Flushing
“I have to tell him about it. It’s been a while since I’ve heard a very good story. If you think about it, it wasn’t always good things for me. Sometimes it was hard to bear, but looking back over time, it turned out to be a better outcome.”
Fortunately, Rosinald understood Eugene very well. Thanks to this, the conversation between the two went very smoothly.
“… … So the Bronx and Queens also need a revival. Compared to other regions, the degree of backwardness is increasing.”
The area in which she was elected to the House of Representatives spans the Bronx and northern Queens, a traditionally Democratic-strength district, as nearly half of the area’s population is Hispanic.
On the other hand, it is also a place that has one of the best Korean residential areas in New York, so it is also an area that Eugene pays a lot of attention to.
“I am very concerned about Flushing’s Koreatown.”
Rosinald speaks first.
“This time, there is a plan to make Flushing a little more modern.”
To be precise, it must be a development plan for Korea Town.
“It’s a great plan. According to the blueprint, the underdeveloped area isn’t like Manhattan, but it could be a nicer place. The streets will be cleaner and the number of tourists will increase.”
The plan that was passed on to her came from Eugene.
The plan was to literally turn the Korean town of Flushing, on the outskirts of New York, into a fancy place.
Among New York, Queens has more than 50,000 Koreans, more than Manhattan.
Flushing, where they gather, is commonly known as Koreatown to New Yorkers.
For that reason, Flushing is the first place that many New Yorkers think of when they think of Korea.
In a sense, for New Yorkers, the image of Korea also means the streets of Flushing.
It is similar to the appearance of some areas where Chinese people gather to Koreans evoke an image of China.
The problem is that Flushing is very far from the current Korean streets.
When Koreans visiting the United States stop by Flushing for the first time, they are shocked that time seems to have stopped.
In contrast to the rapid development of the Korean economy over the past few decades, where Seoul and provincial cities have been reorganized and cleaned and glamorous through various beautification projects, Flushing has a street that looks like Korea in the 90s.
Moreover, while the streets where Japanese and Chinese people gather reveal the distinctive culture of the country, it was difficult to find any special features in Korea Town except for the signboard written in Hangeul.
So for Americans unfamiliar with Hangeul, it’s just an underdeveloped place where strange characters abound.
Moreover, illegal prostitution massage parlors and karaoke are all over the place, which further deteriorates the image of Korea seen by New Yorkers.
For Eugene, even for his own image, he wanted Flushing to be a little more luxurious.
Now, the day the global Hallyu craze will land in the United States is not far off.
It seems that Korean idols are already quietly gaining popularity among teenagers.
Soon after, various contents such as Korean movies, dramas, and comic shows will land in the United States and quickly gain popularity.
Such interest in Korean celebrities and culture will naturally shift to interest in the Korean community in the United States.
If the Korean town visited with such good intentions is unfamiliar and unfamiliar, it may dampen the curiosity of those who have visited it.
Eugene did not want to miss this golden opportunity.
He wanted to show a wonderful image to Americans who visited Korea with interest in Korea itself due to the Hallyu culture, and that interest would turn into a favor for Korea.
Ultimately, I plan to make people feel good about people who come from Korea and Eugene himself, who represents Korea.
So, we commissioned architectural design companies in the US and Korea to create a plan to renovate Flushing’s Korea Town.
Of course, in connection with the local community, the development plan was revised little by little to reach the current blueprint.
The funds required for the grand scheme are borne by the landlords and the shop owners who rent the building, but Eugene plans to lend or subsidize much of it.
A large-scale expenditure of nearly several hundred million dollars is expected, but since some real estate in the main area of the area has already been purchased, it is not a big loss for Eugene as well if you calculate the profit from the development of this area.
Besides, it wasn’t a plan that started with a profit anyway.
However, considering that real estate development can also generate profits, increase influence on the Korean community, and ultimately contribute to Eugene’s image, it is a cost-effective project in many ways.
“The city government will also get support.”
It’s good for Rosinald himself. Revitalizing the economy of the constituency will inevitably help in the next election.
“However… … .”
And she is a politician. You should always think about the next.
“It makes a lot of sense because development is focused exclusively on Koreatown, which is also part of Flushing.”
Flushing has not only a Korean town, but also a Chinese community, and it is also a place where various ethnic groups live.
“Honestly, it would be difficult if only Koreans were given convenience.”
Rosinald said with a slightly awkward smile.
Her biggest supporters are also Hispanics. This means that anything needs to be invested in Hispanics.
“Sure. However, as the Korean town develops and attracts more tourists, the surrounding community is expected to be affected.”
“I know. But that will be a long way off, isn’t it? You know… … Voters don’t care that far into the future.”
That is probably the biggest weakness of democracy. In a democracy where a new representative is elected every 10 years at the most, or every 2 years at the shortest, it is not easy for a new leader to come up with a policy looking into the very distant future.
Voters don’t look into the distant future, they ask what the future will benefit them today.
It’s just like the shareholders of Hyundai Corporation demand immediate profits rather than long-term plans.
“Then we need to discuss some communities.”
As in Korea, permission and assistance from the city government are essential for large-scale construction projects in the United States.
Eugene himself has been working in New York for decades, so he knows American practices better than anyone.
This is not a matter of whether Eugene has more or less money. Local problems must be solved locally.
It was expected from the beginning, and I was prepared to spend a certain amount.
In this case, the main focus of the discussion will be on how and how to support the Hispanic community.
Support for the rapidly growing Chinese community that eats up Koreatown is probably unnecessary.
The extremely closed Chinese community everywhere abroad has always been neglected in the region, making it difficult to accept external support.
The actual negotiations, of course, belonged to the practitioners, not Eugene.
“What I can suggest is how to support more quality food banks, medical centers, and public schools.”
It was the charity fund that Eugene decided to create that was negotiating.
Eugene has already announced that it will create a $100 billion fund. About half of them will be used in the United States, so at least $50 billion in a mega fund will be set up.
And how the funds will be used depends entirely on Eugene’s will.
Many of them will be put into the food bank business, but the rest will be of a considerable size.
If it is a donation to be spent anyway, it is natural to use it in a way that is advantageous to Eugene.
Assets put in the right place in this way can win the favor of not only the local community, but also politicians like Rosinald.
As the saying goes, grassroots democracy, Eugene’s philanthropic work was expected to gradually clean up his image from the bottom up.
Since then, the improvised boat party has been used as a place for negotiation to be dealt with, meeting and making friends with several key figures.
“It’s amazing. A lot of powerful people were lining up to meet Eugene.”
Peter, who was having a good time with his colleagues who came to comfort him, often comes to talk to him.
“Samantha told me. Of those who came today, three New York politicians, one state prosecutor, two real estate tycoons… … There wasn’t a single person Eugene talked to that wasn’t great.”
“okay. I feel like I came here to take a break and worked harder than usual.”
“It looked pretty fun for something like that.”
“Well… … I think so. Because the stories we share with each other are important.”
These are all things that Eugene himself planned. Committing resources to achieve what you want, meeting influential people, collaborating, collaborating, and sometimes negotiating are meaningful in and of itself.
At one time, even in the position of being part of an organization, I enjoyed creating such a project and making it work.
If I think about it, I have experienced many problems in my past life, but I have always enjoyed the work itself.
“It was embarrassing. It was also surprising that someone like Eugene, who has everything, can still move so passionately to achieve something new.”
“Actually, I think Peter and I are doing similar things.”
“I might as well. Because I am doing what I want to do. But after seeing Eugene today and talking with Samantha, somehow I feel like there are a lot more things I want to do.”
“I’m glad.”
Eugene was already predicting what kind of life Peter would lead.
“It was a good day.”
Peter Hayworks had a genuinely happy smile.
“Somehow, I forgot about her.”
“Are you happy?”
“Neither do I. Anyway, it’s not as sad as the morning. Now I thought I wanted to congratulate her on her marriage.”
“Didn’t you call me by any chance?”
“Samantha said it wasn’t a good idea. haha.”
Maybe he stopped trying to make a phone call.
“It wasn’t the worst day anyway.”
Peter said, glancing at Samantha, who was talking to someone over there.
“I wish I had the best day possible.”
“Well… … Maybe not.”
It seems that Peter met a new love on the day of his ex-lover’s wedding.
Peter, who had been by Eugene’s side for a moment, chatting happily about the day’s feelings and feelings, quickly approached Samantha as she finished the conversation with someone else.
“Good day. Someone’s been wrestling with numbers all day, and the boss is having a good time looking at the horizon.”
Joanna, who flew in a helicopter late, shouts out loud.
“The day is not over yet. I hope you have a good day for Joanna too.”
Giving her a glass of champagne, Eugene smiled.