chapter 60
When Yun Ho-chang first entered politics, the target he aimed for was, of course, the president.
It was the dream of every politician to become the president of the Republic of Korea and lead the government himself.
Yun Ho-chang, who started as an aide to a member of the National Assembly, built a career in politics, worked as a city council member, and was elected mayor of Gunsan.
When he first became mayor of Gunsan, Yun Ho-chang was overflowing with confidence.
I believe that if I lead Gunsan City well and then become a provincial governor or a member of the National Assembly and gradually build up my career, I will be able to become the president someday.
However, the position of Gunsan Mayor was a poisoned Holy Grail.
Soon after Yun Ho-chang took office, the KM automobile plant was closed, and the situation in Gunsan City began to deteriorate.
Naturally, that resentment is bound to spill over to the mayor, Yun Ho-chang.
Going through such harsh years, Yun Ho-chang gradually had no choice but to let go of his dream of becoming president.
At this rate, he would be branded as an incompetent mayor and quietly disappear from the political world.
But what appeared at that time was Han Ji-hyeok’s public opinion.
Seron quickly filled the vacancy of KM cars, as well as reviving the shipyard, literally starting to feed Gunsan.
Thanks to this, Gunsan, where the population continued to flow out, rather began to increase with the influx of outsiders, and now it is evaluated as having reached a new heyday.
Only then did Yun Ho-chang feel confident that he could continue his political life, but Yun Ho-chang’s dream had already shrunk for a long time.
Not with the ambition to rise to a higher position, but to the level of being satisfied with where you are now.
In the first place, it was because of the power of Seron, not his own ability, that Gunsan City was revived.
However, the president of the theory, Han Ji-hyeok, recommends that he be the governor.
“Are you the governor?”
“Yes, Governor of Jeollabuk-do. It will become the chapter of only 9 provinces in Korea. I think Mayor Yun Ho-chang has the ability to do that.”
At Han Ji-hyeok’s words, Yun Ho-chang felt like the words that he knew right away would come out of his throat, but he desperately held it in.
Because I still don’t know what Han Ji-hyeok meant by saying this to him.
“Do I dare to become a provincial governor? The most likely candidate for governor now is Governor Kim Dae-oh, who served as the current governor and a member of the National Assembly for the third term.”
Then Jihyeok Han smiled and said.
“The important thing now is whether Mayor Yoon has the will to become governor. I don’t think I came to this place without thinking.”
“Do you mean… that you will give a declaration of support?”
If Han Ji-hyeok makes a declaration of support, it’s worth a try.
Even just attracting the votes of party members in Gunsan City and nearby cities, where the Seron Group and its partners are lined up, is quite enough.
“The declaration of support is a bit like that. To be honest, I’m not very interested in things like the left and the right, and if a business person clumsily takes one side, he might be attacked by the opposite faction, right?”
The chaebol just have a lot of money, and there is nothing wrong with making a declaration of support because it is an ordinary person.
However, because of the aftermath of the storm, everyone is just saving themselves.
Taking one side in the Korean political structure, where the two major parties are divided, meant turning the other side into an enemy.
“But I can help. For example… by using the skills that persuaded me to attract the Seron headquarters and partner companies to Gunsan.”
Can that really be called persuasion?
In fact, all I had to do was accept what Seron suggested.
However, there is no way that Han Ji-hyeok, who knows that fact better than anyone else, would have said that without any meaning.
“You know that Seron recently signed a contract with Seaway, right? This time, the contract has been completely concluded, so we have to select a site soon. Originally, I was going to do it anywhere in the nearby cities of Gunsan, but…”
Yun Ho-chang said while receiving Han Ji-hyeok’s words.
“As a candidate for the provincial governor’s race, I might be able to persuade the president to select a site in another city in Jeonbuk for the sake of equal development of the region.”
“Exactly.”
Compared to the metropolitan area and Gyeongnam area, Jeonbuk, which is inferior in terms of economic power and population, has always been thirsty for entry into large corporations.
But what if he persuades Chairman Han Ji-hyeok to make it look like he is attracting Seaway’s site to another city in Jeonbuk instead of Gunsan?
Those who do not know the details will feel that Yun Ho-chang is a talented person who will revitalize their local economy.
Like Gunsan, which is now in its heyday.
If Yun Ho-chang becomes the provincial governor of Jeonbuk, other cities can become like Gunsan.
How good are these words to use as an election frame?
Yun Ho-chang instinctively felt it.
this will definitely work.
“How is it?”
If he fell then, he almost said that he would lose his position as mayor, but Yun Ho-chang barely held it in.
Elections are originally a series of variables, so no one can predict the outcome.
But one thing was certain.
That this opportunity is the only ladder to go to a higher place that was given to you last.
After thinking for a while, Hochang Yun spoke.
“What do you get, President?”
“You will make good friends.”
An answer with many implications.
However, Yun Ho-chang accurately recognized the content underlying it.
“I promise you. You will have good friends forever.”
“okay. Are you going to do that?”
Hochang Yun nodded and said.
“yes. Let’s try. No, I will.”
*
Jeonbuk is a stronghold of the opposition party, so there is even a saying that if you win in the primary, you will automatically be elected.
So, everyone sharpened their swords to win the primary, but the story that two seats in Jeonbuk were already occupied was circulating within the party.
That is the governor of Gunsan City and Jeonbuk Province.
Since Gunsan City is enjoying its heyday with the growth of Saeron, support for the existing market was strong, and the governor of Jeonbuk-do was also receiving good reviews thanks to Saeron’s expansion into the surrounding area.
But suddenly something happened.
Someone broke out of one of the occupants’ seats and challenged another occupant.
That is Yun Ho-chang.
“Mayor Yoon.”
Kim Dae-oh, Governor of Jeonbuk Province, said to Yun Ho-chang.
“Why are you doing this all of a sudden? The mayoral election is almost certain.”
“If you go to the market, it will be like that. But I want to use my skills in bigger waters, not in the market.”
“ability? What, the one that almost ruined Gunsan City? Now, thanks to Seron, Gunsan City has risen to its feet, but have you already erased the withdrawal of the KM plant from your memory during your tenure?”
“It happened exactly one month after I took office. It is not my responsibility.”
“Then did you do the repairs properly? In fact, without Seron, Gunsan City was just hell. But do you wrap it up as an ability? Mayor Yoon, you’re surprisingly quite brazen, right?”
At Kim Dae-oh’s words, Yun Ho-chang said with a confident expression.
“I was the one who brought that theory to Gunsan. I did that by persuading Chairman Han Ji-hyeok.”
Then, Kim Dae-oh smiled and said.
“This is so crazy that it makes no sense. did you convince me? Are you?”
“yes. I persuaded Chairman Han Ji-hyeok, who was contemplating where to go. And even after that, I encouraged Seron to continue to contribute to the development of Gunsan City.”
“Have you ever lost your mind?”
Kim Dae-oh looked at Yun Ho-chang and said.
“It’s not too late now. I canceled my intention to participate in the provincial governor race, and I am satisfied with being the mayor.”
“I have no intention of repeating what I said once.”
Then, Kim Dae-oh shouted.
“You really want to try this with me? I am Kim Dae-oh!”
“I know.”
“Isn’t there anything that seems to have gained some popularity in Gunsan? good. let’s try it somewhere You’ll lose all of that humble mayor’s position, let alone the governor.”
As Kim Dae-oh left his seat, Yun Ho-chang, who had been silent for a while, called someone.
“Yes, Chairman. I just left.”
-What did you say?
“They laughed at me.”
-Then show me that I am not someone to be laughed at. I’ll make sure everything comes true as you say.
Words as strong as thousands of horses.
“of course.”
Hochang Yun, who finished the call like that, clenched his fists and said.
“You will definitely win. certainly.”
*
A total of five people ran as candidates for the Jeonbuk governor’s race.
Since three of them were running for the title of candidate, in fact, the provincial governor’s race was conducted as a bipartisan, such as Kim Dae-oh and Yun Ho-chang.
The approval ratings surveyed within the party were 75 percent for Kim Dae-oh and 25 percent for Yun Ho-chang.
At least 25 percent was brought because of the overwhelming support in Gunsan, but the gap was huge.
Due to the nature of the contest, which has a short campaign period, it is almost certain that Yun Ho-chang will lose.
However, when Yun Ho-chang took out his trump card, the situation began to reverse.
“At first, Chairman Han Ji-hyeok, no, he was the CEO at the time. At the time of our first meeting, CEO Han Ji-hyeok was contemplating the selection of a factory site for our partners. So I went ahead and persuaded him. Gunsan City is the answer you think. Gunsan is a city with enough potential for Seron to play an active role!”
Yun Ho-chang said to the party members.
“Of course it was not easy. Because CEO Han Ji-hyeok had no connection with Gunsan. CEO Han Ji-hyeok kept refusing because he had in mind Gyeonggi-do, where Seron shoes were located at the time. But I didn’t give up. We kept in touch and showed the vision of Gunsan City. and······.”
Hochang Yun shouted in a loud voice.
“Seron settled down in Gunsan City, and now Gunsan City has achieved unprecedented growth. Of course, I don’t think this was all done by myself! However, I am proud that the efforts I made to persuade CEO Han Ji-hyeok are second to none!”
Sit still Ho-chang Yun emphasizes and emphasizes that public opinion is not a result of inhaling luck, but the result of one’s own desperate efforts.
“But as Gunsan City grew like that, something else came to my mind. These are cities other than Gunsan City. Gunsan City is growing like this, how frustrating it must have been for reverse discrimination and regional imbalance that other cities must have felt. That’s why I decided. I will become a governor for the entire Jeollabuk-do including Gunsan-si, not just the mayor for Gunsan-si!”
Yun Ho-chang shouted with a confident expression.
“In that sense, I Yun Ho-chang! I will persuade Saeron to attract Seaway, which has recently become a hot topic, to an industrial complex in Jeonju, not Gunsan!”
Seaway drew attention when a large foreign company decided to invest directly in Korea for the first time in decades.
Party members from Jeonju said with a surprised look at the announcement that they would make the Seaway host in Jeonju, the garden of Kim Dae-oh, where one-third of Jeonbuk’s population resides and at the same time won Kim Dae-oh three terms as a member of the National Assembly.
“Is that for real?”
“Then is it great?”
A foreign-affiliated factory is coming into Jeonju, where there are almost no companies that can be called large companies.
Then, a supporter of Kim Dae-oh shook his head and said.
“Originally, when it comes to elections, we make promises to each other that we will attract a factory from a large company. However, only a few of them have been preserved. If all those promises were kept, there would probably be dozens of Saseong factories in Korea alone, right?”
“It is said that the reason why Seron was childish in Gunsan was because he persuaded him.”
“How can you believe that? Besides, even if it’s real, isn’t Han Ji-hyeok at the same level as the mayor? I’m sorry, so I’ll do as Yun Ho-chang says.”
Regardless of whether the party members were whispering or not, Yun Ho-chang steadfastly continued to speak.
“I remember what Chairman Han Ji-hyeok said later when he picked Gunsan City as the final site. He said he had never seen a person as tough as Mayor Ho-Chang Yun. With that mindset at the time, we will definitely demonstrate it for the growth of the entire Jeollabuk-do! Make me work for Jeonbuk! If you give me a chance, I will definitely succeed!”
Yun Ho-chang left after the campaign.
“Hmm… I think it’s real when you look at that level of detail…”
“What do you think is real? It was just luck that Han Ji-hyeok chose Gunsan to enter.”
“is it?”
Yoo Ho-chang’s campaign to attract Seaway Jeonju ended with such a long story.
But news came to them a week later.
The content of the news was that it was confirmed that Seaway was indeed hosted in Jeonju.
*
“Congratulations.”
At my words, Yoo Ho-chang lowered his head and said.
“It’s all thanks to Chairman Han.”
Yun Ho-chang, who now treats me with a very respectful attitude.
Of course it should.
This announcement raised the approval rating by 15 percent from 75 to 25 to 60 to 40.
“I deliberately delayed the site confirmation announcement, so it should have this effect.”
Originally, Seaway’s site confirmation announcement was scheduled after the primary.
After all, it would be better to see him keep his promise after the primary.
However, the party members were more determined than I thought, so I announced the confirmation of the site in a situation where the primary was not yet over to give shock therapy.
Of course, if this happens, the C-Way card has been used in advance, so the regions that were not selected may have complaints, but fortunately, new cards came into my hands again before that.
“Royal International. It’s a British company, but it’s worse than Seaway. Roughly 5 trillion won?”
Royal International, a British company whose negotiations have been progressing rapidly recently, has now signed the contract and only the final announcement remains.
It’s a company that makes household goods, and it’s a fairly famous brand in Europe.
“There are three more, but this one will be a little weak. Because they are companies that are less than 1 trillion won.”
At my words, Yun Ho-chang smiled brightly and said,
“That is enough.”
“Within two days, the contract companies will be announced, and the site will be distributed to the media as undecided, so take care of yourself.”
“Couldn’t you pick and tell me ahead of time? I thought I might make a promise to attract the president to an area he doesn’t like…”
“I guess so. Then, I will pick up a few candidates for each company and let you know, so choose a position that is advantageous to Candidate Yoo and use it for your campaign.”
“Thank you, Chairman.”
“What is it, everyone wants to be nice to each other.”
In the first place, the Gunsan Industrial Complex was full, so it had to expand to the surroundings.
In other words, from my point of view, this is something I have to do anyway, and it is at the level of being condescending.
So, it would be perfect to use this to push Ho-Chang Yun and make him a provincial governor.
The provincial governor has considerable authority only in Jeollabuk-do, from the right to urban planning to the right to appoint the head of a public institution.
If Yun Ho-chang is elected governor of Jeonbuk-do, there are endless things he can do, such as using his urban planning rights to create an industrial complex specialized for Seron and its partners, or selecting it as a special area and receiving benefits.
“ruler. Now that Seaway has really been brought to Jeonju, people will seriously accept Candidate Yoo’s pledge. Do you know what this means?”
“It means that my words have gained credibility.”
“Exactly.”
It is not at the level of only verbal promises, but at the level of putting them into practice even before winning the election.
Of course, there will be people who will say that the original plan was disguised as persuading, but it doesn’t matter.
There must be more people leaning towards Yoo Ho-chang just in case than that kind of person.
“It just needs to be over 50 percent. I pushed it like this, but it won’t go over 50 percent, right?”
Yun Ho-chang said with a confident expression.
“of course. I am confident.”
okay.
For now, I think this is enough of the important story…
I said with a smile.
“By the way, did I say that I’ve never seen someone as tough as the mayor?”
Then Yun Ho-chang said with an awkward expression.
“Because I was campaigning, I was so excited that I didn’t know…”
Even though it was not previously discussed, Yun Ho-chang talked about it realistically as if it really happened.
“no. good job. So it seems more real.”
“hahahaha. Thank you for your understanding.”
I thought about it for a while and said.
“Since it happened like this, shall we put some more weight on it? Since the site for Seaway has already been finalized, we add the story that happened in the process. Even if it wasn’t so, I kept receiving requests for interviews regarding Seaway site selection.”
At my words, Yun Ho-chang said with his eyes shining.
“If you do, it will be of great help.”
“How can I say something plausible?”
After thinking for a while, Yun Ho-chang spoke.
“First of all, after emphasizing that it was never the site that was planned…”
Yun Ho-chang talks about the content of my interview.
A politician is also a politician.
If you just open your mouth, plausible lies come out easily.
“okay. If that’s the case, there won’t be any controversy over political bias, and it won’t be bad.”
“thank you.”
I said with a smile.
“Then let’s try some acting too.”