Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: The Kosovo Connection
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[This morning, Samjung Group announced its plans for its future strategy.]
About two weeks later, Chairman Lee Yong-moon really did follow my advice and declared a full-scale entry into the foundry business.
After all, with a proven 90-nanometer process, they could absorb all the consignment orders from fabless companies. It would have been foolish to just sit on it.
If there was one regret, it was that they ultimately gave up on the Alpha Chip, but that wasn't really my concern.
I needed Samjung's production capabilities, not their CPU design skills, anyway.
[Samjung has resolved to invest a massive total of 30 trillion won over five years...]
'I have to admit, their drive is impressive.'
Honestly, it was almost frightening.
Even with a winning hand, making such a huge bet in an instant is no easy feat.
It was a moment that made me understand a little better why Samjung would grow into a global powerhouse in the future.
-We'll agree to the 40 billion you wanted. 10 billion in stock, and 30 billion in cash. Guarantees will be paid separately later, depending on the order volume.
Two days later, Chairman Lee Yong-moon informed me that he would accept the technology fee I had proposed.
Samjung would have exclusive rights to the technology for the next two years.
And I would receive separate running guarantees once the 90-nanometer process was fully underway.
Since it was a satisfactory result for both sides, the negotiations weren't particularly difficult.
-By the way, are you also researching technology below 45 nanometers?
“Of course. If you're still interested in acquiring the technology then, I'll make Samjung our top negotiation partner.”
-Instead of that, how about selling the research institute to me? I'll do my best to meet whatever conditions you propose.
“I'm sorry, but I must decline.”
-A pity. Well then, if you develop a sub-45-nanometer process before we do, I hope you'll keep your promise and make us the top negotiation partner.
“Of course, as long as the terms are right.”
And with that, the contract was finalized.
All that remained was to purchase and rearrange the necessary equipment at Thales, which would be handling production.
I now had a reason to visit the factory I hadn't been to in a while.
'30 billion should be more than enough for the research institute's operating costs.'
In fact, for the institute's first self-generated profit, it was an excellent amount.
Enough to wipe away any worries about needing additional funding for the foreseeable future.
And that wasn't all. Given the current technological trends, Samjung would still be monopolizing the 90-nanometer process in two years, meaning the revenue from running guarantees would reach astronomical levels.
'In other words, the institute won't be struggling with a lack of funds anytime soon.'
***
“Hello, I'm Lee Jin-soo, team leader of the newly established Sensor Module Division.”
Three days later, the head of development for gyro sensors and accelerometers from Samjung came to see me.
He looked to be in his mid-forties.
Though his attitude was polite, a subtle arrogance seeped through, suggesting a man drunk on the pride of being a 'Samjung man.'
“You... you developed this yourself?”
But that arrogance didn't last long.
The moment he saw the schematics I handed him, his expression changed. A moment later, he was looking at me with the deference of a private on his first assignment.
“Where on earth did you create such a perfect design?”
“I'm not obligated to tell you that, am I?”
“I-I'm sorry.”
“No need to apologize. But could we perhaps move up the development schedule?”
“With a design this solid, we can skip the verification stage, so six months should be possible. However, the reliability issue...”
“You don't need to worry about reliability.”
In reality, reliability wasn't an issue at all.
Not just because it was a design from the future, but because these were the actual schematics for a product that had been used in weapons manufacturing for a long time.
Reliability is paramount for military components, which is why I provided a design that, while not state-of-the-art, had been thoroughly proven in countless applications.
“I look forward to working with you. Well then, I'll be on my way...”
Having finalized the development schedule, the team leader quickly rose from his seat.
Did he have something else to say? As he was leaving, he suddenly spun around and looked at me.
“Yes? Did you forget something?”
“Ah, no, it's just...”
He turned back around, his face a mask of confusion.
I knew exactly what he was thinking.
He was probably feeling quite small right now, realizing he'd been nothing more than a frog in a well.
'Alright, now I need to make the military recognize the effectiveness of the smart artillery shell...'
In fact, that was more important than any other issue.
No matter how advanced a weapon is, it's useless if no one will use it.
Of course, for a military plagued by the North's long-range artillery, a solution like this would be tempting. But I didn't have the luxury of time to follow the military's procurement process, which could drag on for years.
[We interrupt with breaking news. Early this morning, NATO announced its immediate intervention in the Kosovo crisis. According to sources, NATO has decided to launch airstrikes against Serbia soon.]
Just then, the office TV, which I'd left on just to check the weather, suddenly reported a historic event.
The Yugoslav Wars, the worst tragedy in 20th-century Europe.
It was news about the Kosovo War, the event that would kick off the final act.
With the country entirely focused on overcoming the economic crisis, it didn't draw much attention here, but it was actually one of the most tragic wars in history.
'NATO is already launching airstrikes against Serbia?'
That was the important point.
NATO's bombing of Serbia was originally an event that happened around 1999.
Considering it was now 1998, the event had moved up by a full year. This was another inflection point in history.
'Huh?'
As I watched the NATO commander's interview in a state of bewilderment, something familiar caught my eye, passing behind them.
'A B-2?'
It was the B-2 Spirit, the stealth strategic bomber developed by the U.S. Air Force.
'Come to think of it, wasn't that when the B-2 was first deployed in combat?'
No, it wasn't just the B-2. I remembered all sorts of advanced weapons making their debut in the Kosovo War.
“Well, look at this.”
At that moment, a spark ignited in my mind.
On a hunch, I changed the channel, and a CNN news broadcast filled the screen.
“Of course.”
Just like in the Gulf War, the focus of the CNN news was on the various weapons the U.S. military would be showcasing.
Well, that wasn't surprising, given that the United States at the time was under the powerful influence of the military-industrial complex.
What really caught my eye was a scene of U.S. Air Force non-commissioned officers loading bombs with a rather unusual shape onto a B-2 bomber.
'JDAMs!'
My mind instantly cleared.
This was the solution to the problem I'd been wrestling with. A way to solve the trouble of explaining the effectiveness of smart artillery shells to our military in one fell swoop.
Feeling a sense of urgency, I immediately started scraping news reports about the war, recording all the footage I could find related to the JDAMs.
'I can't believe it. Why didn't I think of this before?'
***
[At 6 a.m. Korea time today, NATO has launched its airstrikes against Serbia.]
Three days later, the NATO forces, led by the United States, launched airstrikes against Serbia, just as the media had reported.
I couldn't afford to delay my plans any longer, so I immediately called Lieutenant General Kim Tae-ik to request a meeting.
“Lieutenant General Kim Tae-ik?”
I targeted him first because he was the easiest person for me to contact.
Moreover, he was the commander of the 7th Maneuver Corps, which was no exaggeration to call nearly half of this country's army's strength.
I was sure he, more than anyone, would recognize the effectiveness of smart artillery.
“It's been a while.”
As expected, it wasn't difficult to schedule a meeting with him.
He had been favorable not only to Chairman Jin but also to me.
What was unexpected was that General Lee Dong-wook, the Deputy Commander of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command, was also at the meeting place. Seeing him reminded me of the request he'd made when Michael visited Korea.
“I was actually planning to contact you soon, Deputy Commander.”
“You seem to have misunderstood. I clearly said to contact me when you had time, so there's no need to feel so apologetic.”
General Lee Dong-wook kindly tried to put my awkwardness at ease.
What was unusual was that he was in his dress uniform.
It felt like he had made time despite a busy schedule, and I couldn't figure out why he would go to such lengths to meet me.
“Ah! The government is on high alert these days because of the Kosovo War. If America's power is concentrated in Europe, the North might be tempted to provoke us. Thanks to that, we at the Combined Forces Command are on standby in our dress uniforms, not knowing when we'll be summoned to the Blue House.”
It was a response as if he had read my mind.
I knew from experience that his type was the most difficult to deal with.
From now on, I'd have to be careful with every word I said.
“By the way, do you think the U.S. will mobilize ground troops in this Kosovo situation?”
The moment I sat down, General Lee Dong-wook blurted out an unexpected question.
I glanced over, wondering if he was talking to me, but thankfully, his gaze was directed at Lieutenant General Kim Tae-ik.
“I don't think so. Public opinion on participating in wars has been so negative since the Somalia incident that it's a huge burden for the U.S. government.”
“Still, Serbia has done some truly appalling things this time... But then again, if managing domestic affairs is more important, there's no reason to push it.”
The two of them seemed to be trying to continue the conversation I had interrupted.
Just as you'd expect from soldiers, the topic was, of course, predictions about the course of the Kosovo War.
What was surprising was that their prediction—that the U.S. military would refrain from deploying ground troops this time—was perfectly aligned with history.
The rumors about them being the military's top strategists weren't for nothing.
“I'll go order some drinks.”
Leaving the two of them deep in discussion, I headed to the counter.
Since I had arranged the meeting place in advance, I was already acquainted with the café owner.
When I handed him the recorded CD I had prepared along with my order, he gave me a meaningful nod.
“By the way, sir, have you heard the news about the Chairman?”
When I returned to my seat, the topic of discussion had shifted to the future of Han Dong-hoon, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
General Han Dong-hoon, who had hastily retired, seemingly to avoid a dishonorable discharge, had recently been scouted as the director of external affairs for S&U, one of the leading defense contractors.
“That man is something else. Who would have thought that someone who once had his eyes on the Minister's seat would end up moving to a defense company. Ah! Not that I'm looking down on defense companies.”
General Lee Dong-wook quickly backtracked.
When I offered an awkward smile, he continued.
“In any case, it can't be welcome news for you. After all, a former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs has taken an executive position at a competitor.”
“It doesn't matter.”
I was being honest.
Even if remnants of his faction remained in the military, they were just a handful.
Besides, the weapons market is a place where overwhelming performance is paramount. The influence of a washed-up former general with no connections can't significantly affect the market dynamics.
“True, his core followers were all pushed into insignificant posts during the last personnel shuffle, so there's not much he can do right now. I doubt S&U recruited him with high expectations.”
With that, General Lee Dong-wook took a long drink of his iced coffee.
The way he kept glancing at me suggested he had something specific he wanted to talk about.
“Go ahead and say it.”
As I subtly pressed him, the coffee cup in his hand faltered for a moment.
“Say what?”
“Didn't you have something you really wanted to say to me?”
“...”
As soon as I finished speaking, he glanced at Lieutenant General Kim Tae-ik beside him.
After what seemed to be an exchange of looks, a different expression settled on General Lee Dong-wook's face.
“Well... you really are a businessman. You're right. To be honest, I had an urgent favor to ask, which is why I insisted on joining this meeting.”
“I'm listening.”
He hesitated again.
If it was something difficult to bring up, it was surely a request I'd find hard to accept.
I ran through countless possibilities, but couldn't come up with a likely answer.
“I heard a rumor that in five years, the new armor-piercing rounds supplied to the U.S. military will be delivered as raw materials, not finished products. Is that true?”
“That's correct, but is there a problem?”
“What problem could there be? I just wanted to ask if you had any intention of selling the technology to the U.S. around that time.”
“Sell the technology?”
“To be precise, I'd like you to use it as collateral to make a deal with the U.S.”
“...”
At my silence, General Lee Dong-wook's expression grew tense.
Frankly, it would be stranger if he were confident while asking a private citizen to use their technology as collateral to fulfill the military's needs.
Regardless of whether I would agree, I was curious what he was trying to gain by making such an unreasonable request.
“What am I supposed to be dealing for?”
“The U.S. military's GPS. For us, who are currently using commercial GPS, it's absolutely necessary. In return, our military will compensate Jaewoo Group in some way for any future losses it might incur.”
I understood what he was saying.
Using the excuse that it's a strategic asset, the U.S. military was arrogantly refusing to sell its military-grade GPS.
And our country's economy was nowhere near capable of launching the dozens of satellites required.
In the end, the only method the military could think of was to offer a condition tempting enough to persuade the U.S. to lease their GPS, and right now, the only thing they had was the armor-piercing round I developed.
“That will be difficult. You say you'll compensate for the losses, but who can guarantee you won't change your mind later?”
“That's... but by then, Jaewoo Group's profitability will have declined, won't it? Or there's the possibility that the U.S. military will develop the technology on its own.”
“Even if profitability declines, it won't be to a level the military could compensate for. And the U.S. military will never be able to develop that technology. Not in five years, not even in ten.”
Unable to refute my claim, General Lee Dong-wook just bit his lip.
It was a relief that he didn't try to appeal to my patriotism, at least.
I took a sip of my coffee and looked at him again.
“But there's no need to be disappointed. The U.S. will be selling us their military-grade GPS soon enough.”
“...”