I Am the Third-Generation Heir of a Conglomerate - Chapter 511



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## 511. Food Cartel (1)

When I arrived in the US, the first thing I did was look for Musk.

It was to hear directly from his own mouth the story of the successful launch of a satellite integrated with artificial intelligence.

“Mr. Kim! You should have come a little earlier. It would have been better if we could have seen the historic scene of the agricultural satellite being placed into orbit.”

“I didn’t attend because I trust Musk. And if I attend and fail, I won’t be able to show my face, right?”

“Why did it fail when Mr. Kim was present? If the launch had been successful, it would have failed.”

We shared a cold beer and had a small toast.

We also discussed the performance of agricultural satellites.

“The number of agricultural satellites deployed into space orbit this time is three. It is not enough to check on crops around the world every hour, but the satellites are so powerful that they are very different from existing agricultural satellites.”

“I wondered if it would be possible because the time was so short. Thanks to Musk’s outstanding ability, we were able to achieve results in a short period of time.”

“Don’t be so humble. Taewoo Group has already created various programs, including artificial intelligence to be installed on satellites, so we were able to apply them in a short period of time.”

It’s been over 10 years since we started investing in artificial intelligence.

Taewoo Group has been preparing since a time when no other company was investing in artificial intelligence.

So, we were able to develop artificial intelligence and programs suitable for agricultural satellites in a short period of time.

“The AI ​​Center tested the performance and said that all functions were working properly.”

“Honestly, these satellites are a waste to use for agricultural purposes. Through the weather forecasting system, we can predict which regions will have good or bad harvests, and we can also predict the production of each crop.”

“But the accuracy is not that high yet.”

“Wouldn’t that be a problem that could be solved by putting more satellites into orbit? We’re going to launch another one early next year, and we have plans to launch another one in the second half of the year, so it should be solved within the next year.”

Increased accuracy was soon linked to money.

The cost of loading one satellite onto a rocket was approximately 6 billion won.

We have already deployed three of them, so we have paid a cost of 18 billion won.

But this was just the beginning, and to achieve the accuracy I wanted, I had to pay an additional 60 billion won.

“I am always grateful. I know that other companies have postponed their requests because of Taewoo Group.”

“It’s something that should be done. Isn’t Taewoo Group the largest investor in SpaceX? If Taewoo Group wants, they can easily adjust the order.”

Having money alone doesn’t guarantee you can launch a satellite.

Satellite contracts are signed several years before rocket launch.

So, if things were to go according to plan, the agricultural satellite wouldn’t have been able to be launched this year, but thanks to Musk, it was brought forward.

Of course, it was also because I held the majority stake.

Even if Musk pushed hard, it would be impossible to adjust the order if there was strong opposition from shareholders.

But since I, who own more than half of the shares, gave my tacit approval, Musk was able to do whatever he wanted.

“I would love to talk all night, but I have a prior engagement so I have to get up.”

“I heard there were rumors going around that you were negotiating with grain companies. Are you going there?”

“I guess word has already spread. The major grain companies are waiting.”

“It won’t be easy to deal with them. They are companies that have been forming cartels for decades. Even if you are Mr. Kim, you could be eaten up the moment you show an opening.”

It was Musk who was truly concerned about me.

Having run a business in the United States, he was well aware of the power of the grain majors.

“I’m going there to get eaten. Even if you say you don’t want to eat it, I’m going to force it into your mouth.”

“I’ve heard that there are bugs that are deliberately eaten by birds so that they can reproduce. Do you use that strategy?”

“It’s similar. Instead of being eaten like prey, Taewoo Group will be able to expand beyond the United States and into the entire world.”

Musk’s analogy was spot-on.

Insects are often deliberately eaten by birds to enable them to reproduce.

So that they can reproduce their offspring over a wider area.

The same was true for Taewoo Group.

Throwing out the prey of support for the American agricultural belt.

Because the plan was to bring grain farms around the world owned by major grain companies under the influence of the Taewoo Group.

“The grain majors have met their match really well. It will be a lot of fun. I would like to attend the meeting and watch it.”

“You will be able to see how the situation unfolds through the news. It is a feature film, so please be patient and watch it slowly.”

After shaking hands firmly with Musk, he stood up.

And I practiced my innocent smile.

In order to become a sucker and be eaten up by the grain majors, I needed to act immaturely from now on.

* * *

Wayzata, a small town in Minnesota.

A very small city with a population of less than 5,000.

Wayzata was more famous as the location of Cargill’s headquarters than as a city.

“The grain majors have been meeting in Wayzata for the past two days. I think they’re discussing how to divide up the money that Boss is investing.”

“So you’re saying that you’ll come to an agreement among yourselves and then talk to me?”

“If it’s a sum of $22 billion, wouldn’t that be enough to stimulate the salivary glands of major grain companies?”

David had already arrived in Wayzata and was gathering information.

I also had some knowledge of what the three major grain companies were discussing at their meeting.

“There’s nothing wrong with us. Since we’ve already reached an agreement, we can save time.”

“Boss, you have to be careful. If the guys on Wall Street are hyenas, then the major grain companies are lions. They are strictly centered on blood relatives and maintain strong bonds with each other. They are not the kind of guys who easily let outsiders join the group.”

Grain major corporate cartel.

In some ways, it was managed in a similar way to large Korean companies.

Because the business was run through generations with a strict bloodline focus, and it was isolated from the outside world in a closed manner.

Because of this, many conspiracy theories have emerged.

A conspiracy theory that Jews are using grain corporations to take over the world.

But I didn’t believe in such conspiracy theories. After all, corporations are just groups that move after money.

“You’ll know if they’re lions or wolves when you meet them. They reveal their true nature when they’re facing prey.”

“If it’s prey at the level of a boss, it should be at least elephant-level. But since they’ve already set their words, wouldn’t they try to hide their true nature as much as possible?”

“They would have discussed how to divide the elephant through collusion. But what if the prey was not an elephant but a whale? The agreement they had reached after a few days would have been back to square one.”

“If the prey were whales instead of elephants, the battlefield would change completely. If the battlefield changed from the plains to the sea, the strategy would naturally change.”

I had no intention of playing along with the game they had set for me.

In order to make the grain majors play on the board I had laid out, I had to throw in an unexpected move that they could not have expected.

“Let’s go inside now.”

“I’ll be waiting outside. You go and cook the herbivores that grew up eating only grains.”

Are grain majors considered herbivores?

These were grain companies that were too big to be called herbivores.

These were places where they were at least at the level of herbivorous dinosaurs, if not herbivores, so I also started pretending to be a herbivore to deal with them.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Min-jae from Taewoo Group. It’s a real honor to meet you like this.”

“It is an honor for us to meet the Chairman of Taewoo Group, whose influence is growing worldwide these days. Please take your seats.”

McRae Cargill Chairman.

He, the owner and CEO of Cargill, who owns two-thirds of the company, welcomed me on behalf of other grain majors.

“You must have heard it from the White House, but let me say it one more time. The purpose of this meeting today is to discuss the $22 billion that Taewoo Group will invest annually in the agricultural belt for five years.”

“Taewoo Group is really thoughtful. I heard you entered the oil business, and now you are entering the ethanol business as well?”

“This is a measure to secure grains for Korea in addition to entering the ethanol business. As you know, Korea’s food self-sufficiency rate is less than 50%. The economic situation is looking like that of advanced countries, but in terms of food, it is in the lowest group of OECD countries.”

There was no one here who did not know this content.

Because Korea imports most of its grains through major grain companies.

Moreover, since the self-sufficiency rate for grain was only 20%, Korea was a good business partner for major grain companies.

“So you’re going to export the remaining grains after making ethanol to Korea? It looks like we’re going to lose Korea, a very good trading partner, to Taewoo Group. Hehehe.”

“Isn’t this a win-win situation? Taewoo Group will be able to solve Korea’s grain self-sufficiency problem and also defend against falling grain prices.”

Grain prices have fallen sharply due to China’s ban on imports of American grain.

It didn’t just end with a simple decline, but grain was also piling up in warehouses.

How happy would you be if, in that situation, a strange idiot offered to buy up the remaining grain?

“That’s a very good idea. How about distributing the investment according to the size of the agricultural belt? We have prepared the data in advance.”

“I will compare it with the materials I prepared.”

These were major grain companies that thoroughly determined the ratio according to size.

Cargill, the largest company, received a large percentage, and the remaining companies took the remaining percentage.

Since there wasn’t much difference from the material prepared by Taewoo Group, he quickly raised his head and continued speaking.

“I think it would be better to do the deal this way. But I would like to make one more suggestion.”

“What suggestions do you have?”

“I believe the ethanol industry will grow even more in the future, so I would like to see larger contracts, not just for grain produced in the American agricultural belt.”

Representatives of grain companies looking at each other and exchanging opinions.

There hasn’t been much of a reaction yet because I haven’t made a concrete proposal.

“How large do you plan to scale it?”

“We are thinking about up to $100 billion a year. We are considering not only simple grain contracts but also farm lease contracts.”

“When you say farm lease, do you mean we want you to lease the farm we own?”

“First of all, I would like to lease the farm for a short term of 5 years.”

The money jumped from $22 billion to $100 billion in a flash.

As the amount increased by nearly five times, greed began to bloom in the eyes of grain company representatives.

“As befitting the reputation of Taewoo Group, you are very hot-tempered.”

“All you have to do is invest $100 billion a year in the grain market, whether you own the grain or you lease the farm.”

The choice was left to the grain industry representatives.

Then the atmosphere in the conference room changed.

An investment of a whopping $100 billion.

If used well, this amount could change the ranking of grain companies, so now it is time to reveal its hidden nature.