＜ Chapter 35. Entrepreneurship ＞
Chapter 35. entrepreneurship
“Solar?”
“Yes, it is! Comrade General Secretary!”
“I read your plan that came to the party through the secretary’s office, but let me explain it in more detail, not only for me, but also for Comrade Choi Seung-il here.”
Choi Seung-il, who was sitting in our conference room with Jung-hwan, nodded his head as if he was interested, and the young man standing in front of them, an international student from Kimchaek Engineering College who identified himself as Choi Dong-myung, swallowed his saliva as if nervously.
In fact, from the moment he submitted the proposal to the party, he thought that he would have to do well to get the rank of party manager, but it was because he never dreamed that the general secretary would come directly and not anyone else.
In addition, the right arm of supreme dignity (actually, everyone had different opinions), the president of the state-owned investment firm Peony Holdings, and Choi Seung-il, nicknamed ‘the keeper of the general secretary’s safe’ inside and outside the party,… I couldn’t help but be nervous. , Choi Dong-myung recounted to himself and calmed his mind.
‘Calm down, hopefully this could be a turning point that will change my life. It’s something I didn’t expect, but it’s not really a dream to have President Choi Seung-il, who is in charge of the republic’s money supply, here.’
“The idea I’m going to report from now on….Uhhh, so this is an English expression of an idea or idea, I’ll correct it, since I’ve been abroad for a long time… So, in fact, these business ideas are already out there in Japan or Germany (Germany). ), a considerable level of research and practical use has already been made, but I decided to submit the report to the party because I thought it suited the situation of our republic more than these countries.”
“The party is already aware of that. Keep going.”
“Solar power generation originated in the United States and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration over there, in order to power the artificial satellites by attaching panels to the fuselage to receive energy. However, in the 1970s, that is, about 10 years ago, when the Arabs over there caused an oil shock, the possibility began to draw attention in earnest. .”
Choi Dong-myung, who had been trembling with tension and pressure as he began to explain, straightened his legs and his voice became stronger.
He had a vision for the future, and he was confident that this business would bring great economic benefits to him and, furthermore, great utility to the republic and the people.
Choi Dong-myung began a full-fledged explanation, and took out the rectangular, huge mirror he had brought so far.
The ‘mirror’, the size of an adult, was not glass, but it was covered with black scales of a material that was shiny and reflected the light of an electric light.
In the republic, not only ordinary people, but also party officials could make an expression, ‘What is the object used for?’ Fortunately, Choi Seung-il and Jeong-hwan, who were sitting in this room and listening to the explanation, were both well-versed in overseas affairs.
“To the two comrades, the state-of-the-art products I will show you today will not only innovatively improve the lives of the people of the DPRK, but will also become the DPRK’s first export force and become the pillars of an enterprise that will stand tall as a new hero of the people of reform and opening up. What do you call this…”
“…isn’t it a solar panel?”
“……!!! ah! Did you know, Comrade General Secretary! This is the thing called the solar panel. The one I brought here today was made in a laboratory with the cooperation of the Materials Science and Engineering Department of my alma mater Kimchaek University, and how to generate electricity with it…”
“It is said that when light is irradiated to the panel due to the photovoltaic effect, the electrons become voltage, that is, the power to do work. Skip the technical part. Because CEO Choi and I are paying attention to business feasibility.”
Within five minutes of starting the story, Choi Dong-myung had lost the confidence he had before and had to struggle to close his mouth.
He could not have imagined that a young leader of a similar age would know so well about solar cell technology, which has not yet been popularized in the West.
But he wasn’t the type to give up so easily.
“Ah yes! Well, as you can see, the solar panel you are looking at here can produce 10w of electricity per square meter even with a poorly made one here. If installed together with a transformer, not only in Pyongyang, but also in the living quarters of ordinary citizens, each individual can generate electricity and achieve necessary self-reliance, such as heat, heating, refrigerator, and electric light.”
“…Hmm, it’s a fascinating story about the situation in the Republic of Korea, where electricity is not yet supplied to all households of ordinary citizens. But as far as I know, I’ve heard there are some problems with solar power.”
When Jeonghwan, who was listening next to him, seemed to be interested in Choi Dongmyeong’s words, Choi Seungil coughed and intervened.
I had no intention of intentionally making a fuss, but I felt obligated to speak as direct as possible so that Junghwan, the decision maker, could make the right decision.
“I heard that solar power generation has a small amount of power and its production is uneven, so it is greatly affected by climate and topography in each country. Of course, it is true that there are many houses in the Republic with poor electricity supply, but do you know that the party ordered two nuclear power plants in Nampo and Wonsan and has already started construction in order to solve the problem immediately after taking office as comrade general?”
“…Comrade’s point of view is indeed correct. However, I also do not mean to focus all the power supply and demand in the republic on only solar power, and even if the weather is cloudy for a few days, the panel also sells storage batteries and stores the excess power. Ordinary citizens of the Republic do not own as many electronic devices that consume electricity as much as people in western countries.”
“……Hmm. That’s true, but…”
“Besides, a nuclear power plant will not be built overnight, but for the people who have to live in darkness until then, this solar cell can give people a sense of the great grace of the Party and the general secretary, who are restless with their worries whether they are awake or awake. Won’t you?”
‘This guy has a knack for convincing investors. Wouldn’t it be nice if I went to Silicon Valley instead of Pyongyang?’
Junghwan muttered in his heart as he saw Dongmyeong Choi trying to persuade Choi Seungil with a bag of money by mixing appeal and logic well.
Of course, he did not believe that such zeal was purely for the welfare of the people and the republic, as he said, but at least Jeong Hwan has the eyes of Choi Dong-myeong and a business man who connects his eyes to his own economic gain. admitted that there is.
In fact, even after the Kyoto Protocol to limit carbon dioxide emissions was signed in just five years, the renewable energy boom and the bubble burst, solar power maintained its industrial vitality for a long time.
Even in North Korea, the hereditary communist hereditary kingdom in this world, sprouts with Western-style entrepreneurship began to grow little by little.
“……Explain a little more why the party, that is, Peony Holdings, should invest the people’s money in the business of the comrade. Can the Republic of Korea be able to produce solar panels with its own technology?”
Jeonghwan, who had been silent for a while, opened his mouth again, and Choi Dongmyeong’s face suddenly brightened.
The fact that the Supreme Leader asks such detailed questions means that he is interested in his business more than simply out of curiosity.
Choi Dong-myeong took a short deep breath and told Jeong-hwan what he knew.
It is a question of the absolute power, which is death immediately after trying to deceive even a single word.
For now, he just decided that honesty was the best bosom.
“…To be honest, it is difficult to become independent of technology for several years. In the future, in the global solar panel market, panels using silicon wafers will become mainstream, but at present, the republic is a material that cannot be produced on its own.
“…Hmm, is that so?”
“Ha, but there are different types of silicon, and polycrystalline silicon used in solar panels is much easier to make and cheaper than monocrystalline silicon! From now on, if you put in the effort to invest in equipment and wait a few years, you can produce everything from the head to the tail of the panel with the Republic’s own technology!”
As Jung-hwan seemed to be thinking without saying anything, Choi Dong-myeong was sweating profusely with a sad expression on his face and desperately devoted himself to persuading Jeong-hwan.
“Comrade General Secretary! I will risk my life to assure you. If these solar panels are distributed to the entire republic, it will be possible to improve the people’s living standards with a flash of electricity from Pyongyang to the remote island of Rason! The panel is easy to manage, so even ignorant people who haven’t attended elementary school will be able to learn everything from how to use it to basic repairs without difficulty if they learn it for a day and learn it!”
“Comrade Choi.”
“Other countries have already secured enough electricity from facilities such as nuclear power plants, so people do not feel the need to purchase panels separately, but in our republic, where the electricity situation is still poor, the domestic market alone has enough demand for it, so not only improving people’s living but also business. It’s also realistic enough! It will cost some initial equipment investment, but when you are stagnating in places like Japan and the United States for a while, you need to make a intensive investment at the republic level so that you can catch up with the technological gap and fight in the export market…”
“I think it will be worth investing in the party and Peony Holdings.”
Choi Dong-myeong, who spoke urgently, swept down his heart with the expression that he had endured for ten years when Jeong-hwan made the investment decision.
Choi Seung-il also silently nodded his head as if convinced, thinking, ‘Now is the time to invest in companies native to the republic, not in other people’s countries’.
And Jung-hwan also decided to invest in Choi Dong-myung’s company, not just because he knew that the solar power business would develop in the future and a short-term measure against the power shortage until the nuclear power plant was built.
‘I have to show the people a sample. Because there is no good motivator to inspire the desire to start a business as much as the success story of a successful entrepreneur.’
The country could not always meet the needs of the people and supply necessary goods and services through state-owned enterprises.
The center of the market economy system is, after all, the private enterprise, and it is also the private enterprise that drives the growth of the national economy and creates jobs.
As the supreme leader, Jeong Hwan only sets the rough direction for the national economy and pushes it back, because if the North Korean people do not adapt themselves to capitalism, it will not develop at all in the Soviet-style planned economy.
“For the detailed investment amount, please discuss it with comrade Choi Seung-il, president of the company. Have you decided on a company name?”
“Thank you so much! Comrade general secretary. Actually, I already have a name in mind.”
And in case Junghwan withdraws his investment decision, he solemnly said the name he had in mind with the expression of a believer who worships God.
“Right. Let me tell you.”
“This is a company that could only be established thanks to the bold investment decision of Comrade General Secretary and the grace of the Party. In order for overseas customers to approach you easily, you must also speak English, but you can’t just use foreign language in a people’s enterprise that was established with the money of the people.”
“Ah… I am truly moved by Comrade Choi’s loyalty to the party. …So what is the conclusion?”
“This company is a solar business. And Comrade General Secretary is also the highest dignity of the people in this republic, in the same position as the sun in the sky, so I will name it ‘Solar Kim’ with the English word Solar, which means sun, and the honor of Comrade General Kim Jong-hwan… ..”
“…just build ‘Solar One’. It means to be number 1 in the solar field. I won’t take any objections. Organize the detailed business plan and the time it will take to mass-produce it and post it to the secretary’s office.”
Jeonghwan waved his hand at Dongmyeong Choi, disgusted with the expression that his hands and feet were shrinking.
It meant to go out.
Kim Jeong-hwan Solar and Ani Solar One, established in this way, set up their headquarters in Pyongyang and started a pilot project with the help of researchers from Modern Electronics and Kim Chaek University of Technology.
As a result of searching for a site to install a solar panel, it was a bonus that Jeonghwan also had unexpected income (?).
“After digging up the forest, the efficiency of agricultural land is not good, so it is enough to paint the empty space with solar panels. I didn’t even know that his attic could help with this.”
The unexpected income was part of the Juche farming method, which was taught by the fathers of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il in the past, and was a terraced farmland or attic to improve the agricultural environment in North Korea, where the proportion of mountainous areas is higher than in the south.
It was revealed that it was a literal ‘shoveling’ in which only the forest was dug up, not even the rainfall, and the labor required a lot of labor to make it without rain. thing came to light
Originally, it was a place that had been plowed for farming, so most of them were located in places with sufficient annual sunlight, and when the party informed (with subsidies) that the remaining electricity could be sold for money after the solar panel produces electricity The land owners of Dun also expressed their welcome by saying, ‘Come here.’
Since the Jeonghwan era, government and citizens have been mobilized to promote a strong forest restoration policy, but since forests are not created in one single stone, many of the ridges of North Korea, which were still mostly exposed only to their hideous red flesh, found unexpected uses.
In the end, most of the solar panels were designated as installation sites except for areas designated for strategic forest maintenance for the prevention of large floods (flooding) and environmental conservation.
“I am glad that this republic does not need to reproduce the irony of other countries that are destroying the forest environment in order to promote solar power generation, an eco-friendly energy. The forest to be destroyed was destroyed first! I wonder if I should cry or laugh as a true leader…”
It was a rumor that Jeong-hwan joked with Choi Seung-il after receiving a report from the Ministry of Science and Development of the Party that stated that there might be a shortage of panels because there are too many suitable places for the installation of solar power generation complexes in the Republic after the mass production of panels .