Chapter 83

The Bear Kingdom is Now Mine Chapter 83

Chapter 83: Childbirth Incentive Policy / Three Months Later. We will give each civil servant a house.

In the President's Office of the Moscow Kremlin.

President Zahir's forehead creased deeply as he read the documents handed to him by Nikolai.

"Hmm…"

While he had expected some issues from the high-ranking officials who had been around since Yeltsin, he was still taken aback by the extent of the problems.

"What do you think we should do?"

"Even if there are problems, we can't just dismiss all of them, can we?"

"Do you mean to overlook those who have committed corruption but are still capable?"

"I'm worried that if we cut them all off, there will be a significant gap in our operations."

President Zahir, who had become the President of Russia after the Soviet Union, was known for his integrity, but he was still influenced by the long-standing practices of the Soviet era.

However, Nikolai thought differently.

As the saying goes, "The water below is clear when the water above is clear," and once the water is dirty, it must be discarded. If you mix clean water with dirty water, the clean water will also become polluted.

"Unless they have some exceptional talent, it shouldn't matter if we dismiss them. We can promote lower-ranking officials to fill their positions and continue the work."

It is said that the position shapes the person.

Most of these people had worked as civil servants under Yeltsin after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

How capable could they really be?

We need to replace them all.

If we don't, they will continue to harm Russia.

While we can't catch every corrupt act, we shouldn't tolerate any from the start.

Nikolai, determined to eliminate the widespread corruption that was Russia's biggest problem, drew his sword.

"We need to thoroughly cleanse the remnants of the problematic past. Let's start anew."

"Hmm…"

President Zahir, after putting down the documents and taking a sip of tea, got up and paced from one end of the wall to the other.

This was his habit when he was deeply pondering something.

How much time had passed?

President Zahir, sitting back down, spoke heavily.

"Let's do it. We'll dismiss them all."

"You've made the right decision."

"Then, how do you suggest we handle them?"

"For those with serious crimes, we should send them to Siberia as lumberjacks, and the rest should be sent to prison."

"Sounds good."

As soon as President Zahir made his decision, all the problematic individuals were brought to court.

The trials of the most heinous offenders began, and soon the ranks of Siberian lumberjacks were replenished.

"Did I eat alone? Tell me, is there anyone who didn't take money?"

"We're not sending you because you took money. You used the chaos during the collapse of the Soviet Union to commit murder."

"What murder? Do you have any evidence?"

"Do you think we're some local mafia? We have evidence, which is why you're here. Take him away!"

"I can't go! I want to see President Zahir!"

"Where did you get the nerve to mention the President? If you commit a crime, you must pay the price. You'll become a better person in Siberia. Next!"

As the government began to crack down, civil servants trembled.

President Zahir, having started, began a nationwide audit.

At the same time, he recruited new talents through civil service exams to fill the vacancies.

While South Korea holds civil service exams regularly, Russia had held them only when necessary.

However, President Zahir changed this to an annual event.

This was because Russia had a severe shortage of civil servants compared to other countries.

It was also to ensure that he could replace problematic individuals at any time and replenish the workforce.

"Look at the computer screen. There's a section for personal information. You need to fill it out accurately. You have three hours, so take your time and proceed calmly."

As the supervisor finished speaking, a bell rang, and the exam began.

With the civil service exam being held nationwide, many people took part.

A civil service craze began in Russia.

The reason was the various welfare benefits.

In the original history, civil servants were given apartments, but they were decades-old Soviet-era apartments.

Now, they were being given modern apartments.

Across the country, apartments were being built without a break.

This was to solve the housing problem for citizens, using the profits from the World Cup and the slush fund of former President Yeltsin.

Nikolai introduced a new standard for apartments, setting the smallest size at 115 square meters (35 pyeong).

The sizes increased in 10-pyeong increments: 35 pyeong, 45 pyeong, 55 pyeong, 65 pyeong, and so on.

This was part of the childbirth incentive policy.

The idea was that larger homes would encourage more children.

TV family dramas had to feature large families, and public service announcements continuously promoted the idea that having more children was patriotic.

During his time as a journalist, Nikolai noticed that in South Korea, TV shows often featured divorce, remarriage, living alone, gold misses, single parenting, and the high cost of education.

These stories instilled fear in the public, making people less likely to want children.

Nikolai, understanding that public opinion greatly influences people's psychology, decided to change the atmosphere in Russia.

Unlike South Korea, he gradually instilled the idea that having more children was desirable.

Of course, he also focused on expanding social benefits and facilities.

"Is it true that if you have four children, you get a house?"

"If it's announced, it must be true. From the fifth child, you even get land (300 pyeong)."

"Wow, with free daycare and these benefits, it's worth having children. When did your husband come home today?"

Nikolai's policies heated up the country in a strange way.

* * *

Three months later, June 1998, President's Office of the Kremlin.

"It seems everything is in order now."

"Indeed, it feels refreshing to see it through."

Nikolai's question brought a bright smile to President Zahir's face.

"Hehe, I was worried at first, but now it feels really refreshing. It seems we made the right decision by following your advice."

"Once the new civil servants are in place, things will run better than before."

"Indeed. You've done a great job."

"It was possible because of your decisive leadership."

Without the President's firm resolve, it wouldn't have been possible.

Nikolai was implementing various systemic changes to firmly curb civil servant corruption.

"By the way, I heard the childbirth incentive policy is working well. If this continues, we might become a populous country like China and India, right?"

President Zahir's face was filled with excitement, envisioning Russia's changed future.

"It's a bit late. With the largest territory in the world, we only have 150 million people. The strength of a nation comes from its population, so we need to increase it as much as possible."

"I agree. I'll pay more attention to it. By the way, I've contacted Chairman Kim and told him what you said."

Indeed, the weight of a statement from the President of Russia is different from that of the President of South Korea.

"Did Chairman Kim say anything?"

"What could he say? If we cut off support, North Korea will be completely isolated."

One of the conditions for lending China $10 billion was that they not provide any support to North Korea.

This led to no exchanges between China and North Korea.

Everything was completely blocked.

China, with its economic troubles, immediately closed its borders.

For this reason, Russia was the last lifeline for North Korea.

Chairman Kim accepted President Zahir's demands, fearing the loss of this lifeline.

"Is it to prohibit taking back what has been distributed to the people?"

"I've made it clear, so you don't need to worry."

"Thank you. I'll stop by Gazprom and then head to North Korea."

"Isn't someone from Korea going with you?"

"Yes, they're staying at the Vladivostok hotel. We'll go together when we leave."

Leaving the Kremlin, Nikolai boarded a plane to Gazprom in the Sakha Republic with Sasha.

"Is the rice and flour ready?"

"It should be ready by now."

"What about vegetables and Spam?"

"We've prepared what we need immediately, and more will be supplied while we're in North Korea. The Spam is ready."

They also prepared multivitamins, emergency medicines, disinfectants, deworming pills, fever reducers, winter clothes, gloves, shoes, and blankets.

Since they planned to receive something in return from Chairman Kim for the aid to North Korea, it didn't matter.

The trucks, loaded with rice, flour, and other supplies, numbered a staggering 1,000.

"They'll all arrive at the Ussuriysk border in two days. But…"

"But what?"

"You can't possibly give all that to North Korea. What do you plan to do?"

"If I give it to Chairman Kim, will it reach the people? It will all end up in the pockets of the Communist Party or the military."

Knowing how North Korea always handled aid from the UN or South Korea, Nikolai decided to take matters into his own hands.

"Then…?"

"I'll distribute it on the way."

"Huh?"

"I'll drive the trucks and distribute the supplies directly to the people."

No matter how much he disliked Chairman Kim, he couldn't stand by and watch North Koreans starve.

How could he just pass by them?

If Nikolai didn't go to North Korea, he might not know, but once he went, he would definitely encounter starving people.

That's why he chose this method.

"Will Chairman Kim allow it?"

"It's already been discussed."

"How did you manage to resolve it so quickly? It's like it happened in an instant."

Nikolai looked out the window for a moment before asking.

"How are your wedding preparations coming along?"

"Everything is ready. I plan to get married right after Dennis and Victoria's wedding."

"Why wait? You can just do it."

"You can say that because you're family, but from my perspective, it's different. I think it's right to wait until after both of them are done."

"You worry about everything. Alright, it's fine. Anyway, all of you will get married this year."

Upon arriving at Gazprom, the vice president and many others were waiting.

"Mr. Nikolai, welcome. We've been waiting for you."

"It's cold outside. Why did you wait out here?"

"Minus 10 degrees here is considered warm."

"Ah, that's true. Let's go inside."

"Yes."

Entering the vice president's office, Nikolai got straight to the point.

"We've acquired an oil refinery in Korea."

"Ah!"

"Refining crude oil into various products can bring in more profit. Don't you think so?"

"Of course. Gazprom and the refinery are a great combination. It will bring in more profit than before."

"Please recommend a few people who can handle the refinery. I'll investigate them and make a decision."

"I'll do that."

They decided to operate the refinery under a dual-country system.

The Russian refinery would target Europe, while the Korean refinery would target Southeast Asia.

While other acquired businesses were treated the same, Nikolai paid extra attention to the refinery.

This was because international oil prices were expected to rise sharply starting next year.

"We will build five refineries across Russia simultaneously. We can't afford to have any production issues in the future."

The rise in international oil prices was expected to continue for over a decade, so they decided to build the five refineries simultaneously.

"I'll inform the construction vice president. Please discuss it with him."

"Shall we start immediately?"

"We need to start right away and minimize the construction period."

After finishing the business talk, Nikolai checked on the welfare of the employees.

While he received weekly reports, he always visited the site to see things firsthand.

He first went to U-Mart.

"Most people now use U-Mart because it has everything. I often come here with my family."

"Wouldn't one be enough?"

Asking the branch manager, who was standing beside him, he almost automatically replied.

"It's sufficient for now. We might need another one if the population increases."

"Are there any requests from customers?"

"I check the complaints coming into the customer service center daily, and there are no special issues."

"Good. Keep up the good work."

"Understood, Mr. Nikolai."

Next, he inspected the employee apartments.

"How are the employees and their families reacting?"

"The employees love the floor heating the most. Many people sleep on thick blankets on the floor, and I often sleep on the floor too."

Nodding at the vice president's words, Nikolai understood the comfort of lying on a warm floor after working outside in the freezing winter.

This was something only those who had experienced it could understand.

Russians were also deeply enjoying this comfort.

"Are there any complaints about schools or government offices?"

"People say it's much more convenient to get documents now because everything is computerized and faster."

"Good. With the refinery coming in, more people will live here, so the vice president needs to pay more attention."

"I'll make sure there are no issues."

After finishing his work at Gazprom, Nikolai headed back to Vladivostok with Sasha.

* * *

Nikolai received good news from Kim Minjun, the CEO, that international couples had exceeded 20,000 pairs.

He also heard that the construction of the Bohai relics museum was progressing smoothly.

Even better news came from the United States.

- The black hole was mentioned in Congress. It's a big deal.

"What was said?"

- What else? They want to impose sanctions on the black hole. A senator said there will be some results within a year.

It will be a futile effort.

The United States will never change its laws.

- What should we do? Should we sell some IT company stocks to lower our shareholding ratio?

"Not now. Wait longer."

- Actually, it's too valuable to sell now. The stock prices keep rising. Jobs said the same thing. If he had known, he wouldn't have sold Apple's stocks.

"Anything else?"

- Oh, right. Elliott. They're buying IT stocks.

"Do they still have money?"

- These things have a strong life force. They must have gathered it from somewhere.

This means we have another chance to send them.

If we sell everything at the end of 1999, when the dot-com bubble bursts, Elliott will be finished.

They will be hit from both sides: the bursting of the dot-com bubble and the stocks we dump.

"Understood."

- And be careful in North Korea. It's not a joke. There are reports that starving people are even eating human flesh.

"I understand. I'll call you when I return."

The next day, Nikolai left Ussuriysk and headed to North Korea.

A long convoy followed.

While Chairman Jeong of the Future Group was leading a herd of cattle across the border at Panmunjom, this was a different convoy.

"Is the ride a bit bumpy? Are you uncomfortable?"

Shaking his head at Nikolai's question, Chairman Jeong replied.

"If this is uncomfortable, I'm just being fussy. I'm fine."

Nikolai had suggested he take a plane and go ahead.

However, Chairman Jeong insisted on seeing everything with his own eyes and was traveling with Nikolai's group.

He had contributed 30% of the cost for the rice and flour, insisting on helping in any way he could.

Nikolai had no choice but to accept it.

"Quite a sight. How many trucks are there?"

"We prepared 1,000 trucks, and they will travel back and forth between Ussuriysk and North Korea."

"Mr. Nikolai is doing a great thing. I've heard that the situation in North Korea is very difficult."

"The situation is serious."

"Providing this much food and supplies will be a great help."

Chairman Jeong spoke with enthusiasm as if it were his own project.

"This is more than just help. It's like saving millions of lives. In religion, saving lives is the highest act of kindness. In that sense, Mr. Nikolai is accumulating a lot of good deeds."

Hearing Chairman Jeong's words, Nikolai fell into thought.

Why did he get a new life?

He had thought about this a lot.

He never found a clear answer, but hearing Chairman Jeong's words, he felt he was getting closer to one.

Billions of people suffering from war.

Millions of people dying from hunger every year.

People dying from diseases without proper medication.

Was he given a new life to revive Russia and give hope to these people?

As he was thinking, he was brought back to reality by Sasha's voice.

"Nikolai… look over there. I can't bear to see it."

Looking at what Sasha was pointing at, Nikolai got out of the car without hesitation.