1979, Manager Kim is Inheriting Dictatorship! - Chapter 108



Only Krnovel

Episode 108

There is no ill will now, but the US president who was so harsh on Korea in history was Clinton.

But now, it was not easy to hold back laughter when that person was fidgeting because he wanted to look good in Korea.

President Clinton looks at me and asks me in an urgent voice.

“President Kim! It may be sudden, but could you talk a little bit about the import of crude oil from Block 7 on the agenda for this summit?”

To him, the crude oil negotiations coming out of this 7th block seemed more important than anything else.

“There is no way it won’t happen. However, the crude oil mined in Block 7 will basically be prioritized for use in Korea. Of course, based on the current expected mining volume, exports are also possible. However, we still need to discuss it a little more. I think it’s a little too early to bring it up as an agenda item at this summit.”

It’s only been two days since mining began.

There has been no discussion yet, either at the senior secretary meeting or the State Council meeting.

That is why I talked about postponing the agenda to the next summit.

But Clinton seemed more desperate than ever.

“Please, I beg you! If this summit does not produce any results, I will surely be remembered as a sinner in history in the distant future.”

“Haha, this is really difficult… … .”

‘I wonder if it’ll matter what I sell… … .’

The amount of crude oil buried in Block 7 would be enough to last over 100 years if used in Korea alone.

Of course, if you add natural gas, it would be enough to last an even longer period of time.

But I don’t think it would have occurred to me that we would continue to need oil and natural gas in significant quantities for over 100 years.

If superconductor technology were truly developed, it was clear that the energy used in all production would be drastically reduced.

It was also clear that demand for oil would decrease dramatically.

In fact, even if they sold some in the US, it wouldn’t be a big problem.

After a while, I spoke to him with a helpless expression.

“Haha. Okay. Then let’s bring this up on the negotiating table tomorrow. But since we already have a schedule, how about we go ahead with it today? I also need at least a day to talk to people.”

“Oh, of course! Thank you!”

He greets me by bowing his head at an unusual 90 degree angle.

“Oh my, raise your head. It’s difficult for two leaders to act like this.”

“No! President Kim’s decision right now may have ushered America into a new era! Thank you!”

His thanks this time seemed sincere.

I think I could see his intentions to some extent.

‘So now you’re saying you won’t be dragged around in the Middle East anymore?’

* * *

We promised to negotiate the 7th oil field tomorrow, and the first place we headed to was Pyeongtaek, where the US military is stationed.

Even after unification, US troops remained stationed in Korea under the keynote of the ROK-US alliance.

However, for the sake of relations with China and Russia, the stationing of US troops in Korea was limited to the existing area in the south.

Of course, apart from these, the wartime operational control had already been recovered after several summits following unification.

And now, it has gone beyond the ROK-US alliance where the US simply protects South Korea to a literal military alliance between the two sides.

The world’s leading military experts have rated South Korea as second only to the United States in military power.

In particular, there were some military experts who believed that the army’s power had surpassed even that of the United States.

It would be safe to say that the current ROK-US alliance exists to ensure smooth relations between the two countries.

“You all are really having a hard time far away.”

Clinton shakes hands with each of his country’s soldiers and encourages them.

As expected, he was the President of the United States, so he was very impressed with this kind of skinship with a soldier.

Afterwards, we headed to the banquet hall for a short meal and welcome ceremony.

As I was doing that, the sun set and darkness fell.

After the American delegation, including Clinton, left for a break, I hastily summoned the chief secretaries, state councilors, and several key national figures.

Despite the fact that it was an urgent meeting, everyone gathered at the Blue House in less than 30 minutes.

I began the meeting by apologizing to them for meeting at such a late hour.

“I apologize for calling you at such a late hour. It was such an important matter. I hope you understand. Now, let me get to the point. What the US wants is crude oil and natural gas from Block 7. If we give them crude oil and natural gas, what good will we get in return?”

The Minister of Finance still asks me with a bewildered expression.

“Mr. President, is it really true that Block 7 produces so much crude oil that it can be exported to the United States?”

I nodded and answered him.

“This morning, we received a call from the 7th Mining Resources Corporation. The exact number is not yet certain, but they say there are more than 100 billion barrels of crude oil buried there. And they also say there is a significant amount of natural gas.”

Both the State Council members and senior aides are surprised.

Since I was told to report directly to the President’s Office regarding the 7th district without fail, the Chief of Staff and I were the only ones who still had definite information.

There is a lively exchange of opinions.

There are many good ideas being discussed, such as the transfer of space technology from the United States, tax breaks for Korean companies entering the United States, and tax exemptions for exports by Korean companies.

And then suddenly the governor of an Asian central bank steps in.

“Mr. President, may I make a suggestion?”

Although it was stated that the governor of an Asian central bank should maintain neutrality, it was only a facade, and the governor of an Asian central bank was closer to an element of our government.

In this way, we communicated with our government on most agenda items, and sometimes attended State Council meetings as an observer.

“Of course, President Yoon. What do you think?”

“How about receiving part of the proceeds from crude oil sales in Korean Won or gold?”

It was the best-looking proposal I’d ever heard.

“Oh, that’s okay?”

This would certainly stabilize the value of the won.

At this point, it certainly seemed like a pretty good card to receive from the US.

* * *

And the next day, full-scale negotiations with the United States began.

As soon as negotiations began, President Clinton asked me point-blank:

“Let me get straight to the point. Would it be possible to export crude oil to the United States first?”

“As I said yesterday, there is nothing impossible. But don’t you know? I will never negotiate anything that would be detrimental to Korea. Let’s reveal the cards that the United States has.”

If this negotiation can be concluded successfully, the United States will not have to appear to be dragged around in Middle East diplomacy in the future.

If so, it would certainly have been a huge burden on American diplomacy going forward.

Clinton asks me back.

“Are there any conditions that Korea is considering?”

“These are the conditions that Korea is proposing. Half of the payment should be paid in Korean Won or gold.”

These were the conditions proposed yesterday by the governor of the Asian central bank.

Of course, I did not intend to reject the dollar altogether.

In fact, if the value of the dollar falls too much, it would be a loss for Korea as well.

In fact, the country that currently holds the largest amount of dollars after the United States is none other than South Korea.

So, too much of a decline in the value of the dollar was not beneficial to Korea either.

However, Korea is currently too dependent on the dollar.

No matter how much the economy grows and technology advances, this is an issue where the national economy itself can be easily shaken by just a few changes in the U.S. monetary policy.

I didn’t want to see South Korea being swayed by other countries’ monetary policies.

Clinton is embarrassed.

This was not something to be easily accepted.

It was a problem that, if handled incorrectly, could easily lead to the collapse of the dollar hegemony that the United States had.

First, come to your senses and reject Korea’s offer.

“That’s a bit tricky. Even though the won is currently the common currency of the AEU, most global trade settlements are still made in dollars. Transactions in won? That’s ridiculous.”

“President Clinton, all trade within the AEU countries is already conducted in the won. The United States is only participating in that trade. You don’t have to worry too much. Korea is not trying to break the dollar hegemony. It’s just trying to maintain the won’s value a little longer.”

“No matter what… … .”

Clinton still looks troubled.

I took out another card that I had brought with me and gave it to him.

“Instead, we have a good proposal for you.”

“Is that a good suggestion?”

Clinton’s expression suddenly becomes filled with curiosity.

I made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.

“We will supply crude oil at the price set at the beginning of the year for one year.”

Clinton’s pupils dilate.

“What, what are you saying… … ?? Is that true! Are you really saying you can supply it at the same price for a year!”

From the American perspective, it was a story worth looking into.

Being able to buy a volatile resource like crude oil at the same price for a year would certainly be a huge boon for implementing various economic policies.

I threw more candy at him before he came to his senses.

“Of course, we will supply crude oil at a lower price than OPEC. However, there may be a limit to the amount we can supply. There are some parts that we need to sell to AEU countries, and there are also some parts that we need to use in Korea first.”

“You’re saying you’ll supply it at a lower price than OPEC?”

It couldn’t be sold only in the United States.

Not only did we have an agreement with Japan, but we also had to export some of our oil to China and other AEU countries to appease them a little.

But it seemed like those words had already fallen on deaf ears for Clinton.

Clinton smiles and grabs my hand.

“Hahahaha. That’s great! As expected, Korea and the US are the best of friends! What’s the use of Five Eyes and all that! Hahaha.”

The won has thus taken another step forward as an international currency.

* * *

“I hope you take good care of them. They are people I am so grateful to in Korea as well.”

What’s being loaded onto Air Force One is none other than the remains of American soldiers.

The excavation of the remains of American soldiers has been ongoing for over ten years.

And every time a Korea-US summit was held, people were sent back to their home countries.

Clinton bows his head to me and expresses his gratitude.

“Thank you. I owe this to Korea again.”

“No. They are the ones who owe us something. It’s something we have to do.”

The remains of 15 American soldiers will be loaded onto Air Force One with the utmost care.

As the remains are all loaded, Clinton salutes.

Clinton left Korea with the remains of American soldiers, and thus all schedules for the South Korea-US summit were concluded.

* * *

An opinion poll conducted immediately after the Korea-US summit.

The approval rating for the government, which had fallen to 62%, has once again surpassed the 9% mark.

Even the media that had been criticizing the 7th mine project has now become full of praise for the government.

And then the World Bank’s GDP announcement.

1st place: United States, $8.4234 trillion.

2nd place: Korea, $3.3032 trillion.

3rd place: Japan, $3.13 trillion.

.

.

.

Although the gap with the first place was more than double, the World Bank has now announced that Korea is the world’s second largest economy.

The projected economic growth rate for Korea this year was a whopping 34%.

In fact, this was not a growth rate that could be achieved in a country with this level of economic scale.

At the beginning of the year, the forecast for Korea’s economic growth was around 10%.

However, the discovery of the 7th mine field played a decisive role in this change.

And as the economy developed, the country’s internal structure also developed.

After years of effort, the level of integrity among public institutions, corporations and politicians has risen considerably.

In addition, civic awareness has also risen considerably.

Now, not only was the economy advanced, but every aspect of the country was moving toward becoming advanced.

However, despite the increase in the level of integrity among politicians, trust in politicians was still not high.

The public’s trust in the National Assembly and local governments, excluding the government, was still not that high.

Distrust of politics still lingered throughout society.

I don’t know if it will happen while I’m alive, but when I die, this distrust in politics will eventually explode outward and eat away at South Korea.

‘Restoring trust in politics.’

Now is the time to do it little by little.