Chapter 386 |
It’s safe to say that no one goes to the military because they want to, unless they plan to make a career out of it. So, why do people hate going to the military?
Naturally, it's because going is a loss, and not going is a net gain. The reason is that the salary isn't even close to the minimum wage; it's worse than what prisoners earn for their labor in jail.
If a private's salary were at least minimum wage, people might think it’s worth doing once. If it were on par with the starting salary of a large corporation, people would be lining up to enlist.
But the reality is about 30 percent of the minimum wage. And that’s after it was nearly doubled when the administration changed.
Some might hear this and think, ‘Do you go to the military to earn money? You go to protect the country and its people.’ But by that logic, why do we pay members of the National Assembly? They’re all serving the country and its people.
The most important thing I realized after serving in the military is that it’s best to avoid it if possible. There’s a reason why chaebol heirs, politicians, and celebrities try so desperately to evade military service.
Back then, I went because I had no money and no connections. But if I had as much money as I do now, wouldn't I have seriously considered my options?
Of course, some say military service is a precious experience of youth, and that’s what the military teaches.
However, one can have many more precious life experiences as a free person. Men in other countries live perfectly fine lives without such experiences.
So, if they promote it with a game, will people want to enlist?
“…”
Could that really be true?
No sane person in the world would want to enlist just because they played a "National Defense FPS" game. If, by some miracle, such a person existed, they’d likely be exempt due to mental instability anyway.
If they genuinely want to solve the draft evasion problem, they need to improve the various absurdities within the units and raise the soldiers' treatment and wages.
Of course, even then, I doubt people would particularly want to go, but it might change 'absolutely don't want to go' to 'moderately don't want to go.'
In any case, the conclusion is that the premise is flawed. Since the premise was wrong from the start, such a garbage conclusion was inevitable.
I was too curious, so I asked.
“How exactly was this research report created?”
“We commissioned it through an external service. We conducted surveys with university students eligible for enlistment and received expert consultation to produce it.”
“And the cost?”
“It cost about 40 million won.”
“…”
40 million won for this piece of trash report?
It seems they have no money to pay soldiers' salaries but plenty for things like this. There’s no money easier to spend than taxpayer money.
Taek-gyu said, loud enough to be heard,
“Since it’s a big problem that young people these days aren’t dating or getting married, maybe the Ministry of Health and Welfare should create and distribute a dating sim to solve it.”
I nodded.
“If they make it R-rated, it would significantly help increase the birth rate too.”
Thinking it was a joke, he burst out laughing.
“Haha! That’s a good idea too.”
The development objective was mind-boggling enough, but it was nothing compared to the development plan.
“Ten developers, a two-year development period, and a budget of 5 billion won?”
“That’s correct. The Minister said he would like a game that can be linked across PC, mobile, and VR, in line with current trends.”
“Ah… with this money, even VR.”
I almost swore.
And they want ten people to make it? Are they confusing game development with pirates burning CDs in Yongsan?
Taek-gyu was impressed.
“Wow! 5 billion! President Ichikawa Shigeru should have heard this himself.”
I wouldn't have stopped him if he'd slapped the guy across the face right then and there.
Perhaps still oblivious to the situation, he continued explaining with a smile.
“If we can create a good game to promote the importance of national defense, what does the cost matter? The Ministry of National Defense plans to link the National Defense FPS with eSports.”
Now I was too dumbfounded to even speak properly.
“eSports?”
“Yes. We’ll hold a National Defense League within military units with leave passes as prizes, and also host civilian leagues to make it a global competition. Then, we’ll broadcast it worldwide to achieve both revenue generation and promotion of the ROK Armed Forces, killing two birds with one stone.”
“…”
Is the MND staffed entirely by idiots?
To make a specific game an eSports title, it not only needs to be enjoyed by many people, but also requires continuous investment and promotion.
Thinking you can just create a game and it will become an eSport shows just how little they think of gaming.
“Since a considerable sum of 5 billion won is involved, it should proceed through competitive bidding. However, isn’t quality more important than price for a game? That’s why we want to proceed with a private contract with OTK Games.”
Anyone hearing this would think they were granting some incredible favor. It seemed he was under a grand delusion.
I asked Taek-gyu.
“How much do you think this would cost to make?”
Taek-gyu crossed his arms and thought for a moment.
“It would vary depending on the quality, but if you want to include VR, you’d need about 80 developers, and the production cost would be at least 70 billion won, don’t you think?”
Our conversation shocked him.
“What? 70 billion won? No, what kind of game costs 70 billion…?”
“The VRMMORPG currently in production has a budget of over 10 trillion won.”
“…”
His jaw dropped, and he couldn't say a word.
I stared at him intently and asked.
“What will you do? Will you sign the contract?”
Then, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, he said,
“I-I’ll go back and discuss it first…”
Truthfully, the higher-ups at the MND probably wouldn't care how the game is made. That's why they'd come up with something like this, calling it a plan without proper research.
The biggest problem with this plan isn't the cost. Even if they spent tens of billions, who on earth would play a game made to promote the ROK Armed Forces?
To put it bluntly, it’s just a waste of taxpayer money.
I thought of Kim Jae-hak and the wounded veterans I met at the M Pizza general meeting.
They were severely injured in a military they were forcibly conscripted into and have to live with lifelong disabilities. Yet, they haven’t even received proper compensation.
There are countless people who have suffered such fates. Who would feel like enlisting after playing a few rounds of a game?
I put down the proposal and said,
“When you return to the Ministry of National Defense, please relay a message for me. Tell them if they have money to waste on such nonsense, they should use it to improve the treatment of soldiers and support those injured during service first.”
***
The MND’s policy PR officer’s face turned bright red, but he couldn’t get angry or refute and just left.
Suddenly intrigued, I looked up some information related to the Ministry of National Defense.
Which among the various government ministries is the most closed-off?
Naturally, it’s the Ministry of National Defense. Due to the nature of the military, it’s separated from society, and there’s little interaction with other ministries. It also possesses its own judicial powers, including military police, military prosecutors, and military courts.
Furthermore, among the various government ministries, it has the most assets and manages the largest number of personnel.
Taek-gyu asked,
“They’d have a lot of personnel because of conscription, but why so many assets?”
“Weapons these days don’t come cheap, you know.”
Destroyers or a state-of-the-art fighter jets cost tens or hundreds of billions of won by default. And they operate dozens, even hundreds, of them.
“And all the land where the bases are stationed is also MND property.”
Due to the standoff with North Korea, troops are concentrated in areas bordering the Demilitarized Zone. And that includes the Seoul metropolitan area.
When you think about it, the MND is the real land baron.
Their budget is also enormous. At a whopping 50 trillion won, it’s over a tenth of the government’s total budget. The rate of increase is also steep, due to defense reforms and the successive introduction of the latest weaponry.
What citizen would complain about spending money to defend the country? Yet, defense industry corruption scandals erupted frequently enough to be memorable.
Seeing them talk about spending 5 billion won to make a game encouraging enlistment, the amount of money leaking out in this way must be considerable.
Whenever the topic of soldiers' salaries comes up, they always say there's no budget. If they just managed this money well, couldn't they at least meet the minimum wage?
I called PR Team Leader Jung Gi-hong to the CEO’s office.
“Please organize and submit some data on corruption related to the Ministry of National Defense, such as military supply and procurement fraud.”
Team Leader Jung Gi-hong’s eyes widened. For some reason, he looked startled.
“What’s wrong?”
At my question, he said in a voice filled with emotion,
“I have been waiting for a day like this to come. The Ministry of National Defense must be thoroughly screwed over… no, I mean, reformed. I’ve thought this deep in my heart for a long time.”
“…”
I’m just looking into it.
Come to think of it, this senior also served active duty in the army, didn't he? Just looking at his expression, it seemed he had a lot pent up from his military days.
As a fellow active-duty veteran, I sympathized.
I silently patted his shoulder.
***
When lunchtime arrived, Ellie from the next building came over.
We ate the packed lunches we had ordered together. Taek-gyu talked about the MND’s visit, and Ellie frowned.
“If they have money for something like that, shouldn’t taking care of the soldiers first be the priority?”
“My point exactly.”
While we were in the middle of eating, Senior Sang-yeop came up with Team Leader Jung Gi-hong.
“You’re going to take on the MND? Good thinking. That’s a very good idea.”
“Excuse me?”
I never said that.
“If you’re going to do it, do it properly. They don’t deserve any leeway. When I think about what I went through in the army, I still jolt awake at night.”
He looked uncontrollably excited. For reference, this senior also served active duty.
Having heard the news, Team Leader Seo Sang-won also came up to the CEO’s office.
“Are you investigating defense corruption?”
“No, I’m not a prosecutor, how could I investigate? I’m just looking into it.”
“Countless soldiers must be earnestly hoping for the eradication of defense corruption.”
“Did you perhaps serve active duty?”
At my question, Team Leader Seo Sang-won nodded as if he had been waiting for it.
“I’m from the airborne troops. Actually, the military has gotten much easier these days. Back in my day, it was unspeakable. I was put through so much, even at this age, I can still strike a helicopter rappelling pose perfectly.”
“…”
Look at that military pride.
Everyone started talking about which unit they were from, what training they received there, and how much they suffered.
When the topic of the military came up, everyone got very excited.
Ellie looked at me with an exasperated expression.
“Are all Korean men like this?”
I shook my head and said,
“Only the ones who’ve been to the military.”
***
I examined the data.
Political power changes through elections. But regardless of who takes office, bureaucrats keep their positions. And among them, the military is the slowest group to change.
Corruption in military supplies and procurement has deep roots. It’s not that other fields are free of corruption, but there are several reasons why it’s particularly severe in the military.
The Ministry of National Defense is an independent and closed organization. Most goods purchased by the government go through the Public Procurement Service. However, the MND purchases separately through the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.
Also, while other ministries order desks or computers, the military orders special equipment like artillery shells or night vision goggles.
The companies that make these are limited, and since there are no similar products on the market, it’s not easy to compare performance and price. Therefore, they often enter into private contracts with specific companies. Even if it's competitive bidding, a few companies collude and share the spoils.
Because of this, things like bulletproof vests that bullets can penetrate, combat boots with soles that fall off, or life jackets that sink in water appear quite frequently.
Even if that’s tolerable in normal times, if a real war breaks out, our forces could be defeated due to substandard equipment.
The money is pocketed by those at the top, but the entire nation has to bear the damage.
Military supply and procurement corruption scandals erupt often enough, and each time public opinion boils over and various countermeasures are announced. But after a while, it’s as if nothing happened, and the same things are repeated.
The government and corporations have maintained close ties for a long time. Therefore, it’s unthinkable for a company to step forward and uncover government corruption.
But I am different. Since I have no ties to the existing establishment, I don’t need to be wary of anyone.
Although Korea’s level of integrity has improved considerably compared to the past, it’s no match for developed countries like Germany or the Nordic nations.
It’s just not well exposed, but corruption and irregularities are rampant within the government, often disguised as ‘custom’ or ‘practice.’ They say it’s done that way because it’s always been done that way.
I thought of the refugees I saw in Europe and the wounded veterans I met at the M Pizza general meeting.
No matter how much money I have, I can’t solve all the world’s problems. But couldn’t I at least solve the problems around me?
[TL/n: I've decided to lower the price of premium chs for the rest of the novel since we're very close to the end of it]