＜The inevitable moment＞
After Mr. Cheol-gu held a public press conference, newspapers and broadcasters made a lot of noise every day.
＜President Kim Woo-seok of Wookwang Construction ordered the Wookwang fire to be set on fire!＞
＜Only innocent employees died in Wookwang Group’s brotherly fight!＞
＜Woo Kwang Chemical’s death insurance, only 100,000 won! Hold large corporations accountable for their social obligations!＞
All the newspaper articles in Korea were criticizing Woo-gwang.
Including the front page of the newspaper, articles in primary colors poured in from the political, economic, social, cultural, and international sections.
Woogwang Chemical’s bereaved family complained of their injustice through tearful interviews, and university professors scathingly slashed through their columns.
The broadcasting station, as well as the newspaper, focused on Woo-gwang every day.
-These days, there is a lot of interest in Wookwang Chemical’s arson. Let’s have three experts and take time to comment on this.
-This is the National Institute of Scientific Investigation. I ran to the news that the results of the forensic investigation on the arson of Wookwang Chemical came out!
-We covered the reason why a large amount of inflammable substances were found in the factory that was not handled at all!
Supported by newspapers and broadcasts, the Woogwang unions held demonstrations every day.
“What do you mean by arson in Woo-gwang’s fight for a seat! Woo-gwang, take responsibility for the unfair sacrifice!”
“Take responsibility! Take responsibility!”
“What do you mean I don’t know without saying sorry! Woo-gwang, apologize immediately!”
“Apologize! Apologize!”
As usual today, opposition lawmakers joined the protests of the Wookwang union.
A large number of opposition lawmakers raised their voices, making it difficult to understand whether this is the National Assembly or Woo-Kwang’s headquarters.
“Chairman Kim of Woogwang, please explain immediately! Is it true that you started the fire because of a real fight?”
“Are you saying that power is more important than human life? This cannot be!”
However, these days, not only opposition party lawmakers joined, but also a large number of ruling party lawmakers.
This is the yard where all the newspapers and media started to catch Woo-gwang.
It was a time when public sentiment toward Woo-gwang was boiling fiercely.
Members of the National Assembly, whose power is the public sentiment, could not miss this opportunity.
“Please express Woo-Kwang’s position properly! Reveal the truth and bow your head in apology to the people!”
“Is this the only way to fix the damage, let alone Wookwang Chemical’s arson? Is this Woo-gwang’s best?”
“If you are a total number, take responsibility like a total number! Stop the cowardly silence!”
Whenever people gathered together, they would fire arrows of criticism at Woo-gwang with one voice.
“This is a problem with large corporations in Korea. He died while working to the point of devoting himself to death, and the death benefit was only 100,000 won?”
“What is all the power to kill people like this?”
“Seeing Woo-Kwang go crazy, I sold all my stocks!”
“Such a vicious company is cheap even if it goes bankrupt! From now on, I will never use Woo-Kwang products!”
This wasn’t the only bad thing about Woo-gwang.
One day, people in suits suddenly burst into the headquarters of Wookwang Group.
They shouted out the warrant.
“I came from the prosecution. We will begin the search and seizure from now on.”
He began putting Woo-gwang’s ledgers and papers into the box he was carrying.
I rummage through the desk, open the cabinet, and sweep it.
The next day after the prosecution swept away, another group came in.
“It came from the IRS. The charge of tax evasion has been confirmed.”
It was the National Tax Service that was more terrifying to companies than the prosecution.
Is there any company in the world that doesn’t come out dust by shaking it off?
Among them, Wookwang was a representative company that grew in size through collusion between business and politics.
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No matter how many times I call, they don’t answer.
In the president’s office, which was a mess as if it had been swept away by a typhoon, Chief Jang moaned and put the phone down.
“Neither the Attorney General nor the Director of the National Tax Service is answering the phone.”
Chairman Kim was speechless.
“Both the head of the broadcasting station and the president of the newspaper do not answer the phone.”
Chairman Kim just looked through the window with his hands behind his back.
Today, Woogwang Labor Union, wearing a union vest and holding a picket, was demonstrating in front of the headquarters.
“Not only the ruling party, but also members of the opposition party do not answer the phone. The Blue House security office, as well as the secretariat…”
Follow me!
It was the phone ringing in the president’s office.
Chief Jang answered the phone urgently.
Chief Jang’s complexion, which was already pale, immediately turned black.
Click.
The hand that put the phone down was spleen.
“I got a call from the Blue House.”
“At the Blue House?”
“His Excellency is calling the president. You must have been very angry.”
Chairman Kim closed his eyes.
It was the expression that something was to come.
However, it is not possible not to go to the place where the president calls.
“I think you should be prepared to go.”
Jang’s voice was full of resignation and worry.
* * *
Office of the President of the Republic of Korea.
The Blue House logo was printed in gold on the wall, and the national flag hung above the desk in the office.
The president, who was sitting at his desk in the Oval Office and reviewing the report, closed the papers with a thud.
“How many high-ranking officials did Woo-gwang bribe?”
The chief of staff at the Blue House watched carefully.
The payment documents posted by the chief of staff included a list of bribery ledgers received from Taeseong.
“I don’t think I’m going to blame until I eat moderately from behind. But this is too much.”
It was an angry voice.
“If you beat all these guys, the state affairs of the Republic of Korea will be paralyzed. As long as you don’t look down on me.”
In fact, there were many more people on the list that Taeseong dedicated.
There, it was only listed as a list of political opponents of the chief of staff and chief of security who had no intention of appeasement.
The rest of the humans have already turned this into a weakness and have finished appeasing and subsuming it.
“Your Excellency, what shall we do?”
“Shake it off. Where the people’s heart goes is where I should be.”
It was a government with flaws in legitimacy because it came to power through a military coup.
There was only one thing the president had to fear, the public sentiment.
The public sentiment is pointing fingers at Woo-gwang and throwing stones.
“The presidential election is right around the corner. This year, elections for the representatives of the National Assembly for Unification will be held as well as general elections.”
It was a very important year politically.
After the ninth presidential election, the 10th general election was scheduled.
“It is time for the ruling party to win a landslide victory. This means that it is time to listen to the people more than ever.”
After the October Restoration, laws regarding general elections as well as presidential elections changed.
Out of a total of 231 members of the National Assembly, 154 seats were elected in the local constituency system, and 77 seats were elected in the direct election system under the name of Yushinjeongwoohoe.
At the end of this year, the first term of the six-year Yushin system will be completed.
Therefore, the president had no choice but to desperately hope for a landslide victory for the ruling party.
“The protests of the Wookwang union are getting stronger every day. Should we send police personnel to put it to rest?”
“Leave it.”
The president laughed.
“If the government steps in and tries to block public sentiment, it will be used.”
He was the president who ordered hard-line suppression during protests, calling for the overthrow of dictatorship and labor rights.
“We should be wary of the opposition party gaining popularity in the Woogwang union protests. Members of the ruling party are also put in, and they ignite the popularity.”
It meant not suppressing union protests.
“Send the people listed here, especially the opposition figures, to the Courtyard.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
The chief of staff at the Blue House stepped down to honor the will of the purge.
In the Oval Office, only the President and the Chief of Security were left.
The president couldn’t hide the smile on his lips.
“Your Excellency, Chairman Cha Tae-seong donated funds for the presidential election. I sent it to Jangchung-dong, but it is quite thick.”
“Chairman Cha volunteered to sponsor? The sun must rise in the west.”
The president’s smile deepened.
“When it’s time to die, you do something you shouldn’t. Was there anything wrong with Chairman Cha?”
“There would have been a change. Something like this came out of Woo-gwang’s office.”
The Chief of Security at the Blue House secretly placed a bundle of documents on the desk in the office.
The prosecution mark was stuck on the black document cover.
“This is the prosecution’s report based on the items from the search and seizure of the Wookwang Group.”
“Chairman Cha almost got into trouble because of the stuff from Woo-gwang’s office?”
“Woo-Kwang and Tae-Sung co-founded Tae-Sung Chemical on the premise of marriage, right? When Woo-gwang got into trouble because of the arson at the chemical plant, he must have tried to hang on to Tae-seong.”
The president flipped through the papers.
“It seems that Chairman Woo Kwang tried to fabricate witnesses and evidence. It was clear that he was trying to bribe someone below him.”
“I was trying to build Taeseong as a shield.”
“Taesung is 5th in the financial world, and Woo-gwang is the 9th in the financial world. When the two companies fall together, the national economy topples. I guess His Excellency wanted you to cover it moderately. He is a shameful bastard.”
“Is the tick swollen?”
The president’s brow crumpled.
“Is it not enough that you tried to cover my eyes and ears, are you trying to blackmail me by taking the national economy hostage?”
smart smart
“Your Excellency, Woo-Kwang Kim, Chairman of Woo-Kwang Group, has arrived. What should I do?”
I heard that even a tiger will come when I say it.
The president responded coldly.
“Let it in.”
The president’s complexion was already blushing.
* * *
That night, again, the daily soap opera was interrupted in the middle to break the news.
It was a public apology press conference by Chairman Kim Woo-kwang, CEO of Wookwang Group, held in the auditorium of Wookwang headquarters.
“Dear citizens, Regarding the arson of Wookwang Chemical, I, Woo-Kwang Kim, bow my head and offer a sincere apology on behalf of the Woo-Kwang Group.”
click! click! click! click!
As if waiting, the camera flash went off all at once.
“I bow my head and deeply apologize once again to the victims of Wookwang Chemical, their families, and the public.”
The presidents and executives of Woogwang’s affiliates shouted loudly.
“sorry!”
“I apologize!”
Chairman Woo-Kwang Kim held on to the apology he had written in advance with a small trembling hand.
His voice trembled as much as his hand and flowed through the microphone.
“We, Wookwang, dismissed the CEOs of Wookwang affiliates who were involved in the arson, promise to faithfully participate in the investigation by the prosecution and the court, and decided to donate 1 billion won to establish the Wookwang Foundation as we feel the damage.”
Subtitles appeared on the television in large letters.
＜Promise of Woo-Kwang: Establishment of Woo-Kwang Foundation and dismissal of arsonists＞
The presidents and executives of Woogwang’s affiliates all bowed their backs.
“Wu Guang will not shirk responsibility!”
“I will receive a fair judgment before the law!”
“We will become a company that is not ashamed of one thing by looking up to the people!”
Chairman Woo Kwang-Kim’s voice, as he read the apology, was extremely painful.
“I, Kim Woo-kwang, want to make a decision to be reborn as a completely new company in order to fundamentally relieve the anxiety of all customers and citizens who love Woo-Kwang Chemical and to restore the trust of the market.”
click! click! click! click!
“I will step down from the position of general manager and self-restraint.”
Television subtitles were immediately replaced.
＜Chairman Kim Woo-gwang decided to resign as general manager＞
“I, Kim Woo-gwang, will take the lead in handling the accident.”
The presidents and executives of Wookwang’s affiliates also shouted loudly with sorrowful voices.
“I will take responsibility!”
“It’s Woo-gwang’s fault!”
Chairman Kim of Woo Kwang looked straight at the camera and bowed his head.
“Finally, once again, I bow my head and deeply apologize to all the people who were affected by the Wookwang Chemical fire accident.”
That’s how Woo Kwang’s chairman Kim stepped down.
Right after that, the police were sent in and the Woogwang union was suppressed, and the camera was focused on the ruling party lawmakers.
Members of the ruling party were delighted and shouted loudly, putting their faces into the camera and putting their lips to the microphone.
“Justice wins! The ruling party and the people have won!”
“Wu Guang, an evil entrepreneur, has collapsed! Rejoice, people! The people’s heart is the heart of heaven!”
“We did it! This is a monumental moment in which the tyranny of large corporations was stopped and justice was established!”
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No close-up of the Woo-Kwang union members who had been shouting, “Break your throat” for several days was not seen anywhere on the broadcasting camera.
Opposition lawmakers who shouted together while wearing red belts were also not caught.
When the police disbanded the Woogwang unions, it did not come out that several opposition lawmakers were taken away.
The only thing caught on the camera of the broadcasting station and the newspaper was the ruling party lawmakers crying out for victory and justice.
Click.
Grandpa turned off the TV.
When the sound of the TV disappeared, there was a heavy silence in the chairman’s office at Taesung Group’s headquarters.
What replaced the silence was the ringing of the phone.
-Chairman Cha, if I do this, will my sincerity be seen?
He was the Chief of Security at the Blue House.
– His Excellency is waiting for the New Year’s luncheon. Maybe you can look forward to it.
“Thank you, chief.”
-Just do it like now. His Excellency was very pleased. It would be better if Taeseong contributed to the victory in the general election.
Grandpa put the phone down.
“Jung Hyuk, it seems like I need to urgently call an executive meeting of affiliates.”
Grandpa put me down on his lap.
I put down the ssanghwa tea I was drinking.
“Now I want you to tell me what happened to this grandfather.”
I opened my coin purse and pulled out some finely folded paper.
All of them were papers bursting with golden light.
“Grandpa, would you like to know what this is?”
It was a thank-you letter sent to Bae-Hoo for helping Tae-Sung.
“…!”
Grandpa’s eyes shook violently as if an earthquake had struck.
＜The inevitable moment＞ End