1979, Manager Kim is Inheriting Dictatorship! - Chapter 95



Only Krnovel

Episode 95

The person chosen as the candidate for Prime Minister was Park Dae-chun, Chairman of POSTO.

The second candidate, Lee Hae-chang, was good in every way, but he was ultimately eliminated because he seemed likely to clash with others in many areas and his political convictions were too strong.

It is a problem when the Prime Minister is a yes-man to everything the President says, but the opposite is actually more serious.

The president and the prime minister run the country, but if they are going in different directions, the country cannot go in the right direction.

In the end, the ones who were ultimately concerned were Chairman Oh Wang-guk and Chairman Park Dae-chun of Posto.

It was a well-known fact that both of them had created leading Korean companies, and their personal abilities were a given.

Rather, in terms of personal ability, Chairman Oh Wang-guk was evaluated as superior.

If Posto was a company that grew with the help of the government, including the vice minister, then many people evaluated that Chairman Oh Wang-guk’s ability was slightly higher because Hyunjoong built a huge company called Hyunjoong from scratch.

But in the end, we ultimately chose Chairman Park Dae-chun.

As expected, the biggest problem is age.

Compared to the remaining lifespan of Chairman Oh Wang-guk, Chairman Park Dae-chun still has plenty of life left.

Since I like to work with people for a long time, once I start working with them, I like people I can work with for a long time.

Of course, even if it wasn’t simply his age, his abilities weren’t particularly lacking compared to the Chairman of the Five Kingdoms as people said.

Some people even rated his abilities higher than those of the President of the Five Kingdoms.

When POSCO first entered the market in the past, it received a lot of help from Nippon Steel regarding construction and technology.

And then, after Pohang Iron and Steel Company got back on track, Yoshihiro, the chairman of Nippon Steel, met with Deng Xiaoping of China.

Deng Xiaoping asked Nippon Steel Chairman Yoshihiro to build a factory like Pohang Iron and Steel Company in China.

However, Chairman Yoshihiro rejected Deng Xiaoping’s proposal, saying:

“We can build a factory, but we can’t build a steel mill like that because there is no one like Park Dae-chun in China.”

The person whose abilities were recognized by so many people around the world was none other than Chairman Park Dae-chun.

And although he was the founder of Posto and made it a global steel company, he did not own a single share of Posto when he left office in the original history.

He was a person who was not interested in personal glory.

And one of the reasons I chose him was because I thought it was time for South Korea’s corporate culture and treatment of workers to change.

I think that both corporate culture and worker treatment in South Korea have continued to move in a positive direction over the past 20 years since taking office, but there are still some areas where things are lacking.

Many companies in South Korea still do not treat their workers properly.

There were many places that forced workers to work without even paying the minimum wage.

And some even touted it as the secret to business success.

But Chairman Park Dae-chun was different from those people.

Unlike his contemporaries, he always paid close attention to the treatment of his employees.

He always took care of his employees, whether it was wages or benefits.

He was so sincere about treating his employees that he built welfare facilities such as housing for employees before the Post factory came in, and then always built the factory.

As such, he was a businessman who was loved by his employees.

At the same time, he was a businessman loved by the residents of Pohang and Gwangyang.

When he was planning to retire a few years ago, not only his employees but also local residents joined in protests against his retirement.

I also heard about this protest story, and I went down to Pohang myself to persuade him to change his mind about retirement.

After that, a new steel mill was built in Cheongjin.

And finally, he always kept to the principles in everything he did.

Even before I pointed out the issue of poor construction, most construction companies in Korea always did shoddy work by skipping materials in order to make a little more profit.

While Korean construction companies were trying to build buildings like Sampoong, he built buildings paying attention to even the smallest details, saying he wanted to build buildings that would last 1,000 years.

He was a capable man who was not interested in personal advancement, was kind to workers, and even upheld principles.

Of course, he had his flaws, but his strengths were enough to cover them all.

‘I should go down there during the vacation and try to persuade him.’

* * *

In recent years, I’ve been taking one or two days off every month.

I guess it was because I was getting older and my body couldn’t hold out any longer.

Of course, it’s not like they didn’t do anything, they just rested from major tasks.

And today, I visited Pohang during the one-day holiday I had.

I arrived in Pohang with only a minimal number of security guards, as I was afraid that other people might feel uncomfortable if they found out.

Pohang Football Stadium.

Built as the first soccer-specific stadium in Korea, a K-League match was currently in full swing.

“This way!! Pass!!”

“My ball!!”

Pohang’s attacker receives the passed ball, beats the opposing defense and takes a shot.

And a moment later, the ball flies and hits the opponent’s goal.

“and!!”

The home team cheering section is about to burst into flames.

And now a man in the VIP box next to me was also cheering.

“That’s right!! Good job!!”

Bald head, a sturdy-looking body and a charismatic-looking face.

The man who was cheering was none other than Chairman Park Dae-chun.

I approached him without him noticing and asked him while he was cheering and cheering.

“Is the player who just scored the goal the best in Pohang?”

Chairman Park Dae-chun answers me in an excited voice without even looking at me.

“Oh, of course! Didn’t you know from what you saw earlier? Isn’t he the best striker in Korea! Ahahahahaha!”

He was so absorbed in the game that he didn’t even pay attention to me.

He was known as a soccer fanatic even in his daily life.

“I see. So who do you think will win today’s game?”

“That’s right, of course… … .”

Chairman Park Dae-chun turned his head to see who the absurd person was who asked who he thought would win at home, and as soon as he saw my face, he lowered his head in surprise.

“Oh, Mr. President!!”

I greeted him and shook his hand.

“It’s been a while, Chairman Park. I thought you’d be here.”

“You must be busy, how did you manage to come all the way here? I’m sorry, I know you’re busy with state affairs, but if you had contacted me in advance, I would have gone up to Seoul.”

“I came here for a vacation and a bit of work. Don’t worry too much about it.”

Chairman Park fidgets for a moment.

I guess it was because I couldn’t come and watch the game.

“Haha. You seem curious about the game. Should we watch the game first and then move on to talk?”

“Is that okay?”

A color appears on Chairman Park’s face.

“Of course. Hahaha.”

“thank you!”

With my permission, he started to focus on the game again.

His appearance was like that of a child, not an old man in his seventies.

* * *

After the game, we moved to a large restaurant nearby and talked with Chairman Park.

First of all, I asked him how he was doing.

“Mr. Chairman, how is the company doing these days?”

“Pohang Steel Works and Gwangyang Steel Works are always doing well. Cheongjin Steel Works, which was completed three years ago, is also operating without any problems. Sales are also increasing every year.”

“As expected, there’s no need to worry about Posto. It would be foolish to worry when Chairman Park is here.”

“Thank you. It’s all thanks to you, Mr. President.”

“What did I do? It’s all because the Chairman’s abilities are outstanding.”

He was different now from the guy who used to get so excited when watching soccer games.

He was usually a somewhat reserved person who did not express his emotions much, perhaps because he was originally from the military.

I poured him a glass and asked.

“Chairman Park, I heard you are retiring next year. Is that true?”

He spoke to me, holding the glass with both hands.

“Yes. Now it’s time for younger people than me to take over the company.”

I said this while receiving the glass of wine that Chairman Park offered me.

“I see. You’ve worked very hard. Thanks to you, Chairman, the Korean economy has developed a lot.”

He spoke to me as he emptied his glass.

“This is a company built on the blood and sweat of Joseon. I worked with my employees with the mindset that if we failed, we would drown ourselves in Yeongil Bay. Now that President Kim has recognized us, I have no regrets even if I die. Surely, Your Excellency… … .”

I don’t remember it in my head, but Chairman Park Dae-chun was also close to President Lee Jung-hwan, just like Kim Jung-guk, so he must have had a connection with Kim Jung-guk before 1979.

I continued the conversation by briefly mentioning President Lee Jung-hwan to get closer to him.

“Yes. Your Majesty, I am sure you will also feel a new sense of emotion when you see the post that has developed to this extent… … .”

His eyes turn red.

‘Let’s get to the point.’

I emptied my glass again and got to the point.

“Chairman Park, would you mind retiring and helping me with my work?”

“What do you mean?”

I looked straight into his eyes and said.

“Chairman Park Dae-chun, would you be willing to take on the position of Prime Minister?”

He thinks for a moment.

And then he answers.

“I am a person who has built a wall around politics. But how could I refuse if President Kim asked me to do this?”

“Haha. I didn’t know you would agree so easily. Thank you!”

He says, shaking his head.

“It wasn’t easy for me to agree. If it were someone else, I probably wouldn’t have done it. But I’m doing it because it’s President Kim Jung-guk. President Kim has accomplished more than President Lee Jung-hwan, whom I acknowledged. And I want to contribute to those accomplishments, even if only a little.”

I said, clinking my glass with him.

“I ask for your continued support. Chairman Park, no, Prime Minister Park.”

* * *

The response from political circles was quite positive.

Although people were surprised to learn that he was from the military, many responded that they could still trust Park Dae-chun.

Although he originally had no political career, unlike his predecessor, he served as the chairman of Posto for several decades.

After taking office, I stayed up all night for several days to quickly get a grasp of the work.

And surprisingly, Justice Lee Hae-chang, who was mentioned as a candidate for Prime Minister, joined the Gongmin Party after retiring from his post as a Supreme Court Justice.

He brought a new wind to the Komeito Party by defeating Yeom Myeong-guk, who had been the party leader for several years, in the party leadership election only a few months after joining the party.

“Now, the Gongmyeong Party will be reborn as a clear-cut conservative party, a party that protects liberal democracy and a market economy! It’s been 20 years, everyone. It’s been 20 years. I acknowledge that President Kim Jong-guk has achieved things that no other president has been able to do. He deserves respect! However, shouldn’t it be changed now?”

And he, too, was counting down the days towards me, and gradually raising the approval rating of the Gongmyeong Party.

In fact, the opposition party, which had not won a single victory in nearly 20 years due to its overwhelming approval rating, was gradually becoming exhausted.

Especially after the retirement of the three Kims from politics, this feeling has only deepened as the conflict within the opposition party has only gotten worse.

A new figure named Yeo Dong-guk appeared, ran as a presidential candidate, and became the party leader, but he was inferior to the three Kims in terms of both charisma and ability.

As a result, the Gongmin Party fought more often within its own party than with the ruling Liberty Korea Party.

However, Lee Hae-chang reorganized the Gongmyeong Party, which was in disarray, and rose to become the party leader just a few months after entering politics.

Although Yeomyeongguk lacked ability, he could not ignore the share of the party that he had built up over the years, and Lee Hae-chang overthrew him and rose to become the party leader, immediately drawing attention as a new candidate for the Gongmyeong Party presidential election in the winter.

A new wind of politics was blowing.