1979, Manager Kim is Inheriting Dictatorship! - Chapter 129



Only Krnovel

Episode 129

“UY cell phone? Isn’t that our company?”

“Yes, that’s right. However, the current shareholding structure is 50%. Due to funding issues, we sold half of our shares to a Japanese company a few years ago, so now the Japanese company owns 50% and UY Holdings owns 50%.”

UY mobile phone.

It is one of the affiliates of the UY Group and is currently the affiliate with the highest sales within the UY Group.

UY mobile phone sales ranked 4th in the global mobile phone market.

It wasn’t a brand that was wildly popular worldwide.

However, UY mobile phones have consistently created a group of fans with their unique design, strong durability, and craftsmanship.

The chairman of UY Group thought that there was no way to compete with Samsung in Korea or other countries when the mobile phone market was emerging a few years ago, so he went to Japan, where Samsung had not yet made inroads, and focused on making inroads into the Japanese market.

Fortunately, the craftsmanship of the UY Group was accepted in Japan, and eventually, in Japan, the word “UY” came to mean mobile phone, to the point that the word “UY” came to symbolize the mobile phone itself.

UY Mobile Phones was basically a Korean company.

Most of the major components were produced in Korea, and the CEO and owner of the parent company were also Korean.

However, that does not mean that these companies were necessarily detrimental to Japan.

UY Mobile Phones was a company that established several factories in Japan and created quite a few jobs in Japan.

The conditions were also quite good, and it was ranked as a company that young people in Japan wanted to work for.

In short, even though it was a Korean company, it was not a company with a bad image in Japan.

‘Why are these kids suddenly acting like this?’

I asked Ambassador Han Seok-jun the reason.

“Why are you suddenly doing this? Why is there such a fuss about the government directly stepping in and telling private companies to sell their stakes?”

The ambassador hesitated for a moment, then began to answer.

“That, that’s because the new Japanese Prime Minister is manipulating public opinion by saying that Japanese people can be wiretapped because UY Cellphone is a Korean company.”

“As soon as the Prime Minister changes, he starts saying some really crazy things.”

Of course, it’s not that our National Intelligence Service doesn’t do business overseas.

Gathering information on various politicians and high-ranking officials overseas is a basic task for intelligence agencies.

But that doesn’t mean they do something foolish like install a wiretapping device in a cell phone sold to the public.

Doing this to a product sold to the public is an act of betraying the trust of the country and the company itself.

“Perhaps it is a way to significantly increase his approval rating after becoming prime minister.”

“ha…….”

A sigh comes out on its own.

As soon as Prime Minister Hosokawa leaves, a prime minister who is already a total idiot comes in and makes my head spin.

UY Mobile Phones was more than just a company that sold mobile phones.

UY Mobile Phone was increasing trust in Korean companies and favorability toward Korea in Japan, so even if the shares are not sold to Japan, if they continue to manipulate public opinion by talking about wiretapping and such, this will inevitably lead to a deterioration in exports of all Korean products.

‘What should I do with this… … .’

* * *

Before I even came up with a plan, I first contacted Prime Minister Hosokawa.

The phone rings and Prime Minister Hosokawa’s voice is heard.

“Prime Minister Hosokawa, this is Kim Jong-guk.”

“Oh, Mr. President… This is, well… I feel embarrassed to even answer the phone.”

His voice wasn’t his usual refined voice.

It sounded like the voice of a defeated general in battle.

I was the first to offer words of comfort to him.

“You must be very heartbroken… How could you betray the Prime Minister of your own party… This is truly an unbelievable act of immorality.”

Although the details are unknown, the biggest factor in the success of the vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Hosokawa was that some members of the Democratic Party of Japan, Prime Minister Hosokawa’s party, betrayed him, left the party, formed their own party, and voted in favor of the vote of no confidence.

Prime Minister Hosokawa answered with self-reproach.

“No. Isn’t it all my fault for being immoral?”

“That’s not true. At least, the Prime Minister is the most rational and communicative Prime Minister I’ve ever seen. The new guy has already caused trouble.”

Prime Minister Hosokawa also seemed to know what was being said.

“I feel really sorry for Korea regarding the UY mobile phone issue. In international trade, it is not the kind of attitude a normal country should take when the government unilaterally orders foreign companies to sell their stocks… Ha, what the hell is that approval rating… It’s all my fault for being immoral.”

I reassured him, telling him not to worry.

“Isn’t that what Prime Minister Hosokawa did? Don’t take it to heart. I guess I said something unnecessary.”

“No. In the end, you have to realize that such behavior will not have a positive effect on Japan’s future… … .”

“Huh, that’s right. Oh, but Prime Minister, are you back home now?”

Prime Minister Hosokawa answers in a liberated voice.

“Yes. I am sick of politics now. I will try to live comfortably in my hometown.”

“I see. But don’t give up politics completely. Maybe you can return to politics soon.”

“Yes… …? What do you mean?”

I answered Prime Minister Hosokawa’s question in a somewhat vague manner.

“Haha, no. Politics is such a thing where you can’t even predict what’s going to happen next.”

‘It wouldn’t be fun if I told you everything.’

I ended the phone call with him and immediately contacted the UY Group.

First of all, before carrying out the work, I had to know the intentions of the UY Group.

* * *

UY Group Chairman Lee Seung-dae.

He was the person who started a business in his 20s and built the UY Group, which is currently ranked 13th in the conglomerate, with his bare hands.

The most important product in the UY Group was the UY mobile phone.

UY mobile phones are generating huge sales in Japan, but due to financial problems at the time of entering the Japanese market, half of the shares of UY Holdings, which owns 72% of UY mobile phones, were transferred to the Sonya Group.

Of course, at the time, Sonya Group said that they were not interested in management rights and that they only wanted to make profits later, so UY Group handed over half of its shares to Sonya Group.

However, whether it was because of a change of heart on the part of Sonya Group or the intentions of the new Japanese Prime Minister, Sonya Group’s attitude changed 180 degrees and now threatened that business in Japan would be difficult unless the remaining shares were sold at a low price.

The Japanese government’s intimidation also continued.

[Since there is suspicion of wiretapping in Korea through UY mobile phones, hand over all of the shares of UY mobile phones held by Korea.]

Even though there was no proper evidence, the Japanese government just repeated like a parrot that they should hand over the shares.

And they even threatened to suspend operations if the shares were not sold by a set deadline.

In short, he was telling me to do whatever I wanted because if I didn’t sell, business would be difficult.

Although Chairman Lee had been through a lot, he could not help but be bewildered by the current situation.

“The Sonya Group isn’t even answering our calls.”

The secretary reports to the chairman.

The Sonya Group has not had any communication with the UY Group since it proposed a purchase price for its half-shareholding.

After hearing the report, Chairman Lee becomes enraged and slams his desk.

“What on earth are they doing? They’re not kids! What on earth are they doing?! Are these people students who are absent from school? They’re grown adults who ignore my calls and don’t even talk to me. What on earth are they doing?”

Apparently, there were plans to buy back shares from Sonya Group at the end of this year.

This is because it was judged that having too many shares in the company in Japan could cause problems in future management.

However, it turned out that UY cell phones were sold to Japan as a whole.

Public opinion in Japan was not very good either.

Fake news like this was circulating that UY Cellular was wiretapping key figures in Japan and passing the information to Korea.

I had no idea what to do.

This was the first time in his life that he had fought the government rather than a corporation.

‘What should I do… … .’

While I was worrying and feeling frustrated, my secretary called me.

“Who are you… … .”

The secretary answers with a slightly trembling voice.

“Mr. Chairman… This is President Kim Jong-guk.”

The chairman’s expression changes as if he has met the savior.

He answered the phone with both hands and greeted in an earnest voice.

“Mr. President! How have you been? I should have called you first… … .”

Kim Jung-guk asked him quietly.

“Chairman Lee, I’m busy so I’ll ask you straight out. Does UY intend to sell UY cell phones to Japan?”

Chairman Lee Seung-dae answers in a firm voice.

“No. I have absolutely no intention of selling. If I really have to sell my stake, I will simply close the business. We cannot do anything about the Japanese factory, but we will take all measures we can in Korea to prevent the business from continuing. However, if that happens, I am worried about the employees who are working there… … .”

“Okay. Then the government will take care of it. Don’t worry.”

“I, really… … !”

His voice now changes into a voice that says he is alive.

It was none other than President Kim Jong-guk.

In South Korea, there was no way that a person who made a promise would fail to do so.

“Yes. Don’t worry. What is the reason for the government’s existence? If it stays still while domestic companies are being treated like this for ridiculous reasons, it’s not a normal government. Don’t worry and wait. Everything will be resolved in a few months. Don’t worry about anything else and just focus on your business.”

“all right!”

His voice wasn’t the despair-filled one from before.

‘it’s okay……!’

Chairman Lee Seung-dae’s voice seemed brighter than ever.

* * *

“What should I do… … .”

UY’s intentions were also confirmed.

He was not such a fool that he would open his eyes to Japan and sacrifice Korean companies.

It would be understandable if a company were simply downsizing its business or selling its operations overseas due to a management crisis.

If a company sells some of its business as part of its management, there is no justification for the government to intervene there.

But this time it was different.

Clearly UY had no intention of selling UY phones.

The current series of events has seen Japan’s new prime minister engage in outrageous behavior to drum up approval ratings.

That is why the government needed to step in.

There are many ways.

Now, we have an advantage over Japan in every area, economically, militarily and diplomatically.

And the best way to do this was through economic impact.

If it was an economic blow, there was a method that was the most effective and good enough for all of Japan to feel it in their daily lives.

It was the 7th district.

The agreement with Prime Minister Hosokawa would cut off the supply of 10% of the natural gas and crude oil that Japan currently receives free of charge from Block 7.

The reason can be faced appropriately.

There are many reasons to avoid the problem, such as supply disruption.

The Japanese government was now using cheap energy sources thanks to natural gas and crude oil from Block 7, and Japanese companies were also benefiting greatly from this.

The moment this freely available resource disappears, it is clear that it will have a very rapid impact on both individuals and businesses.

The Japanese government may claim that this is a breach of contract, but it was Japan that attacked first.

They also know that there is no good reason.

And crucially, if we block supply, there is virtually nothing Japan can do.

In terms of military power, Japan had already been overwhelmed for some time.

Especially recently, the number of fighters has increased to a point where it seems a bit excessive, and stealth capabilities have been strengthened, so much so that the current South Korean Air Force could be called a space defense force.

‘Should I slowly close the valve?’

I immediately instructed my chief of staff to block all supplies to Japan.

“Chief Secretary, talk to the 7th Mining Resources Corporation and tell them to restrict all crude oil and natural gas entering Japan starting tomorrow. Also, instruct them not to sell anything other than the contracted amount to the US and China for the time being.”

It blocks the free supply of resources while causing the price of crude oil to skyrocket.

‘I don’t know if I can last three months.’