Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Unseen Battles
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The matter of installing 127mm naval guns on Baengnyeong Island was immediately brought before the National Assembly as an emergency agenda item.
Perhaps due to the gravity of the issue, it was approved with bipartisan cooperation.
There was some minor debate over whether it would be better to use self-propelled howitzers, but since the primary purpose of the installation was to counter enemy warships rather than for ground bombardment, the naval gun system was ultimately chosen.
The ground-based variant would struggle to destroy a double-hulled warship in a single strike and fell short of the naval version in terms of firepower, rate of fire, and range.
[Daeyoo Motors in Final Bankruptcy.]
In the midst of this, another historic event unfolded.
On November 8th, the much-troubled Daeyoo Motors was finally declared bankrupt.
The government and creditors had rejected the self-rescue plan Daeyoo had proposed in ‘99. All twelve of its affiliates had entered a workout program, but the creditors, unable to find a solution for the excessive debt, ultimately declared final bankruptcy.
[The government and creditors have indicated plans to separate and sell off Ssangwoong Motors and the truck division from Daeyoo. Jaewoo Group is reportedly the most likely candidate for the acquisition…….]
About two weeks later, news of Jaewoo Group’s entry into the automotive market once again dominated the headlines.
It was the result of the tireless efforts of Vice President Kim Young-gi, Hyun-cheol, and even Chairman Han Myung-ho.
Contrary to concerns, the acquisition process went quite smoothly, thanks to the fact that negotiations with the Ssangwoong Motors labor union were not as difficult as they had been with the hard-line passenger car division of Daeyoo.
[Jaewoo Group announced today that it will retain all employees of Ssangwoong Motors and Daeyoo Trucks. In response, the union has agreed to resume normal operations soon. Thanks to this, Ssangwoong Motors, which has weathered a long storm, is expected to begin its normalization process.]
“Easier said than done. Is normalizing a company on the brink of collapse supposed to be a walk in the park?”
Hyun-cheol remarked with a worried tone as he watched the news.
Indeed, turning around Ssangwoong, which had little to offer besides its RVs, would be no easy task.
But it wasn't a major problem.
Not only had I already secured advanced engine technology, but I also had a clear picture in my head of the future car designs that would dominate the market.
Any shortcomings in marketing were ultimately a personnel issue, which could be resolved with time.
“Welcome, Chairman.”
As the year 2000 drew to a close, Vice President Kim Young-gi, Hyun-cheol, and I visited Jaewoo Aerospace just before the year-end ceremony.
The purpose of our visit was to inspect the attack helicopter project, which had recently entered the fuselage production phase, and to check on the progress of the fighter jet division, which was reverse-engineering the aircraft.
I had heard that the engine for the attack helicopter, which had been replaced with our improved components, had recently passed its tests. At this rate, it seemed possible that a prototype, excluding armament, could be unveiled by the end of next year.
“The shape has changed quite a bit.”
The fuselage before me was significantly different from the one in the initial proposal.
It was understandable. The radar and other weapon systems were in a completely different league from those of the Black Shark.
A design change was an inevitable consequence.
“At first glance, it looks a bit like a Havoc, but then again, it also feels like it has some Apache blood in it.”
“With a two-seater, tandem cockpit configuration, it’s bound to give that impression. But did you know that it took a staggering 10,000 blueprints to build just one of these aircraft?”
CEO Yoon replied, his face looking considerably gaunt.
Though he held the title of CEO, he was a man who had practically lived in the factory for half the year.
Feeling a pang of sympathy, I placed a hand on his shoulder.
“You’ve been working very hard.”
“It’s nothing. Well then, let’s head over to the fighter jet division.”
He moved like a zombie, leading us to the factory across the way.
As the doors opened, my eyes were met with the sight of one fully assembled Sukhoi jet parked on the floor and another completely disassembled into its component parts.
Seeing it up close, I felt an overwhelming sense of its formidable presence.
“This way.”
CEO Yoon then led us to the design department.
There were over a hundred design engineers working there.
Twenty of them had been brought over from Korea Aerospace Industries, where they had been in charge of designing a supersonic trainer. It was fortunate that the President had intervened; otherwise, we would have faced a massive protest.
“They’re churning out nearly 500 blueprints a month.”
“They’re working themselves to the bone.”
“It’s more than that; they’re practically killing themselves. I have one question, though. Is there a need to rush the design like this? If the government doesn’t approve the domestic development project, all of this will be for nothing.”
CEO Yoon said worriedly as he watched the engineers at work.
It would be strange if I wasn't concerned about that as well.
But I hadn't even considered the possibility of the project being canceled.
It wasn't just the President's will; the project had, in many ways, already crossed a river of no return.
To pivot to foreign procurement at this stage would be too great a political burden for the current administration.
Although there was still some support for foreign procurement, the chances of the government changing its mind were slim.
“You don't need to worry about that. I heard the Blue House plans to make an announcement around the end of this year. In fact, they say the US expected us to go with domestic development from the start.”
Vice President Kim Young-gi chimed in, as if to quell the concerns.
Puzzled by his last remark, CEO Yoon tilted his head and asked.
“...The US expected it? How so?”
“The Chairman acquired superalloy technology during negotiations with the US, didn’t he? You’d have to be a fool not to see that as a clear sign of our intent for domestic development.”
“Ah!”
CEO Yoon finally nodded in understanding.
As if he had more to say, Vice President Kim Young-gi took a short breath and continued.
“Even so, I heard it was quite difficult for the Blue House.”
“……”
CEO Yoon looked back at the Vice President.
This was news to me as well.
As I glanced at him, he spoke with a displeased expression, as if he had experienced it himself.
“Honestly, who do you think the Americans are? Do you really think they’d let go of a stable market like South Korea so easily? They may have accepted our decision, but they made sure to get their pound of flesh.”
“Get their pound of flesh? What do you mean?”
“Apparently, they threw a fit and demanded something in return. Because of that, I heard the President had to make an under-the-table deal to drastically expand the import quotas for American agricultural products.”
“Damn it. That’s good for us, I suppose, but the damage to our farmers will be immense, won't it?”
CEO Yoon clicked his tongue, seemingly frustrated by the reality of our nation’s powerlessness.
He turned his head back toward the working engineers and, for some reason, shook his head.
“What is it? Is there a problem?”
I asked, curious about his strangely meaningful expression.
“I’m glad the project is moving forward, but I’m worried that once it’s in full swing, these people are going to be worked to death. They’re already struggling to produce 500 blueprints a month. If the workload suddenly multiplies, we’ll have no way to cope.”
That was a concern of mine as well.
In the case of the KFX, it took 15 months to complete the design, even with an average of 1,700 blueprints being produced each month.
And we needed to do it in less time.
Even though I had the KFX designs, the change in fuselage size meant that the design essentially had to be redone from scratch. It was practically impossible for them to handle that alone.
“Once the project is confirmed, we’ll have to immediately discuss the acquisition of KAI with the government.”
“Do we have the funds for that?”
CEO Yoon asked with a hint of worry.
We had spent a great deal of capital on several recent mergers.
Moreover, since he was no longer in a position to closely monitor the group’s overall financial situation, he was probably starting to get anxious.
“We still have sufficient funds. Our performance has improved so much that the amount of money we're bringing in is on a completely different level from when you were at the head office, CEO Yoon. Even if we were short, I have a solution, so you don’t need to worry.”
I was referring to the profits from the research institute.
It was a subsidiary I had recently established under the holding company. And since it was a private company, I held 100 percent of the shares.
Recently, trillions of won had accumulated there from the export of military-grade semiconductors for the US HVP system. If necessary, I could consider mobilizing those funds.
“Why don’t we seek some investment on this occasion?”
Vice President Kim, who had been listening from the side, suddenly interjected.
I turned my gaze to him, and he continued.
“You mentioned before that Crown Prince Hasad offered to invest, Chairman. From a strategic perspective, I think it might be a good idea to accept it.”
"It wouldn't be bad in terms of securing an ally. Let's think about that after we've secured a worthwhile investment opportunity."
Well, that wasn't an immediate concern.
“By the way, I haven’t been able to pay much attention lately. What’s the status of the 127mm naval guns being installed on Baengnyeong Island?”
“Ah! We were lucky to find a spare gun in the military’s inventory, so one battery has already been installed. But we have to place new orders for the second and third batteries, so that will take some time.”
It was a relief that at least one battery was installed.
I wasn’t sure if it was right to think this way, but a part of me wished they would dare to provoke us one more time around now.
If there had been no sacrifices, it would be a different story. But we had suffered losses, and I felt I wouldn't be satisfied until we had returned the favor a hundredfold.
In fact, it seemed I wasn't the only one thinking along those lines. I'd heard that the military had already included North Korea's coastal bases in Ryongyon County within the naval gun's operational radius.
In other words, if they crossed the line, they would be utterly annihilated.
“On another note, the issue with the Baengnyeong Island airport construction seems to be getting more serious.”
“Why? Has something happened?”
I stopped in my tracks at Vice President Kim’s sudden remark.
He quietly held out the newspaper he had been carrying and pointed to the front-page article.
“For the past few days, the backlash from environmental and various civic groups has been escalating.”
At his words, I looked at the newspaper.
A photo showed people holding pickets, flooding the streets in protest.
In that moment, a memory of an incident from the past—or rather, from before my regression—surfaced, and my hand instinctively reached for my phone.
“Just a moment.”
I immediately called the Director of the NIS.
After a few rings, his voice came through, heavy with exhaustion.
-What can I do for you, Chairman Jin?
“Something just came to mind while I was talking with Vice President Kim Young-gi.”
-What is it…?
“It’s about the civic groups currently opposing the construction of the Baengnyeong Island airport. Is it possible to discreetly trace their bank accounts?”
-……
The NIS Director was silent for a moment.
A moment later, he asked for the reason, and I replied suggestively.
“I’m certain you’ll find that rather large sums of money have been deposited into the accounts of each of these civic groups from China.”
-How can you be so certain of that, Chairman Jin?
How could I be certain?
I was certain because, in my experience, that's exactly what had happened.
Back when we had attempted to build an airport in the border region.
China had co-opted government-sponsored civic groups to lead a public opinion war.
As a result, the airport construction issue was buried, and it remained a point of controversy right up until the moment I regressed.
‘Anyway, it’s always about the damn money.’
In truth, this wasn't a tactic used exclusively by China.
Japan had done the same, using right-wing capital to interfere with us time and again.
Situations like this always made me feel the same thing: this country had terrible luck with its neighbors.
“If we build an airport near the West Sea, who would oppose it the most? Furthermore, if you carefully examine the claims of these civic groups now, most of them are nothing but baseless assertions. You don’t actually believe this is all coming from their own pure intentions, do you?”
-……
A long silence followed.
The call I received from him came a few days later.
-Haa… well, I’m at a loss for words.
The NIS Director’s long sigh meant that my prediction had been correct.
Sure enough, he informed me that suspicious funds amounting to hundreds of millions of won each had been deposited from overseas into the accounts of over ten different organizations.
“What do you plan to do now?”
-The problem is, it’s difficult to even reveal this. If we do, it will look like the NIS conducted illegal surveillance on civilians.
“Then give me the account records.”
-What are you planning to do?
“All that matters is that the world finds out about it, one way or another, right?”
-……