Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: A Tsar's Offer
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The atmosphere at the ensuing banquet was cordial.
[Chairman Jin, what is your schedule for tomorrow?]
He, who had come for a three-day, two-night visit, unexpectedly asked me to join him for the next day's activities. After a brief discussion with my chief of staff, I agreed to his proposal.
I glanced over.
In one corner of the banquet hall, I spotted Alexei and Natasha in conversation.
Alexei was here to foster ties with the NIS, while Natasha was said to be visiting as one of Putin's bodyguards. Why she had suddenly transferred from an intelligence agency to the security service was a bit of a mystery.
[It seems we finally have a moment to speak. It's been a while, Chairman Jin.]
Our eyes met, and Alexei approached me first to greet me.
Perhaps because of the relationship we'd built, there was no trace of awkwardness between us as we shook hands.
[You look like you've put on a little weight. It seems you haven't been paying much attention to your health lately, Director.]
[Haha, does it look that way? I suppose it's true I've grown a bit complacent. Until now, I lived with the sole purpose of putting His Excellency Putin in the president's seat, but now that grand dream has been realized.]
Alexei’s response to my lighthearted joke carried a surprising weight.
To put it another way, he was revealing himself to be one of Putin's core confidants.
For a moment, a question flashed through my mind: was that historically accurate?
As far as I recalled, the name Alexei was not among the famous figures who remained by Putin's side until the end.
Since I didn't know the ins and outs of Russian politics, it was a question that only time would answer.
[By the way, there was a slightly embarrassing matter I needed to discuss with you, Chairman Jin.]
At his words, I immediately turned my head.
His eyes met mine, and after a quick glance around, he spoke in a whisper.
[Not long ago, an incident occurred at the Sukhoi Design Bureau.]
[…]
I was instantly reminded of what Choi In-bae had said.
That the design bureau had been in an uproar at one point.
It wasn't my place to let on that I knew, so I simply watched his lips, waiting.
[Our intelligence agency discovered that one of the researchers at the Sukhoi Design Bureau had been recruited by China's Shenyang Aircraft Corporation. Natasha was mobilized a few months ago because of it.]
Somehow, I'd suspected it was an issue like that.
What was surprising was that this time, it was China's doing, not Japan's.
Then again, Japan had no reason to wage an espionage war to steal Russian technology.
Even in my case back then, their target wasn't Russia; it was me.
Besides, this was around the time China was making every effort to acquire fighter jet development technology, so it wasn't particularly strange for them to pull something like this.
‘Whoever it was, I feel sorry for them.’
If Natasha was involved, the outcome was… predictable.
[But why did Natasha suddenly leave the intelligence agency for the security service?]
The question popped into my head, and I asked.
My gaze naturally shifted to her. She was near Putin, and when our eyes met, she offered a faint smile.
[I find it regrettable as well. The foreign intelligence agency's top agent, transferred to a mere security detail. But what can be done? It was His Excellency's will.]
[President Putin personally requested her for his security team?]
[That's right. He was the one who recruited her for the foreign intelligence agency in the first place. She's remarkably perceptive and has excellent situational judgment, so it seems he wanted to keep her close.]
Somehow, that made sense.
I had received the same impression of her back then.
Honestly, it was hard to find any man I knew who was as decisive and quick-witted as she was.
[By the way, His Excellency Putin plans to tour Korea's industrial parks tomorrow. If you're not too busy, Chairman Jin, you should join us.]
[I was already planning on it.]
Putin's visit to these industrial sites signified that the Russian economy was beginning to stir in earnest.
The political situation, which had been extremely unstable, was rapidly stabilizing under his rule.
The growth they would experience for some time after this could only be described as explosive. Considering that, it was indeed necessary to further strengthen my ties with Putin now.
[Did you know? The World Bank once published a report estimating the value of Russia's underground resources at 300 trillion dollars.]
Just as I was lost in thought, Alexei brought up something completely out of the blue.
I turned to him without thinking, and he continued, his expression meaningful.
[Actually, I'm telling you this because one of His Excellency Putin's main objectives for this visit to Korea is to establish cooperation on the development of our natural resources.]
[…]
In that instant, a spark went off in my head.
Perhaps sensing the change in my eyes, a faint smile appeared on Alexei's face.
[I hope you won't let this opportunity slip by, Chairman Jin.]
[Then the reason you want me to accompany you on the industrial tour tomorrow is…]
[My guess is that he may wish to discuss it discreetly. Ah! But for the record, this isn't about jointly developing oil and natural gas, so please keep that in mind.]
I, for one, didn't even entertain the possibility of jointly developing major resources like oil and natural gas.
Russia had no reason to give up what was essentially its lifeline.
So, it must be about discussing the development of other mineral resources. Even so, the strategic value was immense, leaving no reason to hesitate.
No, it would be more accurate to say another opportunity had just presented itself.
‘The problem is that this tsar is going to show his erratic tendencies in the future…’
The one concern was the Crimean crisis that would erupt in 2014.
The event where Russia unilaterally annexed the Crimean Peninsula, which had been Ukrainian territory.
As a result, Russia would face sanctions from the international community. Whether a stable investment in resources would be possible amidst the complex international politics that would follow was uncertain.
‘Then again, Europe eventually let those sanctions fizzle out, so…’
That point suddenly crossed my mind.
At first, Europe had strongly participated in the sanctions, even expelling Russia from various international organizations.
But a few years later, they quietly restored those ties and tried to bring Russia back into the international community. That had been their stance.
Ostensibly, they said it was a reaction against American unilateralism, but was that the only reason?
I believed Russia's resources had a greater influence. Thinking about it that way, perhaps there was no need to be overly concerned about the Crimean crisis.
‘They say there isn't a single mineral on Mendeleev's periodic table that isn't buried in Russian soil. Besides, with such a strong relationship with Putin, wouldn't I be a fool to just let an opportunity like this pass by?’
******
[Korea's economic growth is truly astonishing.]
The next day, while touring major industrial parks, Putin repeatedly expressed his admiration.
This was already the fifth site.
Yet, far from being tired, he insisted on visiting another location, much to the dismay of the government officials.
[Aren't you tired, Chairman Jin?]
The question came unexpectedly as I was thoughtlessly following him.
Would I even be human if I weren't tired?
But with our guest so full of energy, I didn't want to show any signs of fatigue, so I was enduring it.
[I'm fine. But it seems we've already toured all the scheduled locations.]
[I was thinking we could visit just one more place. Would that be possible?]
At his words, our government officials showed signs of distress.
For a smooth tour, visits had to be scheduled in advance. Showing up unannounced was a burden.
The looks the civil servants were giving me were beyond pleading; they were desperate.
[Where is it that you're so eager to go?]
I gently broached the subject.
He then, out of the blue, mentioned a car factory.
[I would like to see the Hyunwoo Motor manufacturing plant.]
“I'm sorry, but Hyunwoo Motor is currently in a difficult situation due to a labor dispute…”
A government official beside me, who had overheard, interjected, again expressing his difficulty.
In that moment, the Ssangwoong Motor plant we had recently acquired came to mind.
A car factory was a car factory, after all. I figured there was no reason for him to insist on Hyunwoo.
“Then let's take him to Pyeongtaek instead.”
“Pyeongtaek… you mean…”
“That's right, the Ssangwoong Motor plant is in Pyeongtaek.”
The government official's face lit up at my words.
When he relayed this to Putin, the president's eyes sparkled as he looked at me.
[Jaewoo acquired a car company?]
******
“Welcome to our plant.”
Putin's subsequent visit sent Ssangwoong Motor into a frenzy.
A VIP visit itself wasn't the issue, but the resulting disruption to operations must have been a burden for the plant manager.
The only reason the plant manager didn't look too grim was probably because I, the chairman, had personally arranged the tour.
[The scale of this factory is immense.]
After touring the factory for some time, Putin wore a peculiar expression.
He seemed to covet the advanced system, which was incomparable to that of his own country.
For a man now responsible for his nation, it was a natural sentiment.
[Why don't we just ride in the same car?]
As we were heading to the cars after the tour, Putin looked at me and suddenly spoke.
His expression was serious, unlike before.
After a brief exchange with the government officials, I ended up getting into the car that had been assigned to him.
[Looking at that factory, a thought occurred to me. Perhaps the cooperation between Jaewoo Group and Russia doesn't need to be limited to the defense sector…]
[…]
Alexei's words suddenly came to mind.
The development of Russia's natural resources.
Was he about to bring that up now?
But his next words defied my expectations.
[What if Jaewoo were to build a car factory in Russia?]
[…]
[It seems it would be of some help to Russia's struggling industrial sector…]
[That would be difficult at the moment. Ssangwoong hasn't even reached the normalization stage in Korea yet.]
[Even so, with your abilities, Chairman Jin, normalization should be swift, no? And if you intend to enter the Eastern European market later, having a factory in Russia wouldn't be a bad idea, would it?]
Russia was indeed a suitable bridgehead for the Eastern European market.
Historically, even Hyunwoo Motor had established a factory in Russia.
Still, the way he kept emphasizing it suggested he wasn't just making small talk. The situation was a bit awkward.
[If Jaewoo builds a car factory in Russia, I will give you a gift in return.]
[…]
[An official opportunity for Jaewoo to participate in the mineral resource development project the Russian government is currently undertaking…]
[Where would be a good location for the factory?]
[…]
I switched my stance before he could even finish his sentence.
Was he taken aback? Putin let out a dry laugh and spoke again.
[Let's meet again in Russia soon. Ah! And this time, I hope you'll set aside plenty of time. Salmon fishing, you know, is not something to be rushed.]
[I'll arrange my schedule as soon as possible.]
Putin showed a satisfied expression at my words.
I had just received a huge gift I hadn't even expected.
As I tried to calm my pounding heart, he spoke again.
[By the way, about that hypersonic anti-ship missile development project we discussed yesterday. It seems like a waste of time to wait until the end of the year to start. What do you think, Chairman Jin?]
[…]
[Honestly, this isn't the first time Jaewoo and we have worked together on a project, is it? So, I'm saying we should skip the unnecessary procedures and start right away.]
Seeing him rush things, he must have been quite impatient.
Then again, Russia's naval power was currently vastly inferior to that of the United States.
Considering that asymmetric weapons were the only way to overcome that gap, it wasn't hard to understand.
[Hmm…]
However, we still had the important issue of securing a budget.
A man of his stature wouldn't be unaware of that. It felt like he was guiding me toward independent development.
In the end, that's what it was.
Since our own president had already approved it, passing the budget wouldn't be a problem. He was telling me to develop it with our own funds and get reimbursed later.
Indeed, since hypersonic weapons fell under the category of strategic assets, getting the budget approved wouldn't be too difficult.
Furthermore, considering the ruling party held the majority in the National Defense Committee, the chances of approval were nearly 100 percent. Bearing the development cost of just a hundred billion won in advance wasn't unreasonable.
[It looks like I'll be busy again for a while.]
Putin gave a bright smile at my words.
Was it a coincidence? The moment I saw that smile, a rather plausible idea flashed through my mind.
‘Why not take this opportunity to create a dedicated missile development center at Thales? We'll need to prepare armaments when we start developing fighter jets anyway, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to set it up in advance for that time.’