The Chaebol Returns To The Presidency 1967 [EN]: Chapter 154

Reverting to President as a Conglomerate CEO 1967-154

154. Mercury Bean Sprouts, Lime Tofu

The President and his entourage descended from the rooftop.

Reporters swarmed around the hostage-taker and CEO Cho.

“Your Excellency! Did you personally persuade the hostage-taker?”

The President avoided a direct answer.

“We will soon announce the full details of this incident to the public.”

With these words, the President departed in a helicopter.

The Commissioner of Police placed Section Chief Shin, CEO Cho, and the local police chief into a criminal transport vehicle.

Reporters questioned the Commissioner about this scene.

“Why are you arresting the police chief?”

“Because he is a perpetrator.”

“……”

Whoosh~

*

Shortly after, the Commissioner of Police, using charts, personally briefed the public on the full details of the incident at length.

“…In the port construction project, which was receiving national support, collusion between labor and management led to widespread hiring irregularities. In response, Section Chief Shin filed a public interest report, but the police, who had received bribes and requests for improper hiring, informed the construction company president of the whistleblower’s identity. The construction company president and the labor union then hired a contract killer to assassinate Section Chief Shin, but the attempt failed, which led to the hostage situation. The personnel manager, distrusting public authority, staged the hostage situation to bring these issues to light. While the hostage situation is clearly a crime, the circumstances will be taken into consideration, and the relevant public officials and port employees will be severely punished according to the law.”

The Commissioner of Police listed the names and charges of the public officials, construction company executives, and union leaders involved in the case.

The public’s reactions were mixed.

“The police who catch thieves are the bigger thieves; this is the end of the world!”

“It’s like entrusting a cat with a fish.”

“The police investigating and announcing the wrongdoings of the police themselves is unexpected. The sun must be rising in the west.”

“Still, it’s a relief that they disclosed it transparently. If they had hidden it, the investigative agency wouldn’t have changed from the past.”

The President sent a strong message to the skeptical public.

*

Having personally experienced the light and dark sides of Korean politics, Chairman Wang, who came from the future, chose this path.

That evening, the President appeared on TV to deliver a public apology.

“As the highest authority of public power, I bow my head and apologize to the people.”

The President bowed his head deeply.

And read the prepared manuscript.

“Public power must serve the public interest. Nevertheless, public power has become a vested interest group. Those who enforce or make laws easily mistake themselves as being above the law. I take full responsibility for failing to properly manage the civil service organization. I will severely punish those involved in this incident to set an example.”

The President bowed his head once more.

“I cannot eradicate the deep-rooted pre-modern practices stemming from school ties, blood ties, and regional ties overnight. However, during my term, I will expand the functions of the Board of Audit and Inspection and create a public suggestion box where people can directly report corruption to the Board of Audit and Inspection, thereby supplementing the anonymity of public interest reports.”

The public was listening intently to the President’s apology broadcast, which was close to a confession.

“Politics is a living organism. Therefore, there is no system that can permanently prevent corruption. For example, if there are too many checks on investigations, the independence of the investigation is compromised, and ultimately, powerful figures with strong influence will inevitably evade it. How can we punish members of the National Assembly, ministers, vice-ministers, and those in power? Checks and balances are necessary, but the independence of institutions is even more so. The top leader elected by the people has no choice but to cut off the corruption of their own people with a self-sacrificing attitude.”

The public nodded as they watched the President’s broadcast on TV.

“What threatens the foundations of the rule of law the most is partisanship and camp logic, where what I do is right and what others do is illegal. This is why it is necessary to maintain a balance between checks and independence, and why the public must constantly monitor the regime with a high level of democratic consciousness. The public should also not be swayed by party or camp logic and engage in lining up, but should have a cold-eyed view of monitoring those in power as responsible parties who have delegated power, and supporting or opposing individual policies. That is why it is said that the level of the people is the level of the country’s politics. Democracy is not completed by a system but is a process of maturing with a mature civic consciousness. It is my sincere hope that this will be an opportunity for our country’s democracy to mature one step further.”

The full text of the President’s public apology was published in the newspaper.

Foreign media also reported in detail to their countries the scene of the highest authority, the President, directly apologizing for the corruption of public power and promising follow-up measures.

The intention was for their own country’s leaders and people to emulate.

CEO Jung called.

– Your Excellency, I learned a great deal from you this time as well.

“I don’t think an apology broadcast is something to be proud of. You’re not being sarcastic, are you?”

– Of course not. When I was in power, I urged people to achieve the goals of anti-communism and security by any means, so I condoned most of the illegalities of public power. But that later became corruption. If I had the same insight as Your Excellency, I would never have let my own people off the hook.

“Haha, a negative example.”

– It may be embarrassing in the short term, but it will certainly be a textbook for future leaders.

“Thank you for comforting me, even if it’s just words.”

*

The unqualified candidates were all disqualified and punished.

The original first-round candidates received their final acceptance letters and joined the port corporation.

The head of the local police station and two police officers who leaked information were criminally punished and dishonorably discharged.

CEO Cho had to pay for his crimes with 20 years in prison and huge punitive damages for various irregularities, embezzlement, and attempted murder.

Section Chief Shin was paroled after serving six months with mitigating circumstances and was specially recruited by the Board of Audit and Inspection to protect whistleblowers.

Each police chief and prosecutor avoided meeting with local power brokers and influential figures and kept a low profile.

That year, the President rewarded Section Chief Shin, a public interest reporter, and many other public interest reporters and prosecutors and police officers who were faithful to their duties.

The President’s message at the awards ceremony was this.

“Public officials should not be loyal to those in power or those who appoint them, but to the law and the people! That is the original conscience of public officials. The treatment of public interest reporters will be a measure of the maturity of democracy in that country.”

* * *

Market.

It was crowded with housewives who came out to buy groceries for dinner.

The most accessible side dishes for housewives were tofu and bean sprouts.

Since animal protein was not yet common, tofu was the number one national food providing protein, and bean sprouts, which were nutritious for their price, were second only to kimchi [a traditional Korean fermented dish, typically made of vegetables with varied seasonings].

A housewife looked around for a place that was cheaper and gave more generous portions, and entered a store.

“The bean sprouts here are very substantial. No residual roots, and plump.”

The owner added.

“They are so fresh and strong that they don’t rot easily.”

“I can eat them for a long time.”

“Of course. If you buy a lot, I’ll give you a lot extra. If you don’t go grocery shopping every day, you’ll save money.”

“Give me 500 won [approximately $0.40 USD] worth.”

“I’ll give you a lot.”

He wrapped a bunch in newspaper.

But she had no idea that these bean sprouts were being grown like this in a bean sprout factory.

*

About 300 rubber bean sprout pots were lined up, and an employee was watering the bean sprouts with a watering can.

The owner came in and scolded the employee.

“You idiot, just watering them isn’t everything! You have to feed them gas well. Don’t turn off the kerosene stove like last time!”

“Do you know how hard it is to make a lot of soot while keeping the flame alive?”

“Did you think it was so easy to make a living?”

“Do you know how strong the smell is? I’m going to pass out when I come to water them in the morning.”

“Open the window and turn on the fan.”

“If I turn them all on, I’ll be pressed for time. Do you think I want to waste gas?”

“Stop grumbling and give them plenty of nutrients.”

“I gave it to them. This bottle is empty.”

The bottle was a pesticide bottle containing organic mercury.

Mercury-fed bean sprouts had a great growth-promoting and antiseptic effect.

Not only that, but they were also incompletely burning kerosene stoves to increase the generation of carbon monoxide and promote growth.

Traders called this cultivation method ‘feeding gas’.

They could only produce 20 *kwan* [a Korean unit of weight, approximately 3.75 kg] of bean sprouts per bag of beans, but by feeding them gas and using pesticides, they could produce up to 120 *kwan*.

Bean sprouts grown in this way were put on the table.

*

As the day waned, drinkers gathered in groups of three or five at the food stalls.

Mr. Kim, who works at the factory, dragged Mr. Na in and scolded him.

“Why are you holding back so much when I tell you to have a drink?”

“I’m telling you, my stomach is very sore! I think my stomach is punctured because I drink every day. I should skip it today.”

“Tsk, tsk, if you can’t beat the alcohol, you’re done.”

“There’s no match for alcohol!”

“You won’t get drunk if the side dish is good. I’ll buy you beef so you can take care of yourself.”

“Beef?”

“Yeah, *sugure-sal* fries [beef hide scraps].”

*Sugure-sal* refers to the scraps of meat attached to the cow’s skin.

“Oh, that’s savory and chewy, so it’s a delicacy. Hey, I was going to rest today, but I’m ruined!”

“How can a sparrow just pass by a 방앗간 [literally “rice mill”, meaning a place they can’t resist visiting]?”

“Let’s have *makgeolli* [Korean rice wine] instead. Soju hurts my stomach.”

“Okay!”

The lady who took the order for the *sugure-sal* fries fried the pieces of meat deliciously in cooking oil.

But these pieces of meat were cut out from the cowhide fabric imported for military boots.

The meat attached to the cowhide was treated with chemicals when it was exported, so eating it caused disorders in the stomach, liver, and nervous system.

The trader passed this meat on to restaurants as an ingredient for *seolleongtang* [ox bone soup] or sold it to street vendors as a side dish.

“Cheers!”

The *makgeolli* they were drinking was also not normal.

It was *makgeolli* fermented with industrial carbide (calcium carbide).

The drinkers only blamed the alcohol without knowing that their bodies were being damaged by eating these foods.

*

Gyeongju.

While looking at Cheomseongdae [an ancient astronomical observatory], the teacher explained to the high school students on a field trip.

“It’s a valuable artifact that shows the astronomical level of our ancestors. Let’s gather here and take a group photo, kids!”

One student raised his hand and said.

“Teacher, I need to go to the bathroom!”

“Again? What did you eat to keep talking about the bathroom? Can’t you even stand taking a picture for a moment? Are you trying to trick me?”

The class president said.

“Teacher, there are many people who want to go to the bathroom because their stomachs hurt.”

“Many? Why?”

“I think the rice we ate this morning was bad.”

“Really? Raise your hand if your stomach hurts now!”

Two-thirds raised their hands.

“You’re not saying it’s because you drank and played all night, are you?”

“I feel nauseous and want to vomit, teacher.”

“Ugh! Ugh!”

One student vomited from behind.

“I think it’s food poisoning.”

It wasn’t just this class, but all 300 students in the same grade who ate at the same restaurant complained of abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting.

The teachers took the students to the hospital and reported it to the police.

*

Ordinary home.

The family was gathered and eating tofu soybean paste stew.

The husband took a spoonful of the savory-smelling tofu and put it in his mouth.

Soybean paste stew and kimchi stew were indispensable side dishes on the common people’s table, along with kimchi.

In particular, tofu in soybean paste stew was a perfect match.

The wife said.

“Eat slowly. You’ll burn your mouth if you eat hot tofu too quickly.”

“Hoo-ha, my palate will be all 까졌겠네 [slang for ‘burnt’]. But why is this tofu so hard? It feels like something is rustling in my mouth.”

“I know. Did they not grind the beans enough? I bought it a little cheaper, and there was some white sediment in the water where the tofu was 담가 놓은 [soaked].”

“Is it junk food?”

“Hey, would they put something inedible in food?”

“I heard the government gives rewards if you report bad food. This tofu seems strange.”