I Became Park Jeong-ui’s Nephew - Chapter 82



Only Krnovel

He became Park Jeong-ui’s nephew. – (82)

‘What should I do with this?’

This is the headquarters of the Democratic Republican Party of Korea, and its leader, Kim Jong-pil, has been thinking long and hard.

The president gave up his dictatorship on his own, and with the start of party politics, countless political parties emerged, and each representative declared their candidacy for the presidential election.

The problem is that the base of the People’s Party candidate Park Sang-geun is too strong.

Not only did he win over the hearts of the people of Jeolla-do, he also completely took control of the Gyeongseong area, not to mention his home turf of Gyeongsang-do.

If this happens, the rest of the candidates will be left behind.

It might be better to support candidate Park Sang-geun rather than running for office.

The problem is that if you act like that, you run the risk of not turning from a chicken head to a dragon tail, but into a chicken butthole.

He gave the political party he founded to his opponent, so who will support him in the future?

In addition, Kim Jong-pil’s hometown is Chungcheong Province.

Chungcheong Province has a population of 4.1 million, which is a fairly large number, accounting for 14% of the entire population of South Korea.

The problem is that Chungcheong Province has never produced a notable political figure, and of course, there is no political party based here.

Jeolla-do was incorporated into the Korean People’s Party because it had a large population and many people went up to Seoul, but that is not the case for Chungcheong-do.

The region is in an ambiguous position between Gyeongsang-do and Jeolla-do, and there are no politicians to represent the region, so there is no opportunity for the opinions of the residents to be reflected in politics.

Kim Jong-pil from Chungcheong Province appeared in this situation.

Kim Jong-pil was a brilliant student who studied abroad in the United States and enjoyed an incredible rise to fame, becoming a brigadier general in the Republic of Korea at the age of 33.

In addition, there is a history of fighting against the Chinese army in Shanghai, so from the perspective of Chungcheong Province, a politician who can represent the region was born.

The problem is that Kim Jong-pil does not have the courage to confront candidate Park Sang-geun head-on.

Will he compete with Park Sang-geun, who received 23 million supporters in Chungcheong Province, which has a population of only 4 million?

Kim Dae-jung did that in Jeolla Province and got beaten up really badly this time.

“Candidate Park Sang-geun is a prince of Silla and only favors Gyeongsang-do!! Let’s show the power of our Jeolla-do this time!!”

“No, candidate Park Sang-geun promised to invest 15 million dollars.”

“Isn’t it true that all the people from Jeolla Province who went up to Gyeongseong support candidate Park Sang-geun?”

Kim Dae-jung, who was completely defeated in the presidential election after rushing in recklessly,

Now, the only way for Kim Dae-jung to make a comeback is to wait for candidate Park Sang-geun to neglect Jeolla Province as he did before.

If Park achieves significant results in Jeolla Province, her support base will become even stronger, and Kim Jong-pil’s position will become even more difficult.

All around are strongholds of the Korean People’s Party, so will it be able to continue its lonely fight in Chungcheong Province?

However, if we support candidate Park here, Kim Jong-pil could lose the hearts of the people in Chungcheong Province.

In a situation where I literally couldn’t do anything, I called my close associates together and exchanged opinions.

“How about supporting candidate Park Sang-geun even now?”

“Absolutely not!!”

“Do you expect that if you join hands with candidate Park Sang-geun, you will be able to turn a chicken head into a dragon’s tail? Give up such expectations. Even if you are defeated in the presidential election, you must run unconditionally. Only then can you make Chungcheong Province our stronghold.”

Kim Jong-pil’s close associates tried to dissuade him.

I understand what the party leader is thinking, but can you get full on the first drink?

Candidate Park Sang-geun has strong influence now, but who knows what will happen later. At that time, the 4 million Chungcheong Province voters may support Representative Kim Jong-pil.

In addition, CEO Kim Jong-pil is only 34 years old.

If we take a long time, say 20 years, wouldn’t an opportunity come somehow? But there were also skeptical views.

“We need to look at reality soberly. If the Korean People’s Party’s power grows any further, our party will be unable to do anything and will be at risk of being absorbed.”

“That’s right. It might be a wise choice to merge with the Korean People’s Party and increase our power within it.”

“If that happens, the public sentiment in Chungcheong Province will waver.”

“The majority wins in elections. You can’t win the hearts of 30 million people by being obsessed with the 4 million people in Chungcheong Province.”

The Democratic Republican Party of Korea, which is already showing signs of division,

If we join hands with the Korean People’s Party, even if things go well, we will only be able to play the role of second-in-command, and if things go wrong, we will completely lose the hearts of the people of Chungcheong Province.

However, if we are tied down by the public sentiment of Chungcheong Province, we will not be able to escape from minor political parties. What should we do about this?

After much deliberation, Kim Jong-pil opened his mouth.

“I want to support candidate Park Sang-geun one more time. Of course, if I show this kind of attitude, many people in Chungcheong Province will be disappointed, but if we are to look forward to the future….”

“That is absolutely not possible. Mr. Chairman, candidate Park Sang-geun has already secured 80% of the approval rating. In this situation, do you think the Korean People’s Party would appoint us as a candidate with 14% of the approval rating?”

“Yes. Now is the time to run for president and make the public aware that I am the next presidential candidate.”

Kim Jong-pil was thrown into confusion by the opposition of his close associates.

Is it really necessary to complete the presidential election?

When I was a soldier, I made sharp decisions, but when I became a politician, my judgment became somewhat clouded.

No, it’s because he has excellent judgment that he hesitates. Anyone can see that the current trend is Park Sang-geun.

Didn’t you see what happened when Kim Dae-jung tried to manipulate the Jeolla-do votes?

There is a risk that if you talk back to candidate Park Sang-geun here, you will lose Chungcheong Province as well.

So, is it a wrong decision to go under candidate Park Sang-geun and try to secure at least one share?

My heart had already turned to supporting candidate Park Sang-geun, but I couldn’t move my butt because I was busy fighting a battle of wits.

***

“What are the public sentiments in Chungcheong Province?”

“Your Majesty, you don’t have to worry about that. You have already secured over 86% approval rating.”

“I am the one who will become the president of Korea. The 4 million votes are also important. Please write a report and submit it.”

“Ah… Okay, I understand.”

The same routine that repeats itself today,

I visited the Korean People’s Party election camp and checked the approval ratings in each region.

In Gyeongsang-do, he secured over 98% approval ratings, and in Gyeongseong and Jeolla-do, he secured over 85% approval ratings.

The problem is Chungcheong Province, and the public sentiment here is unpredictable even in the future.

Rumor has it that there are high expectations for Chairman Kim Jong-pil, who is from Chungcheong Province, but that is just a rumor and no proper investigation has been conducted.

What do people from Chungcheong Province think of me?

At a point when the approval rating is 87%, it may be meaningless to look into the public sentiment in Chungcheong Province, but he gave instructions to survey the public sentiment anyway.

How much time has passed like that?

I got a call from the Democratic Republican Party of Korea.

“Your Majesty, I have received a call from Chairman Kim Jong-pil.”

“What’s going on?”

“Your Majesty says he will be the fertilizer so that you can harvest the hearts of the people of Chungcheong Province.”

“Manure?”

I wiggled the corners of my lips.

Kim Jong-pil is one of the few politicians from Chungcheong Province. Is he going to give up his position and become my stepping stone?

Indeed, Kim Jong-pil was actually a good second-in-command in history, and if we treat him well, we may be able to secure the hearts of the people of Chungcheong Province.

The problem is that the public sentiment in Chungcheong Province is not that bad.

Kim Jong-pil, who clings to those in power, will of course be thrown away, and he may not be very kind to me either.

So, it is true that you get laughed at as an idiot, but you have to stick to one side to get attention from the political world.

But when we think about Korea’s future, we also need regions like Chungcheong Province.

I should say that he is not swayed by the trend and sticks to his own convictions. If candidate Kim Jong-pil had not surrendered to me and completed the presidential election, I might have supported him even more.

The problem is that Kim Jong-pil has not reached that level, so what can I do to win over the hearts of the people of Chungcheong Province?

First, I would like to express my gratitude for Chairman Kim Jong-pil’s declaration of support and send a love call to the people of Chungcheong Province.

“Everyone, I don’t like factional fighting that much. When people from the same hometown or with the same academic background push and pull each other, that becomes a faction.

That’s a shortcut to ruining a country.

Do you remember the incident in the last Shanghai War where Japanese and American generals clashed with each other? I gave up dictatorship to break up that kind of factional politics and ran for election to be chosen by the people.

In that respect, I think the attitude of the people of Chungcheong Province is worth emulating. They stick to their convictions without being swayed by factions.

Chungcheong Province is a region with a sad history. Because it is close to Hanyang, it was easy for it to get caught up in political incidents. I know that history well.”

Why did Chungcheong-do become Chungcheong-do?

Joseon adopted centralization and implemented various discriminatory policies to control the provinces.

Chungcheong Province also cannot avoid the oppression from the central government.

The names of Chungcheong-do during the Joseon Dynasty are very diverse, including Chunggong-do, Chunghong-do, Hongchung-do, Gongchung-do, Gongcheong-do, and Gonghong-do.

The fact that the names of regions have changed so many times means that Chungcheong Province has done many things that have offended the central government.

In fact, Lee In-jwa, who started the Lee In-jwa Rebellion, is from Goesan, Chungcheong Province.

How dare you use the word loyalty when you have produced traitors who dared to defy the king?

It was not even permitted to add the character “Cheong” (淸), so Gongju-bu and Hongju-bu, which were regions of Chungcheong-do, came to represent the name of the province.

However, Chungcheong Province is a region that cannot be ignored.

By the 17th century, Joseon had become the world of the Westerners, and all regional governors were appointed from the Westerners.

But why is it that in Chungcheong Province alone, 70% of the clans in that region gave thanks?

This means that the central government was also secretly aware of Chungcheong Province, and since it was difficult for the central government to control, they tried to control this region by favoring the clans.

That’s not all.

When a national crisis occurred, Chungcheong Province fought bravely against foreign enemies.

During the Imjin War, Princess Moksa Heo Wook was recognized for his contribution in defending Honam by defending Geumgang River and was later promoted to the position of Left State Councillor.

During the Byeongjahoran, Jeong Se-gyu, the governor of Gongcheong, was defeated while fighting to save King Injo, but King Injo recognized his achievements and appointed him as the Minister of Taxation. During the reigns of King Yeongjo and King Jeongjo, many people related to Chungcheong Province were employed.

The reason is that Chungcheong Province was free from the logic of partisan strife.

Even when the Westerners were shaking the central government, Chungcheong Province was able to maintain its convictions and thus receive important positions during the reign of King Yeongjo and King Jeongjo.

I praised the fact that it is a region that is not ashamed to use the character “Chung”, meaning loyalty, and “Cheong”, meaning lack of greed, as its name.

“In the future, Chungcheong Province should not be swayed by the logic of the central government and should play the role of a weight that holds the center of this country. In that respect, I highly value Chairman Kim Jong-pil, who is winning the hearts of the people of Chungcheong Province. I will accept that Chairman Kim Jong-pil’s support for me was not due to political logic, but because the people of Chungcheong Province gave me strength.”

This speech played a decisive role in raising the approval rating in Chungcheong Province.

If a strong candidate for the presidency says something like this on TV, do you think local residents will remain indifferent?

The atmosphere was accepting that Chairman Kim Jong-pil had expressed his support for me, and thanks to that, I was able to secure a 79% approval rating in Chungcheong Province.

If you get this much votes in Korea’s largest neutral zone, it’s game over.

With Chairman Kim Jong-pil joining the election camp, I have effectively become the only presidential candidate.

The election is now a thing of the past, but at least the bare minimum of formalities has been maintained.