The Chaebol Returns To The Presidency 1967 [EN]: Chapter 26

26. The Gambler

People clustered around the official gazette board, reading Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil’s address to the nation.

The main points of the address were:

– The government’s commitment to eradicating election offenses is unwavering. In a liberal democracy founded on the separation of powers, guilt or innocence is determined independently by the judiciary.

We declare that any act undermining the independence of the judiciary through power, regardless of status, will be treated as an anti-social crime and dealt with severely without tolerance.

Among the crowd, the President and his bodyguards mingled, undercover.

The President, disguised as a laborer fresh from the countryside in a straw hat, asked an elderly citizen,

“What does this mean?”

His commoner act was quite polished now.

“Oh my, can’t you read? Are you illiterate?”

“I can’t remember the first line by the time I read the last.”

“That’s too bad. So, it means those ‘gold-badged guys’ [Members of the National Assembly] who got elected by throwing money around are being thrown in jail, so they shouldn’t even think about causing trouble. Surely you know what a gold badge is, right?”

“Of course. Then is the President doing a good job?”

“What’s there to say? He’s mercilessly taking down his own people, and when the crooks come at him brazenly, he just whacks them with a club. That’s what justice is.”

Another citizen chimed in.

“Indeed. He’s just like Im Kkeok-jeong [A Robin Hood-like figure from Korean history].”

“Hey, Im Kkeok-jeong was a mountain bandit. How can you compare him to the President?”

“I just meant he’s righteous; who said he was a mountain bandit?”

While the two bickered, the President smiled and left.

The President was gauging the gap between public sentiment and politicians, weighing the strength of his policies.

*

At the ruling party headquarters.

Of the 55 lawmakers who committed election offenses, less than half were present.

They were dispirited.

“For the Prime Minister to issue such a statement… how could he do this!”

“He must have changed his mind after entering the cabinet.”

“So, he betrayed us?”

“Otherwise, he couldn’t have stabbed us in the back like this.”

“Ah, the impermanence of power.”

“But that statement is like chopping off our own feet [a self-defeating action].”

“Chopping off our feet? What does that mean?”

“Do you think the Blue House [The presidential residence] will be safe?”

*

At the opposition party headquarters.

The leadership was gathered for a meeting.

Lawmakers Kim Yong-sam and Kim Tae-jung were also convicted but narrowly avoided losing their seats.

“Now that the President has severely punished election offenders as promised, the justification for off-parliament struggle has diminished. Let’s return to the Assembly.”

“That’s right. Our number of seats is now quite similar, so we can manage.”

“Exactly. Let’s take the lead in the political situation this time. Let’s put the judgment of the corrupt regime at the forefront.”

“That’s a good strategy. The first thing we should do upon returning to the Assembly is to eradicate fraudulent elections.”

“Isn’t the general election verdict already over?”

“What are you talking about? There’s also the presidential election.”

“So, you’re saying we should look into the presidential election too?”

“Didn’t you see the Prime Minister’s address? Everyone is equal before the law, regardless of status! The National Assembly is clearly a legislative body that makes laws. We’re doing things according to the law.”

“Then how about this? We bargain that if the President undergoes an investigation into the presidential election, we’ll approve this economic democratization measure.”

“…….”

“We’re not comfortable joining hands with ruling party lawmakers who committed election offenses. Moreover, we can’t openly oppose the economic democratization measures that have high public support.”

“Oh, that’s a clever move. If they shout for economic democratization while rejecting political democratization, it’s absurd, so there’s enough justification to oppose it.”

“That’s right. Surely the President won’t hold a knife to his own throat [act against his own interests]?”

“Hahaha, that’s a brilliant move, a brilliant move! Let’s abolish economic democratization and expose the duplicity of the ruling party, and let the opposition completely seize the reins this time.”

*

Cha Jin-cheol and the 54 lawmakers, upon hearing the opposition party’s preconditions for approving economic democratization measures, clicked their tongues with a bitter taste.

“If they’re going to oppose, they should oppose fiercely; why is the opposition attaching conditions?”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“But setting an impossible condition like investigating the presidential election seems like a good strategy to use as a justification for opposing economic democratization.”

“What justification? We can just push it through with the number of seats in the National Assembly.”

“The opposition party’s position is different from ours. They’re trying to exclude the ruling party and lead the political situation this time.”

“I was trying to help the opposition a little, but they’re slyly playing tricks. They’re people we can’t associate with.”

“The opposition party is only a strategic alliance, not a comrade.”

*

The President was definitely preparing an additional event to lead the political situation.

President’s office.

Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil reported to the President.

“The Japanese Ambassador and the Japanese Foreign Minister unusually came to me together and asked for a favor.”

The President asked with interest.

“What did they say?”

“They said that the Japanese government would bear all the costs and asked to transfer the Joseon Governor-General’s building [The former Japanese administrative building in Korea] in its original form.”

When the demolition plan for the Jungangcheong (former Joseon Governor-General’s building) in Gwanghwamun was announced, Japan was applying pressure from all directions.

“Puhahaha. Do they still think it’s the Japanese colonial era? If that’s the case, let’s negotiate with Japan.”

“Ah, are you going to negotiate?”

“What can’t be negotiated between countries?”

Kim Jong-pil, who was in charge of the ‘Korea-Japan Agreement’ in 1965, was an expert on Japan.

“What conditions should we set?”

“Tell them that if they return all the cultural properties looted from Joseon [The last dynasty of Korea], we’ll give them the Joseon Governor-General’s building.”

“Your Excellency, wasn’t that already resolved in the ‘Korea-Japan Agreement’?”

When the ‘Korea-Japan Agreement’ was concluded, the ‘Agreement on Cultural Properties and Cultural Cooperation between Korea and Japan’ was signed as one of the subsidiary treaties.

According to that agreement, Korea requested the return of about 4,000 cultural properties, but Japan only returned 1,431.

However, the remaining 2,500 or so items had not yet been returned.

“Your Excellency, are you talking about the unreturned cultural properties?”

The President who came from the future was on a different level.

“The Korea-Japan Agreement was a hasty one.”

“…….”

Kim Jong-pil was taken aback because he was a party to the negotiations.

“The list of returned cultural properties they drew up is less than 1/10 of the actual amount. They’ve hidden over 200,000 items behind.”

“200,000 items?”

“They excluded all the valuable cultural properties and only listed those with low historical value, and even those are not being returned.”

The number of 200,000 items was revealed in the 21st century during the Japanese High Court trial.

“Your Excellency, what is the basis for the 200,000 items?”

“Don’t ask me. Ask the Japanese directly. Why do I have to prove it?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Tell them that if they return the 60,000 or so items hidden in the Japanese government’s vaults, even if they postpone the return of privately owned items, we’ll give them the Joseon Governor-General’s building.”

“60,000 items! Ah, I understand.”

“Do it publicly.”

“Publicly?”

“Let’s publicize this proposal to return cultural properties and get rid of the pro-Japanese label that came from the Korea-Japan talks.”

“If we make it public, there is a high risk of escalating into a diplomatic issue, Your Excellency!”

The President was displeased.

“Im, you know, you’re just trying to raise your approval ratings through propaganda by using anti-Japanese national sentiment, but you don’t have any substance!”

The Prime Minister was very nervous at the President’s rebuke.

“Wh, what do you mean….”

“I’m saying, exchange this negotiating card for Japanese money and technology. And seize the initiative diplomatically.”

“…….”

“Japan is putting on airs as if they’re providing capital and technology to Korea as aid. If we touch their nerves, they threaten to reduce aid.”

“…….”

“We must maintain the pretext that Japan is still a criminal country that has not cleared its history of war crimes, so that we can gain an advantage on the diplomatic stage.”

“I understand what you mean.”

Kim Jong-pil was amazed by the President’s high-level diplomatic politics. He was definitely different from before.

“Im, right now, Ambassador Lee Woo-rak is stealing the list of Joseon cultural properties that have not been returned from Japan, as well as electrical and electronic technology.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“If he gets caught, it will become a diplomatic issue.”

“That’s right.”

“That’s why we need to build a justification in preparation for that. It’s the same looting anyway.”

“Ah!”

“Like Moon Ik-jeom’s cotton seeds [A story about bringing cotton seeds to Korea], we must bring greater benefits to the people, that’s what I mean.”

“I understand, Your Excellency!”

“And they’re also keeping metal type from Goryeo [A Korean kingdom] and Joseon in a certain Japanese temple, so look into it.”

“Ah, is that so? I understand.”

“Let’s take the lead in Korea-Japan diplomacy this time. You signed the Korea-Japan Agreement, so clean it up.”

This is why the President valued Kim Jong-pil.

If he succeeds in seizing the initiative, it will greatly benefit the national interest, and if he fails, it will be a justification for purging him, so it was a win-win situation for the President.

Kim Jong-pil clicked his tongue.

His Excellency is not a political master, but a political gambler! A gambler!

*

Prime Minister’s office.

The Japanese ambassador, who was about to meet Kim Jong-pil, was excited.

In addition to the cost of relocating the Joseon Governor-General’s building, the home country had proposed to double the amount of seafood imported from Korea, so he was presuming that Korea, which was short of money, would not be able to refuse.

“Mr. Kim, can I expect good news?”

“Depending on how you think about it, this could also be good news. His Excellency prioritized this condition over other conditions.”

“What condition is it?”

“The condition of returning all the looted cultural properties.”

“Ano, wasn’t that already specified and resolved in the subsidiary clause of the last Korea-Japan Agreement? Mr. Kim, you signed it yourself.”

“The list of looted Joseon cultural properties submitted by the Japanese side during the last Korea-Japan Agreement was full of flaws.”

“Wh, what do you mean?”

“There are over 60,000 Joseon looted cultural properties being kept in the Japanese government’s vaults. We know that you only disclosed 4,000 items with low historical value and excluded important ones from the list!”

Kim Jong-pil roughly estimated and bluffed.

The atmosphere, which was supposed to be friendly, suddenly changed to an interrogation atmosphere, and the Japanese ambassador was flustered and didn’t know what to do.

He was just busy making excuses.

“Wh, what are you talking about? I’ve never heard of it.”

“You’ve hidden metal type from Goryeo and Joseon in a certain Japanese temple. We know that there is a helmet of Joseon Daejanggun [A high-ranking military officer] and a royal seal in the Tokyo Museum’s vault.”

“…….”

The Japanese ambassador was sweating cold.

Kim Jong-pil pressed on.

“Because Japan presented false documents, the cultural property return clause must be re-signed. Otherwise, the Korea-Japan Agreement itself will be subject to renegotiation.”

“Did you say renegotiation?”

Since more than 1/2 of the Japanese loan had already been executed, renegotiation was a nightmare for Japan.

The next day, this article was featured prominently in the newspaper.

– Government demands return of 60,000 looted cultural properties in response to demand for relocation of Joseon Governor-General’s building

– The list of 4,000 cultural properties returned by Japan at the time of the Korea-Japan Agreement is only a fraction of the 200,000 items.

– Renegotiation of the Korea-Japan Agreement inevitable due to Japan’s submission of poor data

As the public opinion for renegotiation was being fueled, the Japanese government, upon seeing this article, was in a panic.

“Kuh, I tried to get rid of a wart, but I only ended up adding more!”