The Magician’s Memorial - Chapter 342
Only Krnovel
342. The beginning of the revolution (1)
8 am.
I received a call from Governor Choi Jae-seok.
He must be having the busiest time of the year due to his victory in the Seoul mayoral election, but I received a call sooner than I expected.
“Congratulations. The National Economy Party has secured the position of Mayor of Seoul.”
[What could I have done? Thanks to you, Chairman. And if the Chairman continues to help me, I will try to run for the presidency.]
How much was this what I wanted to hear?
Governor Choi Jae-seok finally uttered the words “challenge for the presidency.”
“As this is a difficult decision, I will definitely support you.”
[We held a meeting at the party level for several days. If I were to win the Seoul mayoral election, there would be no other way for the National Economy Party to survive other than running for president.]
I wasn’t the only one who encouraged Governor Choi Jae-seok.
There was also a movement within the National Economic Party to make Governor Choi Jae-seok the president.
This was for the benefit of Governor Choi Jae-seok, but it was also the only way for the National Economy Party to survive.
“It will be a difficult election, much different from previous elections.”
[I have already prepared my mind.]
“When do you plan to announce that you will run for president?”
[The presidential election is still over a year away. It feels too early to declare now, so we plan to do so in the first half of next year. I am afraid that the wind that has been blowing towards the National Economy Party will disappear.]
The National Economy Party was riding the wind.
Thanks to this, we achieved great victories in local elections and were able to win the Seoul mayoral by-election.
But the wind did not last forever.
As time passed, the wind was bound to weaken, and Governor Choi Jae-seok feared that the wind would disappear just before the presidential election.
“I will work hard to fan the fan so that the tailwind continues to blow towards the National Economy Party. If fanning is not enough, I will use a strong fan to force the wind.”
[I would be grateful if you could just do that. We will discuss more details when we meet separately.]
“Thank you for contacting us as you must be very busy as the election has just ended. I hope you can enjoy the festivities just for today. There will be no time to rest once you announce your presidential bid, so take some time to rest now.”
[Thank you for your concern. See you next time.]
Let’s hang up the phone with Governor Choi Jae-seok.
The planning manager who was waiting came inside.
“Chairman, we distributed DDoS attack-related materials to each media outlet. Of course, we delivered it through a complicated process to prevent any connection to the Taewo Group.”
“Good job. The press, which is anxious, will soon publish related articles as breaking news on the Internet.”
“Several media outlets have already published breaking news without fact checking.”
It was the head of the planning office who showed me some internet articles.
The titles of the articles were all provocative.
[The National Election Commission is paralyzed! The reality is the ruling party’s DDoS attack.]
[The ruling party, which committed cyber terrorism, lost in the by-election.]
[DDoS attack colluded by the ruling party and an internet gambling organization.]
Although it was called breaking news, it was not an article without content.
Because we provided so much detailed data, quite a lot of articles came out.
“There is also an article that reports in detail the relationship with the Gangil faction.”
“There was even an article claiming that a DDoS attack was requested in exchange for being cleared of internet gambling crimes.”
“What is the reaction of public opinion? It is still a little early to see a reaction.”
Just because a few articles break out doesn’t mean it’s a big deal.
In the end, the incident has to be covered by main media outlets and public broadcast news before it becomes a national issue.
“There wasn’t a big response, but there is information that the pan-opposition candidate will hold a press conference soon. If that happens, the public airwaves are bound to cover this incident as well.”
“The opposition party will bite very harshly because they may shift responsibility for the defeat in this election to the ruling party.”
If a pan-opposition candidate had won the election, it would not have been a big problem.
Before the regression, a pan-opposition candidate was elected, so the aftermath of the DDoS attack did not continue until the next presidential election.
But this time was different.
Because the pan-opposition candidate was defeated, we captured conclusive evidence and distributed it to the media and social media.
Since the police and prosecutors had solid evidence, they had no choice but to investigate the ruling party, and as the results of the investigation were announced, the issue was bound to grow.
“Shouldn’t we pour fuel on a fire? Spread the information that DDoS attacks were carried out not only on the National Election Commission but also on sites supporting pan-opposition candidates. Then the opposition party will run wild like a fish out of water.”
“I will leak it to the press right away.”
“But wouldn’t it be pitiful if only the ruling party were defeated? Please leak the information we have obtained about the corruption of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education candidate to the ruling party.”
The more the two major parties fought, the more advantaged it was the National Economy Party.
Of course, as the fight grows, die-hard supporters may gather together, but it was a good opportunity to absorb supporters other than them into the National Economy Party.
“The National Assembly will be very noisy.”
“There is a high possibility that the ruling party will change its name for reform and move to a non-representative system.”
“You can’t avoid responsibility just because you change your name.”
“So we need to make the opposition party bite the ruling party more fiercely.”
In the evening, all the main news outlets reported the DDoS attack.
More time was devoted to the news about the National Economy Party winning the by-election, and in less than a day, South Korea was filled with news of the ruling party’s DDoS attack.
* * *
Two months have passed since the by-election ended.
Before we knew it, carols began to echo through the streets, and the feeling of the end of the year was evident wherever we went.
At the end of the year, people tend to want to spend time with their families, so perhaps that’s why CEO Han returned to Korea a little early.
“Didn’t you come to Korea to spend Christmas with your family? Why did you come here instead of going home?”
“Isn’t it normal for Santa to visit late at night? And it’s more comfortable here than at home.”
Only one CEO was added.
Captain Kang’s office felt crowded.
“The situation in Europe is still the same, right?”
“Beyond Greece and PIGS, the whole of Europe is falling into a financial crisis. Thanks to this, the Quantum Fund has been able to make a fool of itself.”
Quantum Fund’s George was no different from the devil from Europe’s perspective.
With just one word from him, the euro was shaken, and we were making huge profits in the process.
“Now, slowly recoup your investment.”
“Are you talking already?”
“Do not recover the entire amount, but recover only enough to repay the principal and interest to the fintech bank.”
“Even if you repay the principal and interest borrowed from fintech, it is enough to roll over $100 billion.”
In Japan, it earned more than $50 billion in cash alone.
This was a CEO who made an additional $50 billion in profits through the European financial crisis.
Now is the time for us to take a step back and lay the groundwork for Quantum Fund to run wild.
“We will continue to recover the investment money sequentially. The entire amount will be recovered by Taewoo Group within one year.”
“It’s a bit unfortunate, but you can’t make money by trading foreign currency forever. But are you going to recover your investment by deciding on another investment?”
Is it because we’ve been working together for a long time?
This was a boss who read my thoughts right away.
“The main focus is the United States, and we will also invest a little bit in Korea.”
“Are you saying the main dish is American? Do you really plan to cook in America like Europe?”
“That can’t be possible. America’s financial situation is so good that it is not a place that can be shaken even if we mess with it, and if we mess with it for no reason and get retaliated against, it will be difficult for the Taewo Group.”
In the case of Europe, it was divided into several countries.
Although there is a Euro that takes the center stage, it is still not an institution that can speak with one voice like the United States.
Therefore, it was possible to attack Europe.
This was possible because the Quantum Fund was used as a shield, and in the case of the United States, there was a high possibility that it would be swept away no matter what shield it erected.
“So are you looking to invest in undervalued stocks or are you looking to create a completely new company like Amazon?”
“You can think of it as both. Have you ever heard of shale gas?”
“When you say shale gas, do you mean extracting gas or oil from the soil?”
“Sedimentary rock is called shale, and it refers to extracting natural gas and oil from sedimentary rock strata. Shale gas development has been actively underway for several years.”
“I heard that story too, but I understand that the unit price is so high that it has almost no value.”
Shale gas is now being neglected.
Because the extraction process involved a lot of costs, the unit price was higher than that of existing crude oil.
However, as the era of high oil prices continued, the value of shale gas was increasing, and technology to extract shale gas at a lower unit price continued to be developed.
“What is the price of oil now?”
“The average price is over $110. The situation in the Middle East is noisy due to the democracy protests in Egypt, so oil prices continue to rise.”
Also known as ‘Arab Spring’
It was a term referring to the democratization movement in the Arab region.
It was an event that increased the need for shale gas along with the rise in international oil prices.
It was still ongoing, and the aftereffects would not end even after 20 years.
“At $110, is there any reason why shale gas or oil cannot be commercialized? Of course, they are not being produced properly right now due to lack of technology.”
“Then do you plan to invest the profits earned through this project into shale gas?”
“I plan to do so. I am even thinking about acquiring a stake or buying the company if necessary.”
Shale revolution.
It was a revolution that would change the oil landscape, where the Middle East and Russia had an advantage.
The moment the shale revolution occurs, the United States will no longer have any reason to be dragged around by oil-producing countries.
Shale gas was the driving force behind the United States’ rapid growth over the next 20 years.
“It may not be easy. As you know, the United States reacts sensitively when it comes to oil, if nothing else.”
“So, we have to approach it step by step. I’ve already told David to build relationships with relevant politicians and company officials.”
The shale gas business was ultimately a battle of personal connections.
Unlike oil fields located in the sea, shale gas was extracted from large areas of land.
In the end, development was only possible after obtaining permission from the person who owned the land or purchasing the land.
And because environmental pollution problems also occurred.
The shale revolution would not have been possible without the help of the political world.
“Is shale gas really worth it? It is said that oil prices have risen a lot now due to the poor situation in the Middle East, but oil-producing countries can lower oil prices at any time.”
“If the unit price of shale gas falls below $50, there is a good chance. And if it falls below $40, oil-producing countries will be unable to do anything.”
“Still, it seems like a business that doesn’t generate much profit compared to the investment.”
“Of course, I’m not saying we should jump in right away. Let’s start with preliminary work first, and then actively invest when the opportunity arises.”
In a way, shale gas was also a cyclical business.
Since Saudi Arabia will launch an offensive to lower oil prices in the next few years, it was necessary to prepare now to acquire shale gas companies at a low price.
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