The Magician’s Memorial - Chapter 412



Only Noblemtl

412. The dawn of upheaval (2)

Representative Jang Myeong-jun.

I’ve seen his face several times.

In particular, the son whom the late Chairman Jang Young-joo of Hyunjae Group cherished was Rep. Jang Myeong-jun.

Therefore, I remember saying hello at a long time at the funeral, and I was able to talk without feeling awkward at the meeting arranged by Representative Choi Jae-seok.

“A brave fortuneteller said that I would meet a noble person this year, and I think it is Chairman Kim. I am so happy to meet you like this.”

“I’m really happy to meet you, too. I remember Chairman Jang Young-joo praising you.”

“My father and Chairman Kim were quite close. Even before he passed away, he praised Chairman Kim so much. I was jealous because he seemed to like Chairman Kim more than his son, me.”

We took a moment to reflect on our memories of Chairman Jang.

After sipping several glasses of wine as a snack to reminisce, I got to the point.

“I was quite taken aback when Representative Choi Jae-seok first asked to meet me. I didn’t know why he was asking to meet someone like me, who is now retiring from politics. I was wondering what I would do if he offered to recruit me to the National Economy Party, but the Gunsan Shipyard “He was talking about something related to this.”

“I was quite surprised to hear that story from Representative Choi Jae-seok. He was thinking a lot about the development of the Honam region and the revival of the Gunsan shipyard.”

Everything was said as if Rep. Choi Jae-seok was in charge.

Although it was a plan I conceived and created, all credit should have gone to Rep. Choi Jae-seok.

“Now! Let’s listen to the story properly. How are you going to save the Gunsan shipyard? Do you know that the shipbuilding industry is in a recession and the Ulsan and Geoje Island shipyards are not properly filling their docks?”

“I know very well. But that doesn’t mean we can let the Gunsan Shipyard collapse like this, right?”

Representative Choi Jae-seok, who had been quiet until now, raised his voice.

It was a very proud appearance, and in fact, it was not the place for Representative Choi Jae-seok to bow his head.

Rather, the person who would benefit the most from reviving the Gunsan shipyard was Rep. Jang Myeong-jun.

Gunsan Shipyard was affiliated with Hyunjae Heavy Industries.

The person who held the largest stake in Current Heavy Industries was Rep. Jang Myeong-jun.

Therefore, if the Gunsan shipyard was revived, Rep. Jang Myeong-jun could benefit greatly.

“I have tried my best to save the Gunsan shipyard. I tried to move the political world and went to meet overseas ship owners to ask for their help. But as you know, the situation is not good.”

“The charter price has not been halved, but has been reduced by 1/10, so no ship owner will want to build a new ship.”

The price of ships produced at shipyards was at least tens of billions of won.

In the case of ultra-large bulk carriers, there were cases where the price was more than $100 million.

Therefore, when market conditions were not good, no one wanted to spend a lot of money to build a ship.

“If charter rates rise again and market conditions improve, the Gunsan shipyard may be able to restart. However, the Gunsan shipyard does not have the strength to hold out until then.”

“What would you do if Chairman Kim could buy you that time?”

“Does Taewoo Group plan to invest in Gunsan Shipyard?”

“It can also be seen as an investment. We are planning to commission the Gunsan Shipyard to build a 200,000-ton ultra-large bulk carrier.”

Rep. Jang Myeong-jun swallowed his saliva.

In a frozen market, receiving orders worth close to $100 million was an opportunity that did not come easily.

Nevertheless, like a seasoned politician, Rep. Jang Myeong-jun did not open his mind easily.

“There is no shipping company in Taewoo Group, right?”

“Taewoo Corp. owns a number of ships. It would not be strange to add a few large bulk carriers.”

“Did you say ‘several ships’, not one ship?”

As expected, you are skilled.

It was Rep. Jang Myeong-jun, who could quickly catch a slip of tongue by pretending to make a mistake.

“Can the Gunsan Shipyard be saved with just one bulk carrier? Wouldn’t it be necessary to have at least 5 ships to provide work to the Gunsan Shipyard and other small and medium-sized companies around it?”

“It has to be that much to save the Gunsan region itself.”

“Of course, we cannot request that all five ships be built in the 200,000-ton class, and we would like to request that the remaining four be built in the 100,000-ton class. Also, can we request natural gas carriers as well?”

“Of course not!”

The price of a 100,000-ton ship was around $50 million.

And the price of an LNG ship was very expensive, up to $200 million.

So, if Gunsan Shipyard signed a contract with Taewoo Group, it would have achieved orders worth $500 million at once.

“With an order worth about $500 million, wouldn’t the Gunsan Shipyard be able to survive for a while?”

“It is not enough to put you on a ventilator, but to the point where you can get up and walk again.”

“Actually, I was going to request it from another shipyard, but Rep. Choi Jae-seok said that regional development can only be achieved if we request it from Gunsan Shipyard, so I am making this suggestion.”

This work was for Representative Choi Jae-seok and the National Economy Party.

That’s why he made this decision, and Rep. Jang Myeong-jun quickly reached out and grabbed Rep. Choi Jae-seok’s hand.

“Thank you. Thanks to Representative Choi Jae-seok, the Gunsan region was able to survive.”

“It’s still not enough. This amount of orders is not enough to save the entire Gunsan region as before. I will continue to meet with various companies and work hard to sign more contracts.”

“I’m embarrassed. Representative Choi Jae-seok is doing what I need to do. If there’s anything I can do to help in the future, just let me know.”

Rep. Jang Myeong-jun has completely passed over.

How could one not be thankful for Rep. Choi Jae-seok, who brought $500 million in orders to the shipbuilding industry in recession?

“The National Economic Party plans to continue working for the economic development of not only the Honam region but also the entire Republic of Korea. It is enough for Rep. Jang Myung-jun to understand this.”

“I understand. But is it okay for me to know this deep meaning? I will help everyone understand the sincerity of the National Economy Party. If necessary, I can leave the party and join the National Economy Party. If that is burdensome, the National Economy Party “I will at least hold a press conference to praise.”

It was Rep. Jang Myeong-jun, who was said to be past his prime.

However, at one time, he was the person who ranked first in approval ratings for the presidential candidate.

He still had potential and was a politician with a strong support base.

Moreover, he had a love-hate relationship with Gunsan residents.

How effective would it be if such a person were to come forward and promote the National Economy Party?

As a seasoned politician, he would take care of promotional activities that would benefit the National Economy Party.

* * *

A few days later.

Rep. Jang Myeong-jun held a large-scale press conference in front of the Gunsan Shipyard.

As rumors were circulating that the Gunsan shipyard would be closed, the press conference had a very hostile atmosphere, with many workers wearing headbands participating.

“I am absolutely against the closure of the Gunsan Shipyard!”

“Hyundai Heavy Industries should not give up on Gunsan!”

Even before the press conference took place, the voices of the protesters filled the scene.

Nevertheless, Rep. Jang Myeong-jun confidently stepped forward to the press conference.

He bowed his head and apologized not to the reporters but to the protesters.

[sorry. Let me start with an apology. Although I do not have management rights, as the person who holds the largest share, I would like to apologize for taking responsibility for the recession at the Gunsan Shipyard.]

Company managers rarely apologize for anything.

Moreover, politicians rarely apologize.

In the case of Rep. Jang Myeong-jun, he could be seen as both a manager and a politician, and as such, it was enough to attract public attention.

[I thought I did my best to save the Gunsan Shipyard. But no. Unlike me, who could not find the answer for several years, Rep. Choi Jae-seok of the National Economy Party found a way to save the Gunsan Shipyard.]

It was Rep. Jang Myeong-jun who suddenly mentioned Rep. Choi Jae-seok.

It was a name that was enough to keep the reporters’ fingers busy.

[Thanks to Representative Choi Jae-seok’s efforts, we succeeded in receiving a ship order worth $500 million! All docks at Gunsan Shipyard are now operational. And unlike a typical contract, we signed a contract to receive a lump sum of $500 million.]

In the case of ships, there was no case where a lump sum payment was calculated.

Only 10-20% was received as a down payment, and the balance could be received only after 2 years or more.

However, shipyards in the Gunsan area, which were suffering from a funding crunch, needed the money to spend immediately.

The protesters let out loud cheers when they heard that the ship was paid for in a lump sum.

“Wow! Jang Myung-jun! Jang Myung-jun!”

[I didn’t do anything. This is an order that Congressman Choi Jae-seok won by personally meeting with each company representative. Therefore, I apologize again. I was so incompetent.]

Is this the spirit of a politician who has decided to retire?

Rep. Jang Myung-jun shined even brighter than when he was a presidential candidate, and the protesters were moved by his every word.

[It may not be right for me, as a member of the ruling party, to say this. I felt that the National Economy Party was sincerely working for the development of Honam. I felt so shabby in front of the National Economy Party and Representative Choi Jae-seok. Therefore, I declare that I will not run in the next general election.]

Members of the National Assembly put their lives on the line.

Therefore, not running in the general election could be said to be the best card a member of the National Assembly could play.

It was Rep. Jang Myeong-jun who used the best card for Rep. Choi Jae-seok and the National Economy Party, and a fittingly enthusiastic response erupted.

Even Vice President Han and I, who were watching it on TV, applauded.

It was a moment when I felt the reward of investing 500 million dollars, and I was impressed by the skill of a multi-term politician.

“I had no idea Rep. Jang Myung-jun would go this far.”

“It seems like he is burning his political life very hot. It seems like a better choice than continuing his political life lamely by remaining in the ruling party.”

“Rep. Jang Myeong-jun used his own body as firewood to start a fire. Can’t the fire be put out easily?”

“We have taken steps to raise the issue through social media and video platforms.”

The power of the media is not what it used to be.

Of course, the media still has overwhelming influence.

With the emergence of SNS and video platforms, the era when the media monopolized information has passed.

And it was Taewo Group that monopolized social media and video platforms.

“Fires tend to attract more attention when they break out in multiple places simultaneously. The National Economy Party will soon announce the Saemangeum project.”

“The National Economy Party’s approval ratings in the Honam region are already fluctuating. If they announce the Saemangeum project, it might be worth a try in the next general election.”

The military funds prepared to attack the Honam region amounted to $1 billion.

Of these, $500 million was used for the Gunsan Shipyard, and the remaining $500 million was Saemangeum’s share.

Of course, $500 million was not the end.

Taewo Group’s money was $500 million, and I planned to bring other companies into the Saemangeum business.

If that happens, more than $2 billion in funds will be collected in Saemangeum.

If we hand over all the credit to the National Economy Party, we could very easily raise our approval rating by about 10%.