I Became Park Jeong-ui’s Nephew - Chapter 124



Only Krnovel

He became Park Jeong-ui’s nephew. – (124)

“Your Majesty, this is the information you requested earlier.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

The same routine that repeats itself today,

I accepted the report jointly produced by the Central Intelligence Agency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

I never really cared about the orphan problem, but thanks to my uncle’s accident, I started to take a little interest in it.

Now Korea is a global power,

The average income per capita was $7,700, ranking second in the world after the United States, and its military power was given the strong title of being the “strongest in East Asia” and third worldwide after the United States and the Soviet Union.

So, should I be satisfied with this appearance?

More important than these showy policies is substance, and one of those policies is social welfare policy.

The United States has long since abandoned imperialism and turned to social welfare policies, so is orphan care being done properly?

Unfortunately, orphans are not eligible for welfare.

That’s because pouring government money into orphans doesn’t count as votes. Throwing a loaf of bread to a homeless person counts as votes, but isn’t that not the case for children?

The United States, known as the world’s most powerful country, is no different.

[It has been confirmed that 20 children adopted in the United States over a five-year period were murdered by their adoptive parents. One adoptive parent even denied a one-way flight to an orphanage for a 7-year-old child, sparking an uproar in American society.]

[People sitting in their living rooms watching television feel compassion for the ‘dying children’ in orphanages and decide to adopt them without much thought. The U.S. government also believes that it is better for orphans to grow up in foster homes rather than institutions, so the fate of adopted children is left entirely up to the adoptive parents.]

[American law places higher rights on adoptive parents than on children. This is why adoptive parents are punished for abusing children.]

Is this really happening in America?

But that’s to be expected.

People feel a brief ‘compassion’ for cute creatures that need to be protected, but raising a dog shivering on the street and raising a person are two separate issues.

A dog will wag its tail at its owner after being raised for only a year, but isn’t that not the case with human children?

Even if you raise a child with all your heart for a dozen years, there is no guarantee that it will grow up ‘as expected’, and in any case, raising a human child requires a lot of money, effort, and time.

This is why human children are abandoned,

Are human babies cuter than dogs? Do they grow up faster? Do they require less care? Do they grow up as I expect? Does caring for orphans get you votes for politicians?

All of this combined is reflected in the current U.S. orphan policy.

But Korea is not in a position to criticize the United States.

“Don’t you have a mom or dad?!!”

“I grew up without parents so I don’t know manners!!”

Korea’s perception of orphans can be summarized in this one word:

Are children born because they want to be born?

They were born only because of the sexual desires of adults, but they are discriminated against in all sorts of ways just because they don’t have parents.

I never asked my parents to give birth to me in vulgar language.

No, what has society done for me?

But do you want orphans to grow up well and not cause any problems in society? Just as abandoned dogs turn into wild dogs, orphans abandoned by society will only grow up to be monsters.

That’s why the aunt was wise. She took the child born between her husband and his mistress into her arms, saying that there was no sin in it.

To be honest, I treated that child like an illegitimate child with no foundation, and I’m ashamed that I even thought that way for a moment.

So we made major revisions to our support policy for orphans.

[If an orphan has no parents, the country can become the child’s parent. Since ancient times, our country has had a custom of raising children together. A child without a mother would beg for milk from a neighbor’s house and feed it, and during the Joseon Dynasty, the adoption system was introduced to protect orphans.

Children who wandered on the streets were raised by adoptive parents, and the government office provided them with food and clothing. In order to prevent the abuse of adoptive parents raising orphans and turning them into slaves, a yujeopso was established in the central government and a jinjang was established in the local regions to protect orphans.

Was this just a show?

In the 6th year of King Jungjong’s reign, the country investigated orphans and provided food to Jinyulcheong, and in the 3rd year of King Myeongjong’s reign, there are traces in history that the country seriously considered this issue.

[There are cruel parents who have children but do not raise them, and when they move, they leave their children hanging on trees.

There must be a way to save these children.

Anyone wishing to raise an abandoned child must report to the authorities, record in detail the child’s appearance and age, and prepare related documents.

Also, if the child’s parents – relatives – come to see the child before 3 months, the child will be returned to their home, and if they come after 3 months, they will not be accepted, and custody will go to the adoptive parents.

There are records of the country’s efforts to protect orphans 400 years ago.

Not only that, if the parent who abandoned the child showed up three months later, they did not recognize their custody.

Do you think parents who have neglected their children for so long would take good care of them if they were to take them back?

Of course, it is best for a child to return to their parents, but the fact that such a standard has been set means that the country has taken the child’s position into consideration.

It is best for a child to go to a family that can raise him or her well, not to his or her parents. Korea has been struggling with this for 400 years.

But why is it like this now?

This is all my responsibility as President. I have been so obsessed with economic development and outward achievements that I have not been able to look into these things.

Since I will be retiring in two years, I think it would be better to focus on domestic affairs rather than foreign policy.

Orphans pushed for a policy of raising them by the state.

***

“Your Majesty, have you arrived?”

“Yes, how is the baby?”

“Yes. Your mother is watching.”

“Then from now on, I guess I’ll have to look after the child.”

The same routine that repeats itself today,

As soon as I got off work at the government office, I went to my aunt’s house.

How can I be of much help in raising children when I know nothing about anything but state affairs?

But a child needs both a mother and a father, so he took on the role of father in place of his uncle.

This kid is not my uncle’s child, but my family’s child. If I think of it that way, I can raise him, right?

He calmly spread his arms and invited me to hug him.

“Myung-hee, come here~.”

“Wow~.”

The guy who hides behind his grandmother in embarrassment,

Having anticipated this situation, I pulled out my trump card.

“Don’t you want to eat this? Grandma doesn’t give you things like this?”

“Oh my~ Sanggeun, what is all this?”

“I sent some food to the orphanage today. I took a few to give to the orphanage.”

“Hohoho~ Even though our Sanggeun isn’t married, he likes kids. If he likes kids this much, why doesn’t he get married?”

“Hey, Grandma, you’re nagging me again. From now on, I’ll just take good care of my family.”

“No, the name is the name, you have to give birth to your child.”

“Myung-i~ Come here. I’ll give you this when you come to me.”

I threw the bait towards the child to avoid my grandmother’s nagging.

The child approached me hesitantly, little by little, and I hugged him as soon as he came within striking distance.

The guy who didn’t cry and just stayed still, definitely looked more psychologically stable than when I first saw him.

How much mental anguish must have been caused by not being able to properly care for a child between parents who were fighting over love?

From that day on, whenever I had time, I would go see the child and show my face.

As I was instilling in him the awareness that he was not alone and that he was a child of this family, the child began to open up to me.

“Dad~.”

“Oh my~ What should I do? Should I be the father of the deceased? Then the family tree will get too tangled up?”

“This child is our family’s child? Then you can be the father.”

“That’s right. Then from today on, I will be your little dad.”

I got permission from my grandmother, so now I’m this guy’s uncle.

Now that the child has found stability in a new home, does this mean this issue has a happy ending?

But my expectations were slightly different than expected.

***

“Your Majesty, there is a woman causing a disturbance in front of the government building.”

“What does that mean?”

“That’s… They’re asking for the child back.”

The same routine that repeats itself today,

I received a report that a woman was causing a commotion in front of the government building.

They asked me to return my child, but no matter how much I think about it, I don’t remember kidnapping a child from any family and taking him home.

The only thing on his mind was that he had taken in his uncle’s child, and he had even given money to the woman on the condition that she give up custody.

And now you want the child back?

Do you know how cruel that is to a child?

First, he was dragged to the presidential office because he was embarrassed in front of the people.

“Mr. Lee Se-Hyeon, why on earth are you doing this? I thought I paid cash as a condition of giving up custody at that time?”

“Your Majesty, please give me back my child. I can’t live without him.”

“Can’t you live? Hey, do you think I’m easy because I’m being polite? If I put my mind to it, I can get rid of you without anyone noticing. Do you think this is some neighborhood teahouse? Where the hell are you getting into trouble?!!”

As I vented my anger, the woman backed away.

A child who was treated like a tennis ball between mom and dad,

‘You take responsibility for it’, ‘You raise it on your own’ – you used to act like that, and now you want to be a parent?

What is the purpose of coming out like this? Are you trying to use the child as an excuse to get your foot in the Park family’s doorstep?

I blew a warning to wake up from the dream.

“You think you can become a member of our family just because you do this? I’m telling you clearly, you have no place in this family, and that child is not your child. He is the child of the Goryeong Park family. Do you understand?”

“Ha… but… .”

“I’m telling you clearly, if you cause trouble one more time, you’ll be erased from this world. Do you think I can’t do that? You’re not fit to be that child’s parent. If you give up custody and receive 100 million won, then keep your mouth shut. This is your final warning.”

I gave instructions to the Chief of Staff to get this woman out.

And separate measures were taken against the Central Intelligence Agency. If a woman did something suspicious, she would be detained for three months, and if she still did not come to her senses, she would be deported overseas.

However, he gave instructions that if he caused trouble again, he should be dealt with quietly.

If you think that you can become the parent of a child just because you gave birth to that child, you are mistaken.

Only those who are prepared to put in a dozen years of patience and affection can raise a child.

Can a child grow up happily under a person who is so swayed by momentary emotions?

I put this belief into policy.

[Just because they are biological parents, they do not have the right to claim custody. If they do not go to visit their child for more than three months after abandoning the child, the biological parents’ parental rights will be revoked and custody will be transferred to the adoptive parents. If a biological parent approaches a child without the permission of the adoptive parents, they will be sentenced to up to five years in prison and a 10-year ban on contact.]

I have promulgated this law by presidential decree.

If it is pushed through the National Assembly, it will take about 2-3 years, but if it is processed through the President’s authority, it will be implemented immediately.

Separately from the fact that there are parents who are not qualified to be parents, the amount of social funds invested in orphans continues to increase.

The orphan support fund, which was only 85 million won two years ago, has now increased to 300 million won, and it has been stipulated by law that it will increase to 1 billion won in five years.