Free Web NovelOn the way to the Baekje Hotel for the FKI gathering, I read through the materials Manager Ma handed me.
They were documents related to Party Chairman Han Jiho, whom we had started marking not long ago.
I shook the papers and asked,
“Is all of this true?”
Manager Ma turned his body and replied,
“Yes. Chairman Yeo Seungjin of Geumseong Group and Chairman Seo Jaesang of JC Group meet frequently with Chairman Han Jiho. And this time, they even provided separate campaign funding.”
It wasn’t unusual for conglomerates to give campaign funds to politicians, but the problem was that the amount was substantial.
“We’ll need to conduct an overall review. Organize and report on the general atmosphere in both the business and political circles, and their movements.”
I tossed the stack of documents aside and looked out the window for a moment.
It seemed that while I’d been focused only on the outside, the inside had been festering little by little.
“If you loosen the leash even for a moment, this is what happens every time······.”
Shortly after, the car carrying me stopped in front of the Baekje Hotel.
After getting out, I headed straight toward the venue where the gathering was being held.
Manager Ma opened the banquet hall doors for me, and I walked inside with a smile.
“It’s been a while, Chairmen. Good to see you all.”
The twenty chairmen gathered there each reacted differently.
Some smiled as if welcoming me.
Some frowned, clearly uncomfortable.
And some maintained blank expressions, betraying nothing of their thoughts.
I moved forward, slowly examining their faces one by one.
At that moment, one man stood up from his seat and approached me.
“President Kim Muhyuk! Have you been well?”
It was Chairman Guk Daeho of Poongsan Group.
“Chairman Guk Daeho. It’s been a while. I’ve heard Poongsan Group has been doing very well lately. I heard you’ve already risen to 16th in the business rankings. Or was it ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) 17th? Either way, I heard you’re now within the top twenty.”
“Yes, that’s right. Just recently, we overtook Dongsung Group and reached 15th. Hahaha.”
At that, I saw Kang Hoseok’s face crease ever so slightly.
I shot him a sidelong glance, then smiled again at Guk Daeho.
“Is that so? Poongsan Group’s growth rate is frightening. It hasn’t even been that many years since you entered the top thirty, and now you’re already aiming for the top ten. Isn’t that all thanks to Chairman Guk’s capabilities?”
When I said it loudly enough for everyone to hear, Chairman Guk waved his hands modestly, putting on a show.
As if he’d caught on to my intent, his voice grew much louder than usual.
“This is all thanks to President Kim Muhyuk. Without your help, it would’ve been difficult.”
Guk Daeho was the one who had taken over the construction division of Ilseong Mulsan, which had construction capabilities rivaling Joongwoo and Daehyeon.
It was only natural that Poongsan Construction, which had lingered around the top thirty in contract rankings, would grow.
It was a case of a small fish swallowing a big fish.
There were no competitors, so it didn’t fall victim to the winner’s curse, but the acquisition amount alone was a big deal comparable to Poongsan Group as a whole.
Originally, they should have struggled just to raise the acquisition funds, but Taesan Finance stepped in and loaned them the money.
And from that point on, Guk Daeho’s aggressive nature became pronounced.
He wasn’t afraid of failure. He challenged things head-on.
And now, those results were appearing exactly like this. Still, this man knew his own limits well.
Unlike other conglomerates, he didn’t recklessly expand into countless unrelated businesses. His philosophy was to focus harder on what he did best.
I smiled as I looked at Guk Daeho.
“Let’s save the reminiscing for a drink next time. Would you mind stepping aside for now?”
“Ah, I was blocking the way. Please call for me anytime!”
Guk Daeho took a step to the side. I passed him and continued walking.
Manager Ma pulled out the chair at the vacant seat of honor, and I naturally sat down.
The sheer naturalness of the gesture left the other chairmen staring in a daze.
“Chairman Kang Hoseok, please have a seat as well.”
Chairman Kang Hoseok, who had been staring at me blankly, returned to his seat.
Smiling, I met the eyes of each person gathered in the banquet hall.
“You must have been startled by my sudden visit. However, it’s difficult to gather all of you in one place unless it’s today, so even knowing it’s rude, I came anyway.”
I continued speaking with an even deeper smile toward a few chairmen who didn’t bother hiding their discomfort.
“Since you’re all busy people, I’ll get straight to the point. I came here today because I have something I’d like to ask for your cooperation on.”
Chairman Kang Hoseok, receiving the gazes of the others, spoke on their behalf.
“Cooperation? What kind of cooperation do you want from us? Is there something so big that everyone here needs to cooperate?”
“As you all know, an inter-Korean summit will be held soon. At that time, the U.S. Secretary of State will also be visiting Korea. At that meeting, various issues such as North Korea’s abandonment of nuclear weapons and economic opening will be discussed. We won’t know exactly what decisions will be made until then, but North Korea’s reform and opening policy will be carried out regardless of the outcome of the summit.”
Except for the two people who already knew this, everyone else’s eyes widened.
They might have anticipated economic cooperation between the South and North after the summit, but the idea that the closed-off North Korea would open its economy was something they had never imagined.
That was why I could feel everyone focusing intently on my words.
“The beginning will be the Kaesong Industrial Complex project and the Mount Kumgang tourism project led by Daehyeon Group. Keep in mind that even those are considered small-scale among North Korea-related businesses.”
Several chairmen swallowed hard. Chairman Kang Hoseok asked again.
“If it’s economic opening, what kind of scale are we talking about?”
“They’ll push reform and opening policies on a scale greater than China’s. Since they’re late, they’re pursuing radical change.”
“Can we trust the North Korean government? Couldn’t they change their policy again like last time?”
I nodded at Chairman Kang Hoseok’s words. It was a reasonable point.
But since they’d replaced the regime precisely because they didn’t like Kim Jongil acting on his own whims, the possibility was low.
“That’s possible. However, Jang Songthaek, who has taken power this time, is different from Kim Jongil. He pursues a pragmatic line more than anyone. There may be differences in speed, but he won’t completely scrap this policy.”
A brief silence fell.
Some people even closed their eyes, as if calculating figures in their heads. The one who broke the long, heavy silence was Chairman Yeo Seungjin.
“President Kim.”
I turned my gaze toward Chairman Yeo Seungjin, who had called out to me.
“Did you come here under instructions from the Blue House?”
“The Blue House?”
“Yes. Isn’t the timing strange? There was word from the Blue House that all of us were to attend a welcoming banquet for Jang Songthaek. And then you showed up, saying you wanted our cooperation.”
“Ah, I see what you’re saying.”
Yoon Changho was also serious about this summit.
The tension with North Korea had weighed on him so heavily that his gray hair had noticeably increased over just a few months.
That was probably why he planned to invite all the chairmen to the welcoming banquet and introduce them to Jang Songthaek.
“It has nothing to do with me. The Blue House and I are acting separately.”
“Then should we take that to mean we don’t have to attend the welcoming banquet?”
Well, look at this guy. Without realizing it, one of my eyebrows twitched.
He was asking whether it was okay to refuse a direct order from the Blue House. What exactly was he relying on?
No matter how democratization had progressed and the Blue House’s power had weakened, the Blue House was still living power.
Even if they couldn’t completely destroy them like what happened to the International Group, they could interfere throughout the entire term in office.
In Korea, all it took was mobilizing the prosecution, the National Tax Service, and the Fair Trade Commission, and none of the conglomerates here could remain untouched.
I deliberately asked him in a puzzled tone,
“Chairman Yeo Seungjin, why are you telling me that? That’s a decision for you to make. I came here to talk to you about North Korea-related business. Any disadvantages you suffer from attending or not attending are the result of your own choice, so bear them yourselves. Don’t try to drag me in to make excuses for an escape.” freēwēbηovel.c૦m
Just what was this hundred-year-old fox thinking?
He’d tried to take control of the board even during the Ilseong Group dismantling.
I set my thoughts aside for now and continued.
“Whether you attend the welcoming banquet or not doesn’t concern me. So decide for yourselves, and······.”
I trailed off and looked around. Everyone was focused on my words.
“What I’m asking of you isn’t much. I want you to fill the Kaesong Industrial Complex with small and medium-sized enterprises. Most of your groups’ partner companies are SMEs anyway. What do you say? Can you cooperate?”
Every chairman looked puzzled. Chairman Kang Hoseok spoke up.
“You’re asking us to find companies to enter the Kaesong Industrial Complex? Why on earth are you the one doing that, President Kim? It’s not Chairman Song over there stepping up.”
Everyone’s gaze shifted to Song Chanwoo. Receiving their attention, Song Chanwoo spoke.
“Daehyeon Group is building the Kaesong Industrial Complex, but it’s difficult to find all the tenant companies on our own. It’ll only be possible with the help of all the chairmen here.”
“No, no. Chairman Song. Don’t you understand my question? I’m asking why President Kim is handling this instead of you.”
“President Kim holds the key to North Korea-related business. The contracts we had with them will likely be scrapped.”
“What? Is that true? Do you know how much effort Chairman Song put into business with North Korea······. You’re saying that’s all being broken?”
Chairman Yeo Seungjin’s reaction turned sharp.
The atmosphere among the other chairmen grew tense as well. This old man really does need to be dealt with sooner rather than later.
Turning his gaze toward me, Yeo Seungjin asked in a voice full of anger,
“President Kim. What exactly is going on here? Explain it properly. What in the world is happening right now?”
I interlaced my fingers and rested my elbows on the table.
Then I leaned forward slightly and stared steadily at Yeo Seungjin.
“Chairman Yeo Seungjin. Is that really what matters right now?”
“Then what does matter? Daehyeon Group signed a contract with the North Korean government. How can we do business with someone who overturns everything just because the regime changed! And then you ask us to help?”
I lifted one corner of my mouth.
“I didn’t ask you for help.”
“Didn’t you just ask us to send our subcontractor companies into the Kaesong Industrial Complex? If that’s not asking for help, then what is it?”
“I clearly said I was asking for cooperation. I came here to do business with the groups present. Those who cooperate in this matter will be given the qualification to participate in future North Korea-related projects.”
“What did you say?”
At the mention of granting the right to participate in North Korea-related business, Yeo Seungjin frowned.
“Then that means······. Are you saying you’ve secured all the business rights for North Korea-related projects?”
“Otherwise, why would I gather all of you here and say these things? You won’t be able to conduct any North Korea-related business without going through me.”
“······.”
Chairman Yeo Seungjin fell silent, apparently at a loss for words.
Things weren’t going the way he’d expected, were they? Watching his sulky expression, I smiled gently.
“Chairman Yeo Seungjin. Do you have any more questions? If you plan to sit this out, you may stand up and leave. One chairman withdrawing won’t stop this matter.”
“Khmm.”
Despite my gentle tone, the sharp content made Chairman Yeo Seungjin clear his throat.
He looked around. When his eyes met Chairman Seo Jaesang’s, Seo Jaesang spoke.
“President Kim Muhyuk. What exactly do you mean by ‘qualification’?”
I straightened my posture and leaned back deeply into my chair.
Crossing my legs, I remained silent, lightly wiggling just one foot.
As Seo Jaesang grew anxious at my behavior and was about to speak, I opened my mouth again.
“I mean it literally. I’ll let you build factories in North Korea. All of you here either have factories in China already or plan to build them. There are various reasons, but the most important one is that labor costs are far cheaper than in Korea.”
“That’s true.”
“Vice Chairman Jang Songthaek, who has taken power this time, intends to apply the Chinese model to North Korea. Several cities will be designated as special economic zones, and foreign capital will be attracted. As a pilot project, I’ve leased the development and operational rights of Nampo City—closest to Pyongyang and home to Nampo Port—from the North Korean government. I’ll grant you the qualification to enter there.”
Qualification to enter the Nampo Industrial Complex.
No one here would fail to understand its value.
