In Venezuela, preparations were in full swing to bring down dictator Maduro.
If their plan succeeds, a new government may come in, but that alone won’t bring Venezuela back to normal.
Crazy inflation, foreign currency depletion, and chronic job shortages.
In order to solve these problems, a huge amount of investment was basic, and a number of companies with experience in super-large plant construction had to be acquired.
“From oil plant construction, refining, transportation, and other infrastructure construction to sales. The Korean chaebol family thought they had the ability to handle all of this. but… … .”
I look around at the empty seat at the table and continue talking.
“I guess my proposal didn’t sound very attractive to anyone other than Jeon Yong-taek.”
The heads of Daehyeon Group, GT Group, and SG Group have already left their seats for a long time. Jeon Yong-taek, the only one left, was listening to my story.
“No matter how big the return is promised, the risk is too great to invest in Venezuela.”
“That’s true, but I can’t help but regret it. At best, Jeon Yong-taek prepared a good seat for me.”
“It is a project that only Ohsung Group can participate in. So, CEO Shin, please put your mind at ease.”
I wanted as many companies as possible to participate in this project. That way, Venezuela will be normalized as soon as possible.
Jeon Yong-taek adds that he may have noticed my regret.
“Or we’ll bring in a third party on our own.”
“Would that be possible?”
“Although they may be reluctant to enter Venezuela directly, other companies will be willing to step in if Ohsung goes into the original contract and bears the risk.”
In a word, Oh Seong meant that he would take all the work and subcontract it.
If he does that, I’m grateful, but seeing him go too far makes me feel rather uneasy.
“Jeon Yong-taek, can I ask you one question?”
“As much as you like.”
“Other companies were reluctant to participate because they knew the situation in Venezuela was bad. But why is Jeon Yong-taek so aggressive?”
“Because I smelled success.”
He pours out his words as if he had been waiting for me to ask this question.
“According to my research, the WHTS Company has been working on Venezuela for quite some time. As a result, citizens have been able to use WHTS Company’s SNS and actively use virtual currency.”
“How does that relate to this case?”
“There is a relationship. If CEO Shin put so much effort into Venezuela, it means he saw some potential.”
Asking a project this big for just such an abstract reason?
While I’m bewildered, he continues the show like a third-rate detective in a movie.
“If I dare to infer, it seems that CEO Shin planned this work based on oil price information.”
“Oil price information?”
“Currently, the price of Dubai oil has been around $40 per barrel for quite some time. This is a price that is too low for an oil-producing country to pay for.”
I nodded my head to him thinking I’d see if I could hear it.
“If there is even an announcement of production cuts at the OPEC meeting early next month, oil prices will rise all at once, so the economy of a country that is highly dependent on oil like Venezuela may revive.”
“hmm… … .”
“If that happens, WHTS Company, which is the only foreign company to have priority in Venezuela’s oil extraction business, will benefit as well.”
The reasoning itself was plausible, but the premise itself was wrong.
First, I have absolutely no information on the outcome of this OPEC meeting.
And when oil prices rise, Venezuela will revive?
I’m sorry, but in the history I know, Venezuela has never been one of the poorest countries, no matter how expensive oil is.
match. match. match.
It was a reasoning show that would bring out a snort, but I cheered him up by clapping my hands.
Whatever the reason, if Ohsung Group stepped up and gave it to me, wouldn’t it be a good thing for me?
“As expected, Jeon Yong-taek is sharp.”
“What are you doing with this? This is a basic requirement as a manager.”
Contrary to what Jeon said, he could not hide his joy. His cheekbones had already ascended to the ceiling.
“Then, I hope you take care of this job as well.”
“Representative Shin. that’s what i have to say Ha ha ha ha!”
* * *
15 hours from Bolivar Airport in Venezuela to Incheon Airport, and 18 hours from Incheon Airport to Bolivar Airport again.
After riding a plane for a total of 33 hours over three days, my physical condition is at its worst.
In my heart, I wanted to stay in a hotel and rest for a day, but I couldn’t afford it.
-Two weeks later, Maduro leaves for Vienna, Austria to attend the OPEC meeting. We set that time as D-Day.
How could I be resting in a hotel when I received a phone call like this?
As soon as I got the call, I had no choice but to board the fastest plane and fly back to Venezuela.
“You are back.”
This time, Simon came to meet me at the airport.
“You look tired. Shall I guide you to your accommodation?”
“no. first… … I want to talk in a quiet place.”
“Then you can do it in my car.”
Simon’s car had a driver armed with a rifle. I wink at him asking if he can listen.
“It’s okay to talk. He is someone you can trust.”
“hmm. All right. first… … I’d love to hear how. Since you said you were aiming for a time to leave the country, is this not a coup but an assassination?”
“It is both. That way, if one side fails, there will be no problems.”
“okay.”
Even if the assassination fails, Maduro’s entry into the country can be blocked if the coup succeeds. Even in the opposite case, the situation is favorable.
“If we bring him down by force, the aftermath will be formidable.”
“The aftermath is unavoidable. Because his approval rating is over 40%.”
“40%? The economy has become like this, but is the president’s approval rating that high?”
Hearing my startled voice, Simon let out a deep sigh.
“Since long ago, when the unemployment rate in Venezuela rises, it has been solved by hiring a lot of public servants. That trend is still the same today.”
“It seems that officials support Maduro.”
“They are paid relatively high wages. That’s why I came to support Maduro, fearing that wages would decrease if the regime changes.”
Speaking of relatively high wages, it would be slightly higher than that of the extreme poor.
I can’t understand why they continue to support a dictator who destroyed the economy to keep such wages.
“Maduro made it that way on purpose. Every time the minimum wage is raised, only public officials deliberately raise wages drastically.”
“It seems that ordinary workers and civil servants have set up a platform to hate each other.”
“Exactly. That’s why Maduro can live with great confidence even when the country is on the verge of collapse.”
In this situation, there seems to be no other way than to bring Maduro down by force.
“Did you have plans after the coup?”
“If we quickly secure the presidential palace and take control of the military, there will be no further disturbance.”
“There is also a way to secure a cause by holding a new election. If that happens, it will come out amicably in the West as well.”
He shakes his head, as if he had nothing to think about.
“There is no time for that in Venezuela. For the new government, it is more important how quickly the economy recovers than justification.”
It’s true that it’s not the time to save face now that the light has fallen on your feet.
The question was whether the US government would recognize the regime that came to power through a coup and assassination.
If the sanctions are not lifted to the end, I may be the only one living in the Nakdong River duck egg between the US and Venezuela.
‘Since I’ve accumulated a lot of intimacy with Trump, I wonder what’s going to happen… … Still, it would be better to induce them so that they do not fall behind.’
* * *
From noble mtl dot com
After we got out of the airport, we headed toward the market in northern Caracas, not the mansion.
Just as politicians come to the market during election season and look at public opinion, I wanted to check public opinion in Venezuela myself.
“This is the northern market. It is the most active market in this area.”
“I came with Jessie half a year ago.”
“Ah, that’s right.”
The market had shrunk to a serious extent in half a year.
There were few proper shops, and most of them were street stalls or selling items used at home.
“Where can I go to the store where the government distributes the goods? There were a lot of things there.”
“It’s been a long time since rationing was cut off and closed.”
“Then where do you get your stuff? There doesn’t seem to be a single store selling daily necessities here.”
“If you go to the back of the market, there is a black market. You can see that most of the useful things are traded there.”
As he was about to enter the black market direction, he suddenly sees people rushing to one place.
It’s not just about running. He was gritting his teeth and running at full speed.
“What are those people? It doesn’t look like someone is chasing you from behind.”
“I guess today is pay day.”
“I received a salary, but why… … ?”
Simon looks at the runners with a bitter smile.
“In Venezuela, it is common sense to spend money as soon as you receive it. It’s mostly a way to buy food or daily necessities.”
“Is it because of inflation?”
“you’re right. In particular, at the end of the month when paydays are crowded, the market price fluctuates even more. It is not surprising that the price of rice or bread doubles in half a day.”
Doubling the price of goods is equivalent to cutting your salary in half.
‘Murderous inflation’ was not a figurative expression here, but meant inflation that would not be strange even if there was a real murder.
“They are getting better these days. By converting the bolivar into a virtual currency, we can defend against inflation.”
“I heard that the Venezuelan government has banned cryptocurrency.”
“There have been several attempts to ban it, but each time the backlash, such as burning banks, is so severe that even the government tolerates cryptocurrency.”
“yes? You set the bank on fire?”
“In Venezuela, that’s about average for a siew.”
If protests burning down banks are commonplace, what would violent protests look like?
Even after that, the scenery that I can’t understand with my common sense continues throughout the Venezuelan market.
In the first place, common sense would work in a country where annual inflation is thousands of percent, but the reality I faced was crueler than anything expressed in writing.
‘There is no answer in this country. We have to overthrow everything from the president down.’
Just as I was thinking about that, Simon, who said he was going to receive an important phone call, returns with a serious expression.
“Mr. Romero, you don’t look good. Did something happen?”
“that is… … Recently, there was information that Maduro was collecting a large amount of gold bullion, so I was keeping a close eye on it.”
“Is it a slush fund?”
“At first, we thought it was going to be used as a slush fund, but after further investigation, it turned out to be a gold bar prepared for lobbying.”
“If he, the president, is lobbying, then who is the object of the lobby?”
He chews his lips and takes a look around.
“It is said that he has been in contact with the next president of the United States, Donald Trump.”
Trump?
The moment those words came out, I burst into laughter without even realizing it.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Oh, sorry. The situation was so funny I couldn’t stand it.”
“This is no laughing matter. If Trump makes favorable comments to him, even if he succeeds in a coup, it will be difficult for him to take office.”
In the United States, the president accepts bribes from the dictatorship and lifts sanctions?
Whoever the president was, as soon as it became known, there was a sense of impeachment.
‘Trump is not an idiot. There’s no way I’ll ever get paid.’
The Trump I know would rather spread this incident to the media and use it to gain popularity.
If he talks about the possibility of additional sanctions, Maduro’s approval rating will plummet.
‘This situation might be an opportunity for Venezuela.’