＜ Chapter 31. Even if a rich country collapses, 30 years go by (3) ＞
Chapter 31. Even if a wealthy country collapses, 30 years go by (3)
Son Jeong-eui thought that it should not be weak.
As the bubble burst, Japanese companies took a hit, and so did Softbank.
Of course, SoftBank today was not a large corporation with a lot of accumulated money like the traditional Toyota or Sony, and the company’s situation could be at risk if it didn’t transfuse the funds right away.
In the past few months, countless investors have come and went in and out of Son’s office to withdraw the funds invested in SoftBank, and convincing them not to throw away their investment has been a major part of Son’s daily routine these days.
His fortune, once worth billions of dollars, has now been reduced to nearly a tenth, and some investors have actually taken money, but Son was still confident about the future of himself and SoftBank.
One reluctance is that, as he knows, Peony Holdings is a public corporation in Kitajosen, North Korea…
‘Once we hear the amount and decide, North Korea may have approached me in particular because it is a Zainichi country that has as strong pedigree as Japan, and then using that to get more investment, or at least a better You can also negotiate on terms. If you make an unreasonable request, just decline it.’
As a person who rose from the weakness of Zainichi, minority minority, Son Jeong-eui was a person who believed that weakness could be turned into strength according to his own will.
Since the recent inauguration of the young leader, North Korea’s participation in the Gulf War and the great transition to a pro-American family (along with expectations for a solution to the abductee issue) were also featured in the Japanese press, so Son Jeong-ui was also paying attention.
However, there is still a long way to go to remove the image of the name Kitajosen as a country belonging to the communist camp (I don’t know the details, but somehow mysterious and scary) in Japan.
If they are willing to invest, businessmen are the ones who rush to it, but it is money from a country that has not formally established diplomatic ties with Japan, and Son Jeong-eun himself was still unable to completely escape from the sunglasses-wearing gaze of a Korean-Japanese in Japan.
So, although he was cautious, Son Jeong-eui himself as a businessman could not tolerate it immediately.
“SoftBank is not just a software distributor. I want Peony Holdings and CEO Choi to know that it is a company that will take the lead in IT technology in the future through aggressive and forward-looking investments and mergers and acquisitions, and that its ability is largely based on my personal perspective as a manager. so……”
“I know. In fact, I came all the way to Japan because of your skills in the M&A strategy, and your personal point of view, one last advantage. We, Peony Holdings, want to partner with you, not just an investment.”
“…an advantage over the other? And what about partnerships? Those words…?”
Rather than enthusiastically explaining, Son Jeong-eui stopped the magic pen and asked tremblingly.
Unlike other investors, when questions about how many shares will be offered or how much shareholder dividends will be paid, Son Jeong-eui stiffened her face as if in a bit of embarrassment.
At that time, Choi Seung-il leaned forward slightly and asked a question.
“Actually, I am only here as an agent sent by Donju, the true owner of the assets held by Peony Holdings. I think it would be better for Boss Son to talk directly with the owner instead of a servant like me… Do you have any thoughts?”
“…if it’s a true owner… so…”
Son Jeong-eui was a person who didn’t blink an eye at all things, but even he couldn’t help swallowing his saliva in a sudden situation.
Peony Holdings is a government fund managed by the North Korean government.
And if it is the ‘owner’ (not the ‘shareholder’) of the fund, then, of course, Choi Seung-il means only one person.
If so, the reason that ‘Kitajosen Shogun’ approached his company is probably…
When the thought reached that point, Son Jeong-eui hardened her face and immediately got up from her seat.
“……I’m sorry, but I think you’ve been looking for the wrong person.”
“Son, I want you to listen to me until the end.”
“I have heard rumors that North Korea is changing recently, and as a Zainichi, it is not that I do not feel very close to my father’s and grandfather’s hometown. However, the reality is that North Korea is still stuck as a hostile country for abducting innocent people from Japan. Being associated with such a country beyond a certain level is a shortcut to business failure. Still, in Japan, a Zainichi like me wears sunglasses…”
“Son Sacho (President), even if you look at the side I introduced you to, I will tell you the best story until the end…”
“Of course, there is no law prohibiting investment from countries that have not established diplomatic ties with a lot of dialogue between Korea and Japan under the water at the government level. However, there is also the issue of authoritative interpretation, and in addition, in a country with strong political and economic ties like Japan, it is not a matter of destroying a company for security reasons. Our SoftBank has not gone public yet, but we are not short of money, so we have to take the risk and raise money. And above all…”
Heo Young-joon, who brokered this place, tried to dissuade Son Jeong-eui with a troubled expression, but he did not even think to listen.
Heo Young-jun, who was suddenly caught between the two, noticed, ‘Tell me something,’ but rather Choi Seung-il, who was involved, sat down without saying anything with an expression of ‘This comrade is having fun’.
And finally, Son Jeong-eui declared with a faint light on her face that was unpleasant.
“Are those shoguns and generals called the people of North Korea, no, the people? In any case, it is famous outside of North Korea that they steal taxes for private purposes and steal them. If you’re thinking of using my company as a money laundering window to buy Tiffany’s jewelry or Chanel perfume for your general’s concubines, I’m sorry, but I’ll decline…”
“Wah ha ha ha ha!!!!”
Laughter echoed in the office.
Heo Young-joon, who was worried that things would be ruined by the sound of outrageous cool laughter, opened his mouth blankly, and Son Jeong-eui seemed confused because he did not know what was going on, but then he frowned as if he was in a bad mood.
Choi Seung-il opened his mouth wide so that his skinny face was distorted, laughed for a long time, and then managed to recover the laughter and asked for the understanding of the other two.
“Heh heh heh… I’m sorry, comrades. Excuse me for a moment because I can’t stand it. President Son has a talent for making people laugh, not like a Japanese person. I can’t even remember the last time I smiled so coolly since I came out of this Won, Kyohwaso, but for that I owed a debt to Mr. Son.”
“…if you’re making fun of me, that’s fine. In any case, I have no intention of getting an investment from you. From a risk management point of view, that money is a time bomb that can ruin the company itself if you get it wrong no matter how much money you get. I’d rather ask Bill of America to take over my company. If you want to appeal to the feelings of being of the same bloodline and compatriots…”
“compatriots? Boss Son, are you going to make me laugh again? When the hell did I say that I was going to ask you to invest in a new wave drama that sheds tears while talking about your compatriots? I really want it, the more I think about it, the more absurd it is.”
“……?”
Son Jeong-ui said these words based on his prejudices against the North Korean people he had dealt with, but Choi Seung-il shook his head as if he had misunderstood.
“Where are your compatriots in Don? Are you saying that if you use North Korean won, you are a compatriot, and if you use yen or dollars, you are not a compatriot, but a US imperialist rebel? Hur Giza, our former general, told the people to use the North Korean won, which has no value, and converted all his slush funds from overseas banks into US dollars and stored them up. I wonder how much more Japanese sake was revealed in Irish whiskey. It was very hard work buying and selling every year.”
“……I think I may have misunderstood President Choi.”
“Look, Mr. Son. It seems like I’m misunderstanding something, but if I had only had the talent to sell such compatriots, the general secretary would still have left me rotting in the kyohwaso. What caught my eye was that he answered the question of what to buy and sell now so that the next generation, my sons and daughters, would not starve to death like President Son did. Even now, Peony Holdings, I’m dying to roll the sack of the people’s money without loss. If you take a loss, you might end up at the bottom of the Taedong River.”
“I was in Tokyo Bay…”
Heo Young-jun (who understood the word Taedonggang even though he couldn’t speak English well) passed by, but no one cared.
Son Jeong-ui was still standing in the doorway, but now he seemed to slowly understand what Choi Seung-il was trying to say to him.
Even though the countries are different, you and I are the same kind of human beings.
“But still, I still feel that it is risky to get an investment from Peony Holdings. Maybe after the DPRK-Japan relations have improved a bit… I don’t want to hear that it is a forward base for invasion of the Kita-Josen archipelago. No matter how much you invest…”
“Two hundred and forty billion dollars.”
“…..yes?”
Son Jeong-eui asked again, wondering if he had just heard it wrong.
However, when Choi Seung-il heard the amount, he sensed that Son Jeong-eui’s eyes had changed, and made a strange expression of satisfaction and cynicism at the same time.
Yeah, just like a sparrow can’t get past a mill, people who roll money are like that, and so am I.
“240 billion dollars, the amount of funds managed by our Peony Holdings, no, the Korea Investment Corporation. It is a considerable amount even for the big hands on the Japanese side. Ah, oil prices plummeted not long ago due to the Persian Gulf War, so it must have increased a bit more than that since I was short selling again. Originally, this information itself was also highly confidential within the republic, but please think of it as a special announcement because it is President Son.”
After speaking up to this point, Choi Seung-il changed his sitting posture as if he was about to get up from his seat and threw the last bait.
“And we are willing to invest up to $1 billion in Son’s SoftBank.”
“…a billion dollars…”
“Don’t worry about the DPRK-Japan relationship. It will be improved soon. And to add one more word, everything that President Son had guessed about our Republic, especially Comrade General Secretary, was completely wrong. First of all, if we were going to do money laundering, we would have found a less prominent company than here. As an experienced person, making a computer is not just a skill, but it is a skill that requires a long experience and sense.”
“……”
“And what about fraudulent wealth? Comrade General Secretary is a person who also confuses his personal possessions and contributes to the finances of the republic. lover? One of the biggest concerns of our Workers’ Party officials these days is ‘Who is the favorite wife of the general secretary?’ I wish it would be easier to flatter myself if I showed my female color like a former general.”
Saying that part, Choi Seung-il secretly smiled bitterly inwardly.
In fact, the issue of choosing a wife for the general secretary is a matter of utmost concern for executives with daughters, regardless of party and military government, so Jang Seong-taek, Hong Gye-seong, and even Hyun Young-sook and Kim Yong-geon were keen to find out the general secretary’s female preferences.
Obviously, the general secretary is also a young and healthy man, so there is no reason not to be interested in women.
The most reasonable guess is that the most reasonable assumption was that Major Yu Hye-rim, who wanted to monopolize the general secretary’s bedroom, was highly speculative (unlike it seemed) and the general secretary was also a public servant (unlike it appeared). Knowing that, such speculations only circulated in the smoking room dedicated to our executives or in secret whispers.
However, as there is a saying that power is the best aphrodisiac, Choi Seung-il could easily predict that the executives including Jang Seong-taek would never easily give up their position as a foreigner of Baekdu bloodline.
“Now, choose, Mr. Son. Once again, like a capitalist people, consider it in terms of risk management avoidance and hedging. Considering the risks that may or may not exist, have you just missed out on an investor who could invest a billion dollars? If that’s the case, I’ll just get up and look for someone else. That’s what I felt when I saw a person coming and going to commit suicide, but given the current situation in Japan, didn’t there still be capitalist people in Japan who would receive a lot of money for our ‘Kitajosen’?”
“……”
There was silence in the office for a moment.
Heo Young-jun swallowed his saliva, and Son Jeong-eui seemed to be calculating something in his head.
And Choi Seung-il still had laughter and leisure in his mouth.
‘Up to $1 billion… That’s more than our company’s annual sales. What is the reason for such an investment in this company that has not yet entered the over-the-counter market? It may give me some degree of managerial autonomy over there, but… No, let’s think about it backwards. It’s hard to move their funds in Japan, so aren’t they trying to promote me? If so, I would have enough leverage. Anyway, I need to go public in order to secure the necessary funds for future M&A. then….’
After a period of long or short silence, Son Jeong-eui made up her mind and walked back to the table and sat down in front of Choi Seung-il.
And he said in a more polite manner than before.
“…forget what I said earlier. Peony Holdings seems to be a company worth sharing our future vision with SoftBank.”
‘It’s me again. This is also what the general secretary said.’
Choi Seung-il was cynical at Son Jeong-ui’s 180-degree change of attitude as if he had ever done so, but remembered what the general secretary had said to him before leaving Pyongyang.
In fact, Choi Seung-il was the first to worry that Son Jeong-eui might reject the investment in consideration of the risk of the DPRK-Japan relationship problem.
And to him who was worried like that, General Secretary Jeong Hwan gave an answer in one word.
– Comrade General Secretary, even if you offer an investment of 100 million dollars, I’m not sure Masayoshi Son will accept our offer. I’m sorry that I have to worry about being rejected even if I give you money, but…
– Then, you can raise the amount of investment that Masayoshi Son is willing to take the risk.
– How much are you talking about?
– One billion dollars. Considering the value he will bring us in the future, we should give it that much. And if money doesn’t solve the problem, you have to think about whether you don’t have enough money.
“Then, going back to what I said earlier… I heard that there was another reason for choosing me and SoftBank as partners in addition to the fact that I had been interested in mergers and acquisitions for a long time. Can you hear the last reason?”
“Simple. Your nationality.”
“…..yes?”
Son Jeong-eui had a blank expression on her face to the extent that she did not know how many times it was today.
You said that you can’t do things like Dongpotaryeong even if you die a while ago. What is this all of a sudden?
“To be precise, Masayoshi Son, you are a Japanese entrepreneur who is fluent in Japanese and has established a family in Japan. In short, I like the fact that he is completely Japanese except for his surname Son.”
“……?”
“To be precise, I must say that I am a Japanese who rarely has any objection to mergers and acquisitions. The general secretary will explain the details.”
With those words, Son Jeong-eui and no Son Masayoshi could not help but feel nervous as they listened to the tone of the satellite phone from Choi Seung-il.
A young shogun of Kitajosen who fills the international section of the newspaper recently.
What kind of person is Kim Jung-hwan, who, at the age of 20, led a coup to overthrow his older brother and seize the throne, gaining cult popularity in Japan that ‘the protagonist of the Sengoku period drama appeared in the modern age’?
Masayoshi Son couldn’t help but worry in his heart at the thought that he might be a human from another world that is overbearing, violent, and difficult to deal with.
However, the phone was finally connected, and the calming voice of a young man heard from the other side brought up the topic in English that was the exact opposite of what he expected.
“Nice to meet you. hand boss. Seeing that the phone was connected, it seems that comrade Choi conveyed my intentions properly. Do you have a computer nearby?”
“yes? If it’s a computer… of course there is, but…”
“Hey, it doesn’t make sense if someone who distributes Windows operating systems in Japan doesn’t have a computer in their office. Now….”
And then, with one word from Jeonghwan, Masayoshi Son and Jeongui Son couldn’t help but feel confident that they might have met a real investor, or maybe not an investor, but a turning point in their lives.
“…I would like to discuss the future of reducing that computer to the size of the palm of your hand. In my opinion, if Mr. Sohn’s SoftBank and our Peony Holdings work together, it will be feasible in 15 years, with plenty of money, but I would like to hear his opinion.”
Conversation with Son Jeong-eui was beneficial.
As Jung-Hwan predicted, Son Jeong-Eui wanted to enter the manufacturing industry from the beginning, and it also matched Peony Holdings’ interest in establishing a bridgehead in Japan.
Of course, I didn’t tell him all the details of the plan, but for now, I did tell him everything he needed to know until the ongoing negotiations with the Japanese government were over.
As such, Peony Holdings owns half of SoftBank’s total stake.
‘It was right after the bubble burst, so I was able to purchase it relatively cheaply. Right after the dot-com bubble burst is fine, but then it’s too late…More than anything else, money isn’t the most important thing right now.’
Jeonghwan put down the handset and looked again at the documents on the desk.
In the next 10 years, North Korea will be able to get out of its poverty-stricken state.
If 10 years pass from there, you can be confident that it is a rich country that is as rich as any other country at that time .