The Chaebol Returns To The Presidency 1967 [EN]: Chapter 92

재벌총수가 대통령으로 회귀함1967 재벌총수가 대통령으로 회귀함 1967-92화(92/225)

92. Short and impactful!

“If the Speaker of the National Assembly suddenly calls for a vote, it’s over. To prevent that, let’s assign shifts, even at night, ensuring at least 10 lawmakers remain in the main assembly hall to guard it!”

With such resolve, ruling and opposition party lawmakers, in groups of about 10, set up camp. They laid out blankets on the floor of the main assembly hall and staged a sit-in, creating quite the spectacle.

The ruling party leader, meeting the opposition party leader in the National Assembly restroom, spoke while relieving himself at the urinal.

“Doing it this way is perfect for killing time without anyone getting blamed, right?”

“What’s there to say? It’s not like we’re just idling; the ruling and opposition lawmakers are working their butts off, so who would dare say anything? Already, a month has flown by, hahaha.”

“Hehehe-”

* * *

Seventh Mining Zone.

Tututu!

A helicopter landed on the Exxon oil drilling ship.

Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Jung and the President stepped out.

Having received an urgent report, they had hurriedly flown in.

“Welcome, Your Excellency!”

Captain Smith of Exxon greeted the two dignitaries.

The President shook hands and asked.

“You said crude oil has been struck?”

“Yes, that’s right. Look over there.”

Black liquid was gushing from the drilling pipe, and the floor of the drilling ship was soaked with the black liquid.

Workers were mobilizing equipment to contain the spill.

The captain led them to his office and reported on the progress.

“This morning at dawn, crude oil was struck in the 29th drilling hole. This is a crude oil sample, Your Excellency.”

A glass beaker, about a meter long, was filled with black liquid.

The President smiled broadly.

“Hahaha, so this is black gold!”

“We will present the first crude oil to Your Excellency as a gift.”

“Oh, thank you.”

Minister Jung asked.

“Has the economic feasibility been confirmed?”

“We are currently analyzing the quality of the crude oil. Preliminary tests indicate it is of the highest grade, but we are conducting precise tests.”

“When will full-scale production begin?”

“Once the quality is confirmed, we need to precisely inspect the nearby continental shelf to determine the optimal drilling location. Then, we can drill the production well, connect the pipelines, and transport it to the Yeosu Petrochemical Complex through a submarine pipeline via a storage tank. We expect it will take about a year.”

The President said.

“One year… that’s not much time left. I have an important request to make of you, Captain.”

“Please, tell me, Your Excellency!”

“Please do not announce it externally yet. Of course, you must report to the US government, but provide the information to the White House on the condition that they do not inform the press. We will inform the Yuldok Kingdom [likely a fictional ally or partner nation].”

“Is there a special reason?”

“The oil in the 7th mining zone is directly related to the security of Northeast Asian countries. We must assess the impact on surrounding countries, including North Korea, and prepare countermeasures with the US government before disclosing it.”

“Understood, Your Excellency!”

The President was preparing for the potential oil shock [a sudden, significant change in oil prices or availability].

He wasn’t just aiming to enjoy the oil wealth but was also devising a plan to redefine international relations.

The problem was his upcoming retirement. If the leadership changed, the continuity of policies couldn’t be guaranteed.

Tututu!

The helicopter took off.

Despite the good news that crude oil had been struck, worry clouded one side of the President’s face.

* * *

Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy’s Office.

Minister Jung said he had something important to tell the President, so they had dinner together while talking.

While eating the delivered Seolleongtang (ox bone soup), the President said.

“Becoming an oil-producing country offers two paths: prospering or failing.”

“Is there a path to failure even when becoming an oil-producing country?”

“Are Venezuela, Libya, Algeria, Brazil, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia doing well?”

“…….”

“They feast on oil money, but their national power is weak. Only the regimes and royal families that own the oil fields are enriched. There are countries that provide national welfare solely with oil money without taxes, but the Middle East was brutally defeated by a small country called Israel.”

“…….”

“If people get drunk on free welfare, would they bother to study, research, or develop technology? They buy foreign workers with money, buy technology, buy goods, and enjoy abundance. They become fat pigs. If it’s just a country with crude oil, what will happen when the crude oil runs out or the oil prices drop?”

“Ah, I think I understand what you mean.”

“Politicians tend to choose the easy path. Then, only the power struggles surrounding the oil fields become fierce. In the end, they regressed due to oil civil wars and foreign invasions. On the other hand, the United States has the largest crude oil reserves, but under the assumption that there is no oil, they chose a strong competitive system and became a superpower in the 21st century. Who can beat the United States armed with advanced technology.”

“That’s right. That’s the power of the United States.”

“We need to learn from that. You become a top navigator by fighting against rough seas. In a calm lake, you only think about taking a raft and fishing. If you don’t have the ability to protect the storage, you become a powder keg like the Middle East. There are so many South American countries that have failed after becoming oil-producing countries. Would North Korea, China, the Soviet Union, and Japan just leave a well-fed and lazy Korea alone? ”

“That’s right. If there is no wealth, even a harmonious family that used to share a single bean will have a dogfight when a large fortune suddenly appears.”

“I’m very worried about how the next leader will set the framework. They will generously make populist promises and take votes with sweet talk, saying they will let people live without worrying about money, right?”

“That’s right. If they say they will solve food, clothing, and shelter without working, who would study, sweat, and go to the military? Ah! So, Your Excellency was keeping the success of the crude oil drilling a secret! To block populist promises in the upcoming election.”

“That’s right. We should announce it after the presidential and general elections are over. Looking at how the National Assembly is running now, I really can’t sleep at night. The political reforms we promised are gradually regressing, and it’s questionable whether they will even pass.”

“The public opinion is absolutely in favor of political reform, but the politicians are turning a blind eye.”

“The ruling and opposition parties are colluding and dragging out the parliamentary schedule.”

“Those gangster-like bastards! They won’t come to their senses unless we push them with tanks! Or we should dissolve the National Assembly!”

“If the President continues to pressure the National Assembly, they will seize on it as parliamentary oppression and rather embark on an anti-government struggle. And now, we can’t do it by force. That’s the last emergency measure. Now is the time to exercise political power.”

“Sigh~ Doesn’t the ruling party listen either?”

“They treat me like a toothless tiger because it’s the end of the President’s term. The presidential candidate registration is just around the corner. They are lining up for the presidential election now and don’t care about the Blue House [the presidential residence and office].”

“Hmm….”

“Actually, I did get a sweet offer from the ruling and opposition parties.”

“The ruling and opposition parties?”

“They said they would approve the third-term constitutional amendment, so let’s just skip the National Assembly reform.”

“Ah, there was such an offer. I suppose you refused?”

“Of course. If we only become materially prosperous without political advancement, the country will be ruined by vested interests and corruption. The people will just become well-fed cows and pigs. Since a verbal promise is also a promise, the President took the lead in giving up privileges and trusted the lawmakers, but now they are doing this.”

“Maybe it would have been better to accept the third-term constitutional amendment.”

“Maybe. Looking back, I sometimes wonder if I should have done that.”

“Your Excellency, the soup is getting cold, please have a spoonful.”

The two put the cooling soup into their mouths.

They crunched on large pieces of radish kimchi.

The rice didn’t go down well.

Minister Jung finally brought up the main point.

“Your Excellency, you once asked me if I had any thoughts of doing politics, right?”

“I did.”

“Is that question still valid?”

President put down his spoon. His eyes lit up.

“Are you going to do politics?”

“I decided that I would never do politics in this life, but I guess fate cannot be resisted. If given the opportunity, I will do politics.”

The President held his hands tightly.

“Oh, you thought well. You made a really good decision, Minister Jung!”

“I will register as a presidential candidate. And I will do it short and impactful. As a bridge to the next regime.”

Minister Jung’s words ‘I will become a short and impactful bridge’ were a very meaningful declaration.

However, the President just took it to mean that he would not seek long-term power.

The President encouraged Minister Jung.

“There’s nothing difficult. It’s like someone who has been president becoming president again. You know your achievements and faults better than anyone else, so you will do much better than me. I will push you as much as I can.”

“Thank you, Your Excellency!”

“Now I can sleep soundly, hahaha!”

The worry disappeared from the President’s face.

“Oh, right, Minister Jung, join a political party first. You need to have party affiliation to run.”

“Understood, Your Excellency!”

“It will be urgent to raise your profile as a politician first.”

“…….”

“Now, let’s finish eating.”

The two emptied their bowls.

* * *

Panmunjom [the Joint Security Area between North and South Korea].

Minister Jung met with the head of the North Korean Organization Guidance Department.

On the desk was a glass bottle filled with black crude oil.

The head of the Organization Guidance Department turned the glass bottle around, looking at it with curiosity.

“Is this the oil that was drilled from the 7th mining zone?”

“That’s right.”

“Is oil originally this cloudy and black?”

“It’s because it’s still in the crude oil state, not yet refined.”

Minister Jung opened the lid, soaked a cotton swab in it, and lit it.

Whoosh~

The smell of oil filled the air, and the flame blazed.

“Oh, it’s really oil!”

“It came from a test drilling hole. It will take some time for full-scale drilling.”

“The Supreme Leader is very interested in South Korea’s oil.”

“That’s why I’m saying this, even though we made a declaration of inter-Korean exchange, the exchange is still sluggish. We need to build a reputation in advance for the South and North to have industrial exchange. Otherwise, the opposition party will block the oil from going to the North.”

“Does the party dare to block it when the President orders it?”

“The Republic of Korea is a democratic country with three branches of government. It must be agreed upon by the ruling and opposition parties and the government to be realized.”

“Gee, it’s so inefficient.”

“That’s why I’m saying this, how about the North’s Premier visiting Seoul?”

“Uh, there was such a discussion internally anyway.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Due to security issues, how about the South’s President coming to Pyongyang?”

“Hmm, if the Premier comes, I can go to Pyongyang in return, but I hope the North will take the first step, even if it’s troublesome. Even if the leaders just shake hands with a light heart without a special political agenda.”

“Putting meaning in the meeting itself… Uh, then how about the two leaders meeting here at Panmunjom fairly?”

“Hmm, that’s also a way to increase realism.”

“I will submit it to the Pyongyang leadership.”

“Yes. The sooner, the better.”

“Understood, Minister.”

* * *

Panmunjom.

The news of the first inter-Korean summit drew worldwide attention.

Minister Jung accompanied the President and looked at the North from the South Korean military demarcation line.

The movements of the security guards from the North became busy.

After a while, Premier Kim appeared.

Minister Jung approached Premier Kim.

They knew each other because they were acquaintances.

“Minister Jung, you’ve worked hard.”

The Premier shook hands with Minister Jung.

Reporters pressed the shutter diligently.