1979, Manager Kim is Inheriting Dictatorship! - Chapter 27



Only Krnovel

Episode 27

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In 1981, Korea was a large but ambiguous country.

It is clear that the economic level has risen to that of a middle-income country, but diplomatically, it is still difficult to view it as a normal country.

The biggest reason is that it is not a member of the UN.

Despite being a developing country with a per capita GDP of over $2,000, South Korea has not yet joined the UN due to repeated opposition from the Soviet Union, citing North Korea as the reason for its failure to join.

‘Well… North Korea also couldn’t join, but…’

What this means, in the end, is that if we just remove the variable of North Korea, it is possible to join the UN.

Ultimately, the elimination of North Korea was essential for South Korea to become a major power.

“They’re not even the type of people who can communicate···.”

North Korea’s Kim dynasty has absolutely no intention of giving up its power.

Their goal is to create their own dynasty and remain in power there for thousands of years.

‘If an all-out war is necessary, it must happen before North Korea develops nuclear weapons.’

North Korea began extracting plutonium for nuclear development in the late 1980s.

They don’t have nuclear weapons yet.

Ultimately, the problem is the intervention of the Soviet Union and China.

Among them was the use of nuclear weapons.

When a full-scale war suddenly broke out, if the United States wanted to deter the Soviet Union and China from using nuclear weapons at least, the United States had to help them to the point of being prepared for world war, and we had to give them something in return.

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“With the hope that the Samjeong Giheung Industrial Complex will succeed, President Kim Jung-guk, Samjeong Group Chairman Yoo Jeong-cheol, and Vice Chairman Yoo Geon-ho will break ground.”

Digging up dirt with shovels together with Chairman Yoo Jeong-cheol and Vice Chairman Yoo Geon-ho.

As we break ground, I hope the construction goes well.

It may be a superstitious thing, but each of these things gives people a little bit of peace of mind.

After the event, Chairman Yoo Jeong-cheol guided me around Giheung Industrial Complex.

“Mr. President, this is the new CD factory we are building.”

“It’s quite large? I heard you’re only building a semiconductor factory, but are you also building a CD factory?”

“Yes. Originally, we were going to build a semiconductor factory, but since the demand for CDs is so high, we decided to build a CD factory. The demand is so great that we can’t handle it. They are going to buy only our products because the quality is incomparably better than Sony products.”

The CD made by Samjeong is a CD made with technology from 2023.

The CDs made by Sony were just prototypes.

It was a given, but there was no comparison in quality.

“It’s all thanks to the President.”

An old man over 70 bows his head to me and greets me.

Chairman Yoo Jeong-cheol was more than 10 years older than Kim Jeong-guk.

Even for the president, this was quite a burden.

“Oh my… Please don’t do this. It’s burdensome, Chairman.”

“No, Mr. President. These days, it’s thanks to you, Mr. President, that business is fun.”

The company was listening to almost all the complaints it received.

However, instead of accepting bribes and hearing complaints like before, a department was created to receive complaints publicly, and if they were deemed reasonable, they were resolved without delay.

But everything is give and take.

If there was a going, there had to be a coming.

Rising wages and improving working conditions.

In addition, the company accepted various demands, such as prohibiting secondary or higher subcontracting.

But even in the midst of all that, bad habits from the past would come out.

I spoke to him in a quiet voice so that no one could hear.

“Mr. Chairman. And please stop giving political funds to our Blue House staff. Their salaries are enough to live off of.”

Recently, it was discovered that the department in charge of corporate complaints and employees of related departments received bribes in the form of compensation from several companies, including Samjeong.

In the past, it was taken for granted that public officials would take bribes, but now they wanted to put an end to this illegal collusion between politics and business.

Chairman Yoo bows his head in extreme embarrassment.

“I’m sorry..! Mr. President.. Since that’s something that’s done by the lower ranks.. I didn’t pay attention. I’ll be especially careful in the future.”

“No. It’s always been like that before. I understand. But from now on, neither the giver nor the receiver will just let it go.”

The mood felt a little heavy, so I decided to lighten the mood by talking about the industrial complex again.

“Mr. Chairman. But this industrial complex is not ordinary in scale. Why did you suddenly decide to invest in semiconductors?”

Chairman Yoo, who heard the question, answers with eyes that are different from before, like a child dreaming.

“Mr. President. I believe that semiconductors will become a very important business in the Republic of Korea in the future. They are used a lot now, but I think they will be used in even more fields in the future. That is why I believe that even if we are losing money right now, we must continue this business.”

At that moment, Vice Chairman Yoo Geon-ho intervened. Although he was still in his 40s, he looked quite young, unlike what he had seen in photos and videos.

“I think the same as my father… no, the chairman. I think this semiconductor business is the food source of the future.”

“I heard that the Vice Chairman is leading the semiconductor business. That is amazing. We will also spur semiconductor technology research at the national level.”

Chairman Yoo laughs heartily after hearing the story.

“Hahaha. Mr. President, then it would be perfect for us, the Three Kingdoms. But where on earth do such magical technologies come from? Are they being supported by the United States to keep Japan in check?”

Companies may also have questions.

It must be disconcerting to see technologies that even they themselves have not yet properly developed being completed by government agencies.

“That’s a state secret, so I can’t tell you.”

I answered with a somewhat vague answer.

Technology coming from objects from the future?

If I were to be honest, I would be treated like a crazy person, and rumors would spread that the president was possessed by senility.

‘By the way, at this semiconductor factory…’

The semiconductor industry has been established as a major industry in Korea since the late 1990s.

And for over 20 years since then, it has become an industry that has supported Korea.

Chairman Yoo Jeong-cheol’s vision was accurate.

However, Japan and the United States currently dominate this semiconductor market.

Korea is still far behind.

It still took quite a while for the semiconductor industry to become established as a major industry in Korea.

‘Waiting another 15 years is too long.’

For America’s sake, it was necessary to bring it forward a little.

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“Mr. President.. This doesn’t make sense! What the heck is this!!”

A loud voice comes from the phone. The person on the phone is none other than Yoo Geon-ho, Vice Chairman of Samjeong.

“My eardrums are ringing, Mr. Chairman.”

“Ah.. I’m sorry.. Mr. President. No.. But seriously, what is going on.. This doesn’t make sense. Where on earth did this ridiculous thing come from…”

Yoo Geon-ho seemed quite excited after hearing about the ‘TSMG 40nm process semiconductor’ that I had purchased from a confidential document store a week ago.

At that time, the latest semiconductor production process in Japan was at the 1.5 micrometer level.

But 40 nanometers is a whopping 37 times smaller.

It was a level of development that made no sense.

“Vice Chairman, I’m not giving that away for free.”

“.. .. .. ..”

There is a brief silence, and Vice Chairman Yoo Geon-ho asks.

“What do you want, Mr. President?”

“I hope you don’t save the profits from there as reserves, but rather let the money circulate.”

“Are you talking about something like a donation?”

“No. I’m not talking about donations. I’m literally saying, don’t hoard your profits as reserves. Spend as much money as possible. When you build a factory, build a huge apartment complex for employees next to it and give them generous bonuses. Also, take care of the infrastructure around the factory that the country has neglected.”

Vice Chairman Yoo hesitates for a moment.

But even after seeing this technology, he would not be able to refuse this offer.

I just give him a little push on the back.

“Mr. Chairman. Isn’t money only worth money if it circulates?”

“.. .. .. I understand, Mr. President. But.. if we announce this, the United States and Japan will definitely react tremendously. Do you think you can handle it···?”

Semiconductor technology was virtually a national secret even at that time.

They are at the forefront of semiconductor technology and will certainly not sit still, as Vice Chairman Yoo said.

“Don’t worry. Isn’t that what a president does?”

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Samjeong’s Giheung factory was completed in less than six months after breaking ground.

And the moment the first 40-nanometer semiconductor was created and announced, the world turned upside down.

The reaction was incomparable to that of a CD or something.

The CD was a product that had already entered the development stage.

Although it was not an easy task, it was certainly possible.

But this 40nm semiconductor was a ridiculous product.

The technology that would have been developed in 2008 has already been developed quickly, nearly 30 years later.

Businesses and countries around the world have been turned upside down.

All kinds of rumors started to circulate.

[Samsung Electronics. Is it actually an American company rather than a Korean company?]

[Japan’s Mitsumichi: 40nm semiconductors are probably a fiction.]

[How long will we tolerate false rumors that drive up a company’s stock price?]

Foreign media outlets say that Samjeong may actually be a hidden American company.

Or it could be part of a strategy to increase the company’s stock price. They put out all kinds of unconfirmed articles.

But semiconductor experts knew this the moment they saw it.

This is an obvious truth.

And then a few days later, I got a call from overseas.

“Mr. President. This is President Jimmy Carter.”

Youngho hands over President Carter’s phone with a trembling voice.

“President Kim. What on earth did you do?”

His voice sounded extremely panicked.

“What are you doing? What are you talking about?”

“.. .. .. What is the semiconductor replacement technology that a Korean company called Samjung recently announced? When I asked our company, they said that this is a technology that would take at least 20 years to research, not only at the level of Korean technology, but also with the US and Japan combined.”

“It is thanks to Korea’s outstanding technological prowess.”

“.. .. .. President Kim. Let’s meet.”

Korea-US summit.

Even though there is no set time, the US President says he will come to Korea in person.

And a few hours later, Japanese Prime Minister Suzuki also received a call.

“President Kim, let’s meet and talk.”

“Okay, but President Carter is scheduled to visit, so you’ll have to adjust your schedule. And of course, you’ll come to Korea, right?”

“Already… America… Haa… Okay. But let’s meet as soon as possible.”

The leaders of Japan and the United States were anxious to come to Korea for an unplanned summit.

‘I guess I’ll be a bit busy from the beginning of the year.’