without dreams or hopes, a world without hopes.

But Yeltsin had been living and working in a flashy building until now, and his face was covered in oil.

Yeltsin greets me warmly and shakes my hand.

“Thank you for coming all the way to Moscow. This is Boris Yeltsin.”

“No. I’ve always wanted to visit Moscow. Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Jung-guk.”

Yeltsin His face, contrary to the rumors that he was a symbol of incompetence and corruption, appeared on the outside to be just that of an infinitely kind-hearted middle-aged white man.

‘Well, if you think about it, there was no better Russian leader in Korea than this.’

If we put aside the evaluation of his own country and consider only the relationship with Korea, there was no better Soviet-Russian leader for Korea.

Originally, in history, he was a man who provided information on the Korean War, making it clear that the Korean War was definitely an invasion of the South, and he also ended the alliance with North Korea, giving many benefits to South Korea.

And in addition to these, in many ways he was a pretty good leader for Korea.

‘Well, these stories don’t really mean anything right now, but…’

Of course, in today’s unified Korea, things like breaking the alliance are of little significance.

As the summit begins, Russia begins to talk about the most important economic issues.

If it were the Soviet era, we would have talked about various things like military issues or establishing relations with the United States, but Russia’s economy is now in such a mess that it doesn’t have the luxury of worrying about such things.

Natural gas supply.

Train connection.

There are all sorts of stories being told.

And after the conversation with a number of his staff members ended, a private summit meeting with Yeltsin began, accompanied only by an interpreter.

As soon as the two of them are together, Yeltsin starts to groan.

“Whew, being president isn’t an easy job. I think I’m trying my best.”

“President Yeltsin is a great leader who ended the Cold War together with President Gorbachev. What are you worried about? Haha.”

I smiled and gave him a little pat.

“Haha. Thank you···.”

Yeltsin responded to my compliment with a wry smile, and after a while, he set the mood and got to the main point.

“I’m embarrassed to say this, but let me be blunt. Could you possibly lend some money to Russia from Korea?”

‘As expected, I really need money…’

Korea was currently managing assets that were ranked among the top three in the world with absurd returns from its sovereign wealth fund and national pension.

“How much do you need?”

Yeltsin hesitates for a moment and then speaks to me.

“Would you be able to borrow around 5 billion dollars?”

‘You still don’t understand the situation.’

5 billion dollars.

It wasn’t a small amount of money, but Russia’s economy wasn’t in a state where it could do anything with that amount of money.

The current Russian economy needs at least $100 billion to see any meaningful results.

The $5 billion loan will probably only benefit the incompetent and corrupt officials of the Yeltsin government.

“5 billion dollars is not a difficult amount to raise.”

Yeltsin’s face brightens.

“Really?”

I took a cigarette out of my pocket for a moment and asked Yeltsin.

“Can I have a cigarette for a minute?”

“Oh, yes. Do whatever you want.”

Yeltsin even gives him a lighter from his office, telling him to smoke as much as he wants.

Originally, it was not polite in diplomacy, but now Korea was completely superior.

And this was an action to show that we were superior.

‘Should I throw in some bait?’

I took the cigarette out of my mouth for a moment and then took a drag.

“President Yeltsin. Do you know anything about Primorsky Krai?”

“Primorsky? Hmm···.”

As expected of an incompetent human being, he doesn’t even have a proper grasp of the local area.

“The region that Vladivostok belongs to.”

“Ah…! You mean Vladivostok, the region bordering North Korea… no, South Korea?”

“In Korea, it is also called Primorsky Krai.”

“I see. Primorsky Krai···.”

“Then do you know anything about the Khabarovsk region, which is above?”

This time he nodded as if he knew.

“Yes. I know Khabarovsk well. But why did you bring up those regions?”

Yeltsin was talking about the deputy minister, and I wondered why he was talking about completely unrelated local issues.

Now I’m getting to the main point.

“I will give you $50 billion, not as a loan.”

“yes···?”

Yeltsin is shocked when an absurd amount of money suddenly appears.

And soon he began to understand what the stories he had told me before meant.

Even the most incompetent person would know what I’m talking about if I told you this much.

“Surely, Mr. President Kim, you’re not telling us to sell our land to Russia, are you?”

“That’s right. You got it exactly right. Our country, Korea, wants to buy the Primorsky Krai and Khabarovsk Krai that Russia has.”

The interpreter is very embarrassed.

“Mr. President. Can I really interpret this···?”

“It’s okay. Please translate it as is.”

The interpreter sighed deeply, then translated exactly what I said and relayed it to Yeltsin.