CH12 | MCT

Pohang Steel: Park Tae-jong (1)

Tae-soo smirked at Holjjugi’s amazement.

"I make it my business to know these things."

Holjjugi let out a low whistle, still staring at the massive construction site.

"So, they’re actually building a whole town just for the workers? That’s insane."

"Of course. This is a years-long project, and they need a place for employees and their families to live."

All around them, workers hustled, sweat pouring down their faces as they operated heavy machinery and moved materials. The place was buzzing with energy.

"And they’re even building a harbor!" Holjjugi pointed toward the distant shoreline, where cranes loomed over the water.

"They need ships to transport materials in and out. Not to mention, they need a massive water supply for the cold-rolling mill."

Holjjugi turned to Tae-soo with a skeptical expression.

"What kind of factory is this, exactly?"

"A fully integrated steel mill. This place will be the backbone of Korea’s steel industry."

Pohang Steel wasn’t just any factory—it was a cornerstone of President Park Jung-hwan’s ambitious heavy industry expansion plan.

The project was so critical that Park had sent his closest confidant, Park Tae-jong, all the way to Pohang to oversee it.

This place would soon be the most important steel mill in Korea.

Holjjugi whistled again.

"How much does it cost to build something like this?"

"At least a hundred million dollars."

"What?! That much?!"

The first blast furnace alone had cost 120.5 billion won.

At the current exchange rate in the 1970s—about 330 won per dollar—that meant securing funding was no small feat.

Holjjugi shook his head in disbelief.

"Where the hell did they get a hundred million dollars?"

"From the Japan-Korea Claims Agreement funds."

Pohang Steel’s construction had been controversial from the start.

Foreign institutions had refused to lend money, arguing that Korea was too underdeveloped to need a fully integrated steel mill.

With no access to foreign loans, President Park and Park Tae-jong had diverted funds from the Japan-Korea Claims Agreement—a sum of five hundred million dollars, originally earmarked for agricultural and fisheries support.

One-fifth of that, one hundred million dollars, had been funneled into building this steel mill.

Holjjugi rubbed his chin.

"Now that you mention it, I think I heard something about Pohang Steel on the radio. They said the blast furnaces aren’t finished yet."

"That’s true, but the heavy plate mill is already operational."

"Heavy plate mill?"

"Thick, wide steel plates—mostly used in shipbuilding. The first sale should be happening in a few days."

Most likely, the first buyer would be Geumsan Shipyard—another project under President Park’s industrialization initiative.

Holjjugi turned to Tae-soo, eyes wide.

"Damn, Tae-soo. You know everything. How do you even find all this out?"

“I had Han-soo look into it in advance.”

“······.”

“This level of preparation is basic when coming all the way to Pohang.”

Tae-soo took a bundle of papers from inside his jacket and handed them to Skinny (Holjjugi).

Skinny received the papers and began reading through them.

“This isn’t it. There’s nothing about that here.”

Skinny quickly flipped through the pages.

“It’s just background checks on people. What’s this? Why did you dig so much into some Japanese guy?”

“He’s an important figure. You should take a good look too.”

Skinny looked puzzled.

“A Japanese guy at Pohang Steel?”

“You know I’m bad at memorizing things.”

“Then just think of it as the personal details of the drinking buddy we’ll be meeting later.”

“...Suddenly, I’m remembering everything perfectly. Sounds like an interesting guy.”

“Not that you’ll actually be drinking with him.”

“My interest just plummeted. Here, take it back.”

“······.”

Tae-soo quietly looked around the construction site.

‘In just one year, a massive blast furnace will be completed.’

On June 9, 1973, the first molten iron will be extracted from Pohang Steel’s blast furnace.

The world had scoffed, saying, “A developing country like Korea building an integrated steel mill? Ridiculous.”

Because of that, financial institutions refused to provide the necessary loans, and no one had any expectations.

However, Pohang Steel went down in history as the only steel company to turn a profit in its very first year of operation.

In 1973 alone, it recorded an impressive $100 million in revenue and $12 million (about 4.6 billion won) in net profit!

And this was achieved in just six months of factory operation.

It was only possible because of a remarkable figure named Park Tae-jong.

Tae-soo approached a passing worker and asked,

“Excuse me. Do you know where President Park Tae-jong is right now?”

“Where are you from?”

A steel mill is a national security facility, as it has the capability to produce wartime supplies.

Because of this, security is strict, and entry is tightly controlled.

Tae-soo and Skinny, of course, were neither government officials nor in possession of any equivalent entry permits.

“It looks like too many civilians have been slipping in because of the constant flow of workers, but this isn’t a place you can just wander into. You could get into serious trouble. You’d better leave before you get arrested.”

“Tae-soo, are we screwed?”

Skinny whispered nervously to Tae-soo.

“We have something to deliver to President Park Tae-jong.”

Tae-soo confidently reached into his jacket.

A bundle of papers peeked out.

At that moment—

“Huh? W-wait! The brakes—! Watch out! Get out of the way!”

VROOOOM—

A truck came barreling toward them at a terrifying speed.

It was loaded with long steel pipes.

Rattle, rattle.

Of all days, today had to be the day a worker had carelessly secured the binding straps.

As the loosened straps gave way, the pipes began shifting wildly.

CLANG! CRASH!

With an ear-splitting noise, the steel pipes tumbled from the truck, rolling down the sloped road.

“Move!”

“Watch out!”

“Look out!”

Workers screamed as they dove out of the way.

Tae-soo and Skinny also flung themselves to the side to avoid the chaos.

RUMBLE—CRASH!

The rolling steel pipes slammed into a stack of construction materials in the corner.

“No!”

The truck driver barely managed to tumble out just in time.

BANG!

With no one at the wheel, the truck plowed straight into a factory column.

As the column bent under the impact, part of the factory wall tilted dangerously.

“Everyone, get outside!”

“Hurry!”

Startled workers, who had been focused on their tasks inside the factory, scrambled outside in a panic.

“Tae-soo!”

Skinny was startled to see Tae-soo running toward the driver and shouted in surprise.

The driver was half-buried in a pile of sand.

Tae-soo frantically dug through the sand, pulling the driver out.

“Damn it, he’s not breathing.”

Tae-soo quickly began CPR.

After what felt like an eternity, the driver finally gasped for air.

Only then did Tae-soo wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

“Skinny, call an ambulance!”

“Manager Kim!”

Just then, a man who appeared to be in his late forties rushed over.

It was Park Tae-jong, the president of Pohang Steel.

With a single glance, Park Tae-jong grasped the situation.

“Take Manager Kim to the hospital! Get a vehicle ready!”

“Sir, I’ll go with him.”

“I’m coming too.”

“Sir, please stay here and handle the aftermath. The workers are deeply shaken.”

Murmurs spread through the crowd.

The workers who had witnessed the accident were visibly shaken, some looking completely dazed.

“That was almost a catastrophic accident.”

“If we leave things like this, morale will plummet, sir.”

Hearing his subordinates’ concerns, Park Tae-jong nodded.

“You’re right. Take care of Manager Kim.”

“We’ll be back.”

One worker hoisted the injured driver onto his back, while another brought the car around.

After confirming their departure, Park Tae-jong scanned his surroundings and shouted.

“Is anyone else hurt?”

The workers only murmured among themselves—no one mentioned any additional injuries.

“Each team, check on your members! Is everyone accounted for?”

“E-everyone seems to be safe!”

“We’re safe!”

“Everyone is accounted for!”

Park Tae-jong shouted even louder.

“Is there any work crew completely out of contact?”

“No, sir!”

“No issues, sir!”

Only then did Park Tae-jong let out a sigh of relief.

But the workers still couldn’t shake their stiff expressions.

“Sir, one entire section of the factory collapsed, and the material stockpile was completely destroyed…”

“That’s enough. As long as no one was hurt, that’s all that matters. A factory can be rebuilt, and materials can be replaced.”

Still, the murmuring did not die down.

“Steelwork and construction are the riskiest jobs out there! Stay sharp! Accidents happen in the blink of an eye!”

One by one, the workers lifted their heads to look at Park Tae-jong.

Fear flickered in their eyes.

“If you let your guard down, disaster strikes. The first priority is safety, the second is durability, and the third is precision. Stay focused! Understood?”

Silence.

It was different from usual.

“Why aren’t you answering? Understood?”

A few scattered voices finally mumbled a response, barely louder than a mosquito’s buzz.

But the mood still hadn’t recovered.

‘This won’t do.’

Park Tae-jong closed his eyes briefly. Then, his gaze sharpened as he looked over the workers.

One by one, he locked eyes with each of them.

“Stand tall! Square your shoulders! And pick up your tools again! We must complete this job!”

With a heavy thud, he slammed his shovel into the ground.

“You all know better than anyone where the money for this steel mill is coming from! It’s the reparations we took from the Japanese! That money belongs to the people!”

Thud!

“If we don’t pay off this debt as quickly as possible, how can we call ourselves men? How could we face our ancestors, who suffered under Japanese rule?”

He gestured toward the accident site.

“If construction is delayed by a single day, it’ll push our payments back by a month! If we fall behind by a month, we’ll lose an entire year’s progress!”

The workers clenched their fists.

“Think of our country, our people, and the generations to come!”

Raising his shovel, Park Tae-jong pointed toward the sea.

“If we fail, we will be guilty of an unforgivable crime against history and our nation! And when that happens, we will all have no choice but to throw ourselves into the waters of Yeongil Bay! Have you already forgotten the oath you made when we broke ground?”

“We haven’t forgotten!”

Light returned to the workers’ eyes.

Some of them responded loudly, full of energy—just like soldiers.

“We have been entrusted with the immense duty of leading this nation’s steel industry! We must see it through to completion!”

“Yes, sir!”

Their expressions had changed.

Most of them were former soldiers who had shared life and death alongside Park Tae-jong.

They had even shed their uniforms to build this steel mill.

Driven by pure patriotism, they had picked up shovels and rushed here for the sake of their country and their people.

“Everyone, focus and get back to work! Begin!”

“Begin!”

The workers moved in perfect coordination.

Like well-trained soldiers, they worked in unison, lining up in neat rows.

As if the accident had never happened.

“Tae-soo, is this a construction site or a military base?”

“Beats me. I’m confused too.”

“I’ve never seen a worksite this disciplined before.”

“Park Tae-jong was an army officer. That’s probably why he commands his men like a military unit.”

“He really runs a tight ship. I am never getting a job here.”

Holjjuk shuddered.

“Hold it! You there!”

At that moment, Park Tae-jong spotted Tae-soo and began walking toward him.

Even the way he walked was like that of a well-trained soldier.

“You were the one who performed first aid on Manager Kim, correct?”

“You mean the truck driver?”

Park Tae-jong threw aside his shovel and bowed his head.

“My apologies for the delayed gratitude. I sincerely appreciate your quick actions.”

His movements were crisp and precise.

After bowing respectfully, he lifted his head—his sharp gaze like the edge of a finely honed blade.

“But who are you? Why are you lurking around here? This area is considered a classified zone.”

Tae-soo smirked.

“My name is Kang Tae-soo. I’m here with an interesting business proposal.”