The 3th Generation of the Chaebol Wants to Live Quietly - Chapter 208
Only Noblemtl
#208.
“I don’t think we need to bend down and go in.”
“Let’s go strong?”
“I think we should stop negotiating with Walmart altogether and file a lawsuit against the person who caused this situation, Dennis Kim.”
“Walmart probably doesn’t think that way. They’re not stupid.”
“I know. I think they are intentionally trying to suppress us by putting Dennis Kim in front. They will probably use this incident to push for one-sided contract terms and make all sorts of demands. I know that from experience. If we don’t have power, we should give in to their demands. But right now, do we really need to be swayed by Walmart?!”
Choi Min-hyeok was satisfied with the aggressive attitude of Sales Manager Kim Bu-yeong.
“… … !”
However, Vice President Jang Chang-sik, who followed behind, was shocked and opened his mouth.
They were shocked by the words of Sales Team Leader Kim Bu-young, who said that they would fight against Walmart, which even large Korean companies would take a step back from.
Of course, he was also angry at Walmart’s actions, but that was just his own feeling. He did not want to fight Walmart.
What is even more absurd is the reaction of Director Choi Min-hyeok, who should have stopped this. He seemed to be telling them to go to war with Walmart, saying that he would give them the equipment they need to arm themselves.
“Okay, that’s it. We at KM Electronics don’t have to be passive forever. Be confident. Say what you want to say and live!”
“Now, wait a minute, sir, are you serious?”
“I hope that Manager Jang also learns from Team Leader Kim Bu-young. His subordinate, Manager Cho, suffered the same fate, so shouldn’t he punish him as much as possible?”
“… That’s true, but.”
Deputy Director Jang Chang-sik, who was flustered, looked around the director’s office twice, wondering if he had heard wrong or thought wrong. Fortunately, Team Leader Jo Seong-don was there.
But Team Leader Jo Seong-don was not listening and completely turned away.
“… … .”
Kim Bu-young, the angry sales team leader, got angry and poured out his thoughts, but he never thought that Director Choi Min-hyeok would sympathize with him.
However, Choi Min-hyeok was okay with selling Collins in the US, and it wasn’t bad if he didn’t either. Even if Collins wasn’t sold in the US, it didn’t mean the demand disappeared.
If it weren’t for Walmart, it wouldn’t have been a bad idea to look for another retailer.
This is because exporting to the United States took a long time because demand could not keep up with production.
Minhyuk Choi looked at Vice President Changsik Jang, who was gaping in surprise at the unimaginable development.
“First and foremost, stop negotiating with Walmart. Look for other distributors. And as for Manager Cho Hoon-seop, hire a lawyer and have him fight formally. That will be a good experience.”
“…Is that really okay?”
“If Collins is difficult to sell in the US, then they just don’t sell it.”
“…yes.”
“wait for a sec.”
However, as Minhyuk Choi spoke, the word ‘Walmart’ suddenly brought back to him the first memory in his life of the full opening of Korean distribution companies.
In fact, not only Walmart but also other distributors are entering Korea.
However, Walmart is unusually joining hands with the Osung Group, including Osung Materials and Osung Electronics. It is making full use of the sales network of the Osung Group.
‘Grandpa is already in a sensitive period these days, so I need to change my method a bit. Even though he’s Grandpa, he probably won’t think I’m using a trick when Walmart is involved, right? Not bad after all.’
“Let’s do this. When negotiating with a lawyer, try to subtly mention the story of Oh Sung Electronics. Say that there is nothing in Korea that cannot be done with Oh Sung Electronics. Putting pressure on KM Electronics is a piece of cake. If Walmart hears that, they will probably make a lot of concessions.”
“… Oh, I understand.”
Vice President Jang Chang-sik didn’t know what Choi Min-hyeok’s intentions were, so even if he thought about it more, he couldn’t figure out Choi Min-hyeok’s thoughts.
If we add in five-star electronics, the problem will become more complicated… … .
After the conversation, Sales Manager Kim Bu-young also thought that he might have been overreacting, but after thinking about MP3, he realized that it was unnecessary.
‘But why do you insist on involving Oseong Electronics in this?’
* * *
As Deputy Manager Jang Chang-sik left the office, the anger he had felt when he first entered completely disappeared. Instead, he glanced back at the office with worried eyes before sitting next to Sales Team Leader Kim Bu-yeong.
“Manager Kim, are you sure it’s okay?”
“Why is the guy who was always going on about getting revenge on Walmart doing that?”
“No, I’m just angry because I saw Manager Cho being so one-sidedly insulted. But shouldn’t we clearly distinguish between public and private life?”
“Our boss likes his private life, so don’t worry about it.”
“… Are you serious?”
Kim Bu-young, the sales manager who couldn’t talk about MP3, realized what Choi Min-hyeok had wanted. He said that something or other would happen. It wasn’t just a rumor.
‘Well, Vice Chairman Choi Moon-kyung is always eyeing us, and Oh Sung Electronics is glaring with greed right next to us. There can’t be a single day of peace. MP3 is the breakthrough. So from now on, I’m telling you not to worry about any companies.’
Of course, he also felt a bit burdened by the company called Walmart.
But if you think about MP3s, it’s a different story.
What is contained in the MP3 is a deep thought.
Even Walmart will have to be in the same position to receive future MP3 shipments.
“Director Jang, let’s live with dignity. That’s what Director Choi Min-hyeok wants. We, the employees of KM Electronics, want to live without bowing down to anyone in the world.”
Vice President Jang Chang-sik lowered his voice and persuaded Sales Team Manager Kim Bu-yeong.
“Ha, does everything in this world go as planned? Oh, really, what would happen if a salesperson said something like that? Manager Kim keeps saying that, so I’m really worried.”
“Tch, you call that a conversation now? Stop talking nonsense, go to the legal team and wrap this up quickly. And if Walmart says anything else, don’t listen to them at all. I won’t talk to them for a while. Instead, use the instructions the director gave you well and negotiate a compromise at the right time!”
“… Honestly, it’s a refreshing instruction, so I like it. But I’m really worried… … .”
“shut up!”
“…All right.”
Deputy Manager Jang Chang-sik also checked the mood of Sales Team Leader Kim Bu-yeong several times before eventually running to the legal team.
Sales Team Leader Kim Bu-yeong chuckled as he recalled Director Choi Min-hyeok’s instructions. It felt like all the emotions he had accumulated while working in sales had been blown away.
‘Well, as you live, there are times like this. Honestly, it’s really refreshing.’
* * *
Walmart, ranked 5th in sales by an American business magazine this year, recorded sales of $100 billion this year. It is the world’s unrivaled distributor.
From Walmart’s perspective, KM Electronics was nothing more than a mayfly.
However, recently, the KM Electronics sales team unilaterally applied the contract to KM Electronics, asserting that the companies cooperating with each other are equal.
Walmart was outrageous.
Director Mark Miller was so upset with KM Electronics’ actions that he egged on Dennis Kim to deliberately provoke the KM Electronics sales team.
I thought that if I compromised within a reasonable amount of time, they would understand.
But things have changed.
Dennis Kim told the whole story to Director Mark Miller with a puzzled look on his face.
“I can’t have a conversation at all.”
“You’re really stubborn.”
“What should we do? We are getting a steady stream of requests from customers for Collins products, especially from people with contacts in Europe.”
“There’s nothing we can do. First, let’s select five states including New York and receive the goods.”
But things didn’t work out as planned.
When Dennis Kim asked KM Electronics again, the response was different than before.
“I don’t do business with you.”
“… … ?”
A bewildered Dennis Kim also tried contacting her again through various channels.
Unfortunately, KM Electronics didn’t even bother to compete with Walmart.
Director Mark Miller also belatedly took action when he realized the situation. However, even though he did, not much changed.
‘Ha, are there really such crazy people?’
Even if KM Electronics said they would do as the contract requested, it would not work at all.
Dennis Kim heard about Osung Electronics during negotiations with KM Electronics and thought it might be a good idea to take advantage of the company’s moves to enter the Korean distribution market.
“How about asking for help from the Osung Group through Osung Materials?”
“Osung Industrial? Osung Group? What are you talking about?”
Dennis Kim knows the power of the Korean conglomerates well, and he put it aptly.
Mark Miller also stuck out his tongue after hearing that story.
“Is the power of the Ohseong Group that great?”
“It’s different from our country. The Oseong Group has a strong influence on Korean politics.”
“A kind of lobby group.”
After much deliberation, he finally accepted Dennis Kim’s advice.
“Contact Oseong Materials and make an appointment.”
“Oh, I understand.”
* * *
Planning Director Kwon Tae-seong was actually interested in what was going on at KM Electronics. However, after watching the goings-on between Director Lee Chang-myeong and ETRI, he was now sick of it.
He did some additional research because of the connection with Sisbell, but he didn’t get any more information. No, he didn’t even imagine a new satellite broadcasting system.
This was an issue that even Director Park Jae-ho was not fully aware of.
Team Leader Oh Hyeon-jong and Team Leader Kim Seung-gu maintained maximum security, and the research team led by Dr. Kim Moon-ho, who received instructions, hated Oh Sung Electronics so much that they did not leak a single piece of information.
If Director Kwon Tae-seong only handled KM Electronics or ETRI work, he could continue to sell, but he is also a very busy person.
This is because American distributors have recently begun to make full-scale inroads into the domestic market.
Walmart’s East Asia director, Marc Miller, visited Price Club and had a close conversation with Osung executives as they discussed opening up the retail market next year.
Planning Director Kwon Tae-seong was also introduced through Oh Sung Trading’s Executive Director Lee Sang-myeong.
“This is Planning Director Kwon Tae-seong.”
“This is Director Mark Miller.”
Walmart also planned to establish a close relationship with Osung Electronics along with conducting an on-site inspection of the domestic distribution market.
However, the reason Director Macro met with Planning Director Kwon Tae-seong here today was not only because of Osung Trading.
“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will likely ask battery distributors to cooperate in battery collection.”
Thanks to environmentalists, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was set to impose separate collection costs, similar to Korea’s waste deposit system.
Energy-saving standards for home appliances such as air conditioners, washing machines, and refrigerators have been significantly strengthened.
Planning Director Kwon Tae-seong sighed inwardly. This measure was also burdensome for Oseong Electronics. They also needed to prepare for energy-saving standards.
Director Mark Miller opened his mouth with meaningful eyes.
“But we can extend the grace period for Korean companies through the Senate on our side. It doesn’t make sense to tighten the standards right away.”
“thank you.”
He tilted his head at the unexpected offer. There was no way they would offer something like that for free.
I just waited quietly.
“Instead, please help me with one thing in Korea.”
“yes?”
Planning Director Kwon Tae-seong was greatly embarrassed by the unexpected suggestion.
Given Walmart’s immense influence, there was no reason for them to ask him to do it.
But there was definitely a reason.
“This is a distribution contract for Collins, made by KM Electronics.”
The eyes of Planning Director Kwon Tae-seong, nicknamed Android because he was so calm, grew wide.
“Hey, Collins?”
Planning Director Kwon Tae-seong is taken aback by the somewhat unexpected remark.
Even just thinking about KM Electronics and Director Choi Min-hyeok made my teeth chatter.
As for any other business, I really don’t want to be associated with you.
I never thought I’d hear that sensitive story from Walmart executive Marc Miller.
But Mark Miller, who recently learned about the nature of Korean conglomerates, had a different opinion. He highly valued the influence that Oseong Electronics had.