Chapter 359
Chapter 359
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Solitary General
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What was the greatest task facing Bae Sung-jun, now reigning as Korea's supreme power?
It went without saying.
Defeat America.
It was obvious that Korea's future stability couldn't be guaranteed without bringing them down.
But toppling the United States right now was out of the question.
The aftershocks of the economic war, the oil shock, and the accumulated problems from Kim Jeong-gil and Jang Dong-yun's administrations had left Korea unprepared to fight America.
To take on the US, he first needed to stabilize domestic affairs.
For that, I decided to tackle inflation first.
"Tackle prices in an era of high oil prices?"
It sounded absurd, but it wasn't impossible.
"Let's abolish the fuel tax first."
I started by bringing down the price of oil.
"Oh, we'll make a tidy profit for a while as the fuel tax drops, right?"
I cracked down hard on the big corporate refiners thinking that way.
"It's from the National Tax Service."
Price adjustments were reflected immediately and swiftly.
My orders went through the National Tax Service and hit the market.
"Gas prices drop like that in just one day?"
As oil prices plunged, the skyrocketing inflation paused for a moment.
I issued a series of strong measures one after another.
"Abolish the value-added tax too."
I knew the VAT would remain a key source of national revenue going forward.
But right now, it was time to boost consumption.
'Direct taxes are better than indirect ones in the long run anyway.'
I planned to reform Korea's tax system in the long term toward a Nordic model.
"Nordic? What kind of commie nonsense is that?"
Of course, it wasn't some commie idea I'd cooked up.
To minimize tax evasion as much as possible, we needed to establish tax equity now.
It was fairer to have everyone, even low earners, pay a certain rate rather than just hitting the rich with the top bracket.
'If Korea were a poor country, this wouldn't fit reality, but this place is one of the world's highest-income nations.'
I sketched out this tax reform plan.
That said, I wasn't an expert, so I couldn't flesh it out alone.
To sort this out, I brought in talents like Dr. Kim Jae-ik from the economic research institute to refine the tax reform ideas.
'Oh, I need to get this done too.'
The real-name financial system.
I instructed the secret task force team to prepare that as well.
"Real-name financial system? Director, are you serious?"
Some close aides who heard about it couldn't hide their shock.
"What about slush funds then? Can you govern without political funding?"
Of course I could.
I gave my subordinates an alternative.
"Why think so primitively about nominee transactions?"
We could launder through ghost corporations.
Only then did my subordinates nod in understanding.
But what I'd prepared wasn't just those two things.
'Do you think those are the only reforms needed?'
Pension insurance reform too.
I planned to overhaul the national pension, military pension, and civil servant pension that had expanded under Jang Dong-yun.
"Pay less, get more. A system like that can't be sustained, and it's impossible to maintain."
For now, it was fine to run it that way.
With high birth rates and a large young population.
But once birth rates dropped, the time bomb's trigger would inevitably go off.
"Touching that will provoke massive backlash from the public."
Who didn't know that?
That's exactly why I had to do it.
I was a dictator who could endure all the hate.
Protests?
Let them have at it.
That said, I wasn't going to touch pensions without any preparation.
"Propaganda is the basics."
It was a choice to ease the burden on the young generation.
I planned to drive a wedge between the older and younger generations by pushing pension reform.
"It's not the young who lose out—it's the old."
Of course, that wouldn't perfectly split the young and old generations.
"We'll have to support our parents if pensions get cut."
That kind of thinking.
I had a plan for that too.
Little babies.
I sent photos of babies in my propaganda to justify the reform.
"Will you make these children carry the adults?"
If you can't give up a little benefit, your kids will bear the load.
I hammered this propaganda steadily.
"Director, even within the government, there are many voices saying we need to be cautious on the pension reform plan."
"Is that so?"
Looks like they've forgotten who their boss is.
I exposed one minister's corruption.
"You have to set an example boldly."
That's how dogs who don't want to end up in the stewpot flip their bellies.
Once one minister went behind bars, the 'concerns' within the government vanished in an instant.
"Now the government's unified on this, right?"
It was brute force, but it solved the problem.
As soon as preparations were complete, I pushed the pension reform bill to the National Assembly.
"This is an outrage from the ruling Daehan Party!"
The New Democratic Party, and even the worthless remnants of the Grand Justice Assembly, screamed in opposition, but it was futile.
"Passed 256 to 241."
"Block it!"
The Daehan Party, having absorbed all the Grand Justice Assembly's seats it could, held enough for a solo majority to pass bills.
So an unexpected siege warfare broke out in the Assembly.
'Like that can stop the bill.'
Even blocking has its limits.
After days of fierce tug-of-war, the Daehan Party passed the pension reform bill.
"I declare the bill passed."
People couldn't hide their shock at the Daehan Party's passed bill.
"Do those bastards plan to run in elections?"
Of course they did.
'With rural organizational voting, it's a piece of cake.'
Just sweep the countryside.
That was the election strategy I envisioned.
Not long after the pension reform bomb exploded, I received the real-name financial system reform plan from Kim Jae-ik.
"Good work, Dr. Kim."
"No problem."
I skimmed the real-name financial system plan Kim Jae-ik brought, then sent it straight to the president.
This didn't need a bill—just a presidential decree.
The next day, a nuclear bomb hit the financial sector.
"Hereby proclaimed: the real-name financial system will be implemented effective today."
Corporations, loan sharks, and banks who never dreamed it'd actually happen all screamed.
"Isn't that Lee Seok-gyun a total lunatic?"
"It's not Lee Seok-gyun. It's Bae Sung-jun's doing."
I got enough hate to burst my belly, but I didn't care.
Next, I pushed the tax reform bill to the Assembly.
"What? You're saying impose an 18% rate on people who can barely afford it? Are you insane?"
Even within the Daehan Party, there was debate over this policy.
"Push this through, and we're done for in the elections, ruling party or not."
I had a counter for that too.
"Ah, just give some subsidies to the rural areas, problem solved."
Take with one hand in taxes, give back to farmers with direct payments.
We had to subsidize agriculture anyway to compete with American farming.
"W-Well, that changes things."
I beefed up welfare for urban underclass too.
"Raising unemployment benefits?"
"We'll guarantee 60% income replacement rate."
This welfare could be funded by increased tax revenue.
"It's a shell game, but this way we can placate the lower classes."
We'd have to brace for middle-class backlash though.
With Korea boasting a 70 million middle-class era, we couldn't take that lightly.
"For that, show tax equity."
"How?"
"Let the National Tax Service spill income data."
Expose everyone's earnings.
"Self-employed or whoever."
And set up a tip line for suspected evasion.
I pushed the tax reform bill hard.
"Is it really okay to ram this through?"
"It's for the Republic's century-long future."
Fair taxation is the foundation of a healthy society.
Amid concerns, the tax reform bill passed the Assembly.
People already furious over pension reform boiled over even more, but I had my angle.
Just show why we need more taxes.
I blasted America's overwhelming military spending on TV.
"Don't skimp on investing in security. The Republic's defense is the first step to protecting ourselves."
It was talk I'd avoided before, fearing it'd stoke anti-American rivalry.
But people couldn't easily deny it.
Cumulative spending alone was over four times Korea's.
America's outlay was that dominant.
"If we need military investment, why not squeeze the rich more?"
"How much more?"
Squeezing the rich harder was impractical.
Top rate at 49%.
Chaebols were already paying that, and most wealthy folks over 40% in hefty income tax.
Pile on more?
Who'd do business or innovate then?
Simple as that.
After tax reform, Korea shifted to a broad, tight tax net.
Escaping it wasn't easy.
"What if we funnel income through corporations irregularly?"
"Hey, why are you living better than your tax return? Report him!"
Koreans, desperate to lighten their own loads even a bit, watched neighbors like hawks for evasion.
Any whiff of funny business, straight to the National Tax Service tip line.
"Snitching and reporting everywhere. Is this any way to run a country?"
Some launched tax resistance movements.
"I saw that coming and called in the military."
The National Tax Service borrowed army special forces for collections.
"Sir. Whose gun is stronger, yours or ours?"
"Ahem."
People harbored massive resentment toward the incomparably tougher tax regime.
Protests erupted fiercer than before, and military deployments grew frequent.
Still, I didn't bat an eye.
"No compromises."
A unilateral ruler who ignored the people's voice entirely.
That's why I sat on the throne.