The Magician’s Memorial - Chapter 198
Only Krnovel
Episode 198 Age of Confusion (2)
Chairman Kim Tae-joong raised a glass of soju.
As Representative Choi Jae-seok quickly raised his soju glass, Chairman Kim Tae-jung said one word.
“I prepared a small gift.”
“I don’t take any money.”
“Tsk, tsk, don’t drink the kimchi soup first, but listen to the end. Taewoo Telecommunications is planning to build a large-scale data center, and we will build the data center in your district. “It may not create as many jobs as other factories, but it will be a big help in securing tax revenue.”
“… “If it is such a gift, I will gratefully accept it.”
It was Representative Choi Jae-seok, who quickly raised his glass and emptied it.
If we could attract a data center, there was no reason to refuse because it would be a great help to regional development.
No, it was something he had to take the initiative to ask for.
“This is a list of people you need to recruit in the future. “No one except you must be allowed to know that the Taewo Group is involved.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“There is a company that can help us. Since it is an American corporation, there is no need to get caught. “I will contact you through there from now on.”
“Are you planning to apply through a U.S. corporation?”
Politics costs a lot of money.
Representative Choi Jae-seok did not intend to receive money personally, but he did need a lot of funds to create a political party at the level of a negotiating body in the future.
“I plan to provide support using as legal a method as possible. So even if we wanted to provide a lot of funding, we couldn’t. “Instead, you can promote Taewo Group’s various projects to politicians belonging to the political party you will create in the future.”
“I like it better that way too. “If you receive money through dark channels, you will end up in a bad situation at some point.”
“I can’t go to jail at this age, right?”
“I also want to be in politics for a long time.”
They raised their glasses of soju again.
We smiled at each other and clinked our soju glasses.
***
After finishing my meal with Delphine, I returned to work.
Is it because I drank too much wine?
I felt drowsy, and tried to wake up by pouring coffee into my mouth.
However, thanks to the visit of a very welcome guest, I was able to overcome my drowsiness at once.
“CEO Jeongjun Seo! Have you returned to Korea?”
“It’s still too early to be called a representative. “I’m embarrassed that you call me CEO when I haven’t turned it into a company yet.”
CEO Seo Jeong-jun.
This is the person who will create the No. 1 bio company in KOSDAQ market cap even after 10 years.
How could you not be polite to such a person?
This is someone who will increase the money I invested by more than 100 times.
“Have you finished your overseas tour now?”
“Thanks to the Vice President, I was able to meet many good people and understand trends in the bio industry well. Thank you so much again.”
It was CEO Seo Jeong-jun, who bowed his head and said hello.
I quickly straightened his body and guided him to the sofa.
“Now that you’ve figured out the trends, you’re going to start a company.”
“I plan to start by building an office with the investment money I received from the vice president. And we plan to complete the construction of an R&D center and laboratory.”
“You’re starting boldly from the beginning.”
“Looking at trends in the bio industry, we see that the future is the era of biosimilar drugs. “To produce biosimilar drugs, research and development facilities are essential.”
Biosimilar medicines.
To put it simply, it was a generic drug.
If you could make a similar medicine with an expired patent and sell it at a lower price, it would not be difficult to make a lot of money.
“It’s going to be a tough road. I think you should spend at least five years building a foundation.”
“I was fully prepared. However, thanks to the Vice President’s investment of a large amount of money, I think we will be able to survive for five years.”
“If you don’t have enough investment funds, please let us know at any time. “Taewoo Group will invest or we will introduce you to a good investor.”
“I am truly grateful and grateful to you for taking such great care of me after leaving Taewoo Group.”
“Still, he was a member of the family, so who will take care of it if not us? And I believe in CEO Seo Jeong-jun’s abilities.”
“Thank you for thinking highly of me.”
CEO Seo Jeong-jun was so moved that he even had tears in his eyes.
Now that the atmosphere is moving, I think I should let the plane ride a little longer.
“CEO Jeongjun Seo has a grandfather-like energy.”
“When you say grandfather, do you mean Chairman Kim Tae-joong?”
“that’s right. My grandfather and CEO Jeongjun Seo are very similar in many ways. So how could I not invest?”
“I will definitely repay your trust, Vice President!”
It was CEO Seo Jeong-jun, whose eyes were trembling with excitement.
Before returning, saying I resembled my grandfather could have been an insult.
In this life, the phrase that I resembled my grandfather was something that everyone in business in Korea wanted to hear.
***
After the conversation with CEO Seo Jeong-jun.
Not long after, I received a video call from David.
[boss! The view was so good that I wanted to show it to my boss, so I called.]
“I’m not making fun of people, but someone is working in a bleak building and wants to show off the scenery of the resort to me?”
[If you’re jealous, why don’t you rest together! The boss has never gone on vacation since he started working at the company, right? No one will say anything if you enjoy a few days of vacation, so come right now.]
“Stop talking nonsense, why are you calling?”
I never really thought about going on vacation.
There was so much work to do that I had no time to rest, and because I had rested for so long in my previous life, I wanted to run hard in this life.
[I took a break and thought about it. I think it is a bit dangerous to continue supporting President Bush in next year’s US presidential election.]
“Is this because of the war in Iraq?”
[Right now, the approval rating is high because there are continuous reports of victory in the Iraq War, but after the presidential election season, it is very likely that the approval rating will drop due to the aftermath of the war.]
As always, war was a double-edged sword.
It was especially sensitive to the U.S. president, who made the final decision on the war.
“Although approval ratings may have fallen due to the aftermath of the war, there is still anxiety caused by the 9/11 terrorist attacks. “It may be a close call, but I think there is a high possibility that President Bush will be elected in the next presidential election.”
[The last presidential election was also won by a very narrow margin. If the opposition party makes economic recovery a pledge, it may be difficult for President Bush to get re-elected. And weapons of mass destruction have not yet been discovered in the Iraq War.]
The justification for the Iraq War was weapons of mass destruction.
However, even though the capital of Iraq was devastated, no weapons of mass destruction had yet been discovered.
A war without cause.
This could be a reason for the approval rating to fall.
However, the lack of justification did not mean that anxiety about terrorism disappeared.
“I think a safe America is still a topic that attracts more attention than economic recovery.”
[Since the boss says so, I will continue to support the Bush election campaign. However, if you only support the Republican Party too much, you may be in trouble if a Democratic Party becomes president. Well, I’m friendly with everyone regardless of party affiliation.]
“Actively support the Republican Party until this presidential election. ah! And please actively support at least one Democratic senator.”
Bush wins this election.
It was very likely that the next election would be won by the Democratic Party.
[If you are a Democratic senator, who are you talking about?]
“Support Senator Obama from Illinois.”
[I’ve heard that name before. He is famous for his ability to speak well. But is there really a need to actively support that person? [He is a politician whose popularity is not that high.]
Nowadays, awareness was not high.
However, it was Obama who was to give a speech in support of next year’s presidential election.
The approving speech touched the hearts of many college students to the point that it was number one on their playlists.
“You need to build relationships with potential politicians in advance. Please support us generously.”
[I’ll see you as soon as the vacation is over. Strangely enough, resting still makes you want to work more, right? So, I called the boss.]
David was a man who seemed like a cool guy.
He was a person who was more workaholic than anyone else.
I met people and built connections without my having to tell them to, and even now, while resting at the resort, I was thinking about work.
***
The last month of 2003 has already arrived.
The head of the planning office came to the vice president’s office with a report summarizing Taewoo Group’s 2003.
“2003 was the year when Taewoo Group’s sales reached an all-time high. Taewoong Semiconductor, which was full of losses, turned into a surplus, and through collaboration with Apple, Taewoong Electronics’ sales in the second half of the year surpassed those of Samjin and CL Electronics. And the amount of royalties received from Apple has more than doubled compared to last year.”
“No other group will be able to take the top spot in the business world for some time.”
I have sowed seeds in many places.
It could be said that harvesting began in earnest this year.
During the foreign exchange crisis, companies acquired through big deals turned from losses to profits, so money began to accumulate in the Taewo Group.
“And Taewo IT’s growth is also very rapid. The gaming platform has more than tripled in China and Europe, and music sites are also performing well. In the case of SNS, although the number of users is increasing, the proper profit model has not yet been completed, so it is losing money.”
“No matter what business you do, money is bound to be spent in the beginning. “Don’t worry, it will turn into a surplus in just 1-2 years.”
SNS was just getting started.
As sales of smartphones, including the iPhone, were increasing, sales through SNS were bound to increase naturally over time.
“Other affiliates are not in a bad situation either. Taewoo Engineering & Construction still maintains the number one position in contracting, and there is no need to worry about receiving orders for the next five years. Taewoong Telecommunications is also firmly maintaining its No. 1 position in the industry, but the number of users is no longer growing explosively.”
“It is inevitable because all the users who can be taken away have already been taken away. “How is Taewoo General Trading Company’s performance?”
The company in charge of distribution for the Taewo Group was Taewo General Trading Company.
It was once a core subsidiary of Taewo Group along with Taewo Engineering & Construction.
It was Taewoo General Trading, which is currently not receiving much attention due to being pushed out by other affiliates.
“Compared to last year, performance has dropped significantly. “This is a significant drop in performance not only for Taewoo General Trading but also for all seven general trading companies.”
“It will become even more difficult as the government says it will abolish the benefits provided to general trading companies.”
“That’s right. “At the time of the foreign exchange crisis, it was a general trading company that was a big exporter, but now it has been reduced to a miserable place.”
The general trading company was literally a general store.
They increased sales by collecting commissions by selling products from other countries or other companies, and the operating profit margin was often less than 1%.
Even if it made 10 billion won in sales, it was difficult for a general trading company to leave even 100 million won.
“We can’t leave a general trading company like this. There will come a time in the future when raw material distribution will become important. “We need to develop general trading companies to prepare for that time.”
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