Chapter 101: Sincerity Acknowledged

After Mr. Cheol-gu held a press conference for the nation, newspapers and broadcasts made a big fuss about it every day.

< Woo Kwang Construction CEO Woo Seok Kim ordered the arson attack on the Woo Kwang fire!>

< In the fight between Wookwang Group brothers, only innocent employees died!>

< Woo Kwang Chemical's death insurance is only 100,000 won! We are holding large corporations accountable for their social obligations!>

Every newspaper article in South Korea was full of criticism of Woo Kwang.

Colorful articles poured out from the front page of the newspaper to the political, economic, social, cultural, and international sections.

The bereaved families of Woo Kwang Chemical appealed their grievances in tearful interviews, and university professors harshly criticized them in columns.

Just like newspapers, broadcasting stations also focused their attention on Woo Kwang every day.

-These days, interest in the Wookwang Chemical arson is heating up day by day. We will invite three experts to comment on this matter.

-This is the National Institute of Scientific Investigation. We came running after hearing the news that the scientific investigation results regarding the arson at Wookwang Chemical have been released!

– We investigated why a large quantity of flammable materials that were not handled at all at the factory were discovered!

Supported by newspapers and broadcasts, the unions staged protests every day.

“How can there be arson in the midst of Woo-kwang’s fight for power! Woo-kwang must take responsibility for this unjust sacrifice!”

“Take responsibility! Take responsibility!”

“How can you say you don’t know without even saying sorry! Woo-kwang, apologize immediately!”

“Apologize! Apologize!”

Today, as always, opposition party members joined the protest of the Woo Kwang union.

The number of opposition party members raising their voices was so great that it was confusing whether this was the National Assembly or Woo Kwang’s headquarters.

“Chairman Kim of Wookwang, please explain immediately! Is it true that you set the fire because of a power struggle?”

“Power is more important than human life! That can’t be happening!”

But these days, not only opposition party members but also ruling party members have gathered in large numbers.

This is the moment when all the newspapers and media outlets started to criticize Woo Kwang.

It was a time when public sentiment toward Woo Gwang was boiling fiercely.

The members of the National Assembly, for whom public sentiment is power, could not miss this opportunity.

“Express your position properly! Reveal the truth and bow your head to the people and apologize!”

“Is this all we can do to recover from the damage caused by the arson at Wookwang Chemical? Is this the best Wookwang can do?”

“If you are the commander-in-chief, take responsibility as the commander-in-chief! Stop your cowardly silence!”

Whenever people gathered together, they would unanimously launch a barrage of criticism at Woo Kwang.

“This is why our country’s large corporations are problematic. They worked so hard that they died, but the death benefit is only 100,000 won?”

“What does power have to do with killing people like this?”

“When I saw the rain falling, my spirits suddenly dropped so I sold all my stocks!”

“It’s worth it for such an evil company to go out of business! From now on, I will never use Wookwang products!”

This wasn’t the only bad news for Woo-kwang.

One day, people in suits suddenly stormed into the headquarters of Wookwang Group.

They shouted, shoving the warrant in their hand.

“The prosecutor’s office has arrived. We will now begin the search and seizure.”

He started to haphazardly stuff Woo-Gwang’s ledgers and documents into the box he had brought.

I rummage through my desk, open my cabinets, and sweep things away.

The day after the prosecution swept through, another group came rushing in.

“The IRS has come out. Tax evasion charges have been confirmed.”

For companies, the thing that was scarier than the prosecution was the National Tax Service.

Is there a company in the world that doesn’t produce dust when you shake it?

Among them, Wookwang was a representative company that grew in size through collusion between politics and business.

Ring ring! Ring ring!

No matter how many times I call, he doesn’t pick up.

Director Jang groaned and put down the phone in the messy office that looked like it had been swept through by a typhoon.

“Neither the Prosecutor General nor the Commissioner of the National Tax Service answer the phone.”

Chairman Kim was silent.

“It’s the same for both broadcasting station directors and newspaper presidents who don’t answer the phone.”

Chairman Kim just looked out the window with his luggage on his back.

Today, too, the Wookwang union was protesting in front of the headquarters, wearing union vests and holding picket signs.

“Not only the ruling party, but even the opposition party members are not answering the phone. Not only the Blue House security office, but also the secretariat and······.”

Ring ring!

It was a phone call from the chairman’s office.

Director Jang received a phone call in a hurry.

Director Jang’s already pale complexion immediately turned dark.

Click.

The hand that put the phone down was extremely solemn.

“I got a call from the Blue House.”

“At the Blue House?”

“I heard His Majesty is summoning the Chairman. I heard he is very angry.”

Chairman Kim shut his eyes tightly.

It was an expression that said what was coming had come.

But that doesn’t mean I can’t go when the President calls me.

“I think you should go with a strong resolve.”

Director Jang’s voice was full of resignation and worry.

* * *

The Blue House Presidential Office.

The Blue House mark was printed large in gold on the wall, and the national flag was hanging above the desk in the office.

The President, who was sitting at his desk in his office reviewing a report, closed the document with a loud thud.

“Are there this many high-ranking officials who took bribes from Woo Gwang?”

The Chief of Staff of the Blue House watched carefully.

The payment documents submitted by the chief secretary included a list of bribe ledgers received from Taesung.

“I don’t think it’s wrong to take a moderate amount of favor from behind. But this is going too far.”

It was a voice that could be felt as anger.

“If we kick out all these guys, the government of the Republic of Korea will be paralyzed. You must not be making fun of me.”

In fact, there were many more people recorded on the list that Taesung submitted.

There was only a list of the political enemies of the Chief of Staff and the Chief of Security who had no intention of being persuaded.

The rest of the humans have already been lured and subdued by this weakness.

“Your Majesty, what should we do?”

“Take it. Wherever the public sentiment is, that’s where I should be.”

It was a government with flawed legitimacy because it came to power through a military coup.

The only thing the president had to fear was public opinion.

A situation where public sentiment is pointing fingers at Woo-kwang and throwing stones.

“The presidential election is just around the corner. This year, not only will there be an election for delegates to the National Unification Council, but there will also be a general election.”

It was a very important year politically.

After the 9th presidential election, the 10th general election for the National Assembly was scheduled.

“It is time for the ruling party to win an overwhelming victory. This means that it is time, more than ever, to listen to public sentiment.”

After the October Yushin, the laws regarding not only the presidential election but also the general election were changed.

Of the 231 members of the National Assembly, 154 seats were elected through a multi-member district system, and 77 seats were elected through an indirect election system under the name of the Yushin Political Friendship Association.

This year marks the end of the first six-year term of the Yushin regime.

Therefore, the president had no choice but to desperately hope for a landslide victory for the ruling party.


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“The protests by the Wookwang union are growing stronger day by day. Should we send in police officers to silence them?”

“Leave it.”

The president laughed.

“What good would it do if the government stepped in and tried to block public sentiment?”

He was the president who ordered a harsh crackdown on protests calling for the overthrow of the dictatorship and for workers’ rights.

“We must be wary of the opposition party gaining popularity due to the Woo Kwang union protests. We should also deploy ruling party members and fan the flames of popularity.”

It meant not to suppress union protests.

“The people listed here, especially the opposition party members, should be sent to the central government.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Chief of Staff to the President resigned to fulfill the purpose of the purge.

Only the president and the chief of security were left in the Oval Office.

The president couldn’t hide the smile at the corners of his lips.

“Your Majesty, Chairman Taesung Cha donated funds for the presidential election. He sent it to Jangchung-dong, and it’s quite a large amount.”

“Chairman Cha volunteered to sponsor? The sun rises in the west, that’s what it’s like.”

The president’s smile grew deeper.

“They say that when you’re about to die, you do things you’ve never done before. Has something happened to Chairman Cha?”

“There was almost an accident. This came out of Chairman Woo Kwang’s office.”

The chief of security at the Blue House placed a bundle of documents on the desk in his office.

The prosecutor’s mark was clearly affixed to the black document cover.

“This is a report prepared by the prosecution based on items found during the search and seizure of Wookwang Group.”

“Chairman Cha almost got into trouble because of something that came out of Chairman Woo Kwang’s office?”

“Woo-kwang and Tae-sung co-founded Tae-sung Chemical with the intention of getting engaged. I guess Woo-kwang was trying to cling to Tae-sung when he was in trouble because of the arson at the chemical plant.”

The president flipped through the papers.

“It seems that Chairman Woo Kwang attempted to fabricate witnesses and evidence. There were clear signs that he attempted to bribe his subordinates.”

“You tried to build a shield against Taesung.”

“Taesung is 5th in the business world, and Wookwang is 9th. If the two companies collapse together, the national economy will collapse. I guess he wanted His Majesty to cover it up. He’s a dirty guy.”

“Is your liver swollen?”

The president’s brow furrowed.

“Not only did you try to cover my eyes and ears, but you are now trying to blackmail me by holding the national economy hostage?”

Knock knock.

“Your Majesty, Chairman Kim Woo-kwang of Wookwang Group has arrived. What should we do?”

They say even a tiger will come if you call it.

The president answered coldly.

“Let me in.”

The president’s complexion was already red and bluish.

* * *

That night, again, the daily drama was interrupted midway by a news flash.

It was a press conference where Chairman Kim Woo-kwang of Wookwang Group apologized to the public, held in the main auditorium of Wookwang headquarters.

“Dear citizens, regarding the Wookwang Chemical arson, I, Wookwang Kim, on behalf of the Wookwang Group, bow my head and offer my deepest apologies.”

Click! Click! Click! Click!

As if they had been waiting, the camera flashes went off all at once.

“I bow my head and once again deeply apologize to the victims of Wookwang Chemical, their families, and the public.”

The presidents and executives of Wookwang’s affiliates shouted loudly.

“sorry!”

“I apologize!”

Chairman Kim Woo-kwang held up the apology he had written in advance with slightly trembling hands.

His voice trembled as softly as his hands and flowed through the microphone.

“We at Wookwang promise to dismiss the presidents of Wookwang affiliates who participated in the arson and to faithfully cooperate with the investigation by the prosecution and the central police. We also sympathize with the damage caused and have decided to establish the Wookwang Foundation by donating 1 billion won.”

Subtitles appeared in large letters on the television.

< Woo Kwang's Promise: Establishment of the Woo Kwang Foundation and Dismissal of Arsonists>

The presidents and executives of Wookwang’s affiliates all bowed their heads.

“Woo-kwang will not avoid responsibility!”

“I will receive a fair trial before the law!”

“We will become a company that the people can look up to without any shame!”

Chairman Woo Kwang Kim’s voice was extremely sad as he read the apology.

“In order to fundamentally resolve the anxiety of all customers and citizens who love Wookwang Chemical and to restore the trust of the market, I, Wookwang Kim, would like to make a decision to be reborn as a completely new company.”

Click! Click! Click! Click!

“I will step down from my position as CEO and reflect on myself.”

The television subtitles were immediately replaced.

< Chairman Kim Woo-kwang's decision to resign from his position>

“I, Kim Woo-kwang, will take the lead and take responsibility for the accident recovery.”

The presidents and executives of Wookwang Group also shouted loudly in somber voices.

“I will take responsibility!”

“It’s Woo-kwang’s fault!”

Chairman Kim of Woo Kwang bowed his head and looked straight at the camera.

“Lastly, I once again bow my head and deeply apologize to all those who suffered damage from this Wookwang Chemical fire and to the public.”

In this way, Chairman Kim of Wookwang stepped down from his position.

Immediately afterwards, the police were called in and the Woo Kwang union was suppressed, while the broadcasting cameras focused on the ruling party members.

Ruling party lawmakers cheered, sticking their faces into the cameras and pressing their lips to the microphone as they shouted loudly.

“Justice prevails! The ruling party and the people have won!”

“The evil corporation Woo Kwang has collapsed! Everyone, rejoice! The will of the people is the will of heaven!”

“We did it! This is a monumental moment, stopping the tyranny of big business and establishing justice!”

The broadcasting station cameras did not show a close-up of the Woo Kwang union members who had been shouting at the top of their lungs for several days.

The opposition party members who wore red ribbons and shouted along were not caught either.

When the police dispersed the unions, it did not appear that several opposition party members were dragged away.

The only people caught on TV and newspaper cameras were the ruling party lawmakers calling for victory and justice.

Click.

Grandpa turned off the television.

A heavy silence fell over the chairman’s office at Taesung Group headquarters as the sound of the television disappeared.

The silence was replaced by the ringing of a telephone bell.

-Chairman Cha, can you see my sincerity now?

He was the chief of security at the Blue House.

-I hear His Majesty is looking forward to the New Year’s lunch. I guess you can look forward to it.

“Thank you, sir.”

-Just keep doing what you are doing now. His Majesty would be very pleased. It would be even better if Taesung could contribute to the victory in this general election.

Grandpa put the phone down.

“Jeonghyeok, I think Grandpa needs to call an emergency meeting of the affiliate executives.”

My grandfather took me down from his lap.

I put down the Ssanghwacha I was drinking.

“Now, I would like you to tell me why you came to see this old man.”

I opened my coin purse and took out a few neatly folded pieces of paper.

It was all paper with a dazzling golden glow.

“Grandpa, do you know what this is?”

It was a letter of thanks sent to the person behind Taesung’s assistance.

“······!”

Grandfather’s eyes shook violently as if an earthquake had occurred.