Chapter 362 |
US President Ronald Stamper decided to visit South Korea for two days for the Korea-US summit.
He is scheduled to meet with President Heo Chang-min to discuss various pending issues such as the economy, US Forces Korea, and the North Korean nuclear program. Unusually, his schedule also includes meetings with game companies.
When asked about this by a reporter, Ronald replied:
"Korea has many outstanding game companies. The United States is prepared to offer various forms of support for these companies."
As the US President revealed his intention to attract Korean game companies to the US, criticism once again poured down on the government.
- LOL, Minister Shin Jeon-mi totally ruined the game industry. Truly amazing. I respect her for it.
- Burrrp! Good job ruining Korean games!
- Heo Chang-min, who appointed Shin Jeon-mi, should bow his head and reflect.
- The game regulation bill was co-sponsored by lawmakers from the Freedom People's Party too, what are you talking about?
- Better to go to the US than fight with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family in Hell Joseon.
- Anyway, I hear Ronald is meeting Kang Jin-hoo as soon as he arrives.
- Whoa! What about the President then?
- Kang Jin-hoo comes before the President. Presidents change every 5 years, but Kang Jin-hoo's money will just keep growing.
- Weren't they basically comrades after the Big One? They even received the Nobel Peace Prize together.
***
President Ronald arrived in Korea the day before the summit.
I took a car to the hotel where he was staying. Just like last time, he was staying at the Grand Pharos Hotel, an American hotel chain located in Namsan.
Ronald beamed when he saw me and embraced me.
"It's good to see you again."
"This is the first time since we met in Norway late last year. Have you been well?"
It had been a few months since we last met. When I think about it, being able to meet the President of the United States this often must be a remarkable privilege.
Ronald sat down on the sofa, looking tired.
"My body isn't what it used to be these days. When I was young, I could pull several all-nighters without any problem."
"It seems even the President of the world's most powerful nation can't do anything about aging."
Ronald gave a wry smile at my words.
"You're young, so you might not understand yet, but you'll realize it later. No matter how much money you have, you can't avoid getting old."
Indeed, I don't quite get it yet.
We sat facing each other and talked about what had happened since we last met.
"How are things with the Korean government? I heard you've been clashing over various issues recently."
"Neither good nor bad."
"I heard the Korean President is keeping his distance from you?"
"Well, that's a hundred times better than being close."
Power and money should maintain a certain distance – neither too close nor too far. It's better for both sides to keep some space.
Korea grew through a state-led planned economy, which gave rise to the chronic problem of collusion between politics and business.
It was commonplace for companies to give politicians apple boxes filled with 10,000 won bills disguised as holiday gifts. There were even instances where cash boxes were loaded onto a truck, and the keys were simply handed over – the so-called "cha-ttegi" (truck delivery).
While that might have been the past, it's embarrassing that similar things still happen in the 21st century. Although things have improved considerably compared to before.
"Have you thought about entering politics?"
"No."
Ronald chuckled.
"The people who say they won't go into politics always seem to end up running for something later on."
I smiled too.
"That might happen."
I'm only in my twenties. Even if I have absolutely no intention of getting into politics now, who knows how my thoughts might change as I get older.
"As you probably know, voices within the US calling for checks on OTK Company are gradually growing louder."
The reason is that OTK Company is dominating the automotive market with its autonomous driving and battery technology as weapons.
Experts worried that just as Microsoft dominated computer OS, Gubble dominated internet search, AMZ dominated online commerce, and FaceNote dominated SNS, OTK Company would dominate the mobility market through CarOS.
It hasn't reached the point of affecting the entire market yet, but as the adoption of autonomous electric vehicles increases, the controversy over monopoly will inevitably grow.
"The reason it hasn't become a major issue in political circles yet is because you're the hero who saved America during the Big One. Also, CarOS is cooperating with GM and Ford. But the media keeps pointing out that you have too much money."
Strictly speaking, I don't possess that money directly. It's just how people value the shares I hold.
Even so, it's true the valuation is excessively high. Compared to the second richest person, AMZ CEO Jake Byron, the difference is more than eightfold.
Wealth unprecedented in human history is in my hands.
Ronald said casually.
"Have you ever thought about becoming a US citizen?"
Actually, it wasn't something I hadn't considered. After all, I'm already being criticized as a "black-haired American."
"I'll think about it."
***
After finishing his two-day schedule in Korea, President Ronald left for Japan. Unlike China, which had been completely defeated in the trade war with the US, Japan's situation was ongoing.
Prime Minister Okazaki barely managed to win re-election, but his power base was significantly weakened compared to before. Ronald intends to press Japan hard to extract as many concessions as possible. This would be a headache for PM Okazaki, who was already facing criticism from within his own Jaman Party.
I was at work with nothing much to do, just hanging around, when Taek-gyu looked out the window and said,
"Isn't this a bit much?"
"It's not just a bit much, it's way too much."
On a clear day, you can see the view of the Gangnam area. But now, the hazy dust made it difficult to even see the roads clearly.
It felt like the entire building was submerged in mist. Cars were driving with their headlights on despite it being broad daylight. All the employees came to work wearing masks, and air purifiers throughout the building were running intensely.
"Fine dust 'Made in China' is rolling in almost daily. Shouldn't we be saying something to China?"
"We did, but it fell on deaf ears."
China vehemently denied that the fine dust was their fault, playing innocent. Yet, when Korea proposed a joint investigation, they rejected it flatly.
However, even if an investigation proved it was China's fault, there isn't a proper way to resolve it. And surprisingly, China has actually been making efforts in its own way.
"If Korea is suffering this much from Chinese fine dust, imagine how bad the situation must be in China?"
If water or food is contaminated, you can at least buy alternatives, but you can't do that with air.
In short, whether you're rich, a high-ranking Communist Party official, or an ordinary citizen, everyone breathes the same air. As such, the Communist Party is also fighting for its life when it comes to environmental issues.
"They could just increase clean energy."
"You think they aren't trying?"
It might seem like China has little interest in clean energy, but that's a huge misconception.
Over the past decade, the Chinese government has poured enormous subsidies into increasing the share of renewable energy. Related companies sprouted up like mushrooms, and solar panels were laid out like grass in deserts, with wind turbines covering mountain ranges.
But no matter how much they increase renewables, it's impossible to cover the amount of power China needs.
"China has a fundamental problem with its energy structure."
In modern society, energy is the foundation of a nation. Therefore, superpowers have put immense effort into securing energy.
Russia, rich in oil and natural gas, has never worried much about energy. The US, before the shale revolution, worked to secure Middle Eastern oil stably, but after the shale revolution, it transformed into a nation that not only achieved energy self-sufficiency but also exports energy.
However, China still relies on imports for most of its energy. To increase energy self-sufficiency, they expanded exploration and drilling in nearby waters, achieving some success in oil and gas extraction, but it's nowhere near enough compared to the increase in consumption.
Their most abundant energy resource is coal. So, they built numerous coal-fired power plants, ran factories on coal, and even used coal for household heating. The result is the fine dust that blankets the sky.
Yet, they can't simply shut down power plants and factories.
So, the conclusion they reached is ultimately nuclear power. Currently, 15 nuclear reactors are under construction in China, with plans to build 40 more in the future.
However, most of these nuclear plants are concentrated on the eastern coast. Some are even being built on the Shandong Peninsula, which is practically right next to Korea.
"Why build them there?"
"It's natural to build nuclear power plants near the coast where cooling water is readily available for reactor cooling. Also, since China's coastal cities are developed, industrial complexes are clustered around them."
Nuclear plants and industrial complexes are better off being close. It's the same principle in Korea, where power-hungry steel mills and shipyards are located near nuclear plants.
"If there's an accident there, won't we die too?"
"Surely an accident won't happen?"
"But the reactors are Made in China."
"Made in China is decent these days. And they wouldn't build nuclear plants carelessly unless they were crazy."
A nuclear accident causes astronomical damage. Just look at the Fukushima accident – Japan managed to endure it to that extent because it was Japan; another country's economy would have collapsed.
If a Chinese nuclear plant exploded causing damage to Korea, mainland China itself would become a literal radioactive hellscape.
In decades, only three major nuclear accidents have occurred worldwide. And lessons learned from these accidents have further strengthened safety measures.
Taek-gyu tilted his head.
"But putting it that way means accidents do happen."
"Well, yes."
What if, by some chance, an accident did occur?
China would suffer damage due to its own mistake, but Korea would suffer damage alongside them despite having done nothing wrong.
"But we can't stop them from building nuclear plants either. If they built coal-fired power plants instead, it would be an even bigger problem."
"Hmm, so if China runs coal plants, we die breathing fine dust, and if they run nuclear plants, we die together in an accident?"
"Correct."
Either way, we have a troublesome neighbor next door.
It's also hard to speak strongly diplomatically because China is Korea's largest export market. Due to this significant economic dependence, any trade retaliation would cause severe damage.
"Well, separate from that, it's not like the government is doing a great job with diplomacy either."
Diplomatic power is closely related to national power. It would be great if our economic and military strength were such that we didn't have to worry about other countries, but that's not the reality.
Although Korea is in a disadvantageous position in diplomacy with superpowers, thinking back, there has never been a time since Gojoseon when there weren't powerful nations nearby.
So, we must strive to achieve the best possible outcome within the given environment.
Taek-gyu nodded and said.
"By the way. Isn't the fact that Korea's relations with China and Japan are bad right now partly your fault?"
"...That's a very good point."
Anti-Korean sentiment soared in China after the Zhou Auto incident and in Japan after the Nishida Securities incident.
Far-right politicians in both countries still burst veins in their foreheads and spewed curses whenever my name came up.
"The Global Times or something compared you to Wang Mang, Dong Zhuo, Cao Cao, and Sima Yi. Which of the four do you like best?"
"...I hate them all."
Still, comparing me to those four is a bit harsh, isn't it?
***
After OTK Company invested in Rosatom, the Traveling Wave Reactor (TWR) development plan proceeded smoothly.
No matter how difficult the Russian economy was, if they set their minds to it, they could easily secure funding for experiments. The reason experiments had been halted before was skepticism about the chances of success.
Indeed, Russian nuclear technology was evaluated as being about three years behind that of the US.
However, the situation changed after Kang Jin-hoo stepped in. Beyond the $1 billion investment, his involvement itself implied a high probability of success.
The Russian government and Rosatom alike did their utmost to support and cooperate with the experiment. Even Professor Petrov, the chief researcher, was surprised by the sudden change in attitude.
The world's attention was focused on the experiment to be conducted at the 500 MWe reactor built near Kursk.
With thorough preparations in place to cool the reactor in case of any contingency, the experiment began.
As everyone held their breath, Professor Petrov pressed the button.
First, a small amount of enriched uranium (235U) initiated a nuclear reaction. Then, depleted uranium (238U) began to burn, and liquid metallic sodium absorbed the heat, converting it into electrical energy.
"Reaction rate normal!"
"Coolant temperature normal!"
"Radiation levels normal!"
The feared accident did not occur.
Upon confirming that the fuel rod was slowly burning like a lit cigar, the officials erupted in cheers and applause.
Only then did Professor Petrov let out a sigh of relief, and the researchers who had toiled together for so long rejoiced, embracing each other.
Although hurdles remained before commercialization, it was confirmed that the TWR, which had previously existed only in theory, could be realized in practice!
This news was immediately relayed to the Kremlin in Moscow.
President Vysotsky held a press conference to announce it to the media.
"The Traveling Wave Reactor experiment conducted by Professor Petrov's team has succeeded. The Russian government will spare no support to commercialize this technology. This is a victory for Russian technology and a victory for the Russian people. Russia has now become the world's leading nuclear power nation. Nuclear material, which once threatened humanity, will now be used for the prosperity of humankind!"