Electronic Map Updates and Members of the National Assembly
After finalizing the contract for the radios, the media began broadcasting breaking news about the deployment of troops to Iraq, continuously reporting on the benefits this would bring to the Republic of Korea. Taesik prioritized the delivery of the radio volume requested by the Korean government and hurried the production of the units destined for the United States. Fortunately, he was able to complete the manufacturing in time for the deployment schedule.
Thales, which held a 50% stake in Starlink Defense, expressed a desire to sell if they were not going to share business operations with Starlink. Taesik used his own funds to purchase the remaining 50%, clearly settling the ownership structure. Having secured 100% of Starlink Defense, Taesik called in Team Leader Son Kyung-chan to discuss upgrading their electronic maps.
"CEO, I apologize. I am sorry that unnecessary litigation has arisen because of me."
The company where Team Leader Son had previously worked had filed a lawsuit as the market share of the navigation systems sold by Starlink Communication rose, and Son expressed his regret that the litigation had been triggered by his presence.
"It is not your fault. You should consider it a sign of jealousy from your former company because our navigation sales are increasing. They have filed a lawsuit, but if you look at the contents, they haven't even mentioned which of their technologies we supposedly infringed upon. More importantly, the time has come for an electronic map upgrade."
"Are you referring to real-time traffic information? The government is not yet prepared for that."
"No. I am thinking of updating our navigation maps. I intend to create maps for the general public, not just for vehicles."
"Navigation for the general public...? I don't quite understand."
"If I want to go from our company to Seoul Station, which bus should I take?"
"You could take the 700 bus, but… Ah! You are talking about a route-finding service."
"Exactly. We are going to start a route guidance service based on buses, taxis, and private cars. And we could add walking directions as well."
"But unlike portal companies, our accessibility on the web is low. Do you think there is marketability?"
"Currently, our accessibility is lower than that of portal sites, but in a little while, a new communication system will emerge. Think of this as preparation for that time."
Knowing that various apps would be released once smartphones hit the market, Taesik decided to upgrade the electronic maps as a preparatory measure. Since he couldn't explain the details to Team Leader Son, he kept his explanation vague.
"CEO, taxis and private cars are fine as they follow the same concept as existing route-finding services, but buses are a bit of a problem."
"In what way…?"
"To provide departure and arrival times for buses, we need their current location information. Only major cities like Seoul and Busan share location data for buses equipped with GPS. Expanding this nationwide is impossible."
"For now, proceed with the service focusing on major cities, and add cities where bus locations can be tracked in the future. Once people in major cities feel the convenience, other cities will likely launch similar services. In the meantime, provide a service that informs users based on bus routes for regional cities. Also, for customers using bus-based route finding, we should provide a service linked to a website where they can purchase train and bus tickets."
"I will begin development immediately. However, I am skeptical about whether it will generate economic profit compared to the budget being invested."
"Think of it as an investment for the future. There will come a day when electronic maps, including information provided by local guides like in the United States, will shine."
After brushing off Team Leader Son Kyung-chan's concerns about the map upgrade as an investment in the future, Taesik received a call from Starlink Defense President Park In-tak and wore a bewildered expression.
"…Where did they say I should go to pay my respects?"
"I apologize. Members of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee have requested that you visit the National Assembly, stating that as the representative who acquired a defense company, you should pay your respects to all members of the committee."
"Are there 16 members on the Defense Committee right now? Did they ask me to visit every single lawmaker individually?"
"I think meeting with the ruling and opposition party secretaries will suffice. You should consider this a process of 'taming' you."
"As the company grows, I hear a lot of noise from the outside. What happens if I don't meet the secretaries?"
"I expect there will be concentrated attacks on the equipment we are currently supplying."
"I will meet with the ruling and opposition secretaries for now. Will President Ryu be coming up as well?"
"Yes. Since you likely lack information on the National Assembly members, I will assist you by your side."
President Ryu decided to come up to Seoul for the visit to the National Assembly the next day, and Taesik called Department Head Park Kyung-hoon to request information on the lawmakers belonging to the National Defense Committee. Park brought the prepared materials immediately and asked Taesik about the reason with a suspicious expression.
"Why are you suddenly looking for information on National Assembly members? Did you receive some kind of contact from the National Assembly?"
Taesik relayed what Starlink Defense President Park In-tak had told him, and Department Head Park Kyung-hoon made a few urgent calls before explaining the results to Taesik.
"CEO, it appears the lawmakers are going to request political donations."
"Political donations…?"
"Major domestic defense companies make political donations in the names of their executives, and I believe they are calling you to deliver a political message that Starlink Defense should also join in on the act of making donations."
"Hahaha. I'm busy enough just trying to run the business, and now even the lawmakers are bothering me. I'll go tomorrow and decide then."
The next day, he headed to the promised hotel with President Park In-tak, who had come up from Gumi. President Park relayed that the two lawmakers serving as ruling and opposition secretaries had requested to meet simultaneously, and Taesik asked Park about the reason with a puzzled look.
"I don't understand why the ruling and opposition secretaries want to meet at the same time."
"It seems they intend to match the political donations from the other side."
"Wow! They only show cooperation in cases like this. How did you handle political donations back in the Misung Thales days?"
"…Misung Group was a large conglomerate, so they decided on political donations at the group level. I made donations as well, but I paid the legal maximum to the lawmakers designated by the group."
After hesitating for a moment, President Park explained the case he had experienced and continued with further explanation.
"Because Misung made unofficial support payments, there were no cases where individual lawmakers made requests."
"I'll have to wait and see how the lawmakers act today."
The two arrived at the hotel and headed to the conference room, where the lawmakers serving as the ruling and opposition secretaries for the National Defense Committee were already eating.
"CEO Kim! Welcome. You seemed a bit late, so we were eating first."
The two hurriedly wiped their mouths and reached out for a handshake, and Taesik sat down in the conference room, which was filled with the smell of food.
"CEO Kim, you must be hungry too, so please eat. We ordered without hesitation since it's food being treated by CEO Kim, but that's okay, right? The steak at this hotel is tender and quite good."
The two, who had ordered the meal without Taesik's permission, naturally passed the bill to Taesik and urged him to order his own meal.
"I'm not hungry yet…."
"Is that so? Then shall we start with introductions? I am the ruling party secretary, Assemblyman Jung Min-jae, and that side is the opposition party secretary, Assemblyman Hwang Byung-min."
Taesik stood up, handed over his business card, and introduced himself.
"I am Kim Taesik of Starlink, which recently acquired Misung Thales. My greetings are late."
"A young man is quite something… I respect you for boldly acquiring a subsidiary of Misung Group."
The two rattled on with praise for Taesik, and Taesik offered an awkward smile as he watched them.
Assemblyman Jung Min-jae, the ruling party secretary, began to set the mood.
"You know that the help of the National Defense Committee is immense for defense projects, right? We should make an effort to help CEO Kim, but next year is the time when the National Assembly elections are held again, so we have to run for election. If we are elected, it could be a great help to CEO Kim…."
"…."
As Taesik sat silently, Assemblyman Hwang Byung-min across from him continued.
"If you just help us in this election, it could be helpful to Starlink, so why don't you support us? We came out as representatives because we were worried CEO Kim might be in a difficult position. You don't need to support every lawmaker; just support two from the ruling party and two from the opposition party."
Taesik looked at the two who were openly requesting support.
"I will make donations within the legal scope."
At the mention of legal support, the two exchanged glances.
"CEO Kim seems young and doesn't know much about the National Assembly… Hey, President Park! Can you explain it to him?"
"…."
President Park hesitated at the blatant question, and Assemblyman Jung Min-jae continued.
"Misung had support at the group level, so we couldn't request donations, but Starlink should show some sincerity. The ruling and opposition parties have agreed to request donations only for lawmakers with two or more terms, so CEO Kim, please show some sincerity. It will help Starlink if we are elected in the next election."
Taesik carefully considered their urging before answering.
"Starlink intends to support legal political donations and has no intention of stepping outside the boundaries of the law."
The two men turned red with anger and threw the knives they were holding onto the table.
"A young man is the representative, so I suppose he doesn't know the ways of the world. Our terms still have a few months left; do you intend to experience hardship during that time?"
Assemblyman Hwang Byung-min joined in on Assemblyman Jung Min-jae's threat.
"Assemblyman Jung! Our terms are ending, so it seems he thinks we are laughable. Let's show him our power."
The two stormed out of the conference room in a rage, and the hotel staff who were serving the food looked at Taesik and President Park, wary of the fact that the lawmakers had left without paying for the meal. President Park took out his corporate card, paid for the food consumed by the lawmakers and their aides, and approached Taesik.
"CEO, I apologize. I should have managed the lawmakers well in advance…."
"It is not your fault. It was something that was bound to happen eventually. Our principle at Starlink is not to get involved in illegal activities, so everything is my responsibility. Since we've come this far, let's have a meal."
After finishing a simple meal at the hotel, Taesik returned to Starlink, and a week later, he received a visit from government officials.
"CEO, they say the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has come to crack down on the electronic maps."
"The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport…?"
"Yes. They say they have come for a guidance inspection regarding the unauthorized export of electronic maps with the National Geographic Information Institute."
Taesik headed to the conference room where the public officials were waiting, and the Ministry officials were waiting for Taesik to appear.