Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 199



Only Krnovel

#199 What nonsense is that!

The first presidential election date in Korea is November 5.

It happened to be the same as the U.S. presidential election day, but it wasn’t partially coincidental.

After deciding, this is what happened.

Of course, since it is early in Korea, the results will naturally come out first.

At least until this election, elections were held only in UTC+9, commonly known as Tokyo Time, so there was no difference in voting time due to different time zones like in the United States.

The United States is a country with four time zones on the mainland alone, excluding Alaska and Hawaii.

Anyway, it’s September and there are now a little more than two months until Election Day.

Newspapers, TV, and radio broadcasts were filled with election-related articles every day, and the entire country began to get excited accordingly.

September 5, 1952.

Ehwajang, Woonam’s company residence.

At Ehwajang, key figures from the Liberal Democratic Party, including Song Jin-woo, chairman of the election committee, gathered in the conference room of the separate building.

Although the Liberal Democratic Party’s headquarters was set up separately, most key meetings were held at Ehwajang because Woonam said it was inconvenient.

“Now there are just two months left until Election Day.”

Song Jin-woo opened his mouth heavily.

“As everyone knows, our party’s president, Mr. Woonam, will be running in this election. However, everyone knows that realistically, it is impossible to defeat President Lee Kang-cheol, who is running as the Republican candidate.”

“… … .”

It’s just as Song Jin-woo said.

Everyone knows that Lee Kang-cheol, the head of the Republican Party and the current president, will be elected in this presidential election.

Woonam knows it, Song Jinwoo knows it, you know it, I know it, and it is a clear reality that Everybody knows.

Because the public’s support for the current government and Lee Kang-cheol was truly overwhelming.

“But that doesn’t mean we can just be a sidekick in this election. We are a political party. What are political parties? Isn’t it an association of comrades who share the same political views? And what are the party’s goals? “Isn’t that the acquisition of power?”

“… … .”

“Are we going to sit back and watch this election because it is at a disadvantage? That’s not a political party. And, nothing in this world is permanent. It is said that it is ten years of power and fire. “It now seems as though the Republican Party will remain in power forever, but that is not the case.”

“you’re right!”

“That’s right!”

Only then did the key executives shake their heads and agree.

“Yes, we will lose this election. However, we must at least show at least a minimal presence in this election so that we can plan for the future. The presidential term lasts five years, five years? Having lived for over 60 years, 5 years is not a long time. “It will pass quickly.”

“Adventure!”

Woo-nam, who had been quiet with his eyes closed until now, cleared his throat.

As Song Jin-woo said, 5 years is a long period, and if it is short, it is a short period, but at least for Woo-nam, it is a long period.

Woonam was born in 1875 and is already in his late 70s.

So he doesn’t have much time.

However, Song Jin-woo remained unwavering and opened his mouth again.

“Doctor.”

“Why are you calling me?”

“Doctor, although you are old, you are in good health, aren’t you? Even the doctors they brought said you would live a long life.”

“haha! “That’s not true.”

“Don’t be too hasty. Surely there will be another opportunity.”

“I understand.”

Woo-nam had no choice but to agree as Song Jin-woo spoke soothingly.

As of now, there was absolutely no way to overturn public opinion supporting the current government.

Park Heon-young tried hard to see if there was any weakness, but it was literally an ironclad castle.

I couldn’t find any weaknesses.

In the end, I had no choice but to hope that I would live a long and healthy life, as their excellent doctors said.

“So what I am saying is that our goal as a Liberal Democrat in this election is to lay the foundation for victory in the next presidential election and in the House of Representatives election in the next few years. “This means that we must make it clear to them and to the public that there is not only the Republican Party in the Republic of Korea, but also the Liberal Democratic Party.”

“How do you mean?”

“How can a political party express its presence? It’s all about getting meaningful votes! “We need to let the world know that there are many people who support us.”

“How many votes should I get?”

“Up to 15% off!”

“15%?”

“That’s right. Unfortunately, considering the public’s current support for them, the maximum vote rate we can get will be around 15%.”

“Isn’t that too little for you?”

“Uh-huh! They say getting started is half the battle. And look at reality, reality! “If we get more than 15% of the votes in this election, it can be considered a landslide victory.”

“Well, I see.”

Song Jin-woo thought to himself that 15% was a very difficult goal.

However, the original goal is to set it rather tightly.

Although it may be difficult, I thought it was not an impossible goal at all.

“Also, if we get more than 10% of the votes, we can say we fought well. It’s the least we can achieve. No, even if you think realistically, you absolutely have to get more than 10% of the votes. “Only then will we be able to receive 100% of the campaign funds spent on this election back from the government.”

“It definitely has to be at least 10%. A huge amount of money goes into elections. Fortunately, this time, many comrades will help me out, but if I don’t get my money back, I won’t have enough funds to run the next election.”

The government advocates a public election system and says that if more than 10% of the valid votes are received, the entire amount will be covered by government funds, and if more than 5% of the votes are received, half of the amount will be covered.

It is questionable why the ruling party and government, which are so much more advantageous in elections, would come up with such a policy, but the Liberal Democratic Party had no choice but to welcome it.

This is because the enormous amount of campaign funds used in the presidential election can be financed by using the government’s election compensation fund.

They thought that no matter how much they did, they would be able to get over 5%.

“And this is the worst. If we get between 5% and 10% of the vote, we lost this election. “It means defeat.”

“Hey, no matter how bad we are, can’t we get over 10%? Although the current government’s ruling party’s approval rating is overwhelming, that is not the case when looking at local public sentiment. Above all, the public opinion of the landowners, who have traditionally led local public opinion, lies with our party. Fortunately, they haven’t done too much land reform, but in order to develop industry, they are moving all the young men who used to live in our rural areas to industrial complexes or cities, leading to the disintegration of our rural areas. So, if we take away all the ignorant people, who will raise the cows and who will do the farming?”

“you’re right. And I don’t know why girls are being forced to educate themselves. “I don’t know where the country is going.”

“I agree! No, the guy who was working as a laborer in my family ran away to start a business and boasted that he had made some money. I can’t tell you how shocked I was. “So top and bottom have disappeared?”

“Huh! Absolutely not! Oh no! How did the world come to be ruled by guys with guns? … .”

“Who isn’t? “You even think it would have been better if the Japanese ruled?”

“Hey, hey! That’s a bit… … .”

“… … .”

Once someone started to air their dissatisfaction with the current government, it came out everywhere like a flood.

And there were even words that shouldn’t have been said.

Did you say the Japanese era was better?

Song Jin-woo closed his eyes tightly.

I can’t believe we have to bring people like this to run for elections.

I honestly felt like my blood was rushing backwards.

In the end, he couldn’t bear it anymore and an angry command fell from Song Jin-woo’s mouth.

“conflict! Be careful what you say! It’s better when they rule! “What nonsense is that!”

“… … .”

“… … .”

The conference room suddenly froze.

Now that I think about it, not only Song Jin-woo but also Woo-nam’s face was full of anger.

“Who is the person who said that the Japanese era was better?”

“… … .”

“I’m asking who it is!”

“Hey, it’s me. I made a mistake with my words, please forgive me… … .”

A middle-aged man in the last row raised his hand in disgust and asked for forgiveness.

“That’s it.”

“yes? Oh, do you forgive me?”

“I’m saying it’s done. “Please get up and get out of here.”

“yes? Is there a law like this where you say something wrong? “How much did I pay for the party fees?”

“ha! “I will give you back whatever the party fee is, so I’m telling you to leave right away!”

“… … .”

In the end, the middle-aged man in the last seat lowered his head and walked out.

“And that’s where today’s meeting ends. “Only the top committee members should remain, and everyone else should also return.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

As dozens of people rushed out, only key figures such as Yun Chi-young, Jo Byeong-ok, Jang Taek-sang, and Park Heon-young remained.

Then Song Jin-woo sighed and opened his mouth again.

“It’s a problem, it’s a problem. “It means we have to hold elections with people like that.”

“… … .”

“… … .”

This was really the problem.

There was no one.

A useful person.

Among those who joined the Liberal Democratic Party, many were local residents.

They felt that they had been marginalized while the Republic of Korea was developing, and that they were at a disadvantage especially as rural areas began to disintegrate at a rapid pace.

So, when Woonam founded the Liberal Democratic Party, everyone joined the party, and in fact, the party fees paid by those who were wealthy helped greatly and became the economic foundation of the Liberal Democratic Party.

But these people didn’t know much about the world.

It’s been a while since the world changed, but their brain structure was still stuck in the Japanese colonial period or even the end of the Joseon Dynasty.

They joined the party simply because they felt that their interests had been infringed upon, so in a way, it was natural.

“But what can we do? Shouldn’t we comfort him well and take him with him?”

Yun Chi-young spoke carefully.

“Take them with you? Those who say the Japanese colonial era was better than now? “Are you out of your mind right now?”

“Of course he is in trouble. But others must go along. It’s not much, but there’s no way, right? Excluding this person, excluding that person, there would be no one left, right?

”… … .“

This time, Song Jin-woo had nothing to say.

Because what Chi-Young Yoon said is also true.

The current mainstream forces of the Liberal Democratic Party were as follows.

First of all, among those who participated in the independence movement, these were those who joined Woonam overseas, especially in the United States.

Since they have long had no doubts about Woo-nam as the best leader of the new Republic of Korea, they naturally chose the Liberal Democratic Party.

And, among the domestic independence activists, there are some, including Song Jin-woo.

These were people who acknowledged that the current government was doing a good job, but thought that they did not fit well with the current government ideologically or ideologically.

Usually, they were indebted to people who later defected, such as Kim Seong-su, or they thought their punishment was too harsh.

Also, religiously, Protestantism was the mainstream, and they were very dissatisfied with the current government’s excessive attempt to distance itself from the religious world.

In particular, there were many cases where those who resisted Japanese colonialism in their own way, especially in Pyongyang, the cradle of Korean Protestantism, felt that their efforts were undervalued.

In this situation, since Woo-nam was a devout Methodist, I naturally supported him.

And the rest, like the local landowners mentioned above and Yun Chi-young, were not punished for their ambiguous actions at the end of the Japanese colonial period, but their achievements in the independence movement were also not recognized.

As a result, although the Liberal Democratic Party had a good economic base, there were many people who were far from the general public opinion.

Therefore, Song Jin-woo, who will lead the election, had great concerns.