Omniscient Investment Point - Chapter 266



Only Noblemtl

266. We are fighting an economic war – 3

(1)

Although I couldn’t see him around me, Bang Jeong-hyeon was traveling all over the world.

Looking at this gentleman, I realized that there are many unique people in the world.

One day I get a call saying I’m in the US, and another day I get a call saying I’m doing something in Guangzhou, China.

Meanwhile, it expanded its reach to Europe, South America, and sometimes even Africa and Australia.

It doesn’t even tell you the clear purpose of the trip.

But the flow was clear.

We are experiencing for ourselves the resource war that is taking place all over the world.

In fact, as we are moving from the smart era to the AI ​​era, one could ask why we are going through all that trouble.

I used to be one of them too.

But I realized this while traveling around Japan and the United States.

Humans need to experience other cultures firsthand to obtain the information they want.

Information obtained through the Internet and other sources is merely superficial.

Anyway, recently, Bang Jeong-hyeon started staying in Japan, and this too, without clearly revealing the purpose.

– Hey, it’s just that the Japanese Prime Minister wants to meet you.

Isn’t it too surprising that he suddenly called and said that?

When I asked why, the answer was very simple.

– Why? It’s because of the 7th district problem.

– Are you talking about that? There are government officials involved, too? And shouldn’t we discuss such matters with our country’s president? At the very least, we should negotiate between diplomats.

– Oh, you still lack experience. Normally, the meeting between leaders is the final stage. Before that, they narrow their differences at the diplomatic and trade level. But do you know where the most vivid ‘deals’ take place? It’s the blackmail table where leaders meet with businessmen.

– Oh my, this isn’t a negotiating table, this is a threat table? What is that?

– The table of intimidation is where the powerful try to suppress the merchants with their power, and the merchants try to cook the powerful with their capital.

This sophistry is so ringing in my ears that I seem to have been convinced by Bang Jeong-hyeon’s illogicality.

– So, what position is it this time?

– It seems like both, but in reality, we are the ones who are pressuring those in power with money. To be exact, the new prime minister wants the hydrogen resources that we have.

– What do you mean by that?

– Why, didn’t we confirm the hydrogen reserves near Block 7 last time? We want your understanding that Japan should jointly develop it.

– Hey, that’s absolutely not possible.

– There is no absolute in this world. For the sake of national interest, you have to give what you have to give and get what you have to get. What if, say, you can trade joint hydrogen development for the extension of the 7-block agreement?

-······!

Then again, my thoughts change.

So I decided to meet the Prime Minister and adjusted my schedule to take a morning flight earlier than Hyun Ki-hyuk.

And now, I was able to have a deeper conversation while riding in Bang Jeong-hyeon’s car.

“No, but who was that young guy just now?”

“He’s my friend. His name is Seung-Hoon Oh, and he’s the son of the former Financial Supervisory Service chairman.”

“What? No way, Oh Si-young?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

For your information, Seunghoon Oh and my secretary, Hyeonwoo Kwak, were following behind separately.

I only announced that I was going to meet the Prime Minister, as the matter was too big to reveal the details.

“No, aren’t you on the ruling party’s side?”

“Where is the ruling or opposition party when it comes to the monsters that capitalism has created? I am just on the side that cares more about the economy. If that is the ruling party now, I will take their side, but if the government fails later and the opposition party comes up with better pledges, I can turn around.”

“I see······.”

Actually, this was my mind, and originally I was neutral, neither leaning to the left nor to the right.

Therefore, I am neither blindly pro-Japanese nor blindly anti-Japanese.

Naturally, I had no choice but to listen to the story that Bang Jeong-hyeon told me later.

“In a sense, you are on the same page with Japan’s new prime minister. As you know, it’s been a while since we’ve had a prime minister from outside the Liberal Democratic Party. He’s reasonable in his own way.”

“Is that so?”

“He is fully aware that Japan is currently a ship on the verge of running aground. Of course, if it is properly repaired, it will cruise much better than before. The key, of course, is energy conversion.”

Energy transition, is this the trend of the times?

Japan was no different from our country.

But, this is natural.

For our country and Japan, which do not produce a single drop of oil, energy is a heartbreaking thing.

Because most of the energy we need has to depend on imports.

In this situation, the 7th light district and eco-friendly energy are truly a ray of hope.

“In a situation where oil prices are skyrocketing, we feel the need for energy transition even more. Also, if the reserves of Block 7 are officially confirmed and properly produced? To be exact, if we just make a gesture to the global energy market that we can join hands and supply oil without limit at any time? The two countries can rekindle their economic momentum that has been sluggish.”

This old man already unifies Korea and Japan by using the word ‘we’.

I thought it might be too much, but

‘Well, if it comes true like this person said······.’

I never had any reservations about the possibility that Japan could become my future partner.

“But if you are talking about joint development of hydrogen, does that mean Japan also recognizes its reserves?”

“I don’t know. How could I possibly understand the true nature of Japanese people? However, I can guess why they are so proactive.”

“They also conducted their own investigation? Is that it?”

“Otherwise, would we be calling for joint development of hydrogen resources with the intention of giving up the 7th mine?”

“but······.”

I nodded.

No matter how rational Japan’s new prime minister may be, he will not be able to ignore his country’s interests.

Clearly, we value the hydrogen reserves we have discovered more than the oil and gas in Block 7.

then?

‘Just joint development won’t work.’

From now on, I must prepare myself to negotiate with the mindset that I am entering into a resource war with Japan.

(2)

Meanwhile, Haruma Yamazaki, who had recently become the new Prime Minister, was reading a report before meeting Jang Su-myeong.

‘A hundred billion barrels······.’

He muttered to himself about the recoverable reserves in the Japan-Korea joint development zone surveyed by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and also looked through data from other countries.

I don’t know about anything else, but the data released by the Chinese side caught my eye.

Saudi Arabia: 260 billion barrels

Russia: 80 billion barrels

United States: 40 billion barrels

China: 28 billion barrels

To be honest, it was hard to believe because it was a country that gave more points to its own country and underestimated its enemies.

Even China recently estimated the recoverable reserves in the Japan-Korea joint development zone at 400 billion barrels.

This is also data that cannot help but be distrustful.

It was clear that the reserves were inflated and that China had an internal rationale that it had to get its hands on them.

‘Greedy ones.’

In his view, China was a country that wanted to monopolize everything.

Of course, we could not give them the Korea-Japan joint development zone.

There is only one solution: extend the agreement with Korea······.

‘The opposition is too strong.’

Just before, the Liberal Democratic Party cabinet foolishly made a bad move.

After the agreement on the Korea-Japan joint development zone is concluded, he leaked to the media his intention to develop it together with China.

It was probably intentional.

Once public opinion was formed through the media, even the United States, which had been wary of China, could not interfere recklessly.

In fact, public opinion was slightly in an uproar.

Korea, which has always been a small country compared to Japan, is now hearing that it is a developed country, and its pride is hurt.

Public opinion, however, was vocal that it would be better to share it with China.

This is because they thought that if they did that, they would be able to take the lead again in a situation where they were on the verge of being overtaken by Korea.

‘You can’t be that emotional······.’

It was a simple and naive thought, without any knowledge of China.

China was in constant conflict and turmoil with all the countries surrounding it.

China was the greedy hippopotamus that took everything it could get.

Perhaps, the moment the Korea-Japan joint development zone changes into a China-Japan joint development zone, Japan will also suffer the same fate.

Just as I was thinking that it couldn’t be, I received breaking news from a private company in Korea that a huge amount of hydrogen was buried there.

And of all things, it was towards Jeju Island.

In other words, in Korea, it can be argued that it started from Jeju Island and stretched all the way to near the 7th district.

Yamazaki immediately ordered the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to properly investigate, and fortunately, it was confirmed that it started in Jeju Island and continued to Torishima Island in Japan.

However, the reserves of vegetables were enormous.

It was a whopping 7 trillion tons, so it would not be an exaggeration to say that the future energy value far exceeded the reserves of the 7 mining blocks.

Accordingly, Yamazaki decided that it would be better to join hands with Korea and develop hydrogen.

He is a communication-oriented person and listens directly to the parties involved whenever possible.

Among Japanese politicians, he was a truly unique character, but it was this aspect that made him different from the sweet potato-like figures of the past that the public chose this time.

Today, with that style in effect, I came here with the determination to meet Jang Su-myeong in person.

Now that the time has come to meet him, I think back to the Jang Su-myeong disposition I was told about once again.

‘He’s a raw character?’

How long will it take?

I’m looking forward to it for no reason.

(3)

For some reason, Bang Jeong-hyeon kept emphasizing that it was an informal meeting during the trip.

Perhaps he wanted me to shut the mouths of two people, Oh Seung-hoon and Kwak Hyun-woo, in the hotel lobby where he was meeting the Prime Minister.

So I said to the two people as Bang Jeong-hyeon wanted.

“What happened today must never leak out.”

After seeing the two people swallowing and nodding, I went up to the top floor of the hotel with Bang Jeong-hyeon.

Then, I faced the security guards in front of the only door, and after a simple body search, I was able to go inside.

“Welcome. Hehehe.”

Haruma Yamazaki, Prime Minister of Japan, greeted me with a smile.

Luckily, it was English I could understand.

Thinking that communication would be smooth, I smiled and greeted him.

“nice to see you.”

“Yes, I’ve heard a lot about it. First, would you like to sit here?”

As we sat down, he asked me what kind of tea I wanted.

I said coffee.

“Coffee is good. Oh, and did you know that the price of cocoa has more than doubled?”

“Yes, I have already invested.”

“also······.”

The conversations that people who are both busy enjoy skipping over each other are the best.

Because we are bound by etiquette and formality, we always run out of time when doing this and that.

So, when I saw the price of cocoa being mentioned, I mentioned investment, omitting all the consequential details.

The same was true in the conversation that unfolded.

“But, unfortunately for us, international oil prices are also fluctuating day after day, right?”

Yamaguchi’s face changed.

Not in a bad way.

Should I say that it’s a very interesting expression?

He looks at me with those eyes.