The Chaebol Returns To The Presidency 1967 [EN]: Chapter 151

151. The Secret of Labor-Management Harmony

The Minister of National Defense bowed deeply.

“I am sorry. I am utterly speechless.”

“Moreover, the Ministry of National Defense’s audit office, which should have prevented this, not only failed to do so but also participated in the embezzlement. It’s like trusting a cat to guard the fish.”

“All those involved are under arrest and investigation. We will make an example of them.”

“Minister, you are the head of this hotbed of defense corruption, where national taxes are squandered. Are you simply cutting off the tail without taking full responsibility?”

“I have no intention of doing that. I will take responsibility.”

“Are you saying you will resign?”

“Yes. I have no intention of evading responsibility as a commander. However, I hope that my resignation will serve as a turning point for eradicating defense corruption and restoring the public’s trust in the military.”

Thirty-five people, including generals, the head of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the head of the audit office, and researchers who manipulated experiments, were arrested or indicted without detention.

The K11 project was completely halted, and the rifles were recalled.

Inspector Ryu also audited the deep-seated corruption within the military modernization project.

As a result, five generals were removed from their posts, and over 120 involved commanders received severe disciplinary action.

The military trembled at his thorough undercover investigation.

* * *

00 Port.

The waves crashed against the shore in the pitch-black night sea.

Large and small fishing boats were tied to the harbor, swaying gently in the waves.

The port, where grandmothers used to sell raw fish in red basins during the day, was now lined with street stalls illuminated by red lights, enticing tourists who came to enjoy the night sea.

The President came out for an unannounced visit for the first time in a while.

There was a groundbreaking ceremony for the 00 port construction, and after the ceremony, he slipped away without returning to Seoul to see the night sea.

Swish~ Swash~

The sound of the waves was clear, as if someone was sifting rice [winnowing] right next to him.

The President slowly walked on the sandy beach and said to the bodyguard.

“Do you know why you can’t hear the sound of the waves as clearly during the day?”

“Well, it’s probably because of the noise. There are many people and cars during the day.”

“You’re only half right.”

“…….”

“Even during the day, when I closed my eyes, I could hear the same sound of waves as at night.”

“…….”

“During the day, I was distracted by the horizon, seagulls, and girls in bikinis, so my ears were effectively closed off.”

“Ah! I think that’s right!”

“In the end, people don’t hear and see everything; they only see what they want to see and hear what they want to hear. That’s why everyone has different appearances and perspectives. The premise that humans are diverse beings is the foundation of liberalism.”

“Ah, there was a deep meaning hidden in an ordinary place.”

“Now, let’s go to that street stall and have some soju [Korean distilled spirit] with hagfish and then head back to Seoul. Let’s eavesdrop on the stories of the common people.”

“Yes, sir.”

By now, the bodyguard was accustomed to these incognito visits and no longer used the numbered designations.

The President’s disguise skills had also improved, and no one recognized him because he wore a hat, a wig, and round horn-rimmed glasses in addition to his casual clothes.

*

Street stall.

Young men were drinking soju at the next table.

The President listened to their stories while sipping his own drink.

The younger man said to the older man.

“As expected, your efforts are paying off, senior. If you get 3rd place in the written test out of 15 people, isn’t that practically a guaranteed spot?”

“I don’t know yet. The final interview is still ahead….”

“The interview is just a formality. Usually, they just pick the people in order of their scores.”

“That’s right, unless there’s an upset. But do you know that there’s competition even in the interview?”

“Really? What’s the competition rate?”

“They accept 3 to 5 times the number of people who passed the written test, so it’s 3 to 5:1.”

“If it’s 3 times, it’s 3 times; what’s with this ‘3 to 5 times’? They’re giving false hope to the 75 examinees who are sure to fail.”

“Well, I guess the organizers have their reasons.”

“The interview competition rate doesn’t mean anything to you, senior. If you’re 3rd out of 15, the game is over as long as you don’t act like a crazy person in front of the interviewers.”

“I’m still nervous. It’s not over until it’s over.”

The President, feeling envious of the young people who were studying so diligently, readily engaged them in conversation.

“Did you pass an exam?”

“Ah, yes. Only the written test so far.”

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

“Which company did you apply to?”

“00 Port Corporation.”

It was the place where the groundbreaking ceremony had been held earlier.

“Ah, if it’s there, it’s as good as being a quasi-public official. It’s a place that requires a strong sense of duty to be responsible for Korea’s logistics. There will be a lot of manpower needed as the port docks increase. Listening to you, I feel like you’re my son. I’ll treat you, so eat whatever you want.”

“Really?”

“You need to be physically fit to take the exam.”

The young men, who had been drinking soju with bland clam soup, ordered a generous amount of hagfish and raw fish from the hostess and devoured it enthusiastically.

The President asked the young man.

“What do they ask in company interviews these days?”

He reminisced about the days when he had to work tirelessly to select applicants who came in droves during Chairman Wang’s time.

“Civil servant interviews are like this. I’ll be the interviewer, and you can answer.”

“Okay. It’s been decades since I was an examinee.”

“Hmm, hmm, examinee, what is 1+1?”

“That’s obviously 2. Hey, that’s too easy.”

“Fail!”

“Fail? Why?”

“Because you have no creativity.”

“Haha. You caught me off guard. It’s fun.”

“An examinee majoring in mathematics next to me answered, ‘It’s between 1 and 3.’ Would this pass?”

“Straddling the line? It’s much better than the first answer.”

“No decisiveness, fail!”

“Keu~ So what’s the correct answer?”

“An examinee who had to retake the exam several times and was old answered: ‘What the interviewer says is the correct answer!'”

“Huh? Hahaha, that’s blatant flattery.”

“So, fail!”

“Fail? Then what’s the real answer?”

“Please wait a moment. I’ll check with the higher-ups and tell you!”

“…….”

“Pass!”

“Puhaha~ It’s a satire of civil servants who do nothing but follow orders.”

“In the end, you have to be flexible and adapt to the situation in the interview.”

“That’s right, that’s the answer. Now, take a drink from me.”

“Thank you.”

“For passing!”

“Cheers!”

The glasses clinked together pleasantly.

*

00 Port Corporation President’s Office.

Ahead of the recruitment interview, President Jo handed three resumes to the new HR team leader and instructed.

“These are requests from the local congressman, the city council, and the police.”

The HR team leader had a troubled expression.

“Yes, I received the calls, but two of them failed the written test, and one didn’t even submit an application, so it’s difficult to process.”

“Just raise the written test scores and increase the number of passers in the written test.”

“President, are you saying to change the exam guidelines after the exam?”

“Yes. If relatives work at the port, they are valuable assets. Get them in from among the 15 people.”

“Yes. But how do we handle the non-applicant since there’s no written test score at all?”

“There’s a special recruitment for technical experience.”

“Are you hiring new employees as experienced employees?”

“Yes.”

“The number of experienced employees is already full, so it’s difficult to hire more….”

“Just increase the quota and put them in. Do I have to explain everything? You graduated from the Marine Corps. Don’t you know the Marine Corps spirit of unconditionally completing the orders of superiors?”

“Ah, yes.”

The HR team leader crossed out the names of three people on the list of 15 successful candidates and wrote new names.

However, out of the 15 people, as many as 12 were illegally admitted, and only the 1st to 3rd place candidates were legitimately admitted.

The company side presented a list of 7 corrupt successful candidates, and the labor union side presented a list of 5 corrupt successful candidates, which were included in the list of successful candidates.

*

Interview room.

The young man who had a drink with the President answered in a confident voice in front of the five interviewers.

“I will serve as a worker at the port with a sense of service.”

The personnel manager said approvingly.

“Good grades, good spirit, and good mindset. We look forward to working with you for a long time.”

“Thank you!”

The judges wrote high scores on the interview cards.

*

Enjoy Hotel.

From broad daylight, the chairman of the 00 Port labor union finished his affair with his mistress and gulped down ice water.

The mistress, wearing a gown that revealed her skin, smoked a cigarette and said.

“Honey, put my daughter in a good department. Somewhere she doesn’t have to suffer.”

She had already gotten her daughter illegally admitted and, on top of that, wanted her to go to a good department.

“Just getting her on the list of successful candidates is worth tens of millions of won [Korean currency]. Aren’t you trying to get too much with your body?”

“Aing [Aegyo, a cute, baby-like expression], it’s a piece of cake with your ability.”

“Okay. The department assignment will be after the new employee training, so let’s see then. What is she good at? It has to fit her aptitude.”

“Singing, dancing, that kind of thing.”

“Hey, what department has that kind of thing in company work.”

“Service.”

“Ah, service! Hmm, service….”

“Honey, shall we do it one more time?”

“We just did it; can I do it right away?”

“Hoho, I’m good at that kind of thing.”

At this time, the phone rang.

The man’s lips curled up slightly.

“It’s the collection.”

The chairman answered in an arrogant voice.

“Ah, Chairman!”

– The cash is ready.

“Okay. Come to the Enjoy Hotel coffee shop at 2 o’clock.”

– But suddenly increasing it by 10 million won from 8 million won is a bit much, isn’t it?

“Chairman, in a few months, you’ll be a secure, tenured worker. The gold spoons [people born into wealth] who want to get in are lined up. I’ll quit even now if you’re upset.”

– Chairman, that’s not it. I’m just complaining because I’m feeling burdened.”

“It’s a lifetime job; isn’t one sheet [10,000 won bill] cheap?”

– That’s right, Chairman.

“Consider yourself lucky.”

This company was conducting business by using recruitment as a bait in cooperation with labor and management.

*

00 Port Corporation President’s Office.

The new HR manager reported the interview results to President Jo.

“As expected, there were no surprises.”

It was over once the president approved it and announced it.

At this time, the president’s phone rang.

He picked up the receiver.

“Ah, Mayor!”

– Personnel is everything; you must be busy these days because it’s recruitment season?

“Yes, the final interview ended today.”

– Hey, President Jo, how much time do you have left in your term?

“A little over 6 months.”

– You should be reappointed. It’s a national loss if you’re only serving one term when you’re so capable.

“It’s enough if the Mayor supports me, hehe.”

– So, please hire one more person.

“Ah, that’s, it’s all closed now.”

– It’s my relative’s nephew, and this guy contacted me late. My uncle’s face is on the line. Haha, I believe in our President Jo’s ability.”

“Yes?”

– I’ll fax you the resume.”

He threw the phone down, which had been cut off unilaterally, and vented his anger.

“Do you think recruitment is a vending machine? Do you think you can get hired just by pressing a button!”

“President, what should we do?”

“Wait a minute.”

The president dialed the phone.

“Hey, labor union leader, it’s me.”

– Yes, President.

“I’m sorry, but can I borrow one quota for this new recruitment?”

– Hey, what are you talking about, President? This will break the trust between labor and management.”

“I’m not saying to reduce the labor union’s quota, but I’m saying I’ll give you one more in the next recruitment, so just lend it to me this time.”