Mining And Construction Tycoon [EN]: Chapter 123

123. Newspaper Ad War (3)

Han Cheong-ho’s study.

Han Cheong-ho slammed the evening newspaper down.

“Is Jang Jun-yong of Geumsan crazy? He’s running full-page apartment ads when he’s still doing foundation work?”

This had never happened before.

But starting with Taeyang, even Jang Jun-yong of Geumsan was starting to run apartment ads.

Moreover, in all the daily newspapers at once, simultaneously, and on a grand scale.

“Geumsan will take responsibility for the Gangnam apartment development? Geumsan’s big-hearted employee love, building apartments for employee welfare? If you join the best company, Geumsan, a new apartment will welcome you? What a joke!”

Han Cheong-ho fumed.

“Everyone’s going crazy. Why are they getting so worked up?”

He couldn’t understand it.

Newspaper ads don’t come cheap.

It’s enough to run ads when you’re actually selling the apartments.

But suddenly, starting with Taeyang, apartment ads were pouring out, and it didn’t seem right.

“What are they up to?”

The next day, Han Cheong-ho had to crumple the newspaper again.

“Even Korea Housing Corporation is running full-page public housing ads in the newspaper?”

Are these guys really collectively losing it!

The next day, and the day after that.

The newspapers and broadcasts were churning out articles about ‘Gangnam Apartments’ and the ‘Gangnam Development Big 3’ day after day.

It’s been a week already.

Han Cheong-ho closed his eyes.

“There’s even an article saying the President is encouraging the Gangnam apartment development, and the newspapers are calling them the Big 3 of Gangnam apartment development, completely leaving out our Cheongil?”

That alone was unbearable.

“Our Cheongil will also build a large-scale apartment complex in Jamsil. We can’t be pushed back here.”

If you’re left out of the ad war, you’re left out of people’s minds.

The Cheongil apartments being built in Jamsil have to be on people’s lips to maintain Cheongil’s status.

If we miss this opportunity, Cheongil apartments will be treated worse than cold leftovers.

We have to participate no matter what.

“That damn ad, our Cheongil will run it too!”

It was the moment Han Cheong-ho grabbed the bait Tae-soo threw.

* * *

The next day, the Cheongil apartments in Jamsil were promoted in full-page ads in daily newspapers.

-Premium apartments built by Cheongil!

-High-end apartments with elevators and centrally supplied combined heat and power boilers!

-Strolling in Seokchon Lake Park makes you not miss Central Park in America!

-The best in Korea is still Cheongil Apartments!

Tae-soo folded the newspaper and smiled.

“Han Cheong-ho wouldn’t be Han Cheong-ho if he didn’t jump in at a time like this. Now he’s really cornered.”

He was in a position where he had to build apartments even if it meant gritting his teeth.

“How is he going to build apartments without buying my land? Now that I’ve declared I’m going to make fertilizer from feces, it’ll be hard to ignore.”

It’s because they can’t see it.

“Then if I show them, they’ll be hit with a sense of crisis. I need to demolish the houses right away.”

Then it’s obvious how Han Il-kwon will react.

* * *

Han Il-kwon entered the chairman’s office.

“Father.”

The son’s expression wasn’t pleasing.

“It looks like we’ll have to give up on Jamsil.”

“Nonsense!”

“Kang Tae-soo is going to start a business making agricultural fertilizer from feces there.”

“What?”

Han Cheong-ho glared.

“Kang Tae-soo, that bastard!”

“It seems he’s made up his mind. I thought it might be a bluff, so I watched for a few days, but seeing him demolish the houses, it seems he’s serious.”

He was angry.

Not just anything, but a feces treatment facility!

“If a feces treatment facility is built in the middle of the apartment complex, will the apartments be sold?”

“Stop it! No matter what, that can’t happen!”

“I’ve put pressure on the public officials, but they say it’s already been approved, so there’s nothing they can do.”

“Damn it!”

You have to act before the permit is issued; it’s no use after it’s issued.

Han Cheong-ho ran his hand over his face.

“Are you saying we should give up on Jamsil now?”

“What else can we do? This is a business that can’t be done in the first place.”

“So, what’s the alternative?”

“How about small apartments targeting workers near the Guro Industrial Complex?”
Han Cheong-ho scowled.

He picked up the newspaper and shook it.

“Cheongil has already advertised extensively that it will build apartments in Jamsil! And now you’re saying we should withdraw that?”

“People will forget quickly as time passes. Why are you so afraid of insects’ memories?”

“Kang Tae-soo is running ads in the newspaper saying he’s building the best premium apartments in Korea! And what? Cheongil apartments are just building small apartments for workers?”

His pride was hurt, and he couldn’t stand it.

“Are you telling me to leave the cheap wasteland of Jamsil and build apartments in Guro, where land prices are expensive because of the factories? Like a cowardly dog running away with its tail between its legs?”

“So, you’re going to build apartments in Jamsil no matter what?”

“Of course, I have to build them! I declared in front of His Excellency [President Park Jeong-hwan] that I would build apartments in Jamsil!”

So, he couldn’t back down.

Cheongil Apartments must be built in Jamsil no matter what.

“This isn’t something that can be done by insisting, Father. You need to face reality.”

“Damn it!”

He was angry.

He was so angry he was going crazy, but there was nothing he could do.

“Father, Cheongil has a huge amount of debt and a lot of deficits. We need to build and sell apartments right away to get some breathing room.”

That’s because Cheongil Refining and Cheongil Heavy Industries, where money used to flow freely, were taken away.

Cheongil is in a situation where it has to bear all the accumulated deficits due to the oil shock.

There’s no room for large-scale apartment construction because they’re even building the Cheongil Hotel.

“Let’s build and sell them first, and then aim for the next opportunity.”

“There is no next time!”

He was furious at the ignorant words.

“It doesn’t matter if we lose faith with the pigs and dogs! But if we lose trust with His Excellency, there is no next time!”

He didn’t become a chaebol [a South Korean conglomerate] because he was good at business.

He became a chaebol by catching Park Jeong-hwan’s eye and scratching his itch, receiving things that made money.

So, if he falls out of Park Jeong-hwan’s favor, there is no next time.

Han Cheong-ho gritted his teeth.

“Find a way to make Kang Tae-soo spit out that land!”

There was no turning back.

It was a last stand.

* * *

Tae-soo opened the invitation Jang Jun-yong had given him.

“Has Geumsan already been around for 30 years?”

Jang Jun-yong and Shin Gun-ho are considered representative figures who became chaebols through self-made success.

Jang Jun-yong started as a car mechanic and hit the jackpot with construction.

So, even now, Geumsan is famous for automobiles and construction.

On the other hand, Shin Gun-ho hit the jackpot selling gum in Japan.

He expanded his territory based on confectionery and became a distribution chaebol.

“I don’t know who he’s going to introduce me to.”

The face of Jang Jun-yong, who had repeatedly told him to attend, came to mind.

He said there was someone he wanted to introduce.

Jang Jun-yong smiled mysteriously, saying he would regret it if he didn’t go.

“Chairman!”

Park Cheol-wan came running in a hurry.

“I just met Secretary Kim from Geumsan. He gave me an invitation. Perhaps the Chairman also….”

If it’s an invitation, he received it a few days ago.

That’s because Jang Jun-yong, who visited the Taeyang Apartment construction site, handed it over directly.

He was already looking at the invitation.

Park Cheol-wan’s eyes were drawn to the invitation in Tae-soo’s hand.

“Huh? The invitation is a little different from mine.”

“Hmm?”

“Look at this.”

Park Cheol-wan took out an invitation from his pocket.

“Secretary Kim gave me this a little while ago. It’s definitely different from the Chairman’s, right?”

The invitation Tae-soo received had a gold border on a white background.

The invitation Park Cheol-wan received had a silver border on a white background.

“It’s probably an invitation to the VIP room.”

Park Jeong-hwan was in the VIP room that Cha Ki-beom took him to at the launch ceremony of Geumsan Shipbuilding & Heavy Industries before.

‘Does this mean they’re running a VIP room this time too?’

Then is Park Jeong-hwan coming?

Tae-soo glanced at the invitation again.

“The invitation I received last time seemed ordinary. Just a white invitation.”

“I received the same one at that time too. Perhaps Chairman Jang took special care this time because of the Chairman?”

Because of me?

“Could it be because of the guide [referring to a past incident where Tae-soo’s actions led to a more favorable outcome]?”

“Otherwise, would there be a need to make separate invitations like this?”

That could be the case.

Park Cheol-wan thought for a moment and said.

“If not, it might be an invitation from the Federation of Korean Industries. The Chairman of Geumsan is currently the chairman of the Federation.”

Federation of Korean Industries is the Korea Economic Associations.

It is a gathering of Korean chaebols and one of the five major economic organizations, including the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Korea International Trade Association, the Small and Medium Business Federation, and the Korea Employers Federation.

‘Federation of Korean Industries…….’

In 1961, Lee Byeong-chun, chairman of the Samcheong Group, founded it by gathering large companies, modeled after the Japan Business Federation.

Since then, it has grown rapidly, receiving various favors during the Park Jeong-hwan regime.

The purpose of establishment is grand, but in reality, it was functioning as a pressure group for specific interest groups to gather and enforce the interests of chaebols.

‘When I was in charge of Cheongil Group’s affairs, it became much bigger than it is now.’

In the 21st century, it consisted of 67 national industry-specific organizations and 436 large companies, including manufacturing, trade, finance, and construction.

The heads of large chaebols took turns serving as chairman every two years, and Han Il-kwon also served as chairman.

‘I’ve never really participated properly. A gathering of chaebols…….’

Tae-soo was never able to participate directly in chaebol gatherings.

That was the case even though he became the general secretary of the Cheongil Group and effectively acted as the head.

‘It was a very exclusive private gathering.’

That was the case at the Geumsan Hotel as well.

The floors were divided, and the children of chaebols and famous people gathered on one floor.

The madams are on another floor, and the presidents are on another floor.

Even if he effectively acts as the head, Tae-soo can only stay in the main hall.

The limit was the place where socially famous people and celebrities were.

“Chairman Jang came to give the invitation in person, so that says it all. Could it be that he’s inviting the Chairman as a new member of the Federation of Korean Industries?”

“A new member…….”

Tae-soo stroked his chin for a moment.

Should I go or not.

“It’s annoying…….”

He recalled the launch ceremony of Geumsan Shipbuilding & Heavy Industries held at the Geumsan Hotel last time.

He wondered if he really had to go to that place where only a bunch of horseflies were flying around.

Even when he was in charge of the Cheongil Group, he didn’t go to the Federation of Korean Industries and still raised Cheongil to the top of the business world.

“Chairman, you should attend if possible, even if it’s annoying.”

Park Cheol-wan said with a rare serious face.

“It’s a gathering of chaebols. Privileges are secretly exchanged here, information is exchanged, and they eat together. It’s not for nothing that they create and run private gatherings among themselves.”

“Hmm.”

“It’s not too late to judge after you go once.”

Park Cheol-wan pointed to the invitation and smiled.

“Chairman Jang of Geumsan gave you the invitation himself, so it’s not polite to ignore it.”

That’s right.

If he had known this, he wouldn’t have received the invitation in the first place.

* * *

Cheongil Group headquarters, chairman’s office.

Secretary Park carefully handed over an invitation.

“Geumsan Group’s 30th anniversary celebration is being held.”

Han Cheong-ho didn’t even look at it.

“I’m up to my neck in debt right now, so why would I go to celebrate that?”

“President Park Jeong-hwan is attending this time.”

It was tempting.

“Also, it is said that separate invitations were sent to the main players of the Gangnam apartment development Big 4 to discuss this.”

Han Cheong-ho stared at the invitation.

Unlike the existing white invitation, it was surrounded by a gold border.

‘I made a big noise in front of His Excellency that I would build apartments in Jamsil, but the land purchase is still faltering.’

It seems he has to be prepared to be scolded.

Park Jeong-hwan doesn’t like moving slowly.

What was the reason why Charlotte’s Shin Gun-ho postponed the Euljiro Hotel construction day after day and was taken away by Cheongil?

“I heard that people from all walks of life are receiving invitations and congratulating Geumsan this time.”

Geumsan’s Jang Jun-yong has a wide network.

“That’s not a one- or two-day thing, so why are you making such a fuss?”

“Jeon Du-ho, the newly promoted commander of the Security Command, is also coming.”

Then things change.

Commander Jeon Du-ho is a key figure who has taken control of private organizations in the military with the protection of Park Jeong-hwan.

“Not only that, but the director and deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency are also attending. President Park Jeong-hwan is gathering them all in one place.”

It looks like a feast of stars will be held.