The Chaebol Returns To The Presidency 1967 [EN]: Chapter 90

90. Breaking Down the President’s Dojo (2)

Because it was a public setting, the chairman felt even more constrained.

However, to avoid revealing his true feelings, he had no choice but to remain silent.

Still, he couldn’t completely mask his discomfort.

The President continued, “The people entrusted you with the power to represent them in legislative matters. If you can’t fulfill that responsibility, you should naturally step down. To manage the demanding workload, we need to lower the average age of our National Assembly by 20 years.”

“The voters choose the members of the National Assembly, so we can’t simply aim for an age target. Isn’t the reason the Korean National Assembly seems ‘old’ because voters prefer experienced lawmakers, Your Excellency?”

“Is that truly the case?”

“……”

“Isn’t this ‘aging’ problem a result of individuals serving three or more terms, even seven or eight terms, in the same district? This leaves no opportunity for young, aspiring politicians to gain a foothold.”

“Hmm, hmm.”

“If serving is such a difficult task, why would anyone want to keep doing it? It’s because of the privileges involved. Therefore, I propose banning anyone from serving more than three terms.”

“What? Are you suggesting we limit it to two terms?”

“That’s correct.”

“Your Excellency, that would mean all the current leaders of both the ruling and opposition parties would have to leave. This could easily be interpreted as an attempt to suppress the parliament.”

“Suppression? It might seem unfair to lawmakers with vested interests, but wouldn’t it ultimately benefit the people?”

“……”

“Those who serve the people should prioritize what’s best for the people. Why do they consistently put their own interests first?”

“Limiting terms to two means retiring just as you’re gaining a real understanding of legislative activities, Your Excellency! Are you unaware of how clueless first-termers often are? How is this beneficial to the people?”

“I understand that shortening political experience could pose a problem in the current climate. That’s why I’ve devised a supplementary measure.”

“……”

“The current 131 constituencies [electoral districts] create an excessive workload. That’s why the aide system was established. We need to realistically increase the number of National Assembly members.”

The chairman’s eyes widened at the mention of expanding the pie.

“How many are we talking about?”

“It would be elected proportionally to the population. With 30 million people, we would elect one representative for every 100,000 citizens, increasing the total to 300 members.”

“Ah! That sounds reasonable.”

“And National Assembly members aren’t the only representatives of the people. We will revive the local autonomy system and expand elected positions to include mayors, governors, and city/county/district council members, making politics a part of everyday life.”

Korea’s local autonomy was initially implemented from 1952, during the era of the First Republic, until May 16, 1961, when the Second Republic ended, before being suspended.

The very person who suspended it was now reversing course.

“Are you saying you’re reviving the local autonomy system?”

“Yes, we’re resolving the issue.”

“This is all so sudden; I’m completely taken aback.”

The President elaborated, “We have already submitted a bill to lower the President’s salary to 4 million won [approximately $3,000 USD in 2022 value]. National Assembly members will receive a similar amount, and local autonomous elected officials will serve as unpaid honorary positions. Even with an increased number of politicians, the people’s taxes will not increase.”

“……”

“Instead of prohibiting all elected officials from serving more than three terms, there will be more opportunities to gain political experience from the ground up and advance to the national level. This will address the experience issue, and the average age of politicians will significantly decrease. The people will also have more opportunities to choose verified, competent individuals.”

During Chairman Wang’s time, there were some problems with the local autonomy system, but since we are already aware of those issues, we are making public the grassroots democracy more than 20 years ahead of schedule, with the premise of supplementation.

The chairman responded, “Your Excellency, this truly represents a complete transformation of the Korean political landscape. I can’t make a decision here and now. I need to discuss it step by step, starting with a general assembly of lawmakers.”

“You should. If you begin politics as a service from the ground up, it will be easier to establish the National Assembly member volunteer position. Please discuss it thoroughly. However, it must be submitted before my term ends.”

If a deadline wasn’t set, this agenda would likely drift aimlessly and become vague.

“I’ll consider it.”

It was certainly bad news for multi-term lawmakers with vested interests, but if the number of volunteer politicians increased, it would create tremendous opportunities for ordinary citizens and young, aspiring politicians.

Even if the chairman prioritized his own interests, he couldn’t openly refuse, as the number of potential beneficiaries was increasing.

The President remarked, “Isn’t this the very essence of political reform?”

“……”

“All elected officials should be subject to recall by the people.”

“Yes, recall by the people?”

“The president, the National Assembly members, and the heads of the judiciary are all subject to recall by the people.”

“Then, will the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the Prosecutor General also be changed to elected positions?”

“I hope so. The legislative branch shouldn’t be the only independent branch; the judiciary should also be independent. Of course, since they are elected, they will also be subject to recall by the people.”

The chairman wasn’t particularly concerned about the judiciary at the moment.

The immediate fire under his feet was more pressing.

“Your Excellency, if National Assembly members are removed for failing to meet the required number of submitted bills or are dishonorably retired through popular recall, how many of them will actually complete their terms?”

“Even when you buy a pair of socks at the market, you can return them if there’s a defect. Yet, you’ve entrusted these individuals with important legislative duties. If, after electing them, you discover they are incompetent or criminals, they should step down. Why waste taxpayers’ money and create vacancies until the end of their term? The taxes are paid by the people. Isn’t this a condition that poses no problem at all for ordinary citizens?”

“……”

That’s how the meeting between the President and the party leaders concluded at 11 p.m.

All the newspapers published the list of political reforms proposed by the President and the details of the meeting between the party leaders, which were then disseminated to the public.

The citizens overwhelmingly welcomed the proposals.

“There’s nothing wrong with what the President said.”

“They preach about doing politics without privileges, but they’re lowering their tails [becoming submissive]. You bastards!”

“If the representatives elected by the people are truly the masters, then things have been wrong from the beginning.”

“I hated seeing them flaunt their power with those gold badges [symbol of authority], but this is excellent.”

“If it’s unpaid, will anyone actually want to do politics?”

“National Assembly members aren’t unpaid. They get paid as much as the President.”

“They have to live in the dormitory during the session, and there are no days off or holidays, but it’s not that much compared to that.”

“If they work unpaid, the people will respect them more.”

“If there’s no one to do it, I’ll do it.”

“The President is giving up his privileges, so how can the National Assembly members hold out?”

“We’ll have to wait and see. Just how vicious are they?”

In a public opinion poll on political reform, an overwhelming 87% approved.

This was consistent with the President’s approval rating.

* * *

The ruling party.

This time, the President visited the chairman of the ruling party.

Since the conversation with the opposition party had already been made public, the meeting progressed quickly.

While discussing the reform plan, a more candid conversation unfolded between the two.

The chairman of the ruling party said, “In truth, the lawmakers are concerned about how Your Excellency’s reform plan will affect their interests. Shouldn’t we leave the reform of the lawmakers to the lawmakers themselves?”

“Hahahaha, does a monk cut his own hair? [idiom for ‘why would someone harm themselves’] If I hadn’t made such a fuss, would the lawmakers have even started?”

“……”

“Since you can’t do it yourselves but you hold the legislative power, someone has to take the lead. How about the chairman of the ruling party taking the lead? I heard you’re planning to run for president?”

“Well, I’m in a position to convey the opinions of the lawmakers….”

“You’re afraid that if you take the lead, you’ll be hated by the lawmakers and face disapproval in the party’s presidential primary, correct?”

“……”

“Instead of beating around the bush with pretexts, let’s speak frankly, Chairman.”

“Hmm, hmm, I acknowledge the justification, but we need to adjust the pace. We should discuss a political reform plan with the opposition party, but how about starting the three-term ban from the next National Assembly?”

“Are you suggesting that we count from the next National Assembly as term number one?”

“That’s right, Your Excellency.”

“No. It should be term number one now.”

“……”

“And I believe that elements such as the number of mandatory bill submissions, the salary, the aides, and the recall by the people should remain untouched and be implemented immediately from the next National Assembly.”

“I understand. I’ll ask the lawmakers for their opinions.”

A Seolleongtang [ox bone soup] dinner began.

The conversation continued even at the dinner table.

The chairman of the ruling party said, “I don’t believe local autonomous elected officials can manage if they’re unpaid and have to spend their own money. How about providing them with actual expenses instead of a salary?”

“I agree. I think we can cover actual legislative activities and family allowances for those with families.”

“And if local autonomy is implemented suddenly and completely, it will be confusing because it’s not prepared for. We should prepare the laws as soon as possible, but the timing of implementation should be adjusted step by step.”

“I’ve heard there are administrative concerns. We have to prevent confusion, so we have to heed that advice. However, the core elements of unpaid honorary positions and recall by the people are non-negotiable.”

“We will gather opinions through public hearings and create a bill with the agreement of both the ruling and opposition parties.”

“You don’t usually say that, but you emphasize the agreement between the ruling and opposition parties whenever political reform is mentioned.”

“……”

“Are you trying to quietly back down if the opposition party strongly opposes it?”

The chairman, caught off guard by the President, was startled.

“Ah, no. It’s not just a problem for the ruling party, but a problem for all lawmakers.”

“Instead of thinking that a doctor is performing surgery on himself, isn’t it simpler to view it as legislating the people’s opinions like any other bill?”

“……”

* * *

National Assembly.

The Special Committee on Political Reform was in session.

The ruling and opposition parties were represented in equal numbers, with a total of 10 members crafting the provisions.

While organizing the contents that the President and the ruling and opposition parties had discussed, the lawmakers were filled with resentment.

“I can’t do it because I’m doing something that cuts my own neck [harming themselves].”

“Surely we’re not going to implement all of this as it is, are we?”

“This is a golden district [safe seat], so I can easily serve seven terms, but you’re telling me to quit next time! No way. Let’s haggle! Let’s ban more than five terms!”

“Is five terms the real issue right now? Can you submit 20 cases a year while living in the lawmakers’ dormitory without aides and receiving only a small salary?”

“That’s right. If I had studied that hard, I would have gone to Seoul National University [prestigious university]. It’s impossible at this age. I can’t last even a year.”

“You’re telling the old people to leave and only the young people to do it, so the National Assembly will be full of children. Is this even reasonable?”

“It’s not going to be solved by clinging to one thing.”

“But public opinion supporting political reform is over 80%. What did we do so wrong? When did you pick me?”

“That’s what I’m saying. If their stomachs hurt so much, they should run for office themselves.”

“Ah, I’m frustrated!”

The lawmakers spent several days in vain, only lamenting.

Then, lawmaker Choi of the ruling party made a proposal to the opposition lawmaker.

“Well, what do you think of this plan?”

“Do you have a good idea?”

“We’re making a deal with the President. Giving and taking.”

“I know we’re receiving, but what can we give to the President?”

“Isn’t this the President’s last term?”

“So?”

“We’re pursuing a three-term constitutional amendment.”

He played a significant bargaining chip.