1953 Bare-handed Tycoon - Chapter 369



Only Noblemtl

369 – Industrial Fair

On April 20, 1962, an industrial expo was held inside Gyeongbokgung Palace.

It was originally scheduled to open on the 15th, but preparations were delayed and it opened five days later.

Cheongsan Group mobilized all of its affiliates to participate in the exhibition.

Cheongsan, which had not participated in the fair in the 1950s because it had nothing to boast about, has now become the company that participates on the largest scale.

Cheongsan showed off its wealth by exhibiting three-wheeled trucks, motorcycles, cultivators, transistor radios, televisions, fertilizers, bearings, claymore, MSG, ramen, matches, briquettes, and refractory bricks.

Chairman Park, who attended the exhibition, showed great interest in the items that Cheongsan had displayed outdoors.

Although they were CKD* products, the domestically made three-wheeled trucks, motorcycles, and cultivators were the most advanced products that Korea could produce at the time.

*CKD (Complete Knock Down) – A method of manufacturing by importing parts from overseas and assembling them.

The keynote speaker was explaining the product while accompanying Chairman Park.

“What is this?”

Chairman Park asked, pointing to a motorized bicycle made by Kia Motors.

“This is a product with an engine attached to a bicycle. It is not yet on the market, but we are currently testing it with a single-cylinder engine imported from Japan.”

“It’s just like a motorcycle.”

“It doesn’t have the range or power of a motorcycle, but it uses less fuel and is cheaper.”

“You pedaled too, huh?”

“Yes, you can pedal and run when you run out of gas.”

“Good.”

Chairman Park had given a positive evaluation to even the items that still looked rough and somewhat crude.

It was a time when making something domestically was welcomed.

“Is this a light truck? Are there any plans to sell it?”

Chairman Park showed interest in Kia Industries’ . It was a pickup truck created by Kia President Kim Chul-ho by increasing the chassis of a Jeep to create a cargo space and reinforcing the rear leaf springs.

Although the manufacturing method was similar to that of the Shibal Car, the difference was in the front of the car.

The point was to get rid of the angular appearance of the Jeep and use curved metal plates to make it look less like a modified Jeep.

Since processing iron plates into curves was a cutting-edge technology in Korea at the time, Chairman Park carefully inspected them with his hands to make sure the curves were correct.

And then he looked at the chrome-plated headlight surrounds and asked:

“Did you do the plating in Korea?”

“Yes.”

“Well done.”

Although his plating skills were still lacking, Chairman Park was satisfied with the rough plating surface.

“Didn’t you say that you also made a domestically produced water pump?”

“Yes, it is installed in Gyeonghweru.”

“Let’s go.”

Chairman Park ignored the exhibits of other companies and moved to Gyeonghweru, a place a little away from the exhibition hall.

A water pump made by Kia Industries was also installed in the lake at Gyeonghweru.

Chairman Park, who was looking closely at the water pump, asked.

“These two have different shapes, what is the difference?”

“One is a gear pump, and the other is a vane pump. The gear type is easy to make and powerful, but it breaks down easily if there is a lot of foreign matter in the water.”

“What about the vein pump?”

“It is resistant to foreign substances and has good durability, but it is difficult to make.”

“And the price is high?”

“Yes.”

Chairman Park nodded.

“Many farmers came to see the exhibition hall, so let’s do a demonstration.”

At Chairman Park’s direction, two water pumps were turned on simultaneously.

The water pump sucked in the water from Gyeonghweru Lake with a cheerful engine sound and powerfully spurted out a stream of water.

As the small water droplets created by the water jet from the water pump created a rainbow, the citizens and farmers who came to see it exclaimed in admiration.

Chairman Park, who was admiring the cool stream of water, asked.

“Is the amniotic fluid still far from being sold?”

“No, the product is already in mass production.”

“okay…?”

Because there was no rain during the season when barley should be growing well, crops across the country were drying up.

Chairman Park, unable to take his eyes off the water pump, spoke to the keynote speaker.

“Come to the Blue House in a couple of hours.”

“Yes, Mr. Chairman.”

After Chairman Park left, Kijo went around the exhibition hall promoting the products and then entered the Blue House.

Chairman Park welcomed the keynote speech while sitting on the sofa and reviewing documents.

“Come in. Sit down.”

Chairman Park asked the keynote speaker sitting in front of the sofa.

“How much does a water pump cost?”

The keynote was difficult to answer.

It was cheaper than Japanese or American products, but it was still expensive.

And what Chairman Park was looking at was the budget documents.

Chairman Park’s frowning expression clearly showed that the country had no money.

Even if the government wanted to buy water pumps in bulk, it would not have the money.

The keynote speech was based on Chairman Park’s situation and feelings.

“We can deliver to the government in 10-year installments.”

When the keynote speaker spoke, Chairman Park thought about it for a while and then nodded.

“Can you make about a thousand of them?”

“It is possible. And if the pump breaks down within 10 years, we will repair it free of charge. The product is not yet in perfect condition… And we have also developed a pump that can be connected to a cultivator. Cheongsan will voluntarily deploy it in rural areas.”

“Thank you.”

Chairman Park looked genuinely grateful.

Kijo looked at page 3 of the Dong-A Ilbo placed next to the table.

There was an article that said that farmers in Honam, the granary region, are growing increasingly worried because it is not raining during the season when barley is ripening.

There was also an article about laborers working in barley fields who worked all day until their backs broke, but were only paid 200 hwan per day.

According to what I checked this morning, the tone of all newspapers except for the Hankook Ilbo was critical of the industrial expo.

It was an article criticizing the government for holding an industrial fair in Seoul and encouraging farmers to attend at a time when they should be focusing on farming despite the lack of rain needed for farming.

There was also a cartoon in the newspaper that ridiculed Chairman Park.

It was a cartoon of a man wearing sunglasses showing a machine to a farmer. The sun was shining in the background sky and the crops on the ground were drying up.

Anyone who saw the man wearing sunglasses could tell that he was Chairman Park.

There was criticism that Chairman Park prioritized industrialization and was indifferent to rural areas.

These days, Chairman Park has been frequently ‘criticized’ by the media.

Newspapers have been like that throughout history.

Although there was prior censorship, it was not as strict or detailed as it was at the end of the Third Republic or during the Fifth Republic.

When trouble broke out later, excited soldiers stormed into the newspaper office, pulled out pistols, and grabbed the editor by the collar and shook him.

As the media, which had briefly shrunk immediately after May 16, was gradually establishing a critical consciousness, even prior censorship was abolished, criticism of Chairman Park became even stronger.

The industrial expo held by the government, which failed to come up with a sharp solution to the drought as the barley pass approached, was good bait for the media.

Chairman Park said that the frustration had been somewhat relieved.

“I’m hungry. Should I eat some ramen? The secretary brought me some ramen from the exhibition hall earlier. I want to try it.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

As Chairman Park instructed, two bowls of ramen were brought in.

Kijo talked with Chairman Park while eating ramen.

“It looks edible.”

Chairman Park, who tried the noodles and soup, evaluated it.

“It will get even tastier in the future.”

“Yeah… But I read in the newspaper today that the wage in the countryside is 200 hwan. A pack of ramen costs 100 hwan, right? Even if you work yourself to the bone all day, you can barely feed a family of two.”

The keynote speaker nodded.

For 200 won, you can buy two packages of ramen or a little less than a doe of barley rice.

*One bowl of rice – 1.6kg

A day’s work was barely enough to feed a large family.

“Ramen is still a bit expensive.”

“If people buy a lot of it, can you lower the price? I saw at the trade fair that it has more calories than noodles of the same weight.”

Although it was not very nutritious compared to noodles, it was high in calories.

In a time when it was difficult to even worry about nutritional balance, Chairman Park seemed to be paying attention to the high calories in ramen.

“Of course. The more things are made, the lower the price.”

The keynote speaker added:

“I’m thinking of donating the poorly made ramen to rural areas.”

“okay?”

Chairman Park asked with interest.

“What is poorly made ramen?”

“The noodles are not square or broken. I crushed the broken noodles into small pieces and put them in a clean bag.”

In the 80s and 90s, noodles that were incorrectly made at ramen factories were crushed, put into sacks, and distributed as dog food.

It was not right for food companies to donate out-of-spec products instead of discarding them, but it was inevitable in a time when there was so little to eat.

“By any chance, if we provide the donated wheat flour to Cheongsan Foods, would we be able to lower the price of ramen even further?”

Chairman Park seemed to be interested in relief efforts ahead of the Borigoge Pass.

However, the keynote speech could not be accepted as Chairman Park intended.

It had to be changed to something else, as it could be seen as a special favor to the liquidation.

“If the government provides wheat flour, we will also donate whole ramen to rural areas.”

“For free?”

“No one knows about ramen right now, so it won’t sell well. I’ll just spread it around as a form of promotion.”

“Yes, everything tastes good when you’re hungry, and the food you eat when you’re hungry is not easily forgotten… .”

Chairman Park nodded and made a proud expression.

But Kijo did not say this to gain Chairman Park’s approval.

In fact, the drought in the spring of 1962 was the first in 22 years.

The entire nation suffered from the combination of barley and drought.

So, the keynote speech was to instruct Kia Industries to manufacture water pumps early on and to crush the defective cotton and store it cleanly.

“You seem to always be prepared for natural disasters. You were the same during the typhoon.”

The keynote speech was in response to Chairman Park’s praise.

“I’ll make you some ramen. Come eat.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

Chairman Park lifted his chopsticks with a slightly exaggerated gesture, as if he was in a good mood.

After eating ramen with Chairman Park, Kijo decided to supply 1,000 water pumps to the government on a 10-year interest-free installment plan and to receive flour support to manufacture ramen and donate it to the government.

It was a total loss-making deal.

It was a deal that an ordinary businessman would have refused, but it was not a difficult decision for Kijo, who was confident that even if he suffered an immediate loss, all of his future businesses would be successful and he would be able to make a lot of money.

The idea was not to make more money and then give it back to society.

The key idea was that we should help people when they are having the hardest time.

The philosophy that has been guiding my life many times is that time and space do not wait for people.

After eating ramen and leaving the Blue House, Kijo went to the exhibition hall and informed Kim Cheol-ho about the order for 1,000 water pumps.

And I also told Im Dae-hong that the government was providing flour and donating ramen.

Lim Dae-hong did not oppose the free donation of ramen.

He also seemed to have no aversion to donations or contributions because he had experienced severe difficulties unlike the original history.

“Sir, apart from donating ramen, I would like to open a ramen tasting stall in front of Seoul Station. This would also promote ramen to the rural people who come to the expo.”

“Good idea. Let’s do that.”

Lim Dae-hong knew that when it comes to food, not only is the taste important, but promotion is also very important.

The keynote speaker went to the Hankook Ilbo and decided on the tone of the article to be published the next day.

We decided to simultaneously run an editorial supporting South Korea’s industrialization efforts, represented by the industrial expo, and expressing hope that South Korea can become an industrialized nation, as well as an editorial expressing hope that the government will respond effectively to rural areas suffering from drought and barley shortages.

The keynote speaker believed that people who work silently with hope, rather than those who only criticize with words, change the world.

While I was taking a short break in the president’s office, Culture Department reporter Yeom Hong-seok knocked on the door and came in.

“Sir, that student Hwang Seok-yeong has already dropped out of school. When I went to his house, he said he ran away.”

‘Oh, I’m a little late.’

The keynote was that Hwang Seok-young’s wanderings had already begun.

“Sir, I’m sorry, but please go to Jeolla Province and catch that student.”

“To Jeolla-do? My parents don’t even know where I went….”

“He must have left with nothing, so he would have headed to Jeolla Province, where there were many farms. He would have traveled wherever he pleased, working as a hired hand to cover his travel expenses.”

“Okay, boss. Then it seems like it’ll take quite a while… .”

“Even if it takes time, please catch him. Didn’t you see that student’s writing, reporter? Isn’t he very talented?”

Reporter Yeom agreed.

When the April 19 Revolution broke out while Hwang Sok-yong was attending Gyeongbok High School in 1960, he participated in the protests and published a posthumous collection of poems after his friend Ahn Jong-gil was shot and killed by the police.

In 1961, he received attention when his work “Release Date” won the National High School Literary Contest.

Even reporters from the Ministry of Culture read the writings of high school student Hwang Seok-young and expressed admiration, asking if it was really something written by someone of that age.

“Okay, sir. I will definitely go find Hwang Seok-young.”

“Make sure to bring enough money for your business trip. Try to persuade them by buying them drinks.”

“thank you.”

The keynote speech was given as a special order to capture Hwang Seok-young.

The purpose was to bring Hwang Sok-yong, who would become a great writer in the future, to Seoul and have him serialize his novels in the Hankook Ilbo.

The keynote speaker wanted to personally meet the young Hwang Sok-young, who was just beginning his career as a writer.

He felt a sense of kinship with him, who had lived a life as varied as his own, and he also had a desire to gather writers with outstanding writing skills and grow the Hankook Ilbo into the best popular literature platform in Korea.

Hwang Seok-young was a writer who wrote about things he experienced firsthand.

So the writing wasn’t academic or difficult.

The keynote speaker loved writers who wrote like that.