The Chaebol Returns To The Presidency 1967 [EN]: Chapter 65

Reverting to President as a Conglomerate CEO 1967- Episode 65 (65/225)

65. Big Deal

Saudi Arabia.

Abdullah, the half-brother of King Saud, the second monarch, arrived at the airport in a vehicle escorted by bodyguards.

Screech~

Despite being in the 20th century, Saudi Arabia was an absolute monarchy where the king wielded all power, transcending the separation of powers.

After Ibn Saud, the first king, died in 1953 and passed the throne to his son, the brothers inherited the throne according to his will, with the current King Saud reigning as the second monarch.

The first king, Ibn Saud, had 22 wives and 45 sons.

So, there were 45 potential successors to the throne.

King Saud inherited oil from his father, but also a lot of debt. Nevertheless, Saud did not give up his luxurious lifestyle.

As the country, which was dependent on oil, became increasingly impoverished due to the king’s extravagance, the dissatisfaction of the people and his brothers grew. The seeds of rebellion were sprouting.

The most likely successor among the king’s brothers was the second, Abdullah.

Abdullah wore a turban like the others, but he sported gold rings with diamonds and sapphires on each finger, wore gold-rimmed sunglasses, and struggled to board the plane, his greasy belly wiggling.

Heat poured from the engines of the ultra-luxury plane.

Whoosh~

The plane took off powerfully.

Coo Coo Coo~

The plane’s wheels folded in, and the fuselage floated effortlessly into the air.

It was then.

Bang!

A red cloud of fire embroidered the sky with an explosion.

The plane exploded in mid-air.

* * *

Saudi Royal Palace.

Armored vehicles stood guard at the royal palace, and armed soldiers secured each entrance.

Faisal, the fourth son of the first king and the half-brother of the current king, paced anxiously in the king’s office.

A general with stars on his shoulders entered and reported.

“We have captured and imprisoned all 38 princes, excluding those abroad.”

Only then did a smile appear on Faisal’s face.

“Good work! Quickly record it!”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

While the current King Saud was in Europe for treatment of a chronic disease, Faisal seized the royal palace by force, assassinated four prominent brothers in line for succession, and imprisoned the remaining half-brothers.

Faisal’s special envoy arrived at the European hospital where Saud was hospitalized.

The envoy played a recorded video showing 38 brothers recognizing Faisal as king.

And conveyed Faisal’s message.

– Brother, if you agree to the succession, you can live; if you refuse, your death will endorse my succession.

That’s how Faisal became the third king of Saudi Arabia.

Immediately after taking power, Faisal greatly increased oil production to stabilize finances and declared that he would modernize Saudi Arabia, gaining great support from the people.

However, at that time, the Islamic world was facing a common crisis.

It was because of Israel’s expansion. The Arab coalition forces had been defeated in the Six-Day War (Third Middle East War) in 1967.

Faisal was determined to retaliate against Israel.

Faisal, judging that war with weapons would be disadvantageous, appointed Ahmed Zaki Yamani, the Saudi Arabian oil minister.

Just before the outbreak of the Third Middle East War, Ahmed opposed OPEC raising oil prices by only 5% as part of the weaponization of oil against the West, which supported Israel.

He argued that a complete oil embargo was impossible and that sporadic and partial embargoes could not effectively weaponize oil.

Eventually, after the Third Middle East War, things went as he had argued, and OPEC became nominal.

Thanks to this, Ahmed’s voice grew in the Arab world.

Ahmed argued that for OPEC to gain power, Arab oil-producing countries must unite, agree on oil production quotas, and simultaneously reduce production to skyrocket oil prices.

The new King Faisal fully supported Ahmed.

He prepared retaliatory measures for the oil weaponization against the West, which supported Israel, and against the global oil majors who were taking excessive profits in the distribution process, rather than the Arab oil-producing countries themselves.

The shadow of the oil shock was gradually approaching the world.

* * *

Whoosh~

The plane carrying the President of Korea was flying over the Pacific Ocean.

It was scheduled to attend President Kennedy’s inauguration, but the plane was heading to Hawaii before going to Washington.

The President was lost in thought, looking at the silver cloud sea spread out below.

During Chairman Wang’s time, there was a meeting of business leaders representing the country in Manhattan.

At that time, Hyunse Group had already dominated the domestic market and was beginning to be mentioned as a dragon of Asia [a rapidly growing and influential company].

Chairman Wang was looking for global business opportunities like American global companies.

At that time, he made this suggestion to the chairman of Exxon Mobil.

“Chairman, how about entering the Middle East and doing oil field business?”

The chairman of Exxon Mobil, holding a wine glass, smiled and replied.

“Hahaha, why are you trying to reach for the stars when you’re already on solid ground?”

“Pardon? What do you mean….”

“Everyone dies because they were born. But you don’t know when you were born or when you will die because it’s God’s will. But you have a choice of how you die.”

“…….”

“Chairman Chung, do you want to end up with a bullet in your head or your body torn to shreds by bomb fragments?”

“…….”

His expression was sly and gently smiling, but his voice was filled with murderous intent, creating an even more eerie contrast.

The meaning of what he said was later understood.

A US Trade Association official explained Chairman Chung’s question like this.

“It’s because he dared to covet oil capital.”

“…….”

“There are over 200 countries, but the forces that control the world’s capital can be counted on one hand. If you want a bigger business, don’t fight the Jews; befriend them.”

That’s when I realized the power of the Jews.

The world’s mere 16 million Jews account for only 0.25% of the world’s population, but their influence is enormous.

40% of Nobel Prize winners in science and economics, and 27% of all Nobel Prizes are Jewish.

They control 15% of lawyers and doctors in the United States, 60% of the world’s diamond manufacturing, and 80% of distribution.

40 of the 100 largest companies in the United States are Jewish or formed with Jewish capital.

Well-known figures such as Einstein, Marx, Soros, and Zuckerberg are all Jewish.

Three of the world’s top five food majors and six of the world’s top seven oil majors are Jewish-owned. Exxon Mobil, Standard, Gulf (Rockefeller family), Royal Dutch Shell (Rothschild family), Texaco (Norris family)….

The famous and powerful Rothschild family, whose assets are known to exceed $50 trillion, is just one member of the Jewish community.

In the age of oil civilization, oil was a unique business of the Jews.

The most influential organization in the United States is AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee).

After Barack Obama was nominated as the Democratic presidential candidate, the first place he visited was AIPAC.

The United States was dominated by the seven oil majors (aka the Seven Sisters).

What the chairman of Exxon Mobil meant was that if you try to interfere without permission, you’ll get a bullet in your head.

The person President Park was trying to meet in Hawaii was Woods, the chairman of Exxon, the leader of the Seven Sisters.

Japan ran to the White House to lobby the United States, but President Park sought out Exxon, the head of the Seven Sisters.

* * *

Hawaii Hotel (Penthouse).

Palm trees, white waves crashing, and blue skies evoked paradise.

Yachts floated on the sea, and tourists enjoyed the waves on boards.

The President and Woods faced each other on the terrace overlooking the beach.

It was a difficult meeting, arranged after receiving information that Woods was on vacation in Hawaii.

Others came to Hawaii to enjoy their vacation, but the President came to negotiate a deal that would determine the fate of the nation.

Despite the hot weather, the President wore a suit and showed respect, but Woods greeted him casually, wearing only a Hawaiian shirt.

Woods said.

“I was quite impressed that the President, unlike his military background, bet on Vietnam and stabilized it wonderfully. I thought his business acumen stood out more than his politics.”

“Thank you. A seasoned politician is also a businessperson.”

“Hahaha, we have something in common after all.”

Woods doesn’t easily meet the president of a developing country where oil doesn’t come out.

This meeting was because he was interested in the business the President proposed.

The President said.

“There is an enormous amount of oil buried in the 7th mining zone, which is Korean territorial waters, more than twice the amount of US reserves. It is a reliable exploration conducted by the UN Asian Development Committee.”

“I am also well aware of that report. But I was quite surprised that Your Excellency declared it Korean territorial waters. You have also started drilling.”

“That’s right. There was no need to hesitate to drill because it is Korean territory.”

“But why did you come to me? It’s Korean oil from Korean territory.”

He already knew the core of today’s business.

The President didn’t beat around the bush and presented a big deal.

“I want to develop it jointly with Exxon of the United States, sharing the profits of an oil field with more than twice the reserves of the United States, half and half.”

There is no more attractive offer for an oil major than this.

But Woods said.

“Korea still lacks the technology and capital to drill, right?”

“Well, that’s right. That’s why I’m trying to join hands with Exxon.”

“And… the bigger reason… Your Excellency, the 7th mining zone is a disputed area between Korea and Japan. So, aren’t you trying to exclude Japan by using Exxon’s influence?”

“…….”

He was accurately grasping the point.

“Hmm, hmm, that’s partly true. Do you want more shares?”

“If, just if, Japan made the same proposal to me as Your Excellency, what would my position be?”

“…….”

This was a scenario that the President had not anticipated.

He thought that Japan would only want sole drilling, so he thought he could take the lead by acting before Japan.

But Woods foresaw the deal between the two countries. No, he was pitting Korea and Japan against each other.

When the President couldn’t answer easily, Woods asked and answered himself.

“If the two countries enter into a dispute, wouldn’t Japan’s influence be more dominant on the international stage?”

It was virtually a refusal.

It was a negotiation tactic to induce the other party to concede as much as possible.

If Japan tried to drill alone, he had a plan to induce Japan’s proposal and obtain better conditions by inciting a dispute between Korea and Japan.

Woods revealed the same disposition as the Merchant of Venice [a reference to Shakespeare’s play, known for its themes of ruthless business dealings], who cut off the debtor’s thigh flesh to repay the interest.

The President felt a fire burning inside.

He wanted to throw the drink glass in his face, but he held back.

And he found a breakthrough.

Even if he explained the continental shelf extension theory, he already knew the content, and with Exxon’s influence, he could lay the board to his liking at any time by changing international maritime territory law.

A checkmate that would make this sly, cold-hearted, and powerful businessman unable to move was essential.

The President said.

“In fact, the profits of the 7th mining zone are not divided 50/50.”

“…….”

Woods was pressuring Korea, which was inferior to Japan in terms of international status, to force it to concede more shares.

How much the Korean president would concede was the business point for him today.

But a completely unexpected number was presented from the President’s mouth.

“In fact, the share is 1:5:5.”

Woods smacked his lips and couldn’t hide his disappointed expression.

“Hmm, it’s decreasing rather than 50/50.”

“The half-and-half share is between Korea and the United States.”

“So, there’s another country with 1? Is it China?”

“No. 1 is Okinawa.”