Chapter 63: That Time I Went from South America to Korea (3)

TL: Skye

[Bearing the historic mission of national revival...]

Looking at the slogan on the banner and the solemn atmosphere, I'd half-suspected this might be some kind of political faction. Fortunately, my worries turned out to be unfounded.

"Now that we're all gathered, let's raise a glass! Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

Once the event actually got underway, there were no extreme ideologies on display. The whole thing morphed into the most amiable little social club you could ask for.

Old gentlemen with their suit jackets tossed aside and ties loosened, laughing heartily and tipping back their drinks, looked for all the world like the regulars at a neighborhood senior center.

After a few rounds of drinks had circulated, Chairman Jung smiled gently and spoke up.

"Back in the day, we were all united by national development and loyalty, but you'd be hard-pressed to find that spirit anymore. These days it's just a friendly club for old businessmen rooted in heavy industry."

"Ah, I see. The pins and the banner gave such a strong impression I jumped to the wrong conclusion."

"Ha ha. Even so, there are still quite a few who long for the old days. The idea is never to forget how fierce things were back then. If Your Excellency is interested, I could arrange a separate meeting."

"No."

So there really IS something going on, then.

Just as I was trying to subtly distance myself from the topic.

"There you go again, droning on about the same musty old stuff."

Chairman Yang of International Steel cut into Chairman Jung's words.

"How long are you planning on living in the past?"

"Now look here. In front of His Excellency, that's hardly..."

"Bringing it up in front of a guest is what's really tasteless."

Chairman Yang said as he poured wine into my glass.

"Don't trouble yourself with that nonsense. Allow me to introduce the members."

He gestured to the people in front of him.

"This is Chairman Kim of Daejin Heavy Industries. He holds power plant turbine technology of the very highest standard in the world."

"A pleasure."

"This is Chairman Choi of Hanseong Construction. A veteran who weathered his share of Middle Eastern sandstorms in his day. He's known for construction capabilities that go well beyond the domestic market and onto the international stage."

"It's an honor,"

"And over here is the chairman of LC Sanjeon..."

The lineup was extraordinarily distinguished. Back when I was in Korea, these were faces I'd only catch on the news or in the papers every once in a while.

The protagonists who had built the Republic of Korea's Miracle on the Han River were all gathered here in one room.

"I hear you've asked the Blue House for help getting Korean firms to expand into San Marcos?"

Once the introductions were over, Chairman Jung lobbed me a perfectly timed softball.

Reading the cue clearly as a "don't miss your sales pitch," I answered without missing a beat.

"That's correct. I made it clear that I want a relationship of mutual coexistence and shared development."

"Well said. Could we hear what preparations you've made?"

"To start, I've set aside a 3-million-pyeong site beside the southern port of Libertad, exclusively for Korean companies."

Every gaze in the room snapped to me.

"Companies that move in will receive the land free of charge, and corporate tax will be slashed in half to just 5% for ten years."

"Quite favorable terms."

"What's most appealing is that San Marcos's labor costs run at about a tenth of Korea's. And given how close we are to the U.S., the labor market is highly flexible as well."

"That's true, but I've also heard the geographical conditions are pretty good."

"Correct. San Marcos is in a solid geographic position. Ports open to both south and north. Leaving from the northern port, you can reach Florida in half a day; from the southern port, Mexico in a day. In other words, whether you're targeting Latin America or North America, the distance is on your side."

As everyone nodded along, Chairman Kim of Daejin Heavy Industries raised a hand.

"Actually, our company has looked into expanding to San Marcos before. We made it to the final stages, but it ended up falling through."

"May I ask what led to that conclusion?"

"We decided that, compared to expanding into Mexico, the practical benefits weren't significant enough."

"Is that so? May I ask what brought you to that conclusion?"

"Infrastructure, electricity, and political concerns were the sticking points."

"Infrastructure is currently being expanded, and for power, we've decided to introduce nuclear plants. As for the political situation... I have to disagree there. Public security in San Marcos is significantly better than in Mexico."

"To put it bluntly, sir, what concerns us is what happens after you, the Acting President, step down."

"......"

A few of the others nodded along with Chairman Kim's words.

To be fair, he wasn't wrong. In Korea, the position of Acting President is, by definition, a brief, temporary post.

And what's more, when an administration changes, policy changes too.

I had anticipated that Korean firms would worry about exactly this point.

But.

"That's not something you need to worry about."

I had already brought my answer with me.

"Whatever it is you're imagining will not happen. Not under any circumstances."

Chairman Kim's eyes widened as he asked,

"...Are you saying that the San Marcos government's Korea-friendly policies regarding Korean corporate investment will continue?"

"Of course. Ten years from now, twenty years from now, the policies will continue. I can present this to you in writing."

"...!"

Watching the chairmen, who couldn't conceal their shock at the news that all the legal procedures were already complete, I drove the nail home.

"I want to recreate, in San Marcos, the miracle you built in Korea. If your experience and capital are combined with San Marcos's human and material resources, we will be able to write a new miracle together."

"......"

"To make that happen, my administration and I are committed to doing everything we can to support you."

That was when it happened.

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.

Chairman Jung began to applaud, his eyes red.

And then.

"I'd like to hear more about that industrial complex you mentioned earlier."

"I'm curious about the procedures involved in building a factory."

"Would it be alright if we sent a survey team in the near future?"

The chairmen began firing questions at me one after another.

The whole event wrapped up at 9 p.m.

Chairman Jung invited me up to his hotel suite for a cup of tea.

"Thank you for inviting me today. It was a truly valuable evening."

I bowed my head, meaning every word.

"Ha ha ha. Don't mention it. All I did was build the bridge. Everyone here was already chomping at the bit to get into San Marcos."

Chairman Jung set down his teacup with a serene smile.

I decided to bring up a question that had been nagging at me throughout the entire event.

"Chairman, there's one thing I'm curious about... May I ask?"

"By all means."

"The companies you introduced me to today. Their business areas overlap quite a bit with Hyunhwa Group's, don't they?"

Hyunhwa was Korea's second-largest conglomerate.

From defense to construction, heavy industry, machinery, chemicals, there wasn't a field they hadn't touched.

Steel might be International's exclusive domain, but in construction and heavy industry, Hyunhwa was so large there was no real reason to invite competitors to the table.

"At the rate things were going, Hyunhwa could have practically monopolized the San Marcos market."

In response to my question, Chairman Jung gazed quietly out the window at the night view of Seoul.

"Your Excellency. Do you know the meaning of Industrial Patriotism (産業報國)?"

"It means to build up industry and contribute to the nation, doesn't it?"

"Correct. Most of the chairmen you met today, myself included, are old men who have lived our entire lives on the pride of having built factories and ships with our bare hands and lifted this country up."

Chairman Jung's eyes deepened.

"There were many hardships along the way. I myself went bankrupt three times."

It was a famous story that had even been made into a documentary, so I nodded.

"Going through all those struggles to build the Hyunhwa we have today, I came to one realization."

"What is it?"

"That if you don't compete, you fall behind."

"Ah..."

"More than anything, no matter how big Hyunhwa gets, we cannot recreate a second Miracle on the Han River alone. As many steel mills as possible need to be drawing iron for ships to be built; construction firms need to lay the roads for factories to run."

"......"

"Only when many companies enter the field and compete with one another, cooperate with one another, and grow the pie, does an industrial ecosystem truly come into being."

Chairman Jung looked me square in the eye.

"That is the only way San Marcos can prosper. And isn't it the only way the companies that go in there can earn even greater profits?"

For a moment my words failed me.

I'd assumed he was just a merchant intoxicated by past glory, chasing money. But in this old man's chest, the future of San Marcos truly lived.

"I really... don't know how to express my gratitude."

Overcome with emotion, I found myself taking his hand without realizing.

"Thank you for understanding the heart of this old man."

Chairman Jung gripped my hand back and spoke with emphasis.

"And so, I have one favor to ask of Your Excellency."

"Please. Whatever it is, I'll grant it."

"For San Marcos to truly find its footing, it will need strong, consistent leadership. Therefore..."

Chairman Jung's expression turned utterly serious as he continued.

"Please remain in power for at least thirty years."

"No."

Then when do I get to rest?

***

Three days into Yu-jin's visit to Korea, in the afternoon.

The grand auditorium of Hankuk University was packed to the gills with students.

So packed, in fact, that even the aisles and stairs were crammed shoulder to shoulder.

The reason was simple.

Everyone had come to hear a special lecture from the alma mater's hottest current alumnus: Choi Yu-jin, Acting President of San Marcos.

Once everyone had settled in on time, the host warmed up the crowd, and Yu-jin took the podium.

Bathed in the curious, reverent gazes of thousands of pairs of eyes, he opened his mouth with that signature easy smile of his.

"Hello, everyone. Choi Yu-jin, class of '06."

Whoooaaaa――!

Cheers erupted at his brief greeting. Yu-jin raised a hand to settle them down and tossed out a joke.

"Honestly, this is all a bit surreal. When I was a student here, I spent more time at the billiards hall than at the library. I was usually too busy snoozing in the back row of my professors' classes. So standing up here on this stage and looking out at all of you... well, it reminds me of that old saying: you really never know how life's going to turn out."

A roar of laughter swept through the auditorium.

The sight of a successful senior come home to his alma mater warmed the room up in an instant.

"As I'm sure you all know, I'm currently serving as Acting President in a faraway land called San Marcos. But I didn't have any grand ambitions to begin with. A friend invited me to San Marcos, and the former president invited me to become Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism."

Yu-jin's voice gradually grew calmer.

"And then, three years later, a bombing took place at the Presidential Palace."

The hall went still.

"The president and all the ministers died. In that hellscape of smoke and dust, I was the only Cabinet member who walked out alive. That's how I became Acting President."

The students held their breath, drawn into his story.

"At first, I was terrified. I wanted to pack my bags and run that very moment. The military could launch a coup d'etat at any time, and outside, the cartels were spraying bullets across a lawless wasteland."

Yu-jin paused and stared off into the distance.

"But I couldn't run. Someone had to hold up the collapsing pillar. The man who supported me through all of it was my current Chief of Staff. When you share the load of a heavy log, the weight is cut in half. And so, one piece at a time, we started to put a faltering San Marcos back together. We persuaded the military, dealt firmly with the cartels, and stabilized public security."

The whole auditorium was caught up in the vivid lecture.

The miraculous story of laying roads on ruined ground, building factories, developing oil fields, and founding banks, Yu-jin delivered with calm conviction.

"San Marcos has only just taken its first steps. It's like drawing a picture on a blank canvas where there's nothing at all."

He looked out at the students with a smile.

"But picking up a brush yourself and painting a new world is far more thrilling than admiring a picture that's already been finished."

Gulp.

The sound of dry swallows could be heard here and there.

Yu-jin hadn't said it directly, but the students could feel it.

How alluring the life of a pioneer building a new nation in the rough wastelands of San Marcos was, compared to the life of running on predetermined rails in Korea.

In each student's chest, a small flame had begun to burn.

"Who knows. Maybe one day San Marcos will be a country to rival the developed nations. I'm running for the sake of that day."

The short but powerful lecture came to an end.

"Are there any questions? We don't have much time, so I'll only take a few before I have to go."

At Yu-jin's gracious-yet-not-so-gracious offer, dozens of hands shot up.

"How about you, the underclassman with the glasses? What's on your mind?"

The student who took the microphone looked Yu-jin square in the eye and spoke.

"My name is Jeong Minyong, Hankuk University, Department of Political Science and Diplomacy, class of '21. Since you called me your underclassman first, may I call you 'senior' as well?"

"By all means. Today I'm here not as a public official of San Marcos, but as a senior speaking with juniors."

"Thank you. I'll get to my question, then."

The student steadied his breath and spoke.

"First of all, your lecture today moved me deeply. I have nothing but respect for the leadership you showed in rebuilding a nation under such difficult circumstances."

"Thank you."

"But I do have one cautious question."

"What is it?"

"As I understand it, you currently hold the position of Acting President, not an elected office. Historically speaking, when power is concentrated in one place for a long time, especially in the hands of someone who has not been elected, side effects tend to follow. Have you given any thought to holding a proper election?"

A wild question no one had seen coming had appeared.

*****

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