Thorium as Leverage
Yoo Jae-won had commissioned the John Garni Company for the Prometheus Project, but he hadn’t expected such a swift response. Logically speaking, lobbying was standard practice among energy firms, yet Yoo Jae-won had never engaged in it. As a late entrant, he had assumed it would take ID Westinghouse several months to gain any real traction. Fortunately, North Korea proved to be the exception.
Living behind the Iron Curtain, North Korea had followed China’s lead toward limited openness, but only in tightly restricted areas. Everyone knew that constructing massive social infrastructure like nuclear power plants was beyond the regime’s capacity. Even with exploding electricity demand, ID Westinghouse remained the sole energy company showing interest. Yet North Korea’s lack of enthusiasm frustrated Yoo Jae-won. His intelligence team had been activated, but the closed state yielded little usable information. Hacking proved equally futile; although North Korea used the internet, it never integrated networked systems into state governance. No amount of searching their networks revealed why they remained lukewarm about the thorium reactor deal.
Once the John Garni Company began operating, however, reports started trickling in:
- North Korea’s paramount concern under its second-generation dictator, Kim Jong-il, was establishing diplomatic relations with the United States.
- Significant dissatisfaction existed over the failure to upgrade liaison offices in Pyongyang and Washington, D.C., into full embassies.
- North Korea was well aware of Chairman Yoo Jae-won’s close ties to the Al Gore administration.
- They intended to use the thorium reactor as leverage toward U.S.-North Korea normalization.
This was the interim report from the John Garni Company.
“U.S.-North Korea diplomatic relations, of all things.”
The current thorium reactor deal was structured as a 1+1 promotion with no profit margin. For North Korea to treat it as leverage for diplomatic normalization seemed absurd. Receiving the preposterous report, Yoo Jae-won immediately summoned John Garni to his study.
“Is this accurate?”
“Yes, sir! It has been cross-verified through China’s North Korea specialists.”
John Garni, who had returned to the study to deliver the interim report, answered without hesitation.
“North Korea’s calculation is as follows. The thorium reactor is a brand-new model with no operational track record. While a 2GW facility is under construction in the Mojave Desert, it is not yet complete. Therefore, North Korea believes that becoming ID Westinghouse’s first customer would grant them enormous leverage over you, Chairman Yoo.”
The world truly contained far too many peculiar people. Yet John Garni had not finished.
“Furthermore, what North Korea considers the reactor’s greatest advantage is, in their eyes, actually its greatest disadvantage.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Because the nuclear waste produced by a thorium reactor cannot be reprocessed.”
Spent fuel rods from conventional nuclear plants still contained substantial nuclear material. Running them through centrifuges could yield highly enriched nuclear material. While normally used to fabricate new fuel rods, further enrichment could produce weapons-grade material. In contrast, thorium fuel rods, no matter how many times they were centrifuged, yielded only thorium and non-fissile uranium-234. Even though North Korea had ostensibly abandoned its nuclear program, it clearly had no intention of eliminating the possibility entirely.
“And it isn’t only North Korea. Japan has also shown a lukewarm response to the thorium reactor.”
At John Garni’s words, Yoo Jae-won nodded. Japan possessed the world’s most advanced nuclear waste reprocessing technology. It held significant quantities of highly enriched plutonium that could be converted into nuclear weapons at any time, and kept large stockpiles of spent fuel rods near its plants for future reprocessing.
“It seems targeting Europe rather than North Korea would be far easier.”
Most European nations were highly sensitive to environmental pollution. Conventional nuclear plants produced nuclear waste that could only be buried deep underground—an enormous burden. John Garni explained that if ID Westinghouse followed traditional business practices, securing contracts would be straightforward. Those practices, of course, meant commissions.
Whenever a nuclear power plant construction plan was proposed, various interest groups mobilized—civil society organizations and political factions alike—competing for influence. Methods ranged from outright bribes typical of developing countries to legal sponsorships. To Yoo Jae-won, it represented the pinnacle of inefficiency. Such costs, entirely unrelated to the actual project, would simply be passed on to the construction budget, inflating expenses. A man who found satisfaction only in pushing systems to 100 percent—or even 120 percent—efficiency, Yoo Jae-won could not comprehend this approach.
The Android operating system best exemplified his obsession with optimization. Each new version grew more visually rich and feature-laden, yet installing the latest release on older hardware still delivered noticeable performance gains. This was because optimization code was continuously updated for every CPU model, and the CPU scheduler’s multi-core efficiency was constantly refined. To such a man, the energy industry’s traditional business methods were the very definition of inefficiency. The superiority of the thorium reactor was obvious, yet companies still had to spend vast sums on extraneous payments just to win contracts.
Yoo Jae-won decided to set Europe aside for now and focus on North Korea. After all, it was one of the few countries where a single person’s decision could immediately launch a major project. Having heard John Garni’s full report, Yoo Jae-won reached a simple conclusion.
“It appears we have been too proactive, leading them to misunderstand the situation. We will need time to cool the overheated atmosphere.”
He intended to show the self-proclaimed superior party the cold reality. North Korea currently believed it could pit ID Westinghouse against other energy firms in the next reactor project and viewed the thorium reactor’s inability to produce reprocessable waste as a disadvantage. Moreover, it sought to use Yoo Jae-won as leverage by tying the reactor to its greatest priority: diplomatic relations with the United States. The way to clarify who held the upper hand was clear: both sides would take one step back. The more desperate party would then be forced to reach out first.
“Hmm. I agree. However, the waiting period may end up longer than anticipated. After all, North Korea invented the salami-slicing tactic.”
To John Garni’s concern, Yoo Jae-won replied simply.
“That is a risk I am fully prepared to accept.”
“Understood, sir. I will work on shifting the atmosphere.”
With Yoo Jae-won issuing directives to ID Westinghouse while John Garni created the desired atmosphere beyond his direct reach, the meeting concluded. In the end, Yoo Jae-won was proven correct—and he did not have to wait long. When rumors began circulating that ID Westinghouse had withdrawn from North Korea’s next reactor project, contact with Choi Kang-geon, who had been receiving VIP treatment at an LA hotel, was severed. Instead, outreach and support were intensified toward the European committee members. Since Europe was also a target market for thorium reactors, laying the groundwork in advance made sense. It was a simple shift in external tactics, yet to outside observers it appeared entirely different. They concluded that ID Westinghouse had grown weary of Choi Kang-geon’s demands and had shifted its priority target from North Korea to Europe.
Choi Kang-geon, who had his own calculations, believed everything was proceeding according to plan. Then came word that ID Westinghouse was turning its attention to Europe, and its treatment of him changed accordingly. Still, he remained composed. He was certain that North Korea was the only country willing to purchase a thorium reactor with no proven track record. His superiors in North Korea, however, did not share that view. The situation changed decisively when an emergency arose within North Korea’s leadership for reasons unknown. That reason was rumors regarding Kim Jong-il’s deteriorating health.
With improving U.S.-North Korea relations and expanding inter-Korean economic cooperation, the regime’s stability had reached its peak. Consequently, tension among the leadership had naturally eased. People who, before the regression, had lived like porcupines under the Arduous March and nuclear development programs were now preoccupied with the luxuries power afforded. Ironically, compared to the pre-regression era when tensions had been razor-sharp, their health had deteriorated significantly. Daily consumption of rich foods and alcohol had naturally led to adult-onset diseases. When even the North Korean leadership could no longer ignore the issue, they could no longer afford to watch events unfold at leisure. The order delivered to Choi Kang-geon was clear: advance the situation as quickly as possible. Thus, Choi Kang-geon had no choice but to abandon his previous delaying tactics and move urgently.
Meanwhile, upon receiving the meeting request from Choi Kang-geon, Yoo Jae-won deliberately avoided giving an immediate answer.
“Hmm. The effect is stronger than expected.”
He had not anticipated such a rapid reaction from merely spreading rumors that North Korea had been deprioritized and shifting ID Westinghouse’s focus to Europe. This was not a normal sequence of events. Yoo Jae-won could naturally infer a sudden change within North Korea’s leadership. According to the timeline stored in his Memory Palace, Kim Jong-il’s health issues had escalated sharply from the mid-2000s onward. Unless Kim Jong-il’s health had deteriorated earlier than scheduled, Choi Kang-geon’s behavioral shift made no sense.
“Secretary Kim, please convene an emergency executive meeting via video conference. Ah, and invite Mr. John Garni as well.”
“Yes, Chairman!”
Although Yoo Jae-won could have formulated a sound strategy alone, he chose to gather multiple perspectives this time. If matters went awry, the repercussions could reach the national level, so even Yoo Jae-won adopted an uncharacteristic approach. In the meeting that followed, intense discussions took place. The objective of selling the thorium reactor to North Korea and obtaining resource exploration and development rights remained unchanged, but the method of achieving it shifted dramatically. Yoo Jae-won and ID Group decided to mobilize every available means at their disposal—including their relationship with President Al Gore.
At first glance, it might appear that Yoo Jae-won was offering to bridge U.S.-North Korea diplomatic relations—North Korea’s long-standing wish—in exchange for selling the thorium reactor. That was not the case. There was an unwavering principle: he would not be manipulated by the North. The thorium reactor technology was a monopoly held exclusively by ID Group. Using it merely as an errand boy would be foolish. Therefore, while Yoo Jae-won accepted the meeting with Choi Kang-geon, he showed no urgency whatsoever during the encounter. He merely reiterated, as before, that he hoped North Korea would benefit from the 1+1 promotion if possible. He no longer displayed any proactive gestures, such as offering to visit North Korea.
Choi Kang-geon could clearly sense that Yoo Jae-won had changed. However, since North Korea’s leadership had only issued demands without granting him decision-making authority or additional cards to play, Choi Kang-geon’s options remained limited. Meanwhile, the thorium reactor project with North Korea began advancing aggressively from an entirely different direction.
- The symbol of North Korean denuclearization will be the thorium reactor.
The statement came from National Security Advisor Sandy Berger at the White House. Naturally, it followed a private conversation between Yoo Jae-won and President Al Gore. During that call, Yoo Jae-won had honestly expressed his disappointment at North Korea’s lukewarm response despite his good-faith overtures. He then asked for a small favor to shatter the framework North Korea had constructed.
- The final button for U.S.-North Korea diplomatic relations: the thorium reactor!
President Al Gore proved to be a decisive card. The framework North Korea had tried to impose—demanding that Yoo Jae-won help with diplomatic normalization in exchange for purchasing the thorium reactor—had now been completely reversed. To prove it had fully abandoned its nuclear program, North Korea now had to install the thorium reactor. Yet this was not necessarily detrimental to North Korea. After the declaration ending the Korean War, years had passed without any progress toward U.S.-North Korea diplomatic relations. Now, at last, a door had opened. Given that Kim Jong-il’s health was already compromised, achieving diplomatic normalization in this state would bring considerable relief to the North Korean leadership.
With a breakthrough in sight, North Korea’s stance shifted. Choi Kang-geon, who had held no real authority over the thorium reactor matter, returned to North Korea. In his place, North Korea’s Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong personally traveled to San Francisco. Once the negotiating partner changed to Ri Su-yong, the thorium reactor project with North Korea gained unstoppable momentum. Even the resource exploration and development rights in North Korea—essential to Yoo Jae-won’s larger vision—were secured with relative ease. The entire negotiation took less than a week. All major agreements were documented and incorporated into the contract. The only remaining step was the signing ceremony.
“Selling a single thorium reactor to North Korea turned out to be this difficult.”
As he boarded his private jet, Yoo Jae-won could not help but grumble. Given the extraordinary nature of the deal, the signing ceremony was to be attended by Yoo Jae-won and Kim Jong-il as representatives. Today’s flight from San Francisco was for that purpose. At the same time, he could not help thinking that if this had been a room-temperature nuclear fusion plant rather than a thorium reactor, he would not have received such shabby treatment.
“Once I return, I must begin the Prometheus Project immediately.”
The Prometheus Project—the plan to develop a room-temperature nuclear fusion reactor. In Greek mythology, the Titan who brought fire to humanity was Prometheus. Though the name was somewhat clichéd, no better title existed for a room-temperature nuclear fusion reactor.
A short while later, the private jet carrying Yoo Jae-won roared down the runway with a lively engine sound and lifted into the sky. Its golden-thread livery, symbolizing AI Gold, gleamed under the sun. Its final destination was Pyongyang, the capital of the reclusive nation hidden behind the Iron Curtain.