The Chaebol Returns To The Presidency 1967 [EN]: Chapter 2

Reverting to President as a Conglomerate CEO 1967-2 (2/225)

2. The Hell with Loyalty!

After sitting blankly for a moment, Chairman Wang shook his head and composed himself.

“This is no time to be spacing out like this!”

He opened the desk drawer.

Clunk~

A document with the following title was visible.

– Republic of Korea Government Organization Chart (1967.1)

Looking at the contents, it was densely filled with the cabinet organization chart and list of names, including the Chief Secretary of the Presidential Office, Chief of Staff, Chief of Security, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency [KCIA, the primary intelligence agency of South Korea], Prime Minister, Ministers, and Vice Ministers.

Most of them were familiar names of powerful figures.

Those legendary figures are all still alive….

Looking at the pyramid chart of power with the President at the apex, a smile spread across Chairman Wang’s face. He could feel the power of the presidency, which he had never achieved, now in his hands.

He turned on the TV and saw a caption that read, ‘Live Broadcast, Pre-event Celebration for the Inauguration Ceremony of the 6th President,’ and a live broadcast of Korean traditional musicians performing a lively song.

Today is the inauguration ceremony. It’s clear that I’ve reverted to being the President. But… what should I do now?

Now that he had achieved his wish of becoming President, he felt a sense of emptiness.

He tried hard to find meaning.

As President, he should leave behind great achievements that would be recorded in history, like King Sejong [the creator of the Korean alphabet, Hangul]. A great president who will be remembered in history….

He recalled the pledges he had made during the presidential election before his regression.

Half-price apartments, completely free school lunches for elementary and middle schools, construction of two-story highways….

That’s right! Aren’t I a prepared president!

He comforted himself in that way. But he immediately lost energy.

“Damn it, it’s 1967!”

When he thought about it, these were completely useless pledges in this era.

In 1967, exports of seafood, seaweed, and wigs amounted to only $10 million, and the per capita national income was only $142.

There were no apartments to give away, and there was no Gyeongbu Expressway [major highway in South Korea] to build on two levels. There was no land consolidation, no Tongil rice [high-yield rice variety developed in South Korea], and no reclaimed land, so there was a shortage of rice.

It was a hungry time when miners and nurses were sent to Germany and soldiers were sent to Vietnam to earn foreign currency.

Hoo~ It’s one mountain after another. Economic development must be done, and the military dictatorship must be ended….

In particular, North Korea was better off than South Korea at that time. Because it was a time of system competition, economic development was security.

The Miracle on the Han River [South Korea’s rapid economic growth] had to be created, and the foundation of liberal democracy had to be laid.

He took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and lit it.

Whoo~

“Ugh, why is it so bitter!”

It was just leaf tobacco without a carbon filter.

Cough, cough!

“Adapting to cigarettes isn’t easy either.”

His eyes flashed as he stared blankly at the smoke of his worries rising into the air.

“That’s right, I know the future!”

Because it was a regression rebirth, not a new rebirth, he knew the future that would unfold in Korea.

Good! I have a strong management drive that everyone recognizes, I know the future clearly, and I’m sitting in the presidential seat wielding absolute power. As president, I can do better than a conglomerate chairman! I’m the president for four years!

At that moment.

The door opened and a familiar man entered.

“Your Excellency! I’ve brought the revised inaugural address.”

The President flinched.

The man who entered was a small, plump man with fierce eyes and a headstrong appearance.

Wasn’t this Kim Yeong-wook, the infamous Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, known as the ‘Wild Boar of Namsan’ [Namsan was the location of the KCIA headquarters]?

Seeing Kim Yeong-wook’s face, Chairman Wang’s past flashed before his eyes, and he shuddered.

As the presidential election approached at that time, Kim Yeong-wook collected political donations from companies.

Chairman Wang also showed his sincerity, but perhaps it was not enough, as he was suddenly dragged to Namsan on his way to work.

In the end, he had to hand over money equivalent to 10% of his sales to the man.

Kim Yeong-wook was the longest-serving Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and was in charge of handling the President’s affairs.

The political maneuvers he committed were enough to make one’s tongue wag.

He cracked down on progressive figures by wielding the National Security Law and accusing them of being spies.

It was basic to expose and threaten the private lives of opposition lawmakers who opposed the third constitutional amendment. He committed a terror attack with hydrochloric acid in front of the house of Kim Yong-sam, who was the floor leader of the opposition party.

Even Kim Jong-pil, who was like a benefactor who recommended him, was eventually forced to retire from politics due to his political maneuvering.

However, Kim Yeong-wook’s end was miserable.

Immediately after the third constitutional amendment, he was kicked out as a scapegoat after a flood of criticism at home and abroad. Harboring resentment, he published a memoir in the United States and criticized the President, only to disappear in Paris.

Chairman Wang’s fantasy of becoming a great president who would be remembered in history was shattered when he saw Kim Yeong-wook.

Looking at the list earlier, he saw that the Chief of Staff was none other than Lee Woo-rak. His spine tingled.

Lee Woo-rak! He served as the head of the Public Information Office of the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction and then became the Chief of Staff to the President, playing an active role as President Park’s strategist.

He came up with the idea of the third constitutional amendment and took office as the 6th Director of the Central Intelligence Agency in 1970, wielding immense power as the second-in-command of the Park regime. He was called ‘Zhuge Cao Cao’ because he combined Zhuge Liang’s strategy with execution [a comparison to famous strategists in Chinese history, implying both brilliance and ruthlessness].

As a master of political maneuvering, he mobilized the government organization to manage the 7th presidential election behind the scenes after the third constitutional amendment, leading to victory.

He even passed the Yushin Constitution [a highly authoritarian constitution], which allowed for a lifetime presidency, and was mentioned as the next successor, showing off his power by meeting with North Korean leader Kim Il-sung….

However, some military factions lined up with Lee Woo-rak and were caught, causing the Kim Dae-jung kidnapping incident [a major political scandal], and he stepped down. He was a representative figure whose loyal subject was suddenly turned into a traitor.

Ah, these are my loyal subjects… Wait, am I the culprit of the military dictatorship!

Only then did Chairman Wang realize his historical status. He realized that he was not the subject of reform but the object of reform.

Director Kim Yeong-wook placed the revised manuscript on the desk.

Originally, this was the responsibility of the Secretariat, but Kim Yeong-wook treated the Secretariat as his subordinate organization, inspecting it and delivering it himself to show that he was the President’s closest aide.

Before Lee Woo-rak, the second-in-command in the Blue House [the executive office and official residence of the South Korean president] was Kim Yeong-wook.

Hmm, there’s no need to be afraid. I’m the president now. These are just my subordinates!

The President cleared his throat with a dry cough.

“Hmm, hmm, what is it?”

Kim Yeong-wook reported.

“Your Excellency, the inauguration ceremony atmosphere is a bit subdued due to the heavy rain. I’m sorry, Your Excellency!”

He bowed his head. Hearing the word ‘Your Excellency’ from the mouth of the trembling man made him feel like he had finally been certified as President. Now, he had to become President, not Chairman Wang.

The President said.

“Well, the rain isn’t your responsibility. Thank you for your hard work.”

Kim Yeong-wook blinked.

“Your Excellency, suddenly using honorifics… Please lower your speech!”

He was taken aback.

Oops, this isn’t a modern company, it’s the Blue House. I’m the president!

He quickly changed to a commanding tone.

“Ah, yes. I was thinking about something else while looking at the inaugural address.”

“Ah, yes. I will send the security team in 20 minutes, Your Excellency.”

“Okay.”

As Director Kim was about to leave after reporting, the President called him and asked.

“Look here, what do you work for?”

Kim Yeong-wook turned around.

“Yes?”

Director Kim was taken aback by the sudden question. The President pressed him.

“Who do you work for? Why do you work at the Blue House?”

“Well, I am sacrificing my life for the Republic of Korea, no, for Your Excellency.”

Your Excellency? Republic of Korea? The hell with loyalty!

Wasn’t he the one who sided with Kim Jong-pil to oppose the third constitutional amendment and eventually turned his knife against the President? Didn’t Lee Woo-rak also covet the throne when his popularity soared? In the end, they are living for themselves while advocating for the country and Your Excellency!

Well, it was the same during Chairman Wang’s time. When he asked his aides similar questions, they all swore loyalty to the company and the chairman.

However, when they were replaced, they demanded compensation for their life-sacrificing loyalty. Chairman Wang was more aware than anyone else that there was no free loyalty.

They put forward plausible reasons in front, but humans end up living for themselves. That’s because humans are in the first person, and the country is in the third person.

There is no third-person human. Even those who are loyal to the country and patriotic are ultimately just an extension of the first person.

“Okay. Go do your work.”

“Yes, Your Excellency!”

After Kim Yeong-wook left, the President touched his neck. It was not the time to worry about Kim Yeong-wook’s end.

Hmm, in 12 years, I will also meet a violent death by a subordinate’s bullet!

Park Jung-woong met his end at the hands of his subordinate, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, at the safe house in Gungjeong-dong.

His hair stood on end.

A great president who will be remembered in history? Bullshit, all bullshit! I have to save myself first. But… can I change my fate?

In just a few tens of minutes after his regression, he rode an emotional roller coaster several times, eventually falling from an invincible hero story to a survival story.

Now, state affairs have become a means to prolong his own life, not for the sake of the country.

He realized the ironic historical status of having to exercise strong authority to liquidate authoritarianism and dictatorship.

That’s how Chairman Wang awkwardly began his first task as President.

* * *

The President habitually put a cigarette in his mouth, lit it, and read the revised inaugural address.

『For half a millennium since Dangun Seongjo [the mythical founder of Korea] established the nation on this blessed land, inheriting the history and tradition that has continued for generations, I now stand on this altar built by the people as I take office as the 6th President of the Republic of Korea, vowing to abide by the Constitution and dedicate my life to the country and the nation….』

“Cough, cough! I can’t get used to this.”

The President, who put out the cigarette in the ashtray, shook his head while looking at the manuscript.

Keywords such as nation, loyalty, country, economic development, democracy, unification, and modernization of the fatherland were repeated.

“Democracy, unification… Heh heh, except for economic development, they are empty fantasies. Modernization without democracy is also half-baked.”

Since he already knew modern history, he could not be deceived by the rhetoric.

He picked up a red pen and began to correct the manuscript here and there.

Swish, swish.

As he corrected it, it was all red.

He rewrote the inaugural address on a memo.

After skimming through it once, he put it down and took out the government organization chart and examined it.

“Damn, they’re all from the military. It’s not a military government now. There’s no expertise at all. How can there be development with this?”

The Chief of Staff, the Secretariat and key secretaries, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and the ministers were all from the military.

He desperately needed allies surrounded by those subject to reform.

His eyes flashed.

“Ah, that’s right! This person!”

There was one person on the cabinet list who caught his eye. Only he was not from the military.

He pressed the intercom.

The analog-amplified and distorted voice of Chief of Staff Lee Woo-rak was heard.

– Did you call, Your Excellency!

“Chief of Staff, contact the Minister of Commerce and Industry and tell him not to go to the inauguration ceremony and come here directly.”

– Are you talking about Minister Kim Cheong-ryeom?

“Yes, Minister Kim. I have something important to say.”

– I understand, Your Excellency!