This Is How I Became a Chaebol

143 : happy worries

“Chief Kim, stay still. Boss Wu is talking. So, what is productivity?”

“Productivity drops about 8%. It is a serious loss.”

“Are you serious? How much is that 8% in money?”

“Yes, the goal of completing the first phase of Pohang Iron and Steel Co. is to produce 1 million tons of steel per year. Based on that, a loss of about 80,000 tons per year, or about $8.8 million in sales, occurs. If we expand to 10 million tons a year in the future, we will see a huge loss of sales of 88 million dollars.”

The price of steel, which was originally $100 per ton, rose tremendously after the Suez Canal was blocked, but then returned to a stable price level of $110.

However, since countries around the world have realized the seriousness of steel shortages and demand for steel stockpiling is increasing, a mid- to long-term price rise was obvious.

So, Japanese steelmakers are trying to use Pohang Iron and Steel as a subcontractor for processing semi-finished products, but they are using tricks to block expansion.

Furthermore, considering that steel prices will skyrocket due to oil shocks, the U-shaped structure will be a painful loss.

“her! $88 million!”

“Your Excellency, the bigger problem is that it is not a one-off loss, but that it will continue to occur as long as Pohang Iron and Steel survives.”

Next to him, Assistant Secretary Seok reminded me of the seriousness of the matter.

“Your Excellency, there is no exaggeration like this. What and how much will Pohang Iron & Steel expand, what kind of loss is 88 million dollars!”

Representative Kim Joong-pil intervened, waving his arms.

“No, then Congressman Kim has no intention of expanding Pohang Iron and Steel? No, I was wondering who approved such an outrageous design change, but was it possible that Congressman Kim led it?”

“What are you talking about…”

I hung up on Congressman Kim’s slip of the tongue.

The moment he hit the mark, Rep. Kim flinched.

“Rep. Kim… Are you really saying you touched Pohang Iron and Steel? Don’t you know where this is?”

“Your Excellency, you are misunderstanding. How can I…”

“We make weapons, warships, and tanks with the iron that comes out of here. To touch this is treason! I don’t even know!!”

The president is a quick-witted nobleman.

I realized that Kim Joong-pil was up to something.

Moreover, the president placed a special meaning on the steel mill. Isn’t it the result of a dramatic achievement of a plan that had been wandering like a bupyeongcho by attracting the Pittsburgh Union?

Thanks to the Pohang Iron and Steel project here, we were able to win a landslide victory in the 1967 presidential election.

Rep. Kim Joong-pil’s complexion turned earthy at the president’s cold expression.

“Your Excellency, I brought the Japanese engineer you ordered.”

“Uh… this is… where…”

At just the right timing, a court agent brought Jojaburo Ueno.

“You, who changed the design here?”

The President’s words were immediately translated by a staff member of the Secretariat.

“Immersion-type ports are helpful in shortening the air-time and logistics…”

Empty!

“Shut up! I asked who did it under whose name!”

“Say it! His Excellency orders it.”

“Quaaagh!”

The president shouted, smashing the table with his fist. Then, the police officer who was watching the president’s face violently pressed Ueda on the nape of the neck.

Of course, the guy went to sleep.

“Sang Kim… Sang Kim… Help me… Kwaaa…”

“Tell me right!”

Even if he collapsed on the floor and fell to his knees, there was no mercy in the hands of the jungjeong agent.

In the realm of the president in the ’60s, no one could disobey him.

“Answer me! Who is it!”

“Kim Sang! help me… Everything is fine as long as you do what you say… aaah…you said you Please help. I will die.”

“What… what? Economic President?”

As Ueda may not have known, President Park was extremely fluent in Japanese. Interpretation was only a façade.

“Uh… Your Excellency, you misunderstood.”

“There are so many misunderstandings these days. seaweed. middle. Phil. lawmaker.”

At the words of the president, the surroundings became chilly.

It touched the incarnation of his power.

What the omnipotent president is afraid of.

That’s someone taking his place.

“seaweed. middle. Phil… Did you brag about yourself as an economic president? When was the Republic of Korea a country where the political president and the economic president were separated?”

“Uh… that’s… at a drinking party… misunderstanding. misunderstanding!”

Congressman Kim put his head on the ground, but it was already too late.

“Someone devoted blood and sweat to make iron, and someone thought to enrich their stomachs with that iron. It’s not vulgar, this is treason. State treason!”

“dismissal!!!!”

“Take them all away! Investigate thoroughly! The Economic Planning Board, the National Assembly High School, the Blue House advisory professors, and all the authors involved are thrown away!”

The president jumped up from his seat and pointed his finger in all directions.

Those who challenged his power must have been nipped in the bud.

“His Excellency has commanded. Catch them all!!!”

“wake up!”

“Uh, I’m not wrong.”

“I am not! No.”

“That will be judged at Namsan! wake up!”

“no. Not me!”

All attendees were taken away by the courtiers, and only me and Assistant Minister Seok Ki-hoon were left.

“I tried to get drunk for the first time in a long time because of a good thing, and it happened like this.”

The president trembled.

It seemed that his anger had not calmed down yet.

“I’m sorry, but I think there must be people around Congressman Kim who instigated it.”

“Yeah, you have to throw it all away. Drink later.”

“Yes, Mr. President. Take a look.”

I bowed my back at 90 degrees and politely sent them off.

The president was even greeted, and left in a hurry.

Perhaps the purge will go well.

Originally, even in history, Kim Joong-pil was kicked out around this time, so if you look around, there will be plenty of reasons to kick him out.

More than any other reason, the president, who felt a sense of crisis in his power, cannot just stand by.

If it is possible, my job will be much easier if the cabinet is reorganized to focus on the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Anyway, the bar was empty.

There were plenty of makgeolli and side dishes left.

“Let’s have a drink by ourselves.”

“…thanks to that, the steel mill was built properly. thank you Boss Wu.”

Deputy Minister Seok seemed to be surprised by the president’s hazing, but he was completely withdrawn.

I wanted to change the atmosphere.

There is no reason for a person who has worked hard to be intimidated.

“We all suffered together. I can’t let these guys ruin it. Rather, they all come in. What are you doing standing there? We are not guilty! Isn’t this the place where we are originally celebrated today?”

I opened the door and called out to the people gathered in the front yard.

They were members of the promotion committee and officials from Dorim Construction.

“Um… can I really go in?”

“Come in. Those who suffer must eat. Are you going to throw away this expensive food?”

“Wow! I see.”

“Hey, is this Blue House Makgeolli?”

“Is it rice makgeolli? It’s really sweet.”

Everyone was happy when they came inside after their bodies and minds were frozen.

“President Eun, I will give you some dredgers and heavy equipment from Daese, so please return to the port.”

“Oh, thank you. Of course you should. To do that, I have to turn to caisson construction, but some of them are made in Daesei. Time is running out.”

“There is something I was making at Ulsan Port, so I will share some of it. Of course it’s not free.”

“Hahaha, Chairman Seok Ki-hoon will take care of the money.”

“It’s Caisson, we have to pay the price as soon as you bring it. If you make the quay wall straight, no one will be able to turn it into a U shape.”

“Okay. Let’s do it.”

I, President of Dorim Engineering & Construction, Deputy Minister Seok. The three talked well. Makgeolli and green onion pancakes went smoothly.

Business talk came from all sides.

When everything went well, everyone’s expression changed.

“Come on, let’s toast! For Pohang Iron & Steel!”

“For Pohang Iron & Steel!”

“Stand straight up! up to the sky!”

“To the sky!”

“Waaa!”

It’s been a long time since I said pour and drink.

The president gave me a proper seat and went.

***

a few days later,

“Hey, is this great?”

I couldn’t help but be surprised when I read the newspaper.

“Kim Joong-pil’s lawmakers are expelled from the Democratic Republican Party. Party Chairman Kim Joong-pil announces retirement from politics”

All kinds of newspapers made a special mention of Kim Joong-pil’s retirement.

Pohang Jecheolgun investigated the area around Democratic Republican Party Chairman Kim Joong-pil, and the act was unexpectedly discovered.

“In order to prevent President Park from amending the constitution for a third term, we need to secure an obstruction force, and we must make every effort to prevent President Park from becoming more ambitious in politics. In the 1971 election, our alternative is only party chairman Kim Joong-pil…

A part of the document called ‘City Judgment’ that members of Kim Joong-pil had was leaked to the media.

It was absurd to say that it was a document found within the ruling party, and from the president’s point of view, treason would not have been like this.

The Democratic Republican Party immediately expelled the Kim Joong-pil group, and the chairman Kim Jung-pil resigned from all public posts and submitted a resignation report. Not only did he lose his party chairmanship, but he also lost his seat in the National Assembly.

It must be busy purging for a while because it is dark under the lamp.

“Reorganization of the Presidential Secretariat. Reorganized into the 1st Secretary for Political Affairs and the 2nd Secretary for Economy”

A reorganization of the office was also included.

It was an announcement externally through the secretary’s office that he was both a political president and an economic president.

***

A few days later, Seongsu-dong headquarters.

“Congratulations on becoming the second chief economic secretary. Now I will meet you at the Blue House, not at the government building.”

“Haha, it’s all thanks to President Woo. Being the senior secretary at the deputy minister of commerce and industry, it seems that it is absolutely not my ability to go through special promotion after special promotion like this.”

“You worked hard, so luck follows.”

Suddenly, Vice Minister Yum Won-cheol came to the headquarters.

Originally, I should have gone to say congratulations, but Secretary Yeom Won-cheol came to visit.

The round personality is really outstanding.

“I am sorry that the Ministry of Commerce and Industry was unable to speak out about the Pohang Steelworks case. Since the National Assembly is in the middle, fighting between government ministries doesn’t look good either.”

Rep. Kim Joong-pil got involved and said he was cautious. That must be the reason you came to say hello to me.

“I understand. The Economic Planning Board and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry fight every day or two, but I couldn’t speak out every time. Still, now that you have become the chief secretary, I think you will take good care of the national key industries.”

“It should be. If the boss hadn’t raised the issue, I would have been really stuck. This should never happen again.”

“Has the president followed up?”

“Yes, of course. The politicians and advisory professors who initiated the outrageous design changes were all stripped, and the entire cabinet was reorganized.”

“I’m glad.”

Sooner or later, heavy chemical industrialization will be declared.

A little earlier than the original history.

In any case, if someone from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry takes over the secretary’s office, there will be much less trouble with Korean-Japanese connections in the future.

Deputy Minister Seok Ki-hoon also said that the situation was not a result of his lack of political power, rather than his ability or enthusiasm.

“Anyway… this story is incidental, and I visited because I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

I thought it was strange

There was no reason for Senior Secretary Yeom Won-cheol to come to me to talk about this.

“It would be good to leave the country soon and be away for a couple of months.”

“You want to go abroad? May I ask why?”

“As you may have seen in the newspapers, even within the ruling party, there were forces opposing your Excellency’s 3rd term constitutional amendment. At this, His Excellency is furious, and all walks of life are accepting oaths of loyalty.”

“… an oath of allegiance…”

“Yes, I am confirming my intention to support His Excellency’s constitutional amendment for a third term in any way. Wouldn’t it be nice for President Woo to be involved in it?”

I was really grateful to Senior Secretary Yeom Won-cheol.

To be honest, I would have known that I could not agree to a constitutional amendment for a third term.

However, if they do not express their support and remain silent, it is like getting hate hair stuck in the Blue House.

In this case, it was best to leave the seat.

“Even so, I was going to leave because of the Jordan project. A couple of months is a lot on the construction site.”

“Then, you know that. And if there is an urgent matter, I will send you the news by telex.”

“I would appreciate it if you would do that.”

It was said that he would contact me when the pledge of allegiance season was over.

Was secretary Yeom Won-cheol such a meticulous person?

Did Na Jeong-ryeom, Chief of Staff, advise?

“And when you return home, please stop by Indonesia for a while. The Indonesian government seems to have a lot of questions about patrol ships. The navy will respond, but in terms of ship technology, it would be better for the shipyard to respond.”

“There is nothing difficult. I heard that there is a consulate in Indonesia. Can we go there?”

“Yes, you can. We’ll take care of the rest.”

Apparently, negotiations on diplomatic ties are speeding up.

So, do not respond with sincerity.

“Then, take a look.”

I sent secretary Yeom and called Bill Bain.

It was because I had to take care of the current status of the international trend before going abroad.

Recently, exports to the United States have increased tremendously, so an update was needed.

“Did you call, boss?”

“I think I will be in Jordan for a while. I think we should start after grasping the current status of Daesae International.”

“I was going to report it anyway. We are still counting sales, but it is likely to more than double the sales of gold skin, which was the highest quarterly sales ever.”

“Is it twice as much?”

At that time, I really risked my life to turn my factories and subcontractors into full-fledged sales, but that’s twice as much?

“Yes, the unit price of sneakers and sportswear is high, so sales and profit margins exceed 50%. I am also an American, but it is really funny and strange that the more expensive it is, the more people will buy it.”

“That kind of luxury marketing works because the quality of our products supports it.”

In a way, it was natural.

Looking at 21st-century products in the 60s makes my eyes go round.

“You are right. Starting from the last Olympics, our trending products clearly planted a high-end product image for sportswear and functional clothing. That’s why I also had a lot of fun concerns.”

“Are you having trouble?”

Seeing that he said he was worried with a grin, it seemed that he was worried about increasing sales.