IWSF – Ch 243

For a moment, a heavy silence hung in the hearing room.

Breaking the silence was Representative Hong Hyun-woo. Known for his activism during his student days, he was considered a hardliner within the New Politics Party.

He started strong right from the beginning.

“OTK Company has invested tens of trillions of won in the United States. But why is it that you haven’t made any significant investments in Korea?”

I was wondering when this issue would come up. It’s a problem the media has been harping on since before.

I answered based on principle.

“OTK Company established an investment firm called K Company with its capital, and has been continuously investing in Korean companies. And as you know, all the profits earned in Korea are reinvested back into Korea.”

Representative Hong Hyun-woo firmly shook his head.

“That’s not enough. In the United States, you’re not only acquiring existing automobile factories, but also constantly building new ones, aren’t you? But why haven’t you built even a single factory in Korea?”

Anyone listening would think I owed Korea a debt to build a factory.

It’s not that I don’t understand the reason behind this line of questioning.

Regardless of increased exports and tax revenue, Korea lacks quality jobs. And it is corporations that create those jobs.

Over the past few years, except for Seosung Group, major corporations have reduced investment and hiring domestically.

If that’s the case, they should find the cause and solve it, but the political circles are not thinking of that and are just pushing companies to invest blindly.

A corporation’s top priority is money.

If it seems profitable, even if you try to stop them, they will somehow build factories and hire people. Conversely, if it doesn’t seem profitable, no matter how much you pressure them to invest, they will move sluggishly.

“Currently, the United States has a lower corporate tax rate than Korea due to the passage of tax cuts. The market is also much larger than Korea, and state governments provide various support for factory establishment and operation. Furthermore, the average wage for workers is lower, and labor-management negotiations are held only once every four years, resulting in fewer strikes.”

Representative Hong Hyun-woo glared.

“Are you saying this is because of the workers?”

I clearly mentioned several reasons, why is he pushing it in that direction?

I pondered for a moment. Should I deny it and gloss over it, or should I say everything I want to say, even if I get cursed at?

Living by saying what you want to say is the right way, isn’t it?

“Over the past 20 years, not a single new automobile factory has been built in Korea. In the meantime, Eunsung Motors has increased factories in places like the Czech Republic, Russia, and Mexico. Isn’t it possible that labor union issues are partly to blame for this?”

Among those factories, some were built out of necessity, but there are also factories that are not. If only those factories had been established in Korea, the job problem would have been somewhat resolved.

“Are you saying that Korean workers’ wages are high right now?”

“Korean workers’ wages are not high. But automobile factory workers’ wages are high.”

“But the countries you just mentioned have lower national income than Korea, right?”

“Then why is it that automobile factory workers in the United States and Germany, which have higher national incomes than Korea, have lower wages than Korean workers? Based on Eunsung Motors, the average wage has already surpassed that of the United States and Germany.”

Representative Hong Hyun-woo presented data.

“As shown here, the base salary is lower in Korea, and the hourly wage is also lower.”

“And HPV is also significantly lower in Korea.”

HPV refers to the labor hours required to produce one car. Although direct comparison is difficult due to differences in production models and lines, it is true that the productivity of domestic factories is declining.

Representative Hong Hyun-woo said angrily.

“The growth of Eunsung Motors was thanks to the blood and sweat of the workers. What’s wrong with workers sharing the fruits of that growth?”

He’s right. Management performance should not be enjoyed only by executives and shareholders, but should be distributed fairly to workers as well.

It is certainly a good thing for workers to earn 100 million won [approx. $75,000 USD] a year.

But…

“While the average wage of Eunsung Motors workers is 95 million won, the wages of workers at primary subcontractors are less than 50 million won, and those at secondary and tertiary subcontractors are again half of that level. Is it only Eunsung Motors workers who shed blood and sweat for the growth of Eunsung Motors? Subcontractor workers also shed blood and sweat together, so why does the wage gap continue to widen?”

The New Politics Party has consistently advocated for wage increases and the abolition of non-regular employment for a long time. However, perhaps due to the nature of a progressive party, they are critical of corporations but passive in their criticism of labor unions.

“Are you trying to frame the current situation as conflict between workers?”

“From my perspective, it seems like you, Representative, are trying to frame my words as ‘framing it as conflict between workers.’ What’s important is that there is no merit in building factories domestically. Which company in their right mind would build a new automobile factory in Korea when there are annual general strikes like annual events?”

“Strikes are a legitimate right of workers!”

“I think so too. And building factories in countries with fewer strikes is a legitimate right of management.”

Perhaps having nothing more to refute, Representative Hong Hyun-woo shouted angrily.

“What does a capitalist know about workers anyway?”

To think I would be called a capitalist someday. Should I be happy about this?

I nodded and said.

“I appreciate your comment that sounds like a Red Guard. But isn’t it the capitalists who actually build factories?”

***

Seoul Station waiting room.

People watching the hearing on a large TV while waiting for their train were speechless.

Kang Jin-hoo exposed the flaws of the questioning representatives, and the representatives closed their mouths, unable to say anything.

It was the same regardless of whether the opponent was from the ruling party or the opposition party, progressive or conservative. The targets of criticism also did not distinguish between politics and economy, corporations and labor unions.

It was to the point where it was confusing who was actually being questioned in the hearing.

The elderly people who had been indignant just moments before, saying things like, ‘That young whippersnapper has no manners!’, ‘That rude brat!’, ‘How dare he to a Free National Party Congressman who is doing the nation’s work!’, were taken aback.

“Wasn’t that guy a leftist?”

“What? He’s doing that to leftists too?”

“Heavens! Such an unbelievable thing!”

Kang Jin-hoo is a famous figure not only in Korea but worldwide.

Foreign media also paid attention to the hearing, and it was already broadcast on channels such as CNN, BBC, NHK, and CCTV.

The internet was once again heating up.

– He’s criticizing everyone, ruling party and opposition, leftist and rightist.

– All-kill doll acknowledged/confirmed

– lol crazy. Truly amazing.

– The National Assembly hearing is currently being broadcast on CNN.

– WTF is this national disgrace?

– A German exchange student here. I’m too embarrassed to even lift my head for a while.

– Chinese kids are using mental victory methods saying this is why democracy shouldn’t be done in their country.

– Completely international embarrassment lol

– What’s the point of spending money on national promotion for a hundred days? The congressmen are ruining it all.

– Exports are already difficult these days, can’t we export congressmen?

– Many countries have banned the import of waste. The principle is that waste generated in a country should be processed in that country.

– That’s because our country can’t process it ㅠㅠ

***

The hearing was temporarily suspended.

As if it were a timeout during a game, representatives from each party gathered for a meeting.

Before the hearing, they had all volunteered to ask questions, but now no one was stepping forward.

Initially, the Free National Party had intended to find fault with Kang Jin-hoo and humiliate him, and the New Politics Party had intended to strongly pressure him and gain various concessions.

Looking at the results, both sides had failed.

The hearing was a mess, and the National Assembly became a laughingstock. The names of the questioning representatives were listed in real-time search rankings on portal sites, one after another.

One piece of good news for the New Politics Party was that no one surpassed Representative Lee Jung-hye’s dominance.

From 1st to 4th place in search rankings were occupied by ‘Lee Jung-hye’, ‘Gensei’ [Japanese loanword meaning check/interference], ‘Resign now!’, ‘Self-Defense Forces Anniversary’. And behind them, ‘Hong Hyun-woo’, ‘Red Guard’, ‘Kim Sang-soo’, ‘Double Standards’, ‘Lee Yong-soo’, ‘Jungseon Women’s University Illegal Admission’ etc. were vying for rankings, going up and down.

Quick-witted reporters wrote articles about various allegations that emerged during the hearing, and comments calling for re-verification of the allegations were flooding in.

The congressmen were dumbfounded as allegations that had been barely buried resurfaced.

Messages poured in in real-time to the representatives whose phone numbers had been leaked. Until yesterday, there were many compliments and encouragements, but today most were criticisms and insults.

[Your salaries are a waste.]

[Quit being a congressman and go farm instead]

[Did your household finances improve a bit by selling land in Gimpo?]

[If I do it, it’s investment, if others do it, it’s speculation. Well seen, double standards.]

[On my way to protest and demand the cancellation of your daughter’s illegal admission to Jungseon Women’s University]

[If you have any conscience, make your daughter withdraw from school]

[Cut it out already. Is being a congressman a title of nobility?]

[Why don’t you just start a Cultural Revolution and kill all landlords and capitalists?]

[Red Guard Representative. Let’s see in the next election ^^]

[If I vote for you again, I’m not human]

For politicians and celebrities alike, popularity is what they live on. Comments are one thing, but talk about not giving votes is fatal.

Floor Leader Jang Hyun-joon shouted in an angry voice.

“Who the hell suggested summoning Kang Jin-hoo to the hearing in the first place?”

Although it was the Free National Party who first brought it up, it was also true that the New Politics Party had agreed to it.

Everyone’s gaze turned to Representative Hong Hyun-woo.

He was bewildered. He still didn’t understand the situation well.

‘Why…?’

This was not common sense.

The National Assembly is a legislative body. Depending on their will, they can create new laws, amend existing laws, or even abolish them entirely.

Corporations want laws to be made in their favor. That’s why they try to maintain good relationships with the political circles.

AD1 and AD2, which are being sold normally in the United States, cannot be sold in Korea. This is because there are no laws related to autonomous driving.

They should be pleading with the National Assembly to prepare related legislation right now, yet they are coming out like this!

Representative Hong Hyun-woo didn’t know well, but most people knew the reason well.

-Rebel groups may have many things to regret, but why would OTK Company bow down to you when they have nothing to regret?

-Looking at CarOS alone, Korea is a low priority anyway. There are many countries where it needs to be released now.

-If you summon a perfectly normal person to a hearing and scold them, would they want to increase investment in Korea, or would they want to leave Korea?

-This is like summoning Bill Gates or Warren Buffett to a hearing and making them sit there.

-If I were Kang Jin-hoo, I would have already gotten US citizenship and flown away.

Floor Leader Jang Hyun-joon frowned as he looked at the posts on the party’s homepage.

‘They completely misjudged.’

Kang Jin-hoo didn’t care about Korean congressmen from the beginning. They should have gone and politely asked him to increase investment, but they summoned him as a witness to a hearing and scolded him, so it was bound to go wrong.

Representative Park Chang-soo asked.

“What should we do?”

Floor Leader Jang Hyun-joon said nervously.

“What do you mean what should we do? Is there anyone who wants to be more humiliated?”

***

I waited in the waiting room and talked to Taek-gyu on the phone.

Taek-gyu said excitedly.

[Hey hey, the reaction is amazing right now. We even got a few legendary memes that will go down in constitutional history.]

“……”

Memes will be circulating on the internet for a while again.

The surroundings were noisy. It sounded like Team Leader Jung Gi-hong’s voice.

“Are you at the office?”

[Yeah. The employees are also supporting you wholeheartedly.]

“I guess so.”

Hearing this, I feel the worth of paying salaries.

[The atmosphere is very good right now. Let’s keep this momentum and drop a few more bombs. Let’s collect them all and release them as messenger emoticons.]

“……No. I don’t want to expand the business area any further.”

Just the businesses I’m doing now are giving me a headache.

No sooner had I finished the call than calls started coming in from everywhere. My mother was among them.

She’s definitely going to nag.

While I was debating whether to answer the phone or not, an employee came in and said.

“Today’s hearing is over. You can go back now.”

“Already? Why is it ending so early?”

Then he looked at me with eyes that seemed to ask, Do you even need to ask?

Anyway, I got up.

“Please send my regards to the representatives who worked hard.”