Série: The All-Rounder Employee Becomes a Legend
Título: The All-Rounder Employee Becomes a Legend Chapter 8
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08 : Group Discussion
Tae-seok looked at the number placed in front of him.
His number was 2.
Without a moment to think, a heated discussion began.
“This is Park In-soo, number 3. I believe that our passion for education has had a tremendous impact on the economic development of the Republic of Korea. As a country with few natural resources, our human capital is extremely important. Therefore, even with excessive spending on education, we were able to become one of the top 10 global economies thanks to our outstanding human resources. Even if education costs a bit more, I hope we continue to foster talent fit for the global era.”
Number 3’s words made Tae-seok’s head ring as if struck by a hammer.
‘What an idiot.’
He was smart, but his answer missed the point.
The topic had already been given: the reasons for excessively high education costs and possible solutions.
But he failed to grasp the main point and gave an irrelevant answer.
Too bad for him — he was definitely going to fail.
Then, another person spoke up.
“This is Choi Yoon-hee, number 7. I sympathize with the high cost of education. My parents told me they spent about 300 million won to send me through university. 300 million won is a huge amount of money. I believe this stems from our low birth rate. South Korea currently has the lowest birth rate among OECD countries and will be classified as a nation with a declining population starting in 2050. I think this problem could be solved if the government encourages childbirth and increases the corresponding welfare benefits.”
Tae-seok nodded at her words.
It was a reasonable answer, but Tae-seok had a different thought.
This was for a company, not a government office. Why bring up the birth rate?
Just then, number 6 began to speak.
“I agree with Ms. Choi Yoon-hee, number 7. I understand the slogan ‘Let’s have just one child and raise them well’ was popular in the 80s. Since then, the nuclear family has become much more common, and as a result, parents began to raise their only child with the utmost devotion. I believe that’s why the cost of education per person has increased. I think encouraging childbirth is the best solution.”
Now, it was Tae-seok’s turn.
“This is Kim Tae-seok, number 2. I’d like to approach this from a slightly different perspective.”
At Tae-seok’s words, all eyes turned to him.
“It’s true that our country ranks first in education spending among OECD nations. We also have the second-highest rate of university admission. However….”
Tae-seok stood up, walked to the front, and pointed at the chart.
A graph of the 2018 OECD Education at a Glance indicators was hanging there.
“But what about the quality of our education?”
As Tae-seok pointed out, everyone’s gaze shifted to the chart.
“The quality of our education system is ranked 75th! From a young age, we’ve received an education that focuses on uniformity rather than individual aptitude. In contrast, Germany, after four years of compulsory elementary education, allows students to choose between Gymnasium, Realschule, or Hauptschule based on their abilities and preferences. As a result, the supply of labor meets the demand for the jobs the country needs. Is it because the state decides? They study less than we do, their education spending is lower than ours, yet their average wages are incredibly high. Also, there isn’t a large gap between different professions.”
People’s heads turned at Tae-seok’s words.
‘He’s actually linking it to this?’
“In contrast, our country has an imbalanced workforce. Support for STEM fields like technology and IT is severely lacking. In particular, entry-level engineering positions in our country are now being filled by foreign workers from places like China and Pakistan. Why? Because there are no domestic applicants. Because it’s hard, it’s difficult, and it’s looked down upon by society. If we had introduced a systematic education system like Germany’s from an early age, would things be the same as they are now? They say there’s no high or low station in work, but it seems there is now. That’s why I believe a revolutionary change must be introduced to the education system to reduce education spending and allow the entire nation to develop.”
At Tae-seok’s words, participant number 10 raised a counterargument.
“You mentioned a uniform education. Is participant number 2 disparaging our country’s education system?”
Tae-seok let out a bitter, silent laugh.
He knew it wouldn’t be easy.
But he hadn’t expected such an aggressive attack.
Disparaging….
Still, he couldn’t show it here.
“No. It’s not disparagement, just my personal opinion. I apologize if it made you uncomfortable.”
“Yes. It did make me uncomfortable. I thought that adopting such a foreign system wasn’t quite right. Korea has circumstances that are right for Korea. Things are going well now, and there are many well-educated and outstanding people like those around us. You all graduated from universities in Seoul or abroad, didn’t you? You’re all in this room because of that passion for education. In what way are we inferior to Germany?”
Number 10 finished his words with a triumphant smile.
Tae-seok’s answer had clearly been outstanding.
He thought that if things continued this way, Tae-seok’s acceptance would be a given.
So he countered his opinion and threw in the word “Seoul” to gain everyone’s sympathy.
But what happened next was completely different from what he had expected.
“Participant number 10?”
“Yes!”
“What’s your name?”
“It’s Yoon Seok-in.”
“You’ve worked hard. You may leave now.”
“Excuse me?”
“Mr. Yoon Seok-in, you don’t seem to be a good fit for our company. Thank you for your time.”
“……”
Disqualified on the spot.
Participant number 10 looked around with a dumbfounded expression.
‘What did I do wrong? Why me?’
Elseong Group was changing.
Elites were fine, but they wanted talent that could blend into the organization and cooperate in harmony.
From that perspective, Yoon Seok-in was the worst possible candidate.
He had adopted a tone and attitude of putting others down to make himself look good.
For that, he received the worst possible outcome.
After the first discussion ended, a 10-minute break was given.
The nine remaining people quenched their dry throats, drinking bottled water or beverages from a vending machine.
A short while later, the second discussion began, and this time, a truly difficult topic was presented.
『Discuss the reform of the National Pension.』
Previously, they just had to discuss a single, defined topic, but this time was different. Opinions were bound to be divided.
“This is participant number 1. I believe the reform of the National Pension is desperately needed. Unlike occupational pensions, the National Pension is not legally guaranteed. Furthermore, the actual income is less than half of that from pensions for soldiers, civil servants, and private school faculty. I believe this National Pension should be discussed on the same level as other occupational pensions.”
“This is participant number 6. I have a slightly different opinion. I believe the National Pension is a minimum safety net for old age. If the pension is insufficient, I think people can enroll in pension insurance sold by our Elseong Insurance, or invest separately in various financial products like real estate or savings.”
As various opinions were shared, Tae-seok couldn’t say a single word. He had never given the issue much thought, and as a daily-wage worker, it wasn’t a matter of great concern to him.
However… listening to the eight opinions, the two divided viewpoints weren’t getting any closer. Even after 25 minutes, the moderator didn’t end the discussion.
‘Why isn’t the moderator ending this yet?’
As time went on, the moderator’s frustration became visible.
Tae-seok thought. He had to be the one to bring it to a conclusion.
He had to see this discussion to its end.
“This is Kim Tae-seok, number 2. It doesn’t look like we’ll reach a conclusion this way. I think the opinions so far can be divided into two main categories. Participant number 1 said that the National Pension and occupational pensions should be unified, like in Japan, while participant number 6 said that any shortcomings of the National Pension can be supplemented with private pensions or financial products. Let’s hear one more opinion on each side, and then we can reach our conclusion by a majority vote. Oh? Participant number 8!”
At Tae-seok’s words, participant number 8 added to participant number 1’s opinion.
Then, participant number 7 expressed their agreement with participant number 6’s opinion.
Tae-seok grinned.
“Discussions can be tough, right? But we need to conclude so we can wrap this up. First, the National Pension! Let’s merge it with the occupational pensions! Please raise your hands!”
The discussion moderator smiled at Tae-seok’s actions.
‘He’s taking the lead because it was getting frustrating? Yes! This is what I wanted. Someone who can act as a dispute mediator! That’s the kind of talent our company needs!’
Tae-seok didn’t pay much mind to the evaluation.
He just wanted the discussion to end quickly.
“Okay! Four people, good. Now, for what participant number 6 said, let’s leave the National Pension as is and supplement it with financial products! Please raise your hands!”
“Ah, it was a close one. Personally, I think participant number 1’s opinion seems better. Moderator?”
“Yes?”
“We’ve been discussing for 35 minutes. Five people have expressed the opinion that the National Pension and occupational pensions should be combined and guaranteed by the state without discrimination, while four people said the National Pension should maintain only its minimum guarantee function, and the rest should be up to individual investment. It’s 5 to 4, should we take one side?”
At Tae-seok’s words, the discussion moderator smiled and said.
“No. Everyone, thank you for your hard work in the discussion. You may all leave for today.”
As everyone was leaving, Kim Tae-seok once again stayed behind alone to arrange the chairs.
“Participant number 2?”
“Yes?”
“What are you doing?”
“I thought I should tidy up before I go.”
“It’s alright. You can go.”
“Yes. Understood.”
After everyone had left, the discussion interviewer circled something on the evaluation sheet and thought.
‘That guy is a definite pass.’
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