1953 Bare-handed Tycoon - Chapter 355



Only Noblemtl

355 – Workers’ dormitory

December 27, 1961. Kijo attended the completion ceremony of a workers’ dormitory in Seoul.

It was a workers’ dormitory built by the Seoul Metropolitan Government with a national subsidy of 225 million won for low-income workers without homes.

The dormitory consisted of two three-story buildings, one in Dodong, Jung-gu and the other in Changsin-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, and could accommodate a total of 600 people.

This building was established because there were frequent cases of day laborers who came up to Seoul in the winter to find work freezing to death while sleeping in tents built in the mountains because they had no place to stay.

Among them, Kijo visited the Changsin-dong dormitory built on the site of a closed quarry.

Cheongsan Construction was in charge of the construction, and since it was a meaningful building, I attended the completion ceremony together with Lee Man-ik.

The keynote speaker carefully inspected the constructed building.

I looked into the barbershop and bathroom, and also checked out the dining room, library, and arcade.

Finally, we went into each of the 45 bedrooms and checked the mattresses on the bunk beds.

Because of budget constraints, we couldn’t put mattresses on the beds, so we put down Japanese tatami mats.

Still, I felt like this was the keynote.

Before he met Gijo, he had wandered around here and there, working as a day laborer, so he knew the harsh cold of winter.

Even though I worked as a porter and a day laborer to somehow make ends meet, I was always afraid when night came.

It was because I was afraid I would freeze to death in the cold all night.

When morning came, the person actually saw the person die, so Gijo thought it was really fortunate that such a facility was built.

The keynote speech finally headed to the restaurant.

The dormitory provided free lodging to homeless workers, but charged 100 won for meals.

The meal was better than buying a bowl of udon.

The keynote speaker paid 20,000 won and had a meal at the Dongdaemun dormitory.

He asked that the 19,900 won that was not returned be used to provide 199 meals for the workers.

Lee Man-ik also paid 5,000 hwan and ate, and Dae-ik, who went with him, also paid 1,000 hwan and ate.

Lee Man-ik said while eating at the workers’ cafeteria.

“I hope that the people who come here and use the facilities will be able to emigrate overseas.”

Daeik also agreed with Manik’s words.

“That’s right. I heard that it was possible to immigrate to Brazil recently, but I haven’t heard anything since. I’m confused as to whether it’s actually possible or not.”

The keynote brought back memories of Brazilian immigration.

Brazilian immigration was still in the preparatory stage.

The Brazilian immigration was triggered when Colonel Jeong In-gyu, who participated in the 1960 World Military Shooting Championships held in Brazil, was injured during the competition and hospitalized in a Brazilian hospital.

The news was reported in Brazilian newspapers, and the Brazilian President met with him. Colonel Jeong In-gyu expressed his wish for Koreans to come to Brazil for agricultural immigration, and the Brazilian President accepted his request.

Upon returning to Korea, Colonel Jeong established the Korea-Baek Promotion Corporation to recruit Brazilian immigrants.

Immigration to Brazil was enough to excite Koreans.

In Korea, there were not many people with industrial skills, but there were many people who knew how to farm.

But immigrating to Brazil wasn’t easy.

The government did not recruit immigrants; it was promoted at the private level, and the Korean government was not active in overseas immigration, focusing only on the overseas adoption of war orphans and mixed-race children.

However, as rumors spread that the Brazilian and Korean governments were providing immigration subsidies, people’s interest was pouring in.

In the reality where most people who came to Seoul to find work were unable to find a place to sleep, and where worker dormitories were built in Seoul, most people who wanted to emigrate overseas were unable to do so because they did not have the funds to settle down.

People interested in immigrating to Brazil have asked the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which sends out international adoptions, whether they provide immigration subsidies, but have only received negative responses.

“I think Thailand is better than Brazil, but it’s a shame that you need money to go to Thailand.”

Daeik said.

Thailand has said since the Syngman Rhee administration that it would accept 200 Korean immigrants every year, but in order to immigrate to Thailand, one had to have a local connection in Thailand or have financial guarantee.

So in reality, immigration was close to zero.

“That’s right. How great would it be to immigrate to a Southeast Asian country like Thailand or the Philippines, which is better off than our country? Southeast Asia is better than Brazil, which is on the other side of the world.”

Man-ik also agreed. He said that one of his relatives also wanted to immigrate to Brazil. He hoped that the government would give an answer soon.

Kijo said to Manik like that.

“Sooner or later, there will be countries other than Brazil that will accept immigrants.”

This was said in reference to the West German immigration that recruited miners and nurses.

While saying such things, the keynote was that the reality of Korea was deplorable.

At that time, the social norm was that poor people should be sent to rich countries to immigrate and have a living, just as poor families send their daughters to work as maids.

For low-income people, there are no jobs and there is no sign of the economy improving in the future, so every day in Korea is like living in hell.

In Korea, there were over 60,000 people who rushed to the sales office to buy a TV, but at the same time, there were 20 million people who could not properly solve the problem of food.

The keynote speech reminded him of his past life as a peddler, and he felt like drinking.

It was very cold that day.

The next day, December 28th.

The keynote speaker received a phone call from the representative office.

It was a call from Dongdaemun Police Station.

-Do you know a kid named Jeong Nam-woon?

It was the first time I heard that name.

Kijo was about to say he didn’t know, but then he answered that he knew because it was strange that a boy named Jeong Nam-woon was looking for him at the Dongdaemun Police Station.

– Could you please come to the police station and check? There were two kids who caused a commotion at the dormitory yesterday, and one of them said that the manager would take responsibility for him.

“Okay, I’ll go.”

Kijo went straight to the Dongdaemun Police Station.

When I arrived, I heard the story of a boy named Jeong Nam-woon who said that his older brother had been beaten up by someone at the dormitory and that he was going to sue the Dongdaemun workers’ dormitory.

I also heard the police story.

It is said that Jeong Nam-woon’s older brother, Jeong Sang-woon, asked to let his younger brother sleep at the dormitory, but the dormitory was full and was refused.

So, he begged to let his younger sibling sleep inside the building, even if it was just in the hallway, and during that time, he got into an argument with the dormitory staff and a fight broke out.

Jeong Sang-un, whose face was swollen from being beaten, was imprisoned in a detention center.

It looks like Jeong Sang-woon was beaten up unilaterally, so his younger brother Jeong Nam-woon must have claimed that it was unfair and asked for his brother’s release.

When Kijo saw the young man lying in the detention center, he thought he was about 17 years old, when he was making a living by selling his body.

“Boss, please help us. My brother and I are gangsters, so the dormitory won’t pay our hospital bills. They beat up people and don’t take responsibility.”

The child swallowed his tears and pleaded with the teacher.

The keynote speech made my heart ache at the mention of a gangster.

At that time, the word ‘yangachi’ referred to urban poor people such as rag pickers, candy vendors, and shoe shiners.

In particular, the job of shining shoes, which was done by many orphans, was not viewed favorably.

Although they were poor children, they became targets of discrimination and contempt rather than pity because they got involved in all kinds of crimes to make a living.

If Kijo had wandered around Seoul, he would have been called a gangster.

“I get it.”

Kijo told the police that he would take the two children. Then the police spoke to Kijo in a very considerate tone.

“Boss, don’t pity those punks too much. They are bad kids. They are used to robbing women and stealing. I will give them a proper lesson here and then release them. I will let the younger one go and send the older one to the National Construction Corps.”

At the mention of the National Land Construction Corps, Kijo became serious.

In early 1961, under the Jang Myon government, the National Land Construction Corps, which Jang Jun-ha was in charge of, was a quasi-civil service organization established to relieve unemployment and develop local areas.

However, after May 16, the National Land Construction Corps changed.

The revolutionary government, which had caught thousands of draft dodgers, said it would enlist them all in the military, but when the number of dodgers increased to 410,000 during the period of submission, it was in trouble.

Eventually, they decided to put draft dodgers into the National Construction Corps and have them work there to fulfill their military service obligations.

However, it was disbanded at the end of 1962 as productivity was lower than expected due to the large number of people and the mix of ‘penmen’ such as university professors, civil servants, journalists, and teachers who were not accustomed to working hard.

Although it was not to the level of the Samcheong Education Corps, the human rights violations and poor treatment of a large number of people who had committed crimes resulted in many people being injured or dying from illness.

“I will take you. I will give you a job.”

“Well… …, if that’s what you want, sir, I won’t stop you.”

The police released Jeong Sang-un after disciplinary action.

Kijo took the two to a noodle restaurant and fed them hot rice first.

Jeong Sang-woon looked like he was in pain from eating, but he swallowed the food quickly because he was so hungry.

The two of them ate so quickly that Gijo ordered another bowl for each of them.

Kijo watched the two brothers eat in silence.

The older brother took half of the second bowl of noodles and gave it to his younger brother.

“My mouth hurts so I can’t eat it all. You eat it.”

Although the younger brother refused, the older brother ended up giving him some food.

When the meal was over, the brothers bowed their heads to Kijo.

“Thank you, sir.”

“okay….”

The plan was to give the two children money to stay at a boarding house for a few days.

It was so cold outside, and Jeong Sang-woon, who had been beaten up, seemed like he needed a warm place to lie down.

Before giving the money, Kijo asked the child who called him.

“How did I know?”

Jeong Nam-woon answered the keynote question.

“There was a time when you shined my shoes at Seoul Station. You may not remember, but… . At that time, you didn’t even take change and gave me a large sum of money, so I asked the manager what you did.”

The keynote speaker nodded.

Although Kijo usually shined his own shoes, he often left his shoes to a shoe shiner when he was on a business trip.

He thought that if rich people like him shined their own shoes every time, poor children would have a hard time making a living.

“I asked you to contact the police because I thought you might be able to help me since you are a kind person. I’m sorry, sir.”

“It’s okay. You did well.”

The keynote speech gave a warm smile.

But the future of the two brothers was bleak.

Worker dormitories could not be used for more than seven days.

This was an unavoidable measure as the number of people that could be accommodated in the facility was very limited and there were many people trying to enter.

The idea was to give the brothers something to do on a continuous basis in an environment where at least their survival was guaranteed.

“Let’s both go to Cheongnyangni. There’s a place there where you can sleep.”

The idea was to build a military barracks in one of the Cheongnyangni storage yards, put in a stove, and let the two sleep there.

“You go over there and get some rest and Sangwoon, you go learn how to drive.”

“Driving?”

His swollen eyes didn’t get any bigger, but they sparkled.

“And Namwoon, go to school, and after school, go to the dump site and clean the trucks and run errands for the drivers.”

Jeong Sang-woon was overjoyed when he heard that he would be given a job, and that it would be as a driver.

“Thank you, sir… .”

Hyung Sang-woon pressed his younger brother’s head with his hand and made him greet Gi-jo, expressing his gratitude.

“It’s okay. It’s okay… .”

The keynote took the two to Cheongnyangni.

He gave them both money for a bath and also gave them money to buy each a set of clothes.

While the two of them washed up and went to buy new clothes, Gijo instructed them to set up a military tent in a corner of the storage yard, use his older brother as an assistant driver, and have his younger brother clean the storage yard building.

Kijo returned to the office and prepared for the afternoon schedule.

In the evening, I was scheduled to attend the .

Saul Eisenberg was scheduled to attend, and the keynote speaker was quite curious about what kind of speech he, who ‘knows Korea like a hawk’, would give.