The Chaebol Returns To The Presidency 1967 [EN]: Chapter 46

46. Let’s Eradicate the Spring Hunger First

Shantytown.

Kim, an old man past his sixtieth birthday, couldn’t hide his smile as he looked at the stained dinner table with peeling paint, revealing his missing teeth.

“The sun must be rising in the west. What’s with the fish stew?”

A bubbling, bright red spicy fish stew simmered in a dented aluminum pot.

The old woman retorted gruffly.

“You kept singing about meat soup, meat soup, so I made some fish stew.”

“I haven’t even had a proper feast since turning sixty, so of course.”

“You need to earn money to have a feast, you rascal!”

The old woman had rummaged through the trash cans of a *hoetjip* [fish restaurant], bringing back a basket of fish innards and heads to make the spicy stew.

“Oh my, it’s been so long since I had *gogigui guk* [meat soup]!”

The old man slurped up the steaming soup, not even noticing his palate getting burned.

However….

A neighbor found the couple suffering from severe abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea, and rushed them to the emergency room in a taxi.

Mixed in with the fish innards they had brought was pufferfish innards.

Some people were so hungry that they ate pufferfish innards, even knowing they might die.

* * *

Suwon.

The President left Seoul and went on an unannounced visit to Suwon.

Near Suwon Hwaseong Fortress, rice paddies and fields with patches of unmelted snow stretched out.

On one side, a green field was a barley field.

Children in rags rummaged through the ridges of rice paddies and fields, searching for something.

“What are you looking for?”

“Rice ears.”

They were looking for rice ears that had fallen on the ridges after harvesting, hoping to eat some rice.

Hungry children stole young barley and roasted it over a fire to eat.

An old woman carrying a heavy sack came into view.

The President and his bodyguards rushed over.

“Let us help you with that; we’ll carry it for you.”

“Thank you.”

The bodyguard shouldered the sack and walked along the road.

“Grandmother, what is this?”

“Soybean pulp, soybean pulp.”

“Ah, soybean pulp….”

“I pawned my last hairpin to get it. We have to get through the spring hunger.”

“Looks like you’re out of barley?”

The old woman became indignant.

“Are you gentlemen young masters from a noble family? You’re talking like you’re full!”

“……”

“Barley is something you eat when times are good. During the spring hunger, we make thin porridge with arrowroots and soybean pulp. And even that’s not enough.”

“……”

Poverty is something even the king cannot alleviate, but the President’s heart was heavy.

Last year, the severe drought had further devastated rural areas and urban poor.

He had been focusing on jobs but had forgotten about the spring hunger.

North Korea was rubbing salt in the wound by scattering leaflets urging people to come to Pyongyang to eat rice and meat soup.

Suwon Train Station.

As they reached the station square, vagrants were sitting against the wall, basking in the sun.

They were all swollen and yellow due to edema [swelling caused by fluid retention].

It was common for them to skip meals, and even when they ate, they only had vegetables and soybean paste without any grains, leading to edema.

He who does not work shall not eat, but people in a state of starvation were not in a condition to work even if given jobs.

The President clenched his lower teeth.

* * *

Tourist Hotel Japanese Restaurant.

It was a tourist hotel in Myeongdong frequented only by foreigners.

At the time, the largest number of tourists visiting Korea were Japanese.

The government designated tourist zones to earn even a penny more of the yen they spent.

A Japanese couple looking at the menu ordered from the waiter.

“We’d like to order sea bream sushi (raw fish sushi).”

“Understood.”

The waiter, having received an order for the most expensive menu item, relayed it to the chef.

Soon after, the waiter placed sushi, arranged in a circle on a luxurious plate, on the table.

“Sugoi~ [Amazing!]”

The Japanese tourist picked up a piece with a delicious-looking fatty tuna belly with chopsticks, dipped it in wasabi soy sauce, and put it in his mouth.

“Hmm, it’s savory and fresh!”

He chewed for a moment before suddenly stopping.

“Ah, this is strange.”

The raw fish wrapped around the oily white rice should have been extremely tender, but something rough was being chewed and clumped up in his mouth.

The tourist disassembled a piece of sushi on the plate with his chopsticks.

“Eh?”

He called the waiter and questioned him.

“What is this dark rice grain? Is it rotten?”

“Ah, that’s barley mixed in.”

“Barley! Why mix grains in sushi?”

“Our government is instructing us to mix more than 30% grains into white rice, even in tourist areas.”

“Su, sugoi~~ [So, amazing!]”

The President, along with the food production increase campaign, vigorously promoted mixed grains, flour-based foods, and No Rice Day (*無米日*, a day each week when rice is not used in any food) as part of the rice conservation (*節米*) movement.

Those who violated the rice conservation movement, such as rice merchants and restaurants, were considered to have committed a serious crime and were severely punished.

Secret inspection teams frequently raided restaurants, rummaging through pots, and schools conducted lunchbox inspections, creating unusual scenes.

The highlight was mixing grains into sushi, which was popular among Japanese tourists, a major source of tourism revenue.

There was only one case where making something with pure rice was allowed.

That was Gyeongju Beopju [a traditional Korean rice wine].

It was on the condition that it would be exported entirely, except for receptions for foreign guests at the Blue House [the Korean presidential residence].

* * *

Blue House Dining Room.

The President was having lunch with the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, the Minister of Home Affairs, and the Minister of Commerce and Industry.

The meal was ramen.

In 1963, Samyang Co. imported ramen machines from Japan and began selling ramen for the first time.

The President had specially permitted the import of the machines to encourage flour-based foods.

The first ramen produced used chicken broth and had a light, white broth like noodles.

It was popular because it was easy to cook and cheap at 10 won [Korean currency].

The President, thinking of the people starving during the spring hunger, was eating noodles or ramen for one meal a day.

Slurp~

The President said to the Minister of Home Affairs.

“We are distributing flour to low-income families, right?”

“Yes, we have doubled the distribution amount under your command.”

“Let’s distribute ramen as well.”

“Ramen too?”

“Let’s make it so they can eat one every three days. Money is starting to come in from Vietnam, so let’s divert the budget there.”

“Understood, Your Excellency!”

“And let’s provide free bread for lunch at every elementary and middle school. There are too many students who can’t afford lunch.”

“Understood.”

“And there are blind spots.”

“……”

“Such distributions are pie in the sky for people who don’t even have a home to eat and sleep in. Let’s create free meal centers in each region and provide ramen or noodle dishes once a day.”

“You mean making and distributing the food directly?”

“Yes. Plan for free meals at all elementary schools starting in the second half of the year.”

“Free meals?”

“Once it’s established, we’ll expand free meals to middle and high schools.”

“Understood, Your Excellency!”

Slurp~

The President mumbled while chewing on ramen.

“It’s bland. It might suit the Japanese palate, but it’s too bland for us.”

The President sprinkled chili powder on the ramen.

Slurp~

“Hmm, much better! Spicy and refreshing! Ministers, try it and give me your feedback.”

They each put a spoonful of chili powder into their ramen and stirred it before tasting it.

“Ah, it’s nice and spicy. If you put in two spoonfuls, it would be great for a hangover, Your Excellency.”

“That’s right.”

The President instructed his Chief of Staff.

“Connect me with the president of Samyang Ramen.”

“Understood, Your Excellency!”

The call was connected.

“This is me.”

– Yes, Your Excellency!

“I’m enjoying the ramen.”

– It’s an honor, Your Excellency! I’ll send 100 boxes to the Blue House!

“Ah, I don’t need anything for free. I’ll buy it if I need it.”

– Ah, yes.

“The taste is a bit bland, but when I added chili powder, it was excellent. Try making chili powder ramen.”

– Ah, chili powder ramen! Understood, Your Excellency!

“And we’ll be operating free meal centers nationwide starting next month. We’ll be distributing noodles and ramen. From the second half of the year, we’ll be providing free meals mainly with flour-based foods at elementary schools. Even if you increase the lines tenfold, it won’t be enough.”

– Thank you, Your Excellency!

“Instead of the government buying a lot, keep the profit margin low.”

– Understood. We will supply it at the minimum cost.

“For meal service, the unit cost will be lower if you package it in packs of 5 or 10 instead of individual packaging.”

– Ah, that’s a good idea.

“If you make a profit, send it to the military as *wimunpum* [comfort goods].”

– Understood, Your Excellency.

In the 21st century, Korea would produce over 200 types of ramen and export more than $600 million worth of K-ramen, earning the nickname of the ramen *jongjukguk* [originator] to the world.

After finishing the meal, he asked the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry while drinking tea.

“How is the Tongil rice progressing?”

Tongil rice was a high-yield variety being researched by domestic researchers and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI, located in the Philippines).

“We are conducting thorough experiments to avoid repeating past mistakes.”

In 1964, agents from the Central Intelligence Agency stole a seed called Nada from Egypt, renamed it *Huinong* No. 1, and heavily promoted it as the ‘miracle seed,’ claiming the spring hunger was over.

However, although it yielded more than 30% more than regular rice in the laboratory, it did not grow properly and rotted when distributed to farms and cultivated.

It was not suitable for Korea’s climate and soil.

At this time, they realized the difficulty of variety development.

This time, they were approaching it cautiously.

During Chairman Wang’s era, Tongil rice was distributed, achieving self-sufficiency in rice from the mid-1970s.

Knowing this, the President said.

“Let’s hold a tasting evaluation meeting sooner.”

* * *

A Tongil rice tasting session was held at the government complex during the monthly economic trend report meeting with ministers and vice ministers.

Rice made with Tongil rice was placed on the table.

The rising steam was quite appetizing.

The head of the Rural Development Administration, who was in charge of today’s tasting session, announced through the microphone.

“Please begin the tasting. After the tasting, please check the anonymous evaluation form that has been distributed.”

The tasters picked up their spoons.

“Oh, this is the new variety that is said to have increased production by more than 40%.”

“The rice grains are elongated.”

The tasting began.

However, the President already knew the advantages and disadvantages of Tongil rice very well.

The faces of the tasters began to distort one by one.

“Huh, why does it taste like this? It’s not sticky.”

“It’s dry. It’ll fly away if you blow on it.”

The opinions of the participants were generally like this.

▲Color: Average ▲Stickiness: Bad ▲Taste: Generally bad

During Chairman Wang’s era, at this evaluation meeting, the President wrote the date and signature on the anonymous survey, making it obvious that it was the President, and marked it like this.

▲Color: Good ▲Stickiness: Average ▲Taste: Good

After seeing the evaluation results, he scolded them like this.

“Who is saying this is not delicious? Are you not thinking about the people who are jaundiced because they don’t even have barley porridge! We are in a position to buy imported rice with expensive money, do you think we can afford to complain about the taste of rice?”

There was no need to listen to the answers of the other participants any further.

That’s how Tongil rice was widely distributed.

In 1976, the cultivation area of Tongil rice expanded to 44% of the total, producing 5.215 million tons of rice, an increase of 21.8% compared to the average year, achieving self-sufficiency in rice for the first time in history.

In 1977, 6.005 million tons of rice were produced, and productivity reached 5.31 tons per hectare based on brown rice, ranking first in the world, and the self-sufficiency rate of rice recorded 113%.

The long-cherished green revolution of rice self-sufficiency was achieved, but because it did not taste good, Tongil rice disappeared altogether in 1991.

The tasting was over, and all the evaluation forms were collected.

The result was obvious without even looking.

But the President grabbed the microphone without prior notice.

The head of the Rural Development Administration was quite embarrassed.

The President said.

“The rice doesn’t taste good, does it?”

“……”

The venue was abuzz when the President suddenly came out.