CH38 : President Thoughts

South Korea's Blue House.

"Chief, how did Woo Sajangnim react?"

President Park was curious about the response to the gift he had sent to Vietnam.

Despite the audacity of leaving for Vietnam without waiting for his return, his interest was piqued.

It was a brazen act, but changing the terms of the memorandum had more than offset any negative feelings.

"Both Woo Sajangnim and the dispatch engineers were deeply moved by your kindness."

"Really? Well, Koreans can't live without kimchi and gochujang. They must have missed it a lot."

"And they sent a telex."

The Chief Secretary handed over the telex.

Although it had arrived via the presidential channel, it was customary for the Chief Secretary to handle it during working hours.

"Let me see it."

"Your Excellency, we deeply appreciate the supplies you sent... (omitted)... We couldn't dock a commercial ship at Quy Nhon Port, so we had no choice but to send the logs on a naval vessel. Please allow the import as it will be beneficial to the nation. We will report the status of Quy Nhon Port construction and US military supply procurement every two weeks."

It was quite amusing news.

"Heh, they shipped logs?"

"Yes, it seems they exported the logs through the Baekgu Unit, which was in charge of procurement."

"It's not smuggling, is it?"

"It's a gray area. The logs were classified as surplus US military goods, essentially a byproduct. It's like bringing in wastepaper through a special military operation."

"Bringing in wastepaper... Does that mean the logs from Vietnam are fair game for anyone?"

"Yes, that seems to be the case. Each shipment could be worth tens of thousands of dollars."

President Park was inwardly delighted.

Logs were an unexpected windfall.

Whether they were used to make furniture or boards, they could be turned into dollars.

"They also sent the staff salaries last month, didn't they?"

"Yes, $150,000 was sent home. We applied the preferential exchange rate for the dispatch engineers."

$150,000 already? They must have scraped together every dollar they could.

"Keep an eye on that company. By the way, did you take care of those meddlesome ones from last time?"

"We dismissed two prosecutors who were leading the charge and disciplined four others. We also investigated the Textile Association and arrested the presidents of Hongyang Textile, Dongnam Textile, and Hanseong Textile on bribery and tax evasion charges."

Dismissing two prosecutors meant they had taken significant action. But for three minor companies to collude against Daese Group?

"Were those three the only ones who incited the prosecutors? Doesn't the Textile Association have more troublemakers?"

President Park frowned.

He had left the matter to the Chief Secretary while focusing on the Korea-US summit, but the handling seemed unsatisfactory.

"I'm sorry, Your Excellency. They cut off their tails so quickly that although we suspected them, we couldn't secure enough evidence to arrest them."

"You suspected them but couldn't arrest them?"

There was a hint of irritation in the President's voice.

The Chief Secretary wondered why the President was so concerned with Daese Group but knew it wasn't the time to question it.

In such situations, the best course was to lay low and report everything known.

"We suspect the ultimate backer is Chairman Joo of the Samo Group, but arresting him based on suspicion alone would be detrimental to national governance."

"Detrimental to national governance?"

"Yes, Chairman Joo of Samo Group is closely tied to Japan. He is negotiating with the Japan Procurement Agency (JPA) to build a fertilizer plant at the Ulsan Petrochemical Complex and is also in talks to attract advanced Japanese companies like Tokyo Spinning and Kabone Spinning to Korea."

President Park felt bitter.

The Chief Secretary's words implied that while Samo Group had attacked Daese Group, it was also playing a crucial role in constructing the Ulsan Petrochemical Complex.

Attracting Japanese spinning companies was one thing, but building a fertilizer plant was a critical national project.

It was very urgent to build a domestic fertilizer plant, especially considering the votes from farmers.

'Samo Group is getting cocky with JPA backing them?'

JPA, short for Japan Procurement Agency, was a Japanese government organization that acquired a wealth of advanced technology through US military procurement.

Though the President's anger simmered, scolding the Chief Secretary wouldn't solve anything.

JPA not only handled US military procurement but also represented the Japanese government in overseas investments and technology transfers.

True to its name, the Procurement Agency had significant influence across all sectors, including construction, shipbuilding, steel, aviation, and petrochemicals.

When JPA said jump, Japanese companies had no choice but to ask how high.

"Chief, didn't I tell you to conduct an international bid for the Ulsan Petrochemical Complex? The money comes from the US, so there are plenty of American or European companies that can transfer the technology instead of Japan."

"I'm sorry. We conducted three international bids and carefully selected Belgian and West German companies twice, but the US Department of Commerce refused to sign the loan agreement."

"Why did they refuse? Didn't the US President himself sign an agreement to provide a $150 million loan?"

"Because the Japanese government filed a complaint. JPA argued that they offered the lowest price and promised comprehensive technology transfer, so why were they rejected? The US also pressured us, citing bidding regulations."

The South Korean government was trying to exclude Japan from loan projects as much as possible.

They were wary of the US positioning Korea as a frontline military base against communism while using Japan as a rear supply base.

Repeated political considerations like this could make Korea technologically dependent on Japan.

'Damn it...'

The President swallowed his anger.

There was no other option. If the Chief Secretary's final opinion was this, they had no choice but to let JPA handle the Ulsan Petrochemical Complex.

As a developing country needing both money and technology, their options were limited.

"So we couldn't touch Samo because they're negotiating with JPA?"

"I'm sorry. Just give us a little more time. Once the fertilizer plant is completed, we'll deal with Chairman Joo."

If they couldn't do it now, how could they do it then?

By the time the fertilizer plant was finished, JPA would be even more entrenched, and Samo would be bragging about being a patriotic company.

'Samo... These bastards. They're pressuring me to choose between Samo Group and Daese Group?'

President Park was certain that Samo Group was making a bold move. Otherwise, they would have rushed to the Blue House, crying and grabbing his pants.

Seeing that the Chief Secretary also intended to deal with them, they seemed not to have contacted him either.

'... Wait... Does Samo not realize what I'm thinking?'

A question mark popped up in the President's mind.

Would they really risk angering me over a small fry like Daese Group?

"Hey, Chief. Why does Samo Group covet Daese Group so much?"

"Your Excellency... What do you mean?"

"In this situation, shouldn't Samo Group be lying low? Why do they keep sharpening their knives? Do they have a reason to insist on taking Daese despite my displeasure?"

"!!!!!"

The Chief Secretary also seemed struck by lightning at the President's words. He realized what Samo was up to.

"Your Excellency, recently Samo has been trying to supply a product called Polytech to the military. Poor-quality military supplies and fake products have been rampant in the textile industry, so we were just monitoring it, but it seems they're not just trying to make some money with fakes. They might be aiming to take over Daese entirely."

"Polytech?"

"Yes, it's a product that the military supply procurement office is impressed with. They say Daese developed it, but it wicks sweat..."

"Enough about the product. It seems there's something more to Daese Group that I don't know about. I thought of them as clever traders with quick wits and good means."

The President's expression eased slightly.

He could roughly see what was happening.

Samo Group's desperate measures meant Daese's technology was threatening enough.

"The Chief Secretary will investigate further."

"Just investigate, don't interfere."

"Your Excellency..."

"Let's see how Woo Chan-soo reacts. Let him know it's okay to devour Samo or the Association if necessary."

"..."

"A small company swallowing a big one can also have a self-regulating effect on the industry, don't you think? The government doesn't need to intervene in everything."

"Your Excellency, you are right."

It was an instruction to support Daese Group from behind.

The President had decided to test Woo Chan-soo's capabilities.

For the President, whether it was Samo or Daese, the winning side was his side. Nevertheless, considering the constant meddling from JPA, Daese, who could build a chemical plant on their own, seemed preferable.

Thinking of who to wield, Woo Chan-soo, who would go to the battlefield to fetch logs, was better than the evasive Textile Association president.

"Chief, what are you doing? Go and see to your work."

The Chief Secretary gauged the President's expression.

He then immediately sent a telex to Woo Chan-soo.

***

Beep beep beep...

"Huh? What's this?"

A telex had come out of the blue.

"Samo Group is pushing for military supply with Polytech products. They are negotiating technology transfer with JPA."

It was impossible to know who had sent it.

However, the content was what mattered.

It took several reads to gradually understand.

"Wow, Samo Group is after Polytech?"

Samo Group was a typical conglomerate closely tied to politics.

They had grown through political connections and had disintegrated with a change in regime.

In the 60s and 70s, they were a thriving conglomerate.

"Are they really trying to buy off my company with President Park? They've got some guts."

Samo Group was gambling.

It was practically asking President Park to choose who would be more beneficial for maintaining his regime between Samo Group and Daese Group.

Samo Group probably calculated that the chances of President Park choosing me were slim.

Hence, they were making this move.

So, this telex came from the Blue House!

"But Samo, what will you do? My value has risen to match yours."

It was fortunate I started the logging business in time. The logging business was obviously a cornucopia.

In the end, President Park would watch with the mindset of "the winning side is my side," so I had to crush Samo by all means.

"By the way, where did the Polytech patent leak from? A subcontractor? Or did they bribe a patent office official?"

Finding the route was a solvable matter.

It could even turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

I might end up weeding out reliable subcontractors and devouring Samo in the process. I would have to fly to Korea for a bit.

"Stealing a patent from a 21st-century man? Ridiculous."

It seemed Korean companies of this era had little concept of patents.

Especially since the Polytech patent was related to US military supplies, the solution was almost disappointingly simple.

I immediately went to find Sergeant Mark.

"Hey, Mark."

"Huh? What's up, CS?"

"Is the AR670-1 special recruitment report ready?"

AR670-1 was the US military uniform regulation, and my product had to be registered under this regulation to be supplied to the military.

"Yeah, the colonel signed it. Now we just need to send the report to Saigon headquarters."

"Give me a copy of that too. I need to send it to Korea to prepare the quantities."

"Of course, there's a copy for you, CS. Here you go."

Sergeant Mark, despite his laid-back appearance, was meticulous with his work.

The report detailed my Polytech product under the "AR670-1 Special Recruitment" category, complete with photos of the item being worn.

I received the document and inwardly cheered.

AR670-1 was the US military uniform regulation, and any product approved here could be purchased and worn by soldiers.

So, although it was a special recruitment, my Polytech was officially a product worn by the US military.

US military regulations were enforced worldwide like a mafia, and especially in this era, they were practically the Bible in Korea and Japan.

Naturally, my Polytech patent, backed by this report, meant the US military had the license to use it, and violating this would make someone a villain against the security of both the US and South Korea.

It meant I only had to wave this report like a warrant and give them a good beating.

"Mark, I'm going to Korea for a bit. KIM will handle anything that comes up."

I had to leave this place to my father for a while and fly to Korea.

"Sure? You're going for the Polytech quantities, right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Come back quickly. BR will be coming soon. Things won't run smoothly without you, CS."

"Don't worry. Two weeks will be enough. Just get me a ride to Saigon."

"Sure. Go and make a bunch of Polytech."

Sergeant Mark, true to his role as an engineer battalion commander, promptly got me a ride.

I boarded the flight from Saigon, passing through Singapore and Hong Kong, and finally headed to Gimpo.

Even with express boats and aeroplanes, it took almost two days to get to Korea in the 60s.