After finishing my business in the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, I returned to Korea.
I'd been overseas for more than two weeks, meeting countless people. And during that time, a lot had erupted back home.
"Vice Chairman! We have an unprecedented situation. A motion to impeach the sitting president has been introduced! It's already been reported to the plenary session, and although the Judiciary Committee hasn't approved it, the authority has been passed on to the National Assembly."
"So the impeachment motion is very likely to be passed."
"Yes, since 157 members of the National Assembly have already proposed the motion, its passage is essentially considered a done deal."
I had witnessed two impeachment motions before I returned in time, but seeing this unfold—not as a civilian, but as a company vice chairman—gave it a completely different feel.
"What's the public sentiment like?"
"According to a state-run broadcaster's poll, over 60% of people believe the president should issue an apology. It looks like the lawmakers pushed the impeachment forward because they thought public opinion was on their side."
"Wanting an apology doesn't necessarily mean they support impeachment. The Assembly may have acted too hastily."
"What do you mean by that, sir?"
"If they conduct a poll specifically asking whether the president should be impeached, the results will be the opposite. The public might agree the president made a mistake, but not that it warrants impeachment."
A majority of the people had elected the president themselves.
For lawmakers to forcefully remove a president chosen by the people—without a clear, undeniable reason—was something the public wouldn't accept easily. And this motion lacked that kind of justification.
Violation of political neutrality.
That was the official reasoning for the impeachment: the president had allegedly broken neutrality and expressed support for their own party. It certainly wasn't commendable behavior, but public opinion didn't seem to see it as an impeachable offense.
"Do you believe the president won't be impeached, sir?"
"The National Assembly will probably pass the motion in the plenary session, but the final decision lies with the Constitutional Court. And the Constitutional Court is inevitably sensitive to public opinion."
"Do you think public opinion will shift strongly enough to influence the Court's judgment?"
"Just watch closely starting tonight."
After sunset, I headed toward Gwanghwamun with the Chief of Planning.
A massive crowd had gathered there, each holding a candle.
A candlelight rally opposing the impeachment.
People had come to Gwanghwamun to express their opposition — either to protect the president they elected with their own hands or to voice their stance against impeachment.
"I didn't expect this many people to show up."
"There are many who don't like the president, but they still trust him more than the lawmakers. Now that the lawmakers have filed impeachment citing the 'will of the people'—which is a lie—the people themselves have taken to the streets."
There was no need to see more.
Judging from the crowd at Gwanghwamun, it was clear that, just like before I returned, the impeachment would likely fail.
"Let's head back. Things are unfolding in an interesting way, but we can't just sit and watch."
"Are you planning to get involved?"
I answered the Chief of Planning back at the office, where it was safer to talk freely.
"This isn't about intervening in the impeachment. We're just trying to use the current situation to our advantage. Contact Assemblyman Choi Jae-seok and have him hold a press conference to announce the formation of a new party."
"All eyes are on the impeachment right now. Announcing a new party at this moment might go completely unnoticed."
"If he frames the press conference as 'The people elected lawmakers not to impeach the president, but to pursue economic development,' it will resonate strongly. It can capture the attention of a public that's disillusioned with politics. Also, quietly work the media to create some buzz."
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that media creates the issue.
If the news or newspapers cover something widely, even nonexistent interest will suddenly arise.
"We're limited in mobilizing the media directly as Taewoo Group."
"Don't worry about that. We'll use other channels to influence the media as well."
"Understood. I'll tell Assemblyman Choi to hold the press conference first thing tomorrow."
We intended to set the stage for Choi Jae-seok to make his move.
But he had a knack for finding the stage himself even without our help.
"Vice Chairman! Assemblyman Choi is giving a speech right now at the candlelight rally."
"What is he saying? Is he… supporting the president?"
"That's not the case. He made a speech saying he has no interest whatsoever in the president's impeachment and that his sole concern is the economic development of South Korea. He urged the political circles to stop focusing on impeachment and instead put all their efforts into economic progress."
Assemblyman Choi Jae-seok knew exactly what I wanted.
Taking sides here would never be beneficial.
To win over the moderate voters, we needed to create an image distinctly different from the major parties — drawing a clear line from impeachment and passionately advocating for economic development was the perfect approach.
"He's doing a good job building his public profile."
Choi's momentum continued the next day.
At the press conference we had prepared, he harshly criticized Yeouido (the political district in Seoul) and officially announced the founding of the new party.
["The critical issue right now is the economy! Why is Yeouido wasting all its energy on an impeachment that does nothing to help economic development? The problem is the economy, you fools! For those who do not contribute to South Korea's economic growth, I and my comrades will step up and take action! Today, I proudly announce the founding of the National Economic Party!"]
Choi Jae-seok spoke passionately in real time.
I watched the scene on the news together with the Chief of Planning.
"The name 'National Economic Party' sounds a bit old-fashioned."
"Experts advised that political party names should sound somewhat simple and unpretentious."
"Well, the name itself isn't what matters. How's the public reaction?"
"There isn't a significant response yet, but the media is moving, and we are working across various online communities."
"Make full use of social media. SNS is extremely effective in winning the hearts of younger voters."
SNS in Korea was largely dominated by Taewoo Group.
Though the importance of SNS in elections hadn't fully emerged yet, in a few years it would become essential not only for parliamentary elections but also presidential campaigns.
If the National Economic Party could seize that opportunity first, the impact would be tremendous.
"I'll work on creating an algorithm to make sure people interested in politics see videos and materials about the National Economic Party and Assemblyman Choi."
"You don't need help from Chun Min-jung, do you?"
"A simple algorithm can be easily developed with just a few of Taewoo IT's developers."
The skills of Taewoo IT's developers were improving by leaps and bounds.
This was thanks to the excellent competition from Chun Min-jung, and they were now capable of quickly creating even simple algorithms without difficulty.
"Do your best to create public opinion that favors Assemblyman Choi Jae-seok."
"It's thrilling to be involved in something like this again. When I worked for the chairman, I handled tasks like this every year. Trust me!"
The Chief of Planning was enjoying the current situation.
After all, while planners or secretaries from other companies were busy with lobbying and managing politicians, the Taewoo Group's planning chief had been hands-off from such activities for a long time — so he must have been bored.
The next day.
I watched yet another interesting spectacle unfold on TV.
"I can't tell if that's the National Assembly or a fighting ring."
"Members of the ruling party are desperately trying to stop the impeachment motion."
The pro-impeachment faction had already crossed the point of no return.
The anti-impeachment faction was trying to push them back.
And then there were the neutral or passive opponents just standing by.
It really looked like a battlefield in the National Assembly.
Yet, a few people seemed completely detached from this tense atmosphere.
"What on earth is Assemblyman Choi Jae-seok doing over there? Haha! That's totally unexpected."
"I hadn't been briefed on Choi Jae-seok's actions either."
Assemblyman Choi was holding up a sign.
While the pro- and anti-impeachment groups were engaged in a heated physical struggle, Choi stood by as if he were from another world, just watching.
The words on his sign couldn't have been more out of place in the current situation.
[The important thing is the economy!]
"Choi Jae-seok really knows how to grab attention as a politician."
"This could backfire badly."
"We'll have to manage things carefully to avoid any backlash. Make memes of the parliamentary scene and Choi Jae-seok's stance for social media."
"What's a meme?"
At that time, the word "meme" wasn't yet commonly used in Korea.
A meme — it might seem similar to a buzzword, but it wasn't just language; it included various forms like images, short videos, and other viral content.
"You can make parody videos, or add grand or funny music and turn it into a comedy clip. Just make sure it catches people's attention."
"We'll mobilize the advertising planners and experts to create some slick videos."
Once memes start spreading, awareness naturally rises.
But whether that awareness would be positive was another question.
That's why we needed to keep intervening to shape a good image—and since Taewoo Group controlled Korea's social media, it was something we could pull off.
That day, I went to the company cafeteria for lunch.
Though I was the vice chairman, most employees were glued to the TV.
Just as I took a sip of soup from my tray, the planning director hurried over, breathless, with news of the impeachment vote.
"Over 190 members of the National Assembly voted in favor."
"I saw it breaking on the news. The ball is now in the Constitutional Court's court."
"They're likely to suspend the president's powers soon."
"That means the prime minister will act as president. Let's move to the vice chairman's office to talk this through."
Before anyone else could chime in, I headed upstairs.
Everyone had stopped eating and turned their attention to us.
I was still hungry but now was no time for meals.
"If everything goes as expected, the prime minister could begin acting as president as soon as tonight."
"The verdict from the Constitutional Court will take two or three months."
"In the meantime, politics will be caught in the impeachment storm and get nothing done."
"That actually works in our favor. The FTA with South America might quietly pass during this distraction."
Politics often opposed things just to oppose them.
Especially the country's first-ever free trade agreement—it was bound to face massive resistance.
But now, with everyone focused on impeachment, even opposing just for the sake of opposition wasn't possible.
"How much mining territory in South America have we secured?"
The FTA was close to being finalized.
We needed to secure as much mining ownership in South America as possible beforehand.
Especially lithium mines, the so-called white oil.