I Became Park Jeong-ui’s Nephew - Chapter 33



Only Krnovel

He became Park Jeong-ui’s nephew. – (33)

‘Oh my~ What is all this?’

This is Gumi, Gyeongsangbuk-do,

Ahead of the general elections, Park Jeong-ui, the political director of the Korean People’s Party, visited his hometown.

South Korea is currently undergoing a large-scale rural advancement project, and the promotion of collective farms is only the tip of the iceberg.

What did Koreans use as fuel during this period?

Most of them were trees. In Gangwon-do, there was a storage facility for wood, and retailers bought the wood there, made it into firewood, and then sold it to cities and rural areas.

The problem is that most of this firewood is logged illegally.

Unlicensed individuals were cutting down trees in the mountains with trucks, and wholesalers selling firewood lined the streets of Cheongnyangni.

If this happens again, there won’t be any trees left on the mountain.

So the government laid a railroad to transport coal from Gangwon Province and legally prohibited logging.

But will that work if it is prohibited by law?

Thatched-roof houses in rural areas still have ondol-style floor heating and fires.

After many years, if you light a fire with briquettes in an old place, it is certain that everyone will die from gas poisoning, so the government tore down the thatched houses and drastically reorganized the heating structure.

I have to farm, build a house, and plant trees in the mountains.

On a busy day in the countryside, politicians went back to their hometowns to help out with the campaign.

The first place that Park Jeong-ui, the political director, visited was the headquarters of the National Forestry Cooperative Federation.

I had a conversation with the village head.

“You’re all busy, right? I came to help out.”

“Haha~ Isn’t it common for someone who was in politics to get sick from overdoing things?”

“I’ve been to war. I can do anything.”

I started out confidently, but the reality was not easy.

What’s harder than war is making a living for people. Why is it that this damn farming work never ends?

Even the energetic 34-year-old raised both hands and feet.

‘Even if you’re scared of tigers, you have to stay next to them to get meat. If you work here, you’ll only be able to eat grass, right?’

Park Jeong-ui reaffirmed that he was not a person who should live in the countryside.

In Korea, where it is difficult to make a living even if you work hard in the countryside, isn’t the industrial system being reorganized to center on cities?

The problem is that if we abandon rural areas, we will lose public support as a backlash.

In South Korea, where the general election is coming up, what will happen to the country if the Korean People’s Party fails to secure a majority?

The modernization project pursued by the president will collapse, and the opposition party members who talk nonsense will take the wheel of this country.

The project currently being promoted is not solving the fundamental problems of rural areas, but is merely an undercover operation to appease public sentiment.

In fact, grain production has increased, but farmers are not seeing much benefit.

The United States imports a huge amount of agricultural products every year, so increasing rice harvests is unlikely to increase prices.

So, how to maintain rice prices is also a big concern for the government.

If the price is set too low, farmers’ profits will decrease, but if it is set too high, the government’s burden will only increase.

However, because there are still many people in rural areas, the government is reluctantly investing in rural areas.

In some ways, rural areas are holding back Korea’s modernization, but would it be of any use for a politician to say such things?

Park Jeong-ui successfully coaxed the deer in the countryside to become a tiger in the city.

“Director of the Political Bureau, we had a good harvest this year, so why aren’t our lives getting better?”

“That’s right. When on earth are we going to be able to live well?”

“Ha~ That’s right. His Excellency the President is also worried about that problem.”

The side view of the political director, who is in a state of worry,

The acting ability was worthy of the Best Actor Award, and even the farmers were captivated by the atmosphere.

“Guys, can I be honest with you?”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Your Majesty is anxious now. Maybe no matter how hard we try, our generation will never have a good life. But you said that it is a sin to pass on poverty to future generations. If we give up, our children and grandchildren will become even poorer. Shouldn’t we suffer and work hard for the sake of the future?”

The peasants became silent.

Isn’t it true that the country has given up on it now?

Farm machinery – They also provide cement, and now they even update the furnace to the latest model so that it can be lit with cheap briquettes.

Why doesn’t a world where we live well come about even though the government and farmers are working tirelessly? But what is clear is that no one is resting and working hard.

If we work so hard, won’t a world worth living in come someday?

The reality is harsh, but everyone accepted it because the government showed sincerity.

This sentiment was directly reflected in public opinion, and the Korean People’s Party won an overwhelming 90% support in rural areas.

It’s the same in cities, too. Workers in cities are busy with light industry and civil engineering work.

Everyone is suffering from working 75 hours a day, 6 days a week, but it’s still worth it. Are we going to pass on poverty to our children because it’s hard for us?

Everyone voted for the Korean People’s Party with the sole belief that their children would live well in their generation.

But it remains to be seen how long this will last,

Although the People’s Party of Korea won a landslide victory in the general election, it also faces a huge task.

***

“Your Majesty, are you not sleeping?”

“I can’t sleep.”

“What are you so worried about? You won the general election, so there’s nothing to worry about, right?”

“Why should I worry? My head is a mess right now.”

The same routine that repeats itself today,

I spent the night wide awake in the government building.

On the surface, Korea appears to be growing smoothly, but behind it are the efforts and sacrifices of countless people.

Korea is a country that has grown by putting people in.

I know that too, but I don’t want to pretend to be a saint by deceiving people.

‘I’d be comfortable if I could eat well and live well on my own, right? But that’s not the case. So I wish everyone could live well.’

The reason I struggle like this is not just because I feel a sense of responsibility to sacrifice for my country.

Sacrifice? What are you going to do with that sacrifice?

Parents sacrifice for their children’s future? Then who will compensate for the parents’ sacrifice?

My happiness is more important than sacrificing for others. So should I just ignore whether my people starve to death and rely on the aid from the US to satisfy my own selfish desires?

It’s comfortable to live like that, but in the end it’s just stabbing my neck.

“Give us some food too!! We want some food!!”

“I’ll give you bullets instead of food, so you all die!!”

How many dynasties have fallen by oppressing their people in this way?

We don’t have to go far; a few decades ago, the Russian Empire shot its people asking for bread and the country was ruined.

It proves that even the rich cannot protect what they have enjoyed if they cannot stabilize society. If I am rich but all the people are beggars, would I live in fear?

You think that raising an army and suppressing them will be enough?

Even if that were possible, it would be like living like the North Korean dictator.

Why is the North Korean dictator developing nuclear weapons and strengthening ideological control? He does it because he is anxious because he doesn’t know when the world will turn upside down.

What is the meaning of such a life?

To be honest, I have no desire to be praised as a saint by the people.

If I live well and the people live well, then we don’t have to worry about each other, right?

The problem is that it is not as easy as it sounds, and the people always say that they are poor and have a hard time.

So, those in power always have to pretend to be frugal.

Why did the kings of the Joseon Dynasty reduce the side dishes served on the table during famines? Was it because they truly loved the people, or was it a desperate attempt to please the people?

That’s exactly what I’m like right now.

If the public were to reveal the fact that they had amassed about 3 billion won through trading companies, how much of a sense of betrayal would they feel?

If you think about it, it’s money I earned honestly by running my own company, so I can eat it with my eyes closed.

But that’s not right, as a leader, I’m not the type of person to sacrifice for someone, but I have no choice but to pretend to think of the people.

So, I recently donated 80% of my entire fortune.

All of it will be paid to workers shivering in the cold.

What on earth is going on in the country that I’m doing this for?

It makes me feel uneasy to pretend to be a good king while lying to the people. Can I really serve a full 30-year term?

It’s been exactly three years since I became president, but I already don’t want to do it.

‘But I can’t run away. I’m already on the tiger’s back.’

It is a politician’s virtue to tell lies shamelessly.

Korea may not be a paradise on earth, but isn’t it true that it’s better than it used to be?

The people also want me to be president, so there is nothing to worry about for the time being. For now, I am paying close attention to the direction of the US presidential election.

“How is the US presidential election going right now?”

“It’s a very close race. I don’t know who will win.”

“Haa~ Things will get better if MacArthur is elected… I’m worried.”

“Don’t worry, Your Majesty. As much as Your Majesty cares for the people, a miracle will come down from heaven.”

“What did you say?”

I made eye contact with Prime Minister Lee Beom-seong.

Just a moment ago, I was muttering to myself, ‘It is a virtue of a politician to lie shamelessly in front of the people,’ but what does that make me?

I prayed again in my heart.

‘I was wrong. I will work hard until the day comes when the people can live well, so please give Korea a miracle. Then, I will put everything aside and enjoy life.’

How many days have passed since I repeated the confession several times a day?

Finally, news arrived from America.

***

“Wow!!!!”

This is Washington DC, USA.

The president-elect appeared to cheers from the crowd.

The protagonist was elected the 34th President of the United States after a very close match with Douglas MacArthur and Eisenhower.

The United States, which won two world wars,

But America’s future remained uncertain.

As the war progressed, the United States concentrated capital in certain large corporations, which naturally led to an industrial structure in which wealth was monopolized by a small number of people.

“We are only doing creative destruction.”

An economic policy so radical that such talk is circulating in the market,

Small and medium-sized businesses with low productivity were completely destroyed, while only large corporations received continuous support.

In the meantime, as many as 12 million young people were deployed to industrial sites and battlefields. If you think about it, the United States also overcame the Great Depression and the war by deploying countless companies and people.

But America is now facing a new test,

After the war, private enterprise GDP fell by 14 percent.

This is why the US had no choice but to return to a pro-market policy after the war. The US economy was already monopolized by a few, so how would the US economy function if they could not make profits?

MacArthur completely abolished the windfall profits tax as the Republicans argued.

The corporate tax rate was also lowered from 40% to 38%.

It may not seem like much, but just abolishing the excess profits tax has given wings to businesses.

As government spending decreased and market size grew, the United States was poised to emerge as a major power.

The question is how to use this power.

MacArthur reaffirmed his commitment to ending communism once and for all.

“Citizens!! I have led American troops all over the world and have never failed to win!! Now that I am president!! All communists will be conquered!! I will conquer them all and create a world order centered on the United States!! The price will be paid by all of you!!”

“Wow!!!!”

The people cheered enthusiastically.

It is true that the communist forces are greatly shaken, and if we take advantage of this momentum and push the Soviet Union forward, won’t the world become America’s?

MacArthur showed his aggressive tendencies without hesitation.

“There will be no nuclear weapons dropped on this country by the Soviets!! No, before that, we will turn Moscow into a sea of ​​fire!! Watch and see!! The attack has already begun!!”

As MacArthur had claimed, intermediate-range ballistic missiles were deployed in West Germany.

In addition, a missile base is planned to be installed in Italy.

The Soviets are bragging about their successful nuclear weapons tests, but it would take a long time for a nuclear weapon to fly from Russia to the United States.

No, do you think you could devastate the United States with just a few nuclear weapons?

On the other hand, the United States maintained an aggressive stance, planning to deploy missile bases in Germany and Italy and threatening to turn Moscow into a sea of ​​fire if necessary.

In addition, the Soviet Union failed in its agricultural revolution and its people were starving to death.

Anyone could see that the situation was favorable to the United States.