The Chaebol Returns To The Presidency 1967 [EN]: Chapter 215

215. Political Novice

The President’s office.

At President Park’s words, the President was shocked and jumped up from his chair.

“Jang Song-taek was also a regressor [someone who has returned from the future]?”

“Not only that, but he knew I was a regressor all along.”

“Unbelievable!”

“I was just as surprised as you, Your Excellency.”

“So, Jang Song-taek’s claim to be a kingmaker and his agreement to a surrender-based unification were all intentional?”

“That’s right.”

“Why would someone who knows the future do that?”

“He had a sense of skepticism about the North Korean regime, and more than anything, he wanted to avoid his own tragic purge by leveraging the power of the South. What could be more precious than his own life?”

“Life! I see. Now that you explain it, I understand.”

“Whatever the reason, he certainly did something worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize.”

“Ah, this is very confusing. If there’s another person who knows the future, and that person is a key figure in the North, how should we deal with this?”

“Fortunately, as he predicted, he’s completely retiring from politics after this general election and returning to private life. He’s choosing to enjoy luxury in the wilderness rather than power.”

“I can understand that, but is it possible?”

“Human minds can change at any time, so nothing is certain, but considering he even revealed that he was a regressor, I think we should acknowledge his sincerity. It would be difficult for him to take public office after exposing the fact that he is a regressor.”

“That’s right. But conversely, if the President of South Korea goes around proclaiming that he is a regressor, it would be very difficult.”

“Ah, Your Excellency? But he only knows that I am a regressor.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. He doesn’t know that Chung Ju-hyun and Park Jung-woong switched places. I didn’t bother to tell him.”

“Ah!”

“I don’t know how much I sweated trying to act like Park Jung-woong all the time. Undercover acting skills are a great help in times like these.”

“Whew~ That’s a relief. I’ll have to act like I’m not a regressor.”

“Haha, politics is a show, but let’s just say this is an unavoidable act of good faith.”

*

Government Complex.

A party-government meeting was being held.

It was also an adjustment to reflect the new president’s pledges in the budget in preparation for next year’s budget.

The chairman of the ruling party’s budget committee looked at the proposal submitted by the Ministry of Economy and Finance and asked a prickly question.

“The government’s proposal increases the defense budget by a whopping 35%, isn’t that excessive? Now that the armistice line is gone and the main enemy has disappeared, shouldn’t we be reducing arms instead? We don’t even have enough budget to use for North Korean development, so why are we trying to drastically increase wasteful defense spending?”

Becoming one of the world’s top 5 military powers was the President’s number one promise.

The Ministry of National Defense, anticipating the controversy, had the budget officer attend to explain.

“Because it has changed to a larger and more powerful main enemy.”

“The main enemy changes? What are you talking about?”

“As the border to be defended has changed to the Yalu and Tumen Rivers, we are directly bordering the communist powers of China and the Soviet Union. To deal with China and the Soviet Union, we must maintain the combined forces of the two Koreas at 1 million, and we must be armed with modern strategic weapons like the United States.”

“We have nuclear weapons, who would dare to invade? Nuclear weapons serve a war deterrent function, don’t they?”

“Possessing nuclear weapons makes nuclear war unlikely, but instead, conventional weapons are used frequently in local wars. Actual wars are fought with conventional weapons.”

“Does war break out that easily? And the U.S. military is protecting us, right?”

“The U.S. military is planning to withdraw from the Korean Peninsula soon because the justification for advancing has disappeared due to the reunification of North and South Korea. Only the Korean military must fill that void. Self-reliant defense is the most urgent issue.”

“…….”

“Peace is not achieved by disarming ourselves. Peace is only a time to endure with the balance of power between countries. China has 10 million infantrymen, and the Soviet Union maintains the most advanced weapons and troops after the United States. What are you going to use to maintain peace with them, Chairman?”

“I know that much. What I’m saying is, instead of thinking about patching things up with a limited budget, let’s find a way. U.S. weapons are astronomically expensive, so even buying a few advanced fighter jets will blow 1/5 of the budget.”

“So, as you can see in the detailed items, we have increased the budget for the Agency for Defense Development by 20 times. Instead of buying finished products, we will purchase them on the condition of technology transfer, and in the future, we will launch a self-reliant defense project to make fighter jets, helicopters, tanks, armored vehicles, artillery, submarines, destroyers, and aircraft carriers directly with our own hands.”

“We make submarines too? Is that even possible?”

“Submarines are not made by countries, they are made by humans. Science makes it possible enough.”

“It’s too idealistic. Military supplies are consumables, so they are consumer goods that don’t help the economy. Let’s take a more relaxed approach to the self-reliant defense period and revive the economy first!”

“The principles of fighter jets and passenger planes are not different. If you can make a submarine, you can make an oil tanker, and if you can make an ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) [an long-range missile], you can launch a spaceship. You must know that the defense industry is not a consumer investment, but an advanced industry investment.”

“…….”

“The U.S. defense industry is a battleground for high-tech industries. Theoretical science and technology are combined to implement advanced weapons, and that’s how science and technology could develop. Without science and technology, you can’t do the defense industry even if you have money, Chairman!”

“Ammunition, bullets, and oil are consumed by military weapons, aren’t you dragging in too grand of a cause? Let’s leave the budget for the Agency for Defense Development alone, but let’s reduce the number of active-duty soldiers to 500,000.”

“It should be reduced gradually as it becomes mechanized and automated.”

“I’m really frustrated! Don’t you know that I’m asking this much because I’m a member of the ruling party?”

“…….”

“The opposition party is determined to abolish conscription and foster only border guards and officers, like the Japanese Self-Defense Forces [Japan’s military force]. How are you going to cope with the opposition party’s offensive if you can’t even accept this much?”

“A volunteer army?”

After arguing for a long time, the chairman did not back down, and the government and the ruling party ran parallel.

*

The President’s office.

The President, who received a report on the results of the budget meeting from the Minister of Economy and Finance and Deputy Prime Minister, had a distorted face.

“It’s only been a year since I saw the Chinese Communist forces cross the Yalu River and invade with my own eyes, but is it possible that the ruling and opposition parties are arguing for the uselessness of national defense? Peace is defended by blood, by blood!”

“I explained it enough, but it was like reading scriptures to a deaf ear. The opposition party seems to be trying to gain the support of the people by abolishing conscription. No one likes going to the military.”

“So, are you saying that they are going to disarm because of populism?”

“That’s right.”

“Why don’t they think about the country and the people and only think about expanding their power?”

“That’s what politicians are all about. There’s still time, so I’ll persuade both the ruling and opposition parties.”

In this case, if it were Park Chung-hee’s era before the regression, he would have arrested the opposing lawmakers and led public sentiment with anti-communist propaganda, but this was no longer that era, and the person himself did not want to go the same way.

Advice was needed.

*

The President’s Office, rooftop.

The new president was calling President Park to ask for advice on the massive cuts in the defense budget.

The President vented his anger.

“Sigh~ I feel like dissolving the National Assembly and declaring martial law. What’s more important than security?”

“There is right and wrong in policies, but there is no right and wrong in politics. Do you know why?”

“Well….”

“Policies are evaluated later, and politics is the current situation of each participant. Right and wrong are evaluated after the fact, and the current reality cannot be evaluated. But politics is always a series of decisions made in reality. You don’t know the merits and demerits until you’ve gone through it.”

“…….”

“A political master is a craftsman who skillfully weaves together the positions of the participants and the cause of the public interest. It is to handle current issues so that they are not buried in right and wrong arguments.”

“Listening to you, I think I still have a military constitution, so I don’t even qualify as a political novice. I’m ashamed.”

“Also, you shouldn’t treat government policies like a business.”

“…….”

“There is a clear difference between government policies and corporate businesses. In business, the one who goes ahead leads the market, but the more policies are intertwined with interests, the easier it is to follow half a step behind.”

“Follow? Usually, they say to go half a step ahead, but you’re saying to follow behind?”

“Isn’t it the law that the National Assembly makes after a problem breaks out? Policies are the same. You’re more impatient because you’re a regressor and you know the future. In the end, it means to be fully prepared, but wait for the opportunity and justification for the opponents to accept.”

“I don’t know when that opportunity will come.”

“One of the biggest reasons why reforms or policies fail is because of a lack of consensus with the public. It needs to be matured until it resonates, but it is pushed forward impatiently. Like the real-name financial transaction system, self-reliant defense is not achieved overnight. Don’t be too impatient because it’s a presidential pledge.”

“Sigh~ I’ve been president several times, but it’s difficult every time.”

“You’ve never been in this moment in the past. This moment is always new, so you can’t get immune to it.”

“Ah, I really agree with that. I won’t be immune to it no matter how many times I’m reborn.”

“Instead, there is a trick to artificially advance that consensus opportunity a little.”

“Ah, is that so? What is it?”

“For example, when you try to reform a public corporation, there is strong resistance. In that case, before declaring the reform of the public corporation, you must first appeal to the public and public opinion about the reasons why the public corporation should be reformed. Expose the actual irrationalities and corruption on the front page of the media, such as who’s annual salary is how much, the mess due to overlapping work, and who speculated with internal development information.”

“Ah! You’re creating an atmosphere.”

“That’s right. And it’s about collecting and compiling opinions. It is a process of sharing the intentions of the policymaker with the public.”

“Make people sympathize with the fact that self-reliant defense is essential… You said that the Soviet Union will collapse in the future, and China will grow into a great power. How should we persuade people who don’t know this future?”

“I don’t know the details. But self-reliant defense is necessary because of the actual crisis in neighboring countries. An event will occur that will awaken that need.”

“…….”

“In the case of maintaining conscription or the defense budget, the opposition party’s claims are more popular, so if you push it too hard, there will be considerable resistance. Wait patiently like Kang Tae-gong fishing [a legendary Chinese military strategist known for his patience]. Someday, you’ll get a bite.”

“You mean I need patience.”

“That’s right. The time will come. Of course, you have to prepare.”

“Thank you for your kind words. I feel like the dark clouds in front of my eyes are clearing up.”