Chapter 384 |
Kang Jin-hoo's visit was a major event, not just in Germany, but across all of Europe.
And why wouldn't it be? He was young and the wealthiest man in the world. With that kind of money, he could sway nations.
One only had to look at how Korea's international standing had transformed due to his presence.
Most importantly, he was still single.
European royalty, nobility, and the wealthy all had their sights set on Kang Jin-hoo, while celebrities, models, and ordinary women alike dreamed of their own Cinderella story.
They tried various methods to catch his eye, from inviting him to parties to bringing their daughters to meetings, but he invariably brought his girlfriend along. And that girlfriend possessed a beauty that wouldn't be out of place modeling in Paris or Milan.
It was already a known fact that the two were living together. Of course, a romantic relationship could end at any time, but...
Since they attended all engagements together, women couldn't even find an opportunity to approach him.
Then, a new thought began to circulate among them.
‘Ah! I want to see the Vice President.’
‘The second-in-command would do just fine.’
‘Not as much as Kang Jin-hoo, but he’s the second richest man in the world, isn’t he?’
‘Rumor has it he’s the real power behind the throne…’
‘Could I meet him if I went to Korea?’
The person in question, blissfully unaware of these thoughts, was enjoying a happy moment lounging on a sofa.
***
In economics, monopolies are detrimental.
They undermine the fundamental principles of the market. Yet, if you look around, there are quite a few companies enjoying monopolistic positions.
Microsoft's Windows, Gooble's search engine and Andromeda OS, Adobe's application software, Intel's computer CPUs, Qualcomm's smartphone APs, and so on.
CarOS also held a monopolistic position in the autonomous driving sector, but, like Microsoft, we adopted a strategy of selling software.
Therefore, other car companies could use CarOS's software as long as they paid a certain fee. Of course, since cars are more expensive than computers, the fee would be correspondingly higher.
It was up to companies like GM, Ford, and Eunsung Motors to choose whether to enter CarOS's ecosystem or create their own.
German automakers held meetings day after day. After CarOS began its solo run, the German "Big Three" had gathered to jointly develop autonomous driving and electric vehicles.
They had believed they could catch up, confident in the supremacy of German automotive technology, but the results were underwhelming.
Truthfully, there was no need to elaborate on German automotive technology. Not only their engines and transmissions but also their design, various options, and convenience features were unparalleled.
CarOS had made significant advancements, but it still had a long way to go to match Mercedes or BMW in terms of luxurious interior finishing or leather texture.
However, that was one thing; when it came to autonomous driving technology and battery technology, it was a different story.
The German Big Three had also completed driverless car experiments in various countries, but they hadn't yet reached the mass production stage. In contrast, CarOS was already pilot-operating driverless taxis, continuously widening the technological gap.
They all clicked their tongues inwardly. Who could have imagined that the traditional German Big Three would be outpaced by a new company?
It was simply that they'd been a little late to embrace change.
CarOS was currently exporting to Europe, but export volumes weren't very high as they were concentrating on the US market. Merely keeping up with new car launches and North American demand was challenging, limiting their export expansion prospects.
However, more important than immediate sales figures was brand recognition. CarOS had firmly established its image in Europe as the car with the most cutting-edge technology.
Although they hadn't yet launched large luxury car models, it was highly probable they would enter this market segment soon.
Even if CarOS focused on the North American market, GM, Ford, and Eunsung Motors had dozens of factories in Europe.
What would happen if the OTK Battery supply situation improved and all these factories were converted to electric vehicle plants?
Moreover, the EU had stricter environmental regulations compared to other regions and was generously supporting the increase of eco-friendly vehicles.
Germany would try to protect its domestic companies somehow, but other EU countries wouldn't necessarily do the same. In France, the President himself was already actively pursuing an alliance with CarOS.
The reason Japan had changed its stance recently was also due to CarOS's power in the automotive industry.
While everyone hesitated to make a decision, Tobias Hilbert, Chairman of the BMW Group, spoke up.
"We have no more time to hesitate. If time passes, we might find ourselves begging CarOS. We need to quickly form a technical alliance and secure the high-end car market where CarOS hasn't yet entered with autonomous electric vehicles."
The BMW Group had maintained a continuous relationship with the Seosung Group, previously using Seosung SB batteries, and Chairman Hilbert had a personal friendship with Chairman Im Jin-yong.
However, Günter Hartmann, Chairman of Daimler AG, and Georg Löhe, Chairman of the Volkswagen Group, had slightly different opinions.
Daimler AG was in favor of investing more in independent technology development, while the Volkswagen Group maintained that while they could procure OTK batteries, they should absolutely not accept CarOS's autonomous driving technology.
The three companies decided to continue their joint cooperation but ultimately to go their separate ways.
***
Chairman Im Jin-yong met with various European automakers, conducting a sales blitz.
Just as Qualcomm sells more APs as smartphone adoption increases, Seosung Electronics and Seosung SB stand to benefit as autonomous electric vehicles become more prevalent.
That's why the chairman himself was hitting the pavement.
Although the trade dispute between Korea and Japan ended with Japan backing down, the scale of Korea-EU economic cooperation expanded even further.
The scope of cooperation significantly broadened beyond the original targets of precision machinery, materials, and parts to include culture, tourism, and finance.
Executives and working-level staff from EU companies flocked to Berlin, making it difficult to find hotel rooms.
Meeting requests poured in from all directions. Among them were invitations from royal families and noble houses: the King of the Netherlands, the King of Spain, the King of Denmark, the King of Belgium, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and so on.
Though the privileges of nobility had vanished, titles remained in some countries.
"It's fascinating. Royalty and nobility in the 21st century."
Ellie smiled. "Why the sudden surprise? You've met the King of Norway before."
The history of Korean wealth spans only a few decades. In that time, chaebols had built their own fortresses. But European royalty and nobility had inherited their honor for ages, and the wealthy had cultivated their fortunes for hundreds of years.
As such, class structures were entrenched, and breaking into them was incredibly difficult.
"I wonder what it feels like to have a title like King or Grand Duke?"
"Isn't Jin-hoo much better off than a king with no power, only honor? That's why everyone wants to meet you like this. It looks like they're all trying to get something going with you."
Strangely, beautiful women abounded wherever we went. Though no one overtly made a move since Ellie was with me.
Ellie said teasingly, "You must be happy, Jin-hoo. Being so popular."
I chuckled. "They're all after the money."
If it weren't for the money, would they have paid any attention to an Asian young man?
***
While I was in Berlin, anti-refugee and pro-refugee demonstrations flared up again across Europe. Two incidents had occurred almost simultaneously.
One was a boat carrying refugees capsizing while crossing the Mediterranean, resulting in the deaths of about 50 people, including young children. The exact death toll hadn't yet been tallied, and children's bodies were still washing ashore.
The other was a gang rape case involving refugees in Germany. The victim was a university student known for her volunteer work for refugees, which shocked Germans even more profoundly.
This incident fueled negative public opinion about refugees, and even Chancellor Meiders, known for her lenient stance on refugee acceptance, saw her approval ratings drop significantly.
Europe is practically adjacent to Africa and the Middle East, separated only by the Mediterranean Sea. Since crossing the Mediterranean leads directly to Europe, countless refugees fleeing dictatorship, famine, and civil war arrived by boat.
The surging number of refugees was a headache for Europe. The EU has the Schengen Agreement, which guarantees freedom of movement, and border crossings between member states are free.
However, unlike Europeans, who share common values of Christianity and democracy despite different languages, refugees from the Middle East and Africa differ greatly in race, language, religion, and culture.
Chancellor Meiders had repeatedly appealed to EU countries to accept refugees.
It wasn't solely for humanitarian reasons; Europe, like most developed countries, faces severe low birth rates and an aging population. Thus, refugee labor is needed for simple jobs.
But if even Germany, the EU's strongest economy, faced such strong opposition, how much worse would it be in other countries?
No longer able to cope, the EU was barely managing to stop refugees from entering Europe by providing Turkey with substantial financial aid to accommodate them.
Turkey, while pocketing the money, would threaten to stop accepting refugees whenever disputes arose with the EU.
Ellie said, "Ultimately, the UK also left the EU because of the refugee problem."
Brexit had many contributing factors, but refugee quotas played a significant part.
When you think about it, European countries, particularly Britain, bear the greatest responsibility for the political instability in Africa and the Middle East due to their past colonial rule. Now, it was returning as the boomerang of refugees.
"Korea was also in an uproar over refugees not long ago, wasn't it?"
"That's right. We thought it was someone else's problem."
Korea, too, had faced a social issue when dozens of Syrian refugees entered the country and applied for asylum.
We had thought that a civil war in another country had nothing to do with us, but suddenly, the sparks flew our way.
Enjoying rights in the international community comes with responsibilities and duties. With countries less economically powerful than Korea accepting refugees, it's difficult for Korea alone to refuse.
However, Korea is already shouldering the burden of an enormous number of refugees in the form of North Korean defectors. Accepting Middle Eastern refugees on top of that entails the practical problem of cost.
In fact, the most effective way to stop refugees is to stabilize the situation in their home countries, such as by ending civil wars. Then, no more refugees would be generated, and existing ones would likely return.
But the international community has been largely powerless.
Looking at a photo of a coastline in the newspaper, I muttered, "The world really isn't fair."
Children cannot choose their nationality. I, too, didn't become Korean because I wanted to; I was simply born in Korea.
Being born in a developed country alone grants access to many rights, such as healthcare, education, and jobs. But being born in a war-torn country means becoming a refugee.
What on earth did those children do wrong?
"If I made even more money, could I solve problems like that?"
Ellie shook her head. "No. No matter how much money you have, you can't solve all the world's problems."
I gave a wry smile. "I suppose you're right."
Ellie hugged me from behind and said, "But you can help make the world a better place. People can live on even a little hope."
"Can I really do that?"
"Of course. Jin-hoo, you definitely can."
***
My role in Europe was over.
I decided to leave the follow-up to the business leaders themselves and return to Korea. I had one last meeting with the French President and business executives.
President Blanc, urging for expanded investment in France, spoke candidly.
"Europe is grappling with many problems. But no matter the difficulties, we will continue to uphold the value of a united Europe."
Division and conflict yield nothing. A lesson learned, perhaps, thanks to two World Wars.
I nodded. "I, too, will spare no effort in helping Europe's integration and development."