The Chaebol Returns To The Presidency 1967 [EN]: Chapter 176

176. First Export Car, Bunny

The list of 350 politicians, high-ranking officials, and journalists on Chief Prosecutor Moon’s ledger was fully disclosed, leading to a series of summonses.

High-ranking officials found guilty of misconduct were immediately dismissed, and about 20 politicians lost their parliamentary seats and stood trial.

It was the biggest political corruption scandal during the President’s term.

*

National Assembly.

The Private School Reform Act and the Education Reform Act were put to a vote in the National Assembly.

The Speaker of the National Assembly announced the results.

“I declare the Education Reform Act passed with an overwhelming majority!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Both major education reform bills passed without a hitch.

Chief Prosecutor Moon was sentenced to 25 years in prison, ensuring he would spend the rest of his life behind bars.

* * *

A Cabinet meeting was in session.

The Minister of Culture and Education reported.

“In our country, where filial piety is a tradition, there is no commemorative day to honor it. Therefore, we propose establishing Parents’ Day to promote *hyo* [filial piety] and family love.”

The President said.

“That’s an excellent suggestion. If we have Parents’ Day, shouldn’t we also have Children’s Day?”

“Ah, Children’s Day! I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Let’s designate Parents’ Day and Children’s Day in May, a month that’s neither too hot nor too cold, and make May the Month of Family altogether. It’s a great time for families to go on outings.”

“Ah, a kind of family vacation.”

“Exactly! The opening of Children’s Grand Park will also be a great gift for families soon.”

It was the year that Changgyeongwon of Changgyeong Palace, which the Japanese had created with impure intentions, was relocated to Children’s Grand Park.

“Your Excellency, how about setting Children’s Day on May 5th and Parents’ Day on May 8th, so that parents and children can celebrate and honor each other?”

“Ah, May 5th and 8th!”

During Chairman Wang’s time, Parents’ Day was created first, followed by Children’s Day a year later, setting the dates as the 5th and 8th. It was surprising to see the same dates appear again this time.

The Minister of Trade and Industry said.

“Your Excellency, if we add two more public holidays in May, it will create a long weekend, including the existing weekend. It seems that production activities will be difficult for at least a week. How about designating only Children’s Day as a public holiday and keeping Parents’ Day as just a commemorative day?”

“Hmm, productivity… we need to consider that as well.”

The Minister of Culture and Education disagreed.

“If Parents’ Day is not a public holiday, it will be difficult for *jikjangin* [office workers] to visit their parents.”

Each opinion was valid from their respective perspectives.

The President came up with an idea.

“Then, how about this?”

“…….”

“Instead of fixing the dates, we designate the first Saturday of May as Children’s Day and the second Saturday of May as Parents’ Day. Since Saturday only requires morning work and is followed by Sunday, it creates a *yeon休* [long weekend] effect. This way, companies with less working hour loss and individuals on a long weekend both win.”

“Ah, there’s a way to designate public holidays like that!”

This method was American-style, adopted for its practicality.

Both ministers were satisfied.

Thus, Children’s Day and Parents’ Day were established differently from the previous life.

*

Movie theater.

Before the movie, *Daehan News* [Korea News, a weekly newsreel] was shown.

A male voice-over narrated the news against a black-and-white screen showing tigers at Children’s Grand Park.

– 1974 is the Year of the Tiger. Changgyeongwon held a special event to bravely overcome the difficult economy due to the oil shock. It was an event to treat the zoo’s tigers with precious Korean beef.

When a fresh chunk of beef was placed on a long wooden pole and put in, the tiger eagerly devoured it.

The spectators applauded.

*

The President’s first *haengbo* [public move or activity] of the new year was Incheon Port.

It was to see off the first domestically produced car being exported.

Chairman Jung and other executives from Hyunse Group, public officials related to import and export, and the Minister of Trade and Industry attended and cut the colorful tape.

Vroom~

The first exported domestic car entered the cargo ship and was loaded.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

The minister said.

“Your Excellency, the first domestic car is finally on its way to the United States. With this, Korea will gain *myeongseong* [reputation] as a heavy industry technology powerhouse that exports cars.”

Producing and exporting cars meant joining the ranks of *junghwahak* [heavy chemical] powerhouses.

“You’ve all worked hard! It’s rewarding to see the results after 12 years. I’m deeply moved.”

In fact, Chairman Jung was even more deeply moved.

The government enacted the in 1962, prohibiting the import of foreign cars and providing tariff exemptions to companies importing parts and facility materials.

However, in an attempt to expedite exports, they brought in Japanese parts and assembled them, failing to surpass the Japanese-assembled cars with a localization rate of only 15%.

To increase the parts localization rate, the government established the (1964), which required domestic parts to be supplied to a single *wanseongcha* [complete car] company designated by the government.

Thanks to the dedicated efforts of the government and businesses, the automobile development timeline was advanced by more than two years compared to Chairman Wang’s era.

In 1972, ‘Brisa,’ a model that succeeded in localizing core parts such as engines, was named the first domestic car.

However, since the engine manufacturing technology and the car’s exterior design were imported from Japan, the parts localization rate did not meet the government’s requirements.

Nevertheless, Brisa sold more than 10,000 units a year, accounting for 55% of the domestic market, and was so popular that it was used as a *yeongeop-yong taeksi* [commercial taxi] due to its good fuel efficiency, foreshadowing the arrival of the era of private cars.

The government established the to further increase the localization rate and encouraged the development of unique models.

The industry actively responded to the government’s policy, succeeding in developing a unique model in just 1 year and 6 months with bold investments.

That was ‘Bunny.’

It was Pony in Chairman Wang’s time, but the name was changed after the following twists and turns.

When a public contest was held to name the first unique model car in Korea, a total of 58,000 candidate names were submitted.

‘Pony,’ meaning *jorangmal* [pony], was among the final candidates, but the President, who was watching with interest, called Chairman Jung and offered advice on the naming.

“If you want to export to the United States, it’s better to use Bunny instead of Pony.”

Chairman Jung said.

– Your Excellency, how did you know that Pony was on the candidate list?

“Hahaha, I’m a *hoegwija* [regressor], after all.”

– Ah, that’s right. I forgot. But Your Excellency, wouldn’t a horse be stronger and more dynamic than a weak *tokki* [rabbit]?

“In the United States, Pony has a negative meaning, referring to a disobedient troublemaker that ruins farmland. A small, agile, and clever Bunny fits the image of a small car and will be more appealing to Americans. In my previous life, I later realized that the poor export performance of Pony was due to the wrong naming.”

– Ah, I see. We should go with Bunny then. Then Your Excellency will be the winner of the contest.

“Hey, then people will criticize us for rigging the game. Donate it to a *bohun gajok* [veteran’s family] who is struggling financially.”

– I understand, Your Excellency!

Thus, Bunny, with a logo of a *tokki* [rabbit] with long ears running dynamically, was born.

Although the design was commissioned to an Italian company and technology was introduced from 26 companies in 5 countries, Bunny had a localization rate of 90% and exported 56,000 units in just three years of mass production.

It was a meaningful year in which our unique model leaped from domestic assembly production to an export industry.

*

Han River.

The cold came early, and the Han River froze solid.

The city designated safe areas, installed boundary lines, and created sledding and skating rinks.

Children brought out sleds made at home and played, sledding until their cheeks turned red and chapped.

Around the sledding rink, vendors selling roasted chestnuts, roasted sweet potatoes, *beondegi* [silkworm pupae], *yeot* [taffy], and *ppeongtwigi* [puffed rice] were thriving.

They not only accepted money but also *yangeun naembi* [aluminum pots], empty bottles, and used books, so children dented perfectly good *naembi* [pots] or brought out *museoe aryeong* [cast iron dumbbells] from home and exchanged them for *yeot* [taffy].

*

Government Complex.

The first Cabinet meeting of the Year of the Tiger was held.

The Minister of Economy and Finance said.

“The grace period is ending, but we cannot say that the *geumyung silmyeongje* [real-name financial transaction system] has been fully established. In particular, small amounts are not properly receipted, so even if cash is divided and inherited, it is not noticeable. The same goes for bribes, even if they are given in installments.”

The President asked.

“What’s the cause?”

“All bank financial transactions need to be transparent, but the *jeonsanhwa* [computerization] that Your Excellency wants is still premature. As a result, fraudulent incidents are frequently occurring where loans are taken out from multiple bank branches on the same day with the same collateral.”

“Hmm, we can’t advance civilization, but I think *yeongsujeung chaenggigi* [collecting receipts] is insufficient. It’s customary to only process receipts for large amounts involving checks, and *georae* [transactions] without receipts for small amounts. It’s just a trick to avoid taxation. We can’t do anything about small change, but let’s take strong administrative measures to ensure that all *georae* [transactions] over 10,000 won are receipted.”

“I understand.”

The President said.

“As you all know, the biggest event this year is the Seoul World Cup. Minister of Sports, how are the preparations going?”

It was the World Cup that West Germany had returned due to the Munich terrorist attack, and Korea had urgently taken over.

The Minister of Sports briefed, looking at the chart he had prepared.

“Out of the eight World Cup stadiums being built in *paldo* [eight provinces], four are completed, and the other four are scheduled to be completed sequentially within three months.”

“We built them too hastily, but there must be no safety issues. It would be a national disgrace if we were criticized for shoddy construction.”

The Minister of Construction said.

“We are thoroughly supervising the construction. We are building them in a form that can be a symbol of each region in *paldo* [eight provinces], creating a new dimension of landmarks. We are doing our best by inviting engineers from advanced countries to learn the technologies that are lacking domestically.”

“You’re working hard.”

“Seoul Subway Line 2 will also be completed in two months, and the roads that can reach neighboring *paldo* [eight provinces] stadiums within an hour are also scheduled to be completed within three months. It will be comparable to the Tokyo Olympics in Japan.”

“This event will modernize the country and give it global competitiveness. Not only construction but also culture, broadcasting, sports science, *eomunhak* [literature] must improve by leaps and bounds. Look at how much money has been invested.”

The Minister of Economy and Finance said.

“97 countries have applied to participate, and 16 countries will compete in the finals after going through regional qualifiers. The communist bloc is also participating in large numbers, making the scale unprecedented. By changing the *gyeonggi bangshik* [game method] and greatly increasing the number of games, and with the success of the regional qualifiers, we expect a *heukja woldeukeop* [World Cup with surplus] that will generate more revenue than expected.”

“That’s welcome news. The World Cup is also a business, so we need to make a *namneun jangsa* [profitable business].”

The President said to the Minister of Sports and the Minister of Culture and Public Information.

“Since it’s a *heukja daehoe* [tournament with surplus], after the games, establish a social sports development fund, a broadcasting fund, and a cultural fund to give back to the people.”

“I understand, Your Excellency!”

“We must prepare for a global festival beyond ideology. Let’s use this as an opportunity to promote Korea’s economic development and culture to the world.”

“I understand!”

The next challenge was forming a unified South-North Korean soccer team.

The Minister of Unification said.

“Your Excellency, North Korea is insisting on an equal number of players from both South and North Korea for the unified team.”