Chapter 503: West Pacific Investment Company

[Chapter 567: West Pacific Investment Company]

The newly renovated Shilla Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Seoul officially opened, featuring an upgraded lobby and an executive lounge on the top floor. They added a luxurious outdoor swimming pool, a modern fitness center, indoor golf, and much more!

Arthur made a special trip to Korea, partly to visit Lee Boo-Jin, as the big conglomerates in Korea weren't having an easy time lately.

In the bathroom of the hotel suite, Arthur was lounging in the bathtub with Lee Boo-Jin. "Things aren't too calm between North and South Korea these days, are they?"

Lee Boo-Jin smiled, "It's alright. They discovered a unit of North Korean special forces near Gangneung, and there was some gunfire."

"Not many people came from North Korea; the police and military are searching the nearby mountains," she added. "Honestly, it's a lot better than in Indonesia, where a lot of people have died recently."

Arthur wasn't concerned about the conflict between North and South Korea. He was just here, and somehow, he learned about this situation.

"Last month, didn't over 4,000 college students storm the gates at Hanyang University in Seoul?" Arthur shook his head.

This year, South Korea's sitting president Kim Young-sam put former presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo on trial for their past actions; the first verdicts had already come in. It was unfortunate that during Kim Young-sam's presidency, there had been major incidents like the collapse of the Sangmu Bridge, the Daegu gas explosion, and the collapse of the Sampoong Department Store. Now, they had student riots at a university in Seoul!

Politics and economics were like twin brothers; before economic issues arise, there'll definitely be major political events.

"Alright, let's stop talking about all that," Lee Boo-Jin said, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning in for a kiss. "Earlier, you gifted me 200,000 shares of Galaxy stock, and then I bought another 300,000 shares. Altogether, it cost $24 million. Now with Galaxy's stock price at $82, my 500,000 shares are worth over $40 million! Galaxy's stock price has shot up quickly!"

Arthur gently caressed her soft skin. "Stock prices don't always keep rising; they'll plateau soon enough. By the way, do you remember that Korean GK Entertainment we established? We acquired 25% of SM Entertainment."

"Recently, SM Entertainment launched the boy band H.O.T, and they exploded in popularity in Korea," Lee Boo-Jin commented, as she casually checked up on GK Entertainment since Arthur arrived.

She suddenly realized that SM Entertainment had seen a significant increase in revenue.

Arthur didn't really pay attention to these developments; GK Entertainment was just a standard holding company, assisting MGM International in planning their movie promotions in Korea.

"Oh, and there's a talent named Kim Hee-sun in there."

"Are you interested in the entertainment industry?" Arthur asked Lee Boo-Jin. "It seems CJ is launching a chain of multiplex cinemas called CGV, officially stepping into film distribution. You know, CJ invested in Hollywood's DreamWorks, which is working on their own films!"

Lee Boo-Jin shook her head. "I don't have time for that. CJ operates independently under Samsung; it's expected to be fully separated by next year. Because of the situation in Indonesia, several of CJ's factories there are suffering losses!"

Arthur found it a bit puzzling and couldn't help but chuckle, "Are you still keeping tabs on CJ? You should focus on Samsung and continue to grow; do you really think South Korea's going to see a woman take over a company? What's CJ even worth? It's just a food company that can't even rank among the heavyweights. Lotte just recently entered the top ten as the largest food conglomerate in South Korea, with Lotte's size being only a seventh of Samsung's."

"Anyway, I came here to help you develop the Shilla duty-free shops, and perhaps venture into the department store business," Arthur explained while caressing Lee Boo-Jin's body.

"The market next door, China, is very suitable. This year, Walmart, Makro, and Sam's Club have all entered China. I've always been bullish on the department store business."

Lee Boo-Jin pondered, "Are you looking to invest?"

"Absolutely! I specifically set up West Pacific Investment Company to oversee operations in Asia," Arthur mentioned. His firm primarily focused on East Asia, with Hong Kong as a base, reaching into Southeast Asia and even South Asia. Australia was also on the table.

"Hmm," she said, leaning in and kissing Arthur.

Soon enough, he carried Lee Boo-Jin out of the bathtub and into the bedroom...

[T/N: I have removed content with Kim Hee-sun from the chapter.]

*****

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