I Became Park Jeong-ui’s Nephew - Chapter 209



Only Krnovel

He became Park Jeong-ui’s nephew. – (209)

“So, why Daedeok County? Busan and Ulsan have ports and are good places for trade with Japan and the United States, so why is it necessary to make Daedeok County the second capital?”

“Wouldn’t that be giving special privileges to the Yeongnam region again? If we are to achieve balanced national development, Daedeok County would be the best option.”

“I think the relocation of the capital itself is nonsense. There is no evidence that decentralization is efficient.”

This is Korea, and candidates are debating ahead of the general election.

The point is, when the capital of the Republic of Korea was relocated, why did Gyeongseong have to become the capital of Korea?

First of all, historically speaking, it is difficult to see Gyeongseong as the center of Korea.

During the Unified Silla period, Gyeongju served as the capital, but during the Goryeo period, its status was transferred to Gaeseong, and for over 800 years, Gyeongseong was not the capital of Korea.

But it is true that during this long period of time, the perception that ‘this is what a capital city should be like’ has developed.

As Goryeo introduced the civil service examination system, talented people began to pour out from Gaeseong, where educational institutions were concentrated.

Since it produced many successful candidates in the past, it would have been natural for those with vested interests to try to organize their power base around this place.

And the Seogyeong faction rose up against this overcrowding in the metropolitan area, and as this developed into the Myocheong Rebellion, the capital city issue became aggravated by regionalism.

The winners of this fight were the aristocratic families centered around Gaeseong, and it was from this time that the perception began to take hold that only those who studied and succeeded in Gaeseong could be considered true aristocrats.

“Wait a minute, this doesn’t seem right.”

“Now we need to give some authority to local governments.”

Joseon was the one who tried to break this.

What good would it do for the Joseon Dynasty, which came to power through a coup, to place its capital in Gaeseong?

So, he moved the capital to Hanyang and set up Confucian schools in each region, making efforts to remove the color of Goryeo from the country.

In fact, 200 people were selected from the Hanseongsi and the remaining 500 were selected from the Hyangsi. Judging from this, it seems that Joseon pursued centralization but was not particularly obsessed with the metropolitan area.

The same was true during the Japanese colonial period, with less than 500,000 of the 30 million compatriots living in Gyeongseong. Of those, 4 out of 10 were foreigners.

But how did everything in Korea end up being concentrated in the metropolitan area?

In fact, the phenomenon of concentration in the metropolitan area became more and more prominent during the Japanese colonial period.

As of 1943, there were 2,600 Korean doctors, 600 of whom were concentrated in the Gyeonggi area. In an area that accounted for just over 10% of the entire Korean population, about 1/3 of all doctors came from the Gyeonggi area.

This means that educational facilities and infrastructure began to be concentrated in the Gyeonggi area, and this phenomenon developed explosively after liberation.

“Anyway, we have to get out of this poverty quickly.”

“The area where infrastructure is concentrated is the Gyeonggi area. Let’s decide the outcome here.”

Anyway, Korea, which was in urgent need of economic development,

Would a country like this have time to discuss decentralization or balanced development?

Economic development began with the Gyeonggi-Yeongnam region, where infrastructure was in place, and other regions were inevitably neglected.

As a result, 50% of the country’s total production was concentrated in the Gyeonggi area, and the government promoted balanced national development to solve this problem.

But to that extent, although there are quite a few cities with a population of 500,000, the Gyeonggi area still boasts overwhelming power.

What is the reason?

Just as the aristocratic families of the Goryeo Dynasty created their own world centered around Gaeseong, is it because the vested interests of modern Korea are tightly centered around Gyeongseong?

But the reality is a little different.

“Yeongnam region’s position: Why can’t Busan and Ulsan be the capital? There is a port here and it is advantageous for trade with the US and Japan.”

“Chungcheong Province’s position: So you’re saying we should push it into Yeongnam Province again? In order to develop the country in a balanced way, we need to move the capital to Daedeok County!!”

“Gyeongseong-kwon’s position: It’s all over, I just want to live in Gyeongseong. I don’t like Cheonan or Daedeok-gun.”

Too many captains will cause the ship to sink to the mountain.

Everyone says that our region should become the capital, but what should we do?

If public opinion is divided, the leader must make a decision, but the head of state is not sure at the moment.

The reason is that there is a good example called Washington DC.

Washington was not the capital of the United States from the beginning.

When the United States gained independence from Britain, the center of the United States was New York, and naturally the capital also started from here.

However, based on political logic, an unexpected place was decided to be the capital.

At the time, the United States was at war with Britain, and each state had a lot of debt.

Will the country develop if all government funds are used to pay off debt? In the end, the United States had to resort to extreme measures to build up the country.

The federal government assumes all of each state’s bonds.

While the major cities of the South could finance the war effort even if they had to borrow money, the North could not, so it had no choice but to accept the federal government’s offer.

So instead of the federal government taking on all the debt, it was decided that the capital would be Washington.

But at that time, Washington was a city with nothing, so Philadelphia decided to serve as a temporary capital for 10 years.

“Once you come in, it’s over.”

“Let’s just sit here.”

Philadelphia was more proactive than anyone in its bid to become the capital.

At that time, Philadelphia was a city with a developed financial industry, to the point that the first bank was established in the United States, and boasted an economic power comparable to that of New York. It was no coincidence that the Declaration of Independence was written here.

If you’re going to choose a capital, it should be somewhere like this. Why should it be Washington?

So Philadelphia did its best to woo the political establishment, including providing the president (John Adams) with a magnificent mansion.

‘It’s funny, no matter what anyone says, the capital of the United States is Washington.’

But John Adams didn’t even snort.

The reason was that Washington was close to Virginia, and at the time, Virginia was a region with great influence leading the Revolutionary War.

To put it simply, all the presidents from the first, George Washington, to the fifth, James Monroe, came from Virginia. Even Thomas Jefferson, who was the Secretary of State at the time and planned the relocation of the capital, was from Virginia.

Was it really in the national interest for the political world to decide to make Washington the capital?

Or maybe it was to give strength to my home state and home turf, Virginia.

What is clear is that the relocation of the capital has been a sensitive topic in the United States ever since, but each time, Virginia’s leading figures have prevented the relocation.

This is why Washington is the capital of the United States.

Isn’t it funny?

It would have been natural for New York and Philadelphia, which had the upper hand economically, to become the capital, but this development happened because of politicians from Virginia.

So what happened to Washington after that?

When the American Civil War broke out, Virginia seceded from the Union and joined the Confederacy, but the western region refused to secede and remained in the Union, and Virginia’s prestige was split in half.

Washington’s economy is sustained by Baltimore and its surrounding metropolitan areas, and this artificially planned city created by vested interests is barely holding on to its position as “America’s capital.”

This problem also applies to Korea.

Even if Daedeok County becomes the capital, it will not be able to surpass Gyeongseong, which has already become the economic center.

Just as New York and Philadelphia still dominate the American economy today.

But should we move the capital in the name of balanced development?

This is why even the Korean leader cannot make a decision.

Will Daedeok County become Korea’s new center for balanced national development, or will it become a second Washington?

This issue continues to shake Korean society.

***

“Your Majesty, you must now give up on moving the capital.”

“No. Your Majesty, you must go down to Daedeok County for balanced national development. If you make the decision, we will take you there.”

This is Changgyeonggung Palace,

I’ve been plagued by requests from members of the National Assembly since morning.

The People’s Republican Party of Korea is currently split into three, and Kim Jong-pil, who is based in the Chungcheong region, wants to move the capital to Daedeok County.

Kim Jong-pil is a talent from the Chungcheong region that is hard to find in Korea.

If the capital is moved to Daedeok County, the voice of the Chungcheong region will be raised, and a political foundation will be established for the candidate to run for the next presidency.

Would the vested interests based in Gyeongseong just sit back and watch?

The Gyeongseong faction was resolutely opposed to moving the capital, and a third force was also involved.

“The Busan-Ulsan area is also fine. Let’s make the capital in this area!!”

The Yeongnam region is also a huge economic zone that accounts for 28% of Korea’s total GDP. If the capital is moved here, trade with the U.S. and Japan will also become more active.

But what does that have to do with balanced national development?

The political world is in chaos these days because everyone is fighting over their own turf.

Are you really thinking about balanced development of the country?

It’s so obvious that it’s annoying, but if you want to follow the goal of balanced national development, it’s right to go to Daedeok County.

My uncle, who was elected as a member of the National Assembly from Daedeok County, also cast his vote there and repeatedly called for the relocation of the capital.

“The balanced development of the country can only be achieved if the leader makes a decision. I don’t think this issue will be resolved by just wasting time like this.”

“If I go to Daedeok County, will the people follow me? If you look at public opinion polls, only 300,000 residents say they want to come to Daedeok County.”

“That’s because the enemy hasn’t made a decision. If the enemy moves, there will definitely be a reaction.”

I looked back and forth between Kim Jong-pil and my uncle’s faces.

People who used to fight like enemies are joining forces like this. If that’s what the two giants want, shouldn’t I also lend my support?

I decided to go to Daedeok-gun, whether it would be death or food.

In a chaotic Korea, the people of Gyeongseong blocked my path to Daedeok-gun.

“If the enemy goes to Daedeok-gun, what will happen to Gyeongseong?!!”

“Your Majesty, you must remain in Gyeongseong!!”

“We are resolutely opposed to the relocation of the capital!!”

“Everyone else can go, but not you, my enemy!!”

Do you think that if I leave Gyeongseong, this city will fall into ruin, with the roads blocked by crowds of people making it impossible for cars to leave the city?

It is true that the explanation to the public was a bit lacking.

First, I turned the car towards Daedeok-gun.

At times like these, the best thing to do is to persuade the people, and draw the line that this city will not perish if I leave Gyeongseong.

“Citizens of Gyeongseong, even though the United States forcibly moved the capital to Washington, New York and Philadelphia are still intact. Gyeongseong has a well-developed education and infrastructure and a population of 9 million, so it will never collapse.

The same goes for the Yeongnam region. It accounts for 28% of Korea’s total GDP and will become a center for trade with the US and Japan in the future. Even if it is not the capital, it can sufficiently fulfill its role.

But it is not Honam-Chungcheong region. This place cannot develop without a drastic prescription. As many experts say, even if I move the capital to Daedeok-gun, there is no guarantee that this place will develop, but that does not mean I can just sit back and do nothing.

“If I fail, I will take responsibility for it.”

The Korean government spent approximately 300 billion won on this capital relocation.

If we pour in 1/5 of the country’s annual budget and fail, how will we deal with the aftermath? I hesitated at first, but since it was a project that had been promoted for the past 10 years, it was difficult to back down now.

If I fail, it’s my fault too.

You have taken responsibility and declared that you will step down from your position as commander-in-chief.