World Domination through Planet Development - Chapter 96



Only Krnovel

Episode 96. War of Nerves with the Government of the Republic of Korea

-PDC announces withdrawal from Android business in Korea, what are the repercussions?

PDC has announced that it will withdraw from the Android business in South Korea. PDC has stated that it is temporarily suspending business due to issues related to North Korean government business policies that are in conflict with North Korean law.

Regarding PDC’s decision, there are suspicions in the industry that the South Korean government’s sudden suspension of its Android business has led to a confrontation with the North Korean government.

Some are concerned that this could lead to inter-Korean relations returning to how they were before.

At a time when the civil war in China is on the front page of news around the world, another controversy is arising in South Korea due to the PDC’s actions.

As soon as Jeong-woo laid the board, the fire spread in an instant.

When people started to fight over various suspicions and rumors, Jungwoo himself stepped forward.

“Sir, is it true that you announced through the article that you would completely stop selling Android?”

A simply arranged studio.

Jungwoo came to the studio to accept The Interview’s request for an interview to explain PDC’s position on the news that there will be no more Android sales.

“I guess some of that may be true.”

Jungwoo answered the question on the program schedule.

“What exactly do you mean by some?”

“It is true that we are stopping sales, but we are not completely withdrawing. We are definitely leaving room for resuming sales in the future.”

“So what exactly is the reason for the discontinuation of sales?”

As he had come out to talk about that, Jeong-woo answered slowly.

“I understand that there are many suspicions among the people… It is true that it was done at the request of the North Korean government. It is also true that there were legal restrictions.”

“Oh, I see. … Then, may I ask why the North Korean government suddenly made this request?”

The schedule asked cautiously.

Although he sent a signal that he did not need to answer in detail as it could be directly connected to politics within North Korea, Jeong-woo had no hesitation at all because he came to the interview to say this.

“It seems like a kind of political tug-of-war. North Korea joined the liberal camp in order to open up its economy, but it’s unlikely that it will immediately develop good relations with the United States. It seems like those feelings still remain.”

“When you mention the United States now, are you saying that the United States is behind the current South Korean government’s decision to cut off business ties with the PDC?”

Just as Jeong-woo was about to take a break after speaking, the program director interrupted and asked a question.

The question was asked in reference to rumors that the South Korean government had stopped doing business with PDC.

“Yes, you guessed right. As someone who has been working in North Korea, I am certain that the United States has already taken action in North Korean politics. In this struggle for political power, businessmen like us have no choice but to do whatever we are told to do.”

For a moment, he looked slightly embarrassed as if he thought it was okay for the program schedule to say something like that, but he soon continued the interview.

“I see… So you’re saying that North Korea is currently trying to check South Korea’s compliance with the US Android policy?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Swish.

The program director turned over the interview script for the next question.

“So, if you withdraw from the Korean market now, is there another country you are targeting to enter next?”

“To be honest, the original next market was the United States. However, it was not easy because the US government was imposing sanctions so openly. As a result, we had already missed the opportunity to expand overseas.”

“Oh, so you’re saying that according to the original plan, civilian androids were already supposed to be sold overseas?”

“Yes. Instead, we are selling military androids overseas, so we haven’t suffered any major losses. I heard that there was a terrible incident in China recently, so I hope that our androids will act as a buffer and prevent any bigger incidents.”

“Ahh… Yeah… .”

The program schedule seemed to have a lot to say about Jungwoo’s mention of China, but it tried to hold back and focus on the script.

“Anyway, you tried to enter the US market, but it was not easy to enter the US market due to the influence of the US government.”

“Yes, the US has already created a separate product classification designation for Android, and the tariffs imposed on it are enormous. It is said that the US government benefits the most from the sale of one Android, so it makes you wonder if this is really a capitalist country.”

Taxes are of course like that, but people tend to be more enthusiastic about provocative words. Jungwoo said that, targeting that point.

“Besides, doesn’t the US already have a policy of never using Android in government agencies? Just looking at that alone, it’s like saying they don’t like this market monopolized by our PDC.”

“I understand that it is because of security issues. In fact, hasn’t there been a problem with Chinese electronic products in the US in the past?”

The program questioned Jungwoo’s words.

“But that’s a completely baseless claim. Have you ever proven it?”

“Yes, I see. So ultimately, it comes down to a political conflict between the United States and North Korea.”

The program table passed over Jeong-woo’s continued words without raising any objections.

“In summary, that would be it.”

The schedule went over the script again.

“Then the next question is, if we stop selling Android, it will have a huge negative impact not only on the lives of the Korean people but also on the economy. What do you think about these opinions?”

“Well, haha. I don’t think it will have that big of an impact. The North Korean government has a monopoly on Android, so I think they expect people to rise up if they stop selling it, but those who don’t have it will all live just fine.”

Jungwoo answered easily, but in fact, it wasn’t true. At this point in time in South Korea, it’s safe to say that the labor market has been taken over by Androids. That’s how much Androids have been released.

Because it has become a society where humans are completely excluded as workers, people without androids are forced to live at a disadvantage compared to those with androids.

Even if you are self-employed or run a business, you will eventually have to hire someone else’s Android to use and will not be able to see the benefits of owning an Android.

If you say you want to be a laborer, your value in the labor market will naturally fall. There is nothing that is more competitive in terms of wages, labor power, or the working environment you require.

It’s much harder than running a business. The saying that stable work is the best is now really outdated. Neither of those two things have become a difficult society without Android.

Most people who don’t have Android right now are those who were waiting for their turn for an Android-related loan. For those people, this must be shocking news.

Of course, as Jungwoo said, it is not wrong to say that if you don’t have it, you can live without it. You will just end up suffering a lot more than someone who has it.

“Oh, so you don’t think it will have much of an impact?”

“Obviously, Android is amazing. It has brought about huge changes across society, but I don’t think it’s something we can do without.”

“Yes, I understand.”

After hearing the questions and answers, the program began to wrap up the interview.

“Well, then, if we summarize what the representative said, the withdrawal of the business was not PDC’s own decision, but was a result of political conflicts between North Korea, South Korea, and the United States. Is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“But if you say that, doesn’t that mean that North Korea is also using the PDC for political purposes?”

The program schedule raised some sharp questions.

Although Jungwoo took North Korea’s side and said that the US was the first to start a fight, the question implied that North Korea also ended up using the PDC for political purposes.

But Jeong-woo was not flustered.

“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying now. North Korea has changed a lot. It’s not to the point where I can’t even say this. The only ones who are hurt by this political conflict are our companies. Regardless of which side is at fault, I just want this situation to end quickly.”

“Ah, that’s what you meant. I understand.”

* * *

The Interview’s interview was published on the website and distributed through various media outlets.

The reaction was that many people expected North Korea to do that. With North Korea and South Korea on opposite sides, there are still not many people on North Korea’s side.

But for Jeong-woo, public opinion was no longer a problem. The goal was to drag out President Kang Moo-jin and persuade him.

And when the South Korean government also heard about this and realized that a great controversy was arising, they decided to make an official announcement.

-… The government dismissed the claims as groundless, and said that it was merely a coincidence that the policy direction of the U.S. government coincided with the budgetary policy for state affairs. They also said that they had no intention of responding to the North Korean government’s response, saying that it was a misunderstanding.

Jeong-woo was listening to the government’s official statement regarding his position.

He looked obviously flustered, as if he had not expected that they would speak so blatantly about political pressure from the United States.

“Was the youth group activity communicated well?”

[Yes. We are currently protesting in cooperation with self-employed and small business owners to resume sales of Android.]

Sarah answered Jungwoo’s question.

Among those who are currently self-employed, there were a great number of people who jumped into self-employment because they trusted Android.

For example, even in a restaurant, the presence of Androids is very significant. The more hands are involved in food, the better it tastes.

But the problem is that it is not an easy task. You have to wake up at the crack of dawn to prepare food, and the labor intensity is almost like hard labor.

But if Android does this, it’s a piece of cake. There’s no way I’d give up something I could do with my Android without spending any labor costs.

Most of the business owners who had received Android loans and were just waiting to buy Androids joined the protest.

“Now it’s time for our General Secretary to take action.”

If Kim Cheol-ryeong takes action at this point, President Kang Moo-jin will also have no choice but to come forward for dialogue.

Because I played the media by saying that I withdrew on North Korea’s orders.

I don’t know how much President Kang Moo-jin relies on the United States, but from what I’ve seen so far, he seems to be quite greedy himself.

So, while we may be hinting that China might join our alliance, we will also be throwing out the carrot of an Asian alliance that would put China on an equal footing with the United States.

“But if they don’t listen… we should at least threaten to immediately turn back the inter-Korean relationship to how it was a few years ago.”

It wasn’t just a passing remark. South Korea was absolutely necessary to keep China in check if it were to join the alliance in the future.

Even if we look at it only in terms of weight class, North and South Korea would have to unite to barely deal with one northern theater.

The size of the alliance will grow to match that of the United States, but its internal structure will not be as stable.

So, first of all, we had to drag South Korea along, even if it meant beating it up.