Mining And Construction Tycoon [EN]: Chapter 206

206. Dreaming of Becoming Korea’s Rockefeller (3)

The articles pouring out from the morning newspapers plastered even the evening editions.

Moreover, every time you turned on the TV, the same stories were repeated.

– Scoop! Republican candidate Ahn Jung-woo announces oil development as a presidential pledge!

– Is Korea finally becoming an oil-producing country?

– Rockefeller and TaeYang Group’s collaboration! Offshore oil field development imminent!

It was shocking news.

People couldn’t wrap their heads around it.

“Wait, oil is coming out of Korea?”

“Does that mean we’re becoming an oil-producing country too?”

“Rockefeller wouldn’t come if there wasn’t any oil!”

“Looks like oil is really coming out!”

Wherever people gathered, they argued heatedly about ‘South Korea, an oil-producing country.’

Ahn Jung-woo’s presidential pledges, as reported in newspapers and broadcasts, became a matter of unprecedented interest.

“If we sell oil, the government will cover all expenses up to high school?”

“They’re overhauling the health insurance system to lower the burden on citizens.”

“They say they’ll lower taxes and raise wages too.”

It was a typical populist promise.

A political approach that caters to the popularity of the general public.

It’s often called a shallow tactic to maintain power by mobilizing the masses, but it’s remarkably effective.

And the fact that these weren’t empty promises made the impact even greater.

– Let’s live well by selling oil from our country!

– Oil gushing from the Korean seabed!

Ahn Jung-woo was giving hope to the people.

– Welfare and economic growth! We can achieve both! If we have oil!

Everyone cheered at Ahn Jung-woo’s words.

Since the Korean War, the people had to endure so much.

It was because of the goals set by Park Jung-hwan and the leadership.

– Resources are limited. Welfare and economic growth can never go hand in hand!

– Instead of dividing the small pie of the poorest country equally, let’s grow the pie first and then share it generously!

– So, let’s achieve economic growth first, and then distribute the income!

That’s how the Saemaul Undong (New Village Movement) [a rural community development program in the 1970s] and economic development plans were 추진 (pushed forward).

As the poorest country relying on foreign aid, everyone gritted their teeth and went all-in on economic growth.

– Export-led economic growth!

– Corporate-centered economic development!

Without capital and technology, they had to secure export competitiveness by offering low prices.

Since they couldn’t bring in raw materials cheaply, they had to reduce production costs.

As a result, workers’ wages were fixed at the lowest level, and working hours and intensity were unreasonably high.

As workers’ wages were low, the prices of agricultural and marine products were also frozen at the lowest level to ensure basic living.

All citizens endured and persevered for over 20 years, focusing solely on national economic development.

– The Miracle on the Han River! [referring to South Korea’s rapid economic growth]

– The world is paying attention to Korea’s remarkable economic growth!

In just over 20 years, Korea had grown.

It was all economic growth secured by the sacrifice of the people.

However, as a result of unilaterally forcing sacrifice for too long, there was a limit to endurance.

It was due to unfair income distribution.

– How long do we have to endure!

– The pie has grown enough! Share the pie that only the chaebols [large family-owned conglomerates] and politicians eat with us!

– The poor get poorer, the rich get richer! Guilty if you have no money, innocent if you have money!

The festering wounds that burst open were the labor movement and the democratization movement.

– We are also human! The working environment is too poor! Improve it!

– Guarantee at least basic human rights! Can’t we get treatment if we don’t have money!

– If we don’t have underground resources, we have to develop human resources! We can’t send our children to school because we don’t have money!

When Park Jung-hwan was suppressing and blocking the people’s dissatisfied voices with the power of dictatorship.

Ahn Jung-woo’s presidential pledges were representing the voices of the people.

“Ahn Jung-woo! Ahn Jung-woo!”

“The country will survive only if Ahn Jung-woo becomes president!”

Naturally, everyone wanted Ahn Jung-woo to become the next president.

* * *

Japanese Prime Minister’s official residence in the Cabinet.

The Japanese Prime Minister frowned as he looked at the report.

[To extract oil from the Korean coast! Are they going to ignore the Korea-Japan continental shelf treaty?]

He stood up in anger.

He paced around the office in a hurry, but his anger did not subside.

[Just because Park Jung-hwan is dead, they’re trying to quietly move on, but that can’t happen.]

[What are you going to do? Openly interfere in another country?]

The Japanese Prime Minister’s aide, who could be called the Chief of Staff to the President in Korea, said.

It was like adding fuel to the fire.

The Japanese Prime Minister, furious, gritted his teeth.

[They broke the treaty between the two countries first!]

[The Korea-Japan continental shelf treaty is currently under negotiation.]

[The negotiation is already over.]

[It was supposed to take effect in ’78. That means the negotiation is still in progress. An unfinished negotiation can be broken at any time.]

The fact that it was supposed to take effect in ’78 became a problem.

[That’s because we had to pay 1 billion dollars over 5 years.]

[That was the secret agreement. It’s not an official meeting result. So Japan has no grounds to sue or protest internationally. Park Jung-hwan, who is already dead, declared sovereignty first.]

[Park Jung-hwan!]

Bang.

The Japanese Prime Minister couldn’t stand it and punched the wall.

All of this is because of Park Jung-hwan.

[If I hadn’t made a secret deal with Park Jung-hwan separately!]

The Korea-Japan continental shelf agreement was an official smokescreen.

The real purpose of the meeting was a secret agreement.

[I promised to recognize that place as Japan’s complete possession for only 1 billion dollars! And he died in the middle of it!]

Bad luck.

He can’t even claim the return of the 200 million dollars already paid to Park Jung-hwan.

But should he just be taken advantage of like a fool?

[Kim Jong-pyo is still alive. And that bastard is currently the acting president.]

If Park Jung-hwan, the party to the secret agreement, is dead, then Kim Jong-pyo, the drafter of the secret agreement, can be brought in.

[Contact Kim Jong-pyo. Tell him to handle this matter on his own.]

Park Jung-hwan died, and Kim Jong-pyo declared martial law and seized presidential power.

So he should be able to easily handle this kind of dispute.

Moreover, Kim Jong-pyo is an excellent schemer and a master of intimidation.

[Tell him that if I hear any more noise in my ear, he will have to take responsibility for everything.]

[I already received a telegram from Kim Jong-pyo.]

[Telegram?]

The Japanese Prime Minister’s aide handed over a telegram from Korea.

It was an SOS from Kim Jong-pyo.

The Japanese Prime Minister crumpled the telegram.

[Can’t that bastard handle even that little thing on his own? You incompetent bastard!]

There’s no choice.

Japan can’t suffer losses by standing idly by.

[Send a telegram to the Blue House [the South Korean president’s official residence]. Let’s hold the 2nd talks.]

He will drive the nail in properly.

[We need to speed up the treaty’s entry into force. Before Korea puts a straw in the continental shelf first.]

If there is enough international justification, Korea is no match for Japan.

In political battles, both domestic and foreign, nothing is as important as justification.

[You prepare too. We’ll have to hurry.]

He began to accelerate preparations for the second continental shelf treaty talks between Korea and Japan.

* * *

Rockefeller Mansion in the United States.

There were three doors in the Rockefeller family head’s office.

The largest front door is the basic door that people enter and exit from the hallway.

The door on the right side of the office is the door leading to the Rockefeller family head’s private space.

But what about the left door?

Knock knock.

The person knocking on the left door of the office was the Rockefeller family head’s chief secretary.

Without permission to enter, the chief secretary opens the left door of the office and enters.

[Master, are you feeling better?]

It is where the Rockefeller family head is lying in bed.

Various electronic devices surrounded the area, checking the Rockefeller family head’s body.

Various types of IV drips were hung in a row and inserted into his arms, and an oxygen respirator was attached to his nose.

As the chief secretary approached, the medical staff who had been waiting 24 hours stepped back.

[You guys get out of here. I have something important to discuss with the master.]

Usually, as soon as the chief secretary arrives, he receives a report on the master’s condition from the medical staff.

But today, he is putting the report aside and saying that he will have a private conversation.

That means that very important things will be discussed.

The medical staff silently opened the opposite door and left.

[Miss Alice has sent news.]

At the word Alice, the Rockefeller family head raised his sickly face.

The focus is on his hollow eyes.

It means that his interest is very high.

The chief secretary continued the report.

[She said that she has finished all preparations to jointly develop an offshore oil field with TaeYang Group in Korea.]

[Offshore oil field……?]

The Rockefeller family head’s voice was hoarse and rough.

[Surely… Japan said there was no oil… Cough!]

[The Japanese government certainly said so. But Miss Alice secretly conducted oil exploration and drilling and directly confirmed the offshore oil field.]

[Alice……?]

It was good news.

[Japan is in an uproar, saying that it will hold the 2nd Korea-Japan continental shelf talks under the direction of the Japanese Prime Minister. The 2nd talks will be held in two days.]

What does this mean?

The Rockefeller family head’s eyes became fierce.

[Those Japanese bastards have been lying all along……!]

They brought false information to prevent Rockefeller from getting involved.

[Miss Alice seems to have seen through Japan’s deception. She said that she had already obtained exclusive oil mining development rights in Korea. In line with that, she is establishing a development company and contacting a steel company called Pohang Steel to produce the necessary facilities.]

[Is that so……?]

That fellow is quite something.

Admiration and bitterness wash over him.

‘They say that judgment and patience become blurred when physical strength declines, and it’s time for me to go.’

After lying in bed for a long time, even his sharp judgment became dull.

He was deceived by Japan’s deception.

He hastily judged after seeing that the Korea-Japan continental shelf treaty had been concluded.

– There is no oil!

If there was oil there, Korea would have rejected Japan’s proposal.

He judged that Japan had taken a gesture of signing a treaty because it could not bear the public’s resentment and criticism.

In fact, he concluded that there was no proper oil exploration movement at all.

It seems that Alice grasped the loophole and quickly seized the initiative.

[The person who is developing oil with Miss Alice is a very extraordinary person.]

The chief secretary began to report on Tae-soo.

A much more detailed report followed than Alice’s background check.

The more he heard, the deeper the Rockefeller family head’s eyes became.

[According to the investment plan he proposed, Miss Alice is aggressively investing. She said that the investment return rate has already exceeded 40% in just two months.]

[What……?]

In just two months?

In this situation where the economy is so bad due to the oil shock?

[She has joined hands with Shadow Investment, a new investment company that is gaining prominence in the United States these days. Movies, real estate, stocks, and even banks. She said that she has made a large investment profit.]

[Ha, hahaha…….]

How long has it been since the Rockefeller family head’s laughter was heard?

[When is she coming back……?]

[She didn’t say anything about that. I think it’s because there’s no promise.]

[Why?]

[She said that she will go to Europe after working in Korea.]

It seems that the daughter is busy going outside.

The father, who doesn’t have much time left, was anxious.

[She said that she wants to acquire an oil refining company in Europe that is on the verge of bankruptcy after the oil shock.]

What does it mean to acquire a European oil refining company that was kicked out after the Middle East war?

It means to acquire oil extraction technology, equipment, and professional manpower all at once.

But there is no need to look far away.

The Rockefeller family has all of that.

[First… tell her to come back.]

The Rockefeller family head wanted to see his daughter as soon as possible.

It feels like it’s been over a month since he last saw her.

[The guy who is doing business with her too…….]

[Is there really a need to do that? Even if we only bring Miss Alice…….]

The Rockefeller family head interrupted the chief secretary’s words.

[Bring him… no matter what…….]

Alice is an illegitimate child and a daughter.

Despite having extraordinary insight and excellent entrepreneurial qualities, she has no backing.

Alice’s mother, who was a poor unknown singer, died early.

She was pushed around by other siblings who had mothers from strong families and could not get a proper opportunity.

What does it mean that such a daughter has obtained oil development rights in Korea?

The daughter, who doesn’t even know the ‘sa’ [the first letter in the Korean word for business] in business, has created a miracle of a 40% return in just two months.

– Because there is not enough time to manage the company and prove her performance, she proves her ability with investment performance!

– Alice dreams of becoming the next Rockefeller family head!

Isn’t he the Rockefeller family head whose lifespan is being cut short every time he hears business reports that his moron-like sons are ruining?

At the news of his daughter, vitality and joy filled the Rockefeller family head’s eyes.

[Since she gave my daughter an opportunity that will never come again… this father should give a great reward… Cough!]

[I understand, Master. I will bring her with me. As soon as possible. So don’t worry.]

The chief secretary answered hastily.

Then the Rockefeller family head’s expression became comfortable.

[We have to hurry…….]

With those words, the Rockefeller family head fell asleep.

These days, the time he falls asleep is increasing and the frequency is increasing.

The chief secretary nodded, looking at the face of the master he had served for a long time.