Chapter 354
Chapter 354
The car produced by the Gunsan Electric Vehicle Industrial Complex is a mid-size sedan. It is a facelifted model of the electric car that Eunsung Motors previously produced.
However, unlike before, it is equipped with an OTK battery and electronic equipment for autonomous driving.
Both mileage and autonomous driving are not very different from the AD series of Karos. In other words, it can run 1,000 kilometers without charging, and it can be driven on the road without driver intervention.
The price is 50 million won, slightly cheaper than AD3. As Korea imposes individual consumption tax, the actual selling price is about the same.
However, it is almost twice as expensive as a gasoline car of similar class. Nevertheless, the reaction was explosive.
Chairman Chan-Young Han said.
“Only 100,000 units are on standby.”
Considering that there are usually 20,000 or 30,000 units in advance of popular car models, this is several times higher.
Chairman Im Jin-yong said.
“If you think of it as just a car, it will be expensive, but if you think of it as an autonomous electric vehicle, it’s reasonable. And the Korean people are very curious about new technologies.”
As it is said, Korea’s Internet penetration rate, computer penetration rate, and smartphone penetration rate are among the highest in the world. Adaptation to change is also very fast.
Perhaps in a few years, everyone will take it for granted that a driverless car will run on the road.
The automobile industry is currently in turmoil. Nikola has collapsed, and Toyota is still dealing with the aftermath of the Nishida Securities crisis. The three German companies have come together as one, but have yet to achieve great results.
On the other hand, GM and Ford, which have partnered with Karos, are planning to target the European market.
When Eunseong Cha and Karos joined hands, there were people who objected, citing concerns about technology dependence, but the stock price showed that this was the right choice.
Money doesn’t lie.
Just like the saying that even a horse must be threaded to become a jewel, no matter how good a technique is, it is of no use if the production does not follow it.
Korea is a manufacturing powerhouse. Eunsung Motors has a facility capable of producing 10 million units per year, and Seosung Electronics has a mass production system for electronic equipment. In addition to Seoseong SB, CL Chemical and SSK Innovation also started producing OTK batteries.
As the manufacturing technology and parts supply chain are strong, it can be said that it is optimized for the production of self-driving electric vehicles.
“As soon as the plant is expanded, we plan to produce SUV models.”
All cars produced here are for domestic use. An electric vehicle industrial complex is already under construction in Vietnam, and another site is planned to be built in Korea.
In addition, the existing factory will be converted into an electric vehicle factory. Transitional arrangements must be approved by the union. The union is now against it, but if the second factory is built and the production of internal combustion locomotives continues to decrease, it will have to be accepted.
While we were talking, the first car produced at the Gunsan Electric Vehicle Industrial Complex was finally revealed.
A car without a driver left the factory and slowly entered the center of the event hall and stopped. The cannons went off and the people applauded in unison. President Huh Chang-min left an autograph in the car as a commemoration.
The president’s congratulatory speech followed.
“The Gunsan Electric Vehicle Industrial Complex is the hope of the Republic of Korea. Korea has now become a country that produces autonomous electric vehicles after the United States. In the future, the government will work with businesses to create more jobs through more innovation.”
* * *
After the event, I had a separate meeting with President Huh Chang-min.
“First of all, I want to thank you on behalf of the people. Thanks to Jinhoo Kang’s investment, new jobs were created.”
“Thanks to the hard work of others.”
Still, it was my biggest decision.
I saw President Huh Chang-min sitting across from me. It’s the first time we’ve met together like this.
When he was a student, the military government was in dictatorship. He and his colleagues fought against the regime, calling for the overthrow of the dictatorship, and, like many, were arrested and taken to the army.
After that, he passed the bar exam and became a lawyer, pleading for workers and the weak. However, there is a limit to how one lawyer can change the world. So he ran as a candidate for the Progressive Party and was elected as a member of the National Assembly. And now he has risen to the presidency.
Even if his ideology is different, looking at the life he has lived so far, it can be said that he is wonderful.
However, past performance does not necessarily guarantee future success. Because even Mao Zedong was the best leader before the revolution.
I remembered Park Si-hyung, who is now in the detention center. I was at odds with him from the start. He used his power to touch us first, and as they confronted each other, it became an irreversible relationship.
But right now, I don’t have much feelings for the president, for better or for worse. What will happen in the future?
President Huh Chang-min asked me.
“I heard that you have invested in the Russian nuclear power plant business this time,” he said.
“Yes. I just thought it was a good opportunity.”
“I’m going to meet President Vysotsky soon, do you have any advice that can help?”
I thought for a moment and then said.
“He seemed to like Tolstoy very much.”
“Oh I see. I must read the book before I go to Russia.”
If you think about it, it is a great privilege to be able to meet the leaders of the United States or Russia without an appointment. It’s like facing the president of Korea like this.
“What do you think about the nuclear phase-out policy?”
As expected of a question, I answered honestly.
“It’s a good policy. If feasible.”
“Are you saying that you think it’s impossible?”
“Because it is impossible, the nuclear power plant is still running.”
A system that generates and transmits electricity is called a grid. The grids are interconnected between neighboring countries, so electricity can be bought and sold as needed.
Germany is able to phase out nuclear power because it has a well-established electric power system with France. And most of France’s electricity comes from nuclear power plants. Instead of giving up their own nuclear power plants, they are borrowing nuclear power plants from other countries.
However, as Korea is actually an island country, the power system is isolated. The electricity used in the country depends only on the amount of domestic electricity generation.
However, Korea is a manufacturing powerhouse. Industries that use a lot of electricity, such as automobiles, shipbuilding, steel, chemicals, and semiconductors, are concentrated.
There are arguments that we need to break out of this industrial structure, but is it right to support successful industries to do better, and to nurture finance and tourism, etc., but is it reasonable to give up industries that other countries have not been able to develop?
This is also true of nuclear power plants. We already have world-class technology, do we need to give up on it?
Of course, we are not dismantling nuclear power plants right away, but we support exporting overseas… … Isn’t this weird?
According to the government’s roadmap, it is only the next administration that will effectively phase out nuclear power.
If this is the case, there is no need to add the word nuclear-free in the first place. It would have been enough to simply ‘change energy policy’ or ‘expand renewable energy’.
“I think increasing the share of renewables is a good thing, but the limitations are clear. As the government fosters renewable energy as a new industry, the energy storage system (ESS) has also increased significantly. However, there have been several fires of unknown cause recently, raising questions about safety.”
Basically, lithium-ion batteries have the property of exploding when subjected to an external shock, and also have a heat problem. Since the products vary by manufacturer, it is not easy to integrate control.
Professor Homin Kim is also developing in the direction of solving the problem.
And contrary to what environmental groups claim, batteries themselves are not so eco-friendly. If you visit a lithium mine and a rare earth mine once, you can really see what a natural destruction site is like. Disposing of used batteries later is also a problem.
“There is a big difference from the electricity reserve ratio predicted when the government pushed ahead with nuclear phase out. As the number of electric vehicles increases and the number of data centers and servers of companies increases, the power reserve ratio will decrease even more.”
“Is a traveling wave reactor the solution?”
“Until there is another solution. If Professor Petrov’s research team succeeds in the experiment, the game will change in the global energy market. What matters is whether Korea is ready here.”
“Are you sure of your success?”
“Warren Boat, chairman of Berkshire Cashier, is also investing in megapower. Investors don’t put their money into a business they think will never succeed.”
President Huh Changmin nodded his head as if he understood.
“As CEO Kang Jin-hoo knows, the influence of OTK Company has now become a situation that no one can ignore. The nuclear phase out controversy is probably just one of them.”
“I have no intention of saying anything about government policy. I just do what I have to do.”
“Even if the cat roams freely, no one cares. But what if the cat is as big as a tiger?”
Even if your cat has absolutely no intention of hurting you, it will inevitably feel threatened. Because someone could die from a paw that was swung as a joke.
“I’ll have to clip his toenails, put him on a leash, and lock him in a cage.”
This also applies to companies.
The regulations applied differ depending on whether the company is a small business, a medium-sized business, or a large corporation. It is only natural to impose more restrictions on large capital.
However, OTK Company is an American corporation and investment company. Since it is not a domestic company, and it does not directly hire or sell products, the Korean government does not have the means to use it even more.
President Huh Chang-min said with a sigh.
“Maybe Korea is too small a country to embrace a person named Jin-hoo Kang.”(Read more @ wuxiax.com)
“It is the 11th largest economy in the world.”
“The value of OTK Company is more than double the annual budget of the 11th largest economy. And sooner or later it will even surpass GDP. Strictly speaking, Korea’s recent economic growth can also be attributed to OTK Company.”
Despite the difficult domestic demand, economic growth has been smooth. The reason is that Seosung Electronics, which accounts for the largest portion of the Korean economy, is performing like crazy due to booming semiconductor and electronics businesses. And the growth of Seosung Electronics is due to the partnership with OTK Company.
“I can tell you one thing for sure. I will not be hostile to Korea with the capital I have.”
“I think so. I did not leave Korea or change my nationality despite many bad things with the previous government.”
President Huh Chang-min brought up a different story.
“Rep. Jang Tae-jin of the Liberty Korea Party is my university senior. He was in the student movement with me, and he was at the forefront of all kinds of hardships.”
Rep. Jang Tae-jin is the most far-right person in the conservative camp. He is still leading the demonstration for the release of Park Si-hyung, pouring out all sorts of nonsense towards the progressive camp.
Those who once fought against the military regime are now praising the military regime as a blessing to the Republic of Korea.
This case is surprisingly common. Among the independence fighters, where are one or two of them who turned pro-Japanese?
People change over time. Even if I have this kind of heart now, I can’t even guarantee that I will do so in the future.
It’s not a question that can be answered right away. It will be like this for a while.
President Huh Chang-min said with a bitter expression.
“To be honest, I don’t know yet whether CEO Kang Jin-hoo and the existence of OTK Company are a blessing to Korea. I think you must have been very disappointed with me.”
I shook my head.
“It’s not like that. I think it’s better to keep it in check than to use it.”
Park Si-hyeong established PAS and took care of his own self-interest by pushing his Eunseong car. I want to give it a high score, at least in that it does not intend to collide with capital power.
President Huh Chang-min held out his hand with a friendly smile, just like when he greeted him for the first time.
“It was a pleasant meeting. I hope to have another opportunity to have this kind of conversation in the future.”
I said holding his hand.
“So do I.”
