The Chaebol Returns To The Presidency 1967 [EN]: Chapter 89

재벌총수가 대통령으로 회귀함1967 재벌총수가 대통령으로 회귀함 1967-89화(89/225)

89. The President’s Domination (1)

The President said,

“The people are always watching the Blue House [the executive office and official residence of the South Korean president] and the National Assembly [South Korea’s unicameral parliament]. If politicians don’t lead by example, the people won’t either. Let’s give up our privileges first. Let’s lead by example with the attitude that politics is service.”

“Well, those are good words, Your Excellency. But anything should gradually permeate, and suddenly making a revolution overnight is bound to have side effects.”

The words sounded plausible, but the President knew it was just wordplay.

He cut to the chase to avoid getting caught up.

This kind of issue was not something to compromise on.

“How many people would understand why a member of the National Assembly who broke the law cannot be arrested and enjoys immunity? Are we just going to leave this privilege as it is?”

“Well, isn’t the immunity from arrest during the National Assembly session maintained because it interferes with state affairs?”

“We need to remove the rotten apples. From the beginning, they are substandard, so it’s right to get them out as soon as possible. Would the country be shaken by the absence of one assembly member?”

“……”

“Shouldn’t a member of the National Assembly who makes the law be punished several times more severely if they break the law?”

“Aggravated punishment?”

“If a soldier holds a gun upside down, it’s treason. If a member of the National Assembly breaks the law, it’s treason. In my opinion, we should not only delete the clauses on immunity from arrest and exemption from liability, but also create aggravated punishment clauses.”

He played the mudslinging tactic.

“Hmm, hmm, Your Excellency can’t be arrested during your term either.”

“If the President also eliminates the privilege of immunity from arrest, will the members of the National Assembly also eliminate their privileges together?”

“……”

“If you insist on creating a situation where the President is accused due to the opposition party’s political offensive and has to go to the police station for investigation every time, I will do so.”

His logic ran out, and he tried to muddy the waters with fairness, but he didn’t even get his investment back.

The President said,

“It’s common sense to be punished if you break the law, so why should there be a grace period?”

“……”

“How much time do you need?”

“Well, I will gather the opinions of the assembly members.”

“Instead of passively gathering the opinions of the assembly members, if the chairman agrees, he should persuade the assembly members. Isn’t that what a leader does?”

“……”

“Do you agree, Chairman?”

“Well, there’s no reason to disagree.”

He blocked the attempt to pass the buck.

From the beginning, the chairman was tattered.

The first round was a complete victory for the President.

The President tried to ease the atmosphere by solving it from a low level.

“How about replacing the gold badge with an access card for entering the new National Assembly building?”

“There’s not much difference between a gold badge and an access card, is there? Is there a need to create work unnecessarily?”

“The National Assembly is not the property of the assembly members but a public asset. Ordinary people have to issue an access card to enter, but it was customary for members of the National Assembly to just pass through with a gold badge on their suits. This is because the gold badge is a symbol of authority. Like ordinary people, no matter what badge you wear, you should receive the same treatment unless you have an access card. It’s about giving up very small privileges.”

“Hmm, hmm, that’s not difficult. It can be put in the National Assembly Act, or rather, the security regulations.”

“Thank you, Chairman.”

“You’re welcome.”

“And the next matter doesn’t involve revising the law or anything like that.”

“……”

“How about arranging the seating in the main conference hall by region instead of dividing it into the ruling and opposition parties?”

“……”

The chairman was bitterly regretting going to Sweden.

The President said,

“If the ruling and opposition parties are divided as they are now, it becomes more like a gang fight than an exchange of opinions. The parliament is a place to exchange opinions, but if there is no meeting and a battle line is set up from the beginning to fight, would that be okay? Aren’t you tired of being pointed fingers at by the people as factional politics?”

“……”

The chairman found it very difficult to answer.

The current divided seating arrangement was a perfect configuration for controlling the party line.

If this were scattered by constituency, control would be difficult.

But he couldn’t reveal such inner thoughts here where reporters were swarming.

The President urged.

“If there are no objections, you agree, right?”

“Hum, hum, I will consult with the ruling party members.”

He judged that the ruling party with many seats would be more reluctant and turned the arrow.

The President said,

“I understand that the ruling party conditionally agrees. I will also suggest it to the ruling party.”

“……”

The chairman felt like he had been robbed without knowing it.

“And if the veteran assembly members sit in the back, it seems that the people will praise the National Assembly for working if the experienced assembly members take the lead in the front.”

It was easier to monitor the front when sitting in the back.

The chairman made excuses again this time.

“Even in the military, the veterans don’t stand in the back? Our culture of respecting elders is deeply rooted, Your Excellency.”

“Is it the true meaning of respecting elders to put clumsy rookies in front and do something else in the back? Isn’t it respecting elders for the elderly to take the lead?”

The chairman wiped the cold sweat from his face with a handkerchief.

“Well, I honestly don’t think that has any great significance in state affairs. I will discuss it with the assembly members.”

“Changing seats doesn’t involve spending the people’s taxes or presenting a bill. The world changes when small habits change. The people will be watching, Chairman!”

After discussing a few minor issues, they finally moved on to sensitive issues.

It was a matter of livelihood.

“Members of the National Assembly are given about 200 privileges. More than 500 million won per person (approximately $400,000 USD in 2022) is supported by national funds. How about changing members of the National Assembly to unpaid honorary positions?”

Flames sparked in the chairman’s eyes.

“Your Excellency seems to be speaking so easily because you have no experience as a member of the National Assembly.”

“……”

The chairman stabbed at the President’s weakness of being from the military.

The reporters who were watching also watched with interest to see what kind of reversal would occur.

“Your Excellency, even if seven aides are attached, it takes more than half a year to propose a bill. It’s hard to propose two or three cases a year. Since we have to handle important tasks and manage the constituencies, we suffer from double or triple the workload during the session. Assembly members also have wives and children. We can’t hold another position, and even if we do, we don’t have time, so what are we supposed to live on?”

“……”

“Would it be possible to carry out state affairs? If livelihood is not guaranteed, wouldn’t it become a hotbed of corruption, Your Excellency?”

The President threw the bait, expecting some discount on the unpaid honorary position.

“Ah, that’s a valid point. Then, how about this plan to reduce the workload and reduce operating costs?”

“What kind of plan…”

“Most of the constituency management is attending ceremonies and funerals.”

“That’s right.”

“It is forbidden by law for members of the National Assembly to attend ceremonies and funerals or send wreaths or condolence flowers. You don’t have to sing at boring wedding speeches, other people’s birthday parties, or sixtieth birthday parties [a significant milestone in Korean culture].”

The chairman’s face brightened.

“Can it really be like that? Won’t they curse me for being a hopeless guy?”

“It’s not just me, but all 177 members of the National Assembly don’t do it. If you do, you will be punished for violating the law, so who would ask a member of the National Assembly to commit a crime?”

“That’s a good plan, Your Excellency! If you nail it down with the law, no one will blame the assembly members.”

Reporters wrote diligently in their notebooks.

The President said,

“As a way to increase the efficiency of legislative activities, how about abolishing our aides and introducing a legislative investigation officer system?”

“……”

“The assembly member only plans the purpose and outline of the law, and experts work on the actual investigation and legal provisions. Not all assembly members are from the bar exam, and there are limits to what amateur aides can handle. Legal experts must create the clauses to increase professionalism and objectivity. Assembly members only provide ideas. We will also reduce the salary by more than 1/4.”

“Um, I’ve also looked closely at that system. It certainly seems to be highly efficient, but even if we reduce the number of aides, there are many difficulties in eliminating them all.”

“If there is no constituency management for ceremonies and funerals, and no protocol, there is no need for a personal secretary. It would be nice if there were no oil support and drivers.”

“No matter what, they are assembly members, so self-driving doesn’t save face.”

“Is that kind of face important when volunteering? If you bring a secretary and a driver, you are the chairman of a company.”

Every time the word service came out, the chairman shrank.

“Your Excellency, many of them are elderly and can’t drive. It is not efficient to drive for hours in the provinces to go to constituencies.”

“Ah, there are such inconveniences. Then, how about providing official residences for assembly members to stay in during the session? Residents who live nearby can go back and forth from their own homes.”

“Official residence for assembly members?”

“Yes. If you use it as an office and residence, you can eliminate the waste of travel time. And personal secretaries and drivers pay for their own expenses, but instead, we provide a lump sum of dignity maintenance expenses and operate within that.”

In other words, the more you do it yourself, the more money goes into your own pocket.

The chairman had difficulty refuting.

“I will consider the official residence for assembly members and the dignity maintenance fee.”

“Thank you.”

“Your Excellency, I’m already feeling hungry, so how about eating?”

It meant to finish it here roughly.

But the President came out determined.

“It takes time to go out and eat, and it’s a nuisance to nearby shops because of the security, so how about ordering a bowl of Seolleongtang [ox bone soup] or something?”

“Ah, delivery! Shall we?”

The President looked around and said,

“I will buy a bowl for the reporters here who are working hard. I will pay from my salary, not from the national treasury.”

A rare scene of about 100 bowls of Seolleongtang and Sundaeguk [blood sausage soup] being eaten in various places in the opposition party unfolded.

The scene of the President and the leader of the opposition party eating Seolleongtang was the main photo of today’s newspaper.

After chatting and finishing the meal in a friendly atmosphere, they had a cup of coffee and continued the meeting.

The President sharpened his edge even more.

“The main task of the assembly member is legislation, but looking at the legislative performance data, some assembly members have proposed 30 cases a year, while others have none. Attendance rates during the session are also very low.”

“……”

“I don’t know what happened personally, but I think it’s right to suspend such people from their duties and have others do parliamentary activities. Some people work hard, some people play while receiving the same salary, and once they get an assembly member badge, they receive huge salaries and pensions for 4 years without doing anything. I think this is absolutely unacceptable as a public official who eats the people’s taxes.”

“Um…”

“So, you have to attend every day during the session, propose at least 20 cases a year, and what about automatically depriving assembly members who have less than 10 cases a year or less than 40 cases for 2 years?”

“Automatic deprivation of assembly member status? Isn’t 2 cases a month too harsh? And judging the law by quantity is not reasonable. Party officials are pressed for time.”

“Chairman, frankly, isn’t it the reality that if you take on a party position, you give up parliamentary activities and only focus on the party position? Are you condoning the fact that members of the National Assembly should focus on legislative activities, but are more engrossed in power struggles?”

“……”

“In the Swedish Parliament, it is mandatory to attend every day during the session and more than 50 cases a year. Why can’t we do it?”

“Those people are young. Even if we have a legislative investigation officer system, assembly members in their 60s and 70s cannot perform such heavy work for 4 years. It’s inhumane, Your Excellency.”

“That’s why the age of the members of the National Assembly should be low. Energetic 30s and 40s should volunteer, why are you trying to volunteer at an old age?”

“……”

“Isn’t it because you think of it as power and privilege, not service?”

“Hmm, hmm.”