Let's find out what the problem is
After Park Seok announced his withdrawal from the race, talk of a primary within the centrist party died down.
Woo Young-sik, who became the sole candidate of the centrist party, appeared on current affairs programs of several broadcasting stations and told various stories.
Of course, the one who suffered the most was Myeongsu.
By closely monitoring Woo Young-sik, who lacks political sense, he was transformed from prosecutor Woo Young-sik to politician Woo Young-sik.
The opinion polls that came out intermittently were talking about Woo Young-sik's overwhelming victory.
I left the matter related to Woo Young-sik to Myeong-su and then let go.
"Ah, this is finally over."
Choi Woo-shik of KS Group was ousted and Yoon Hyun-joo was officially inaugurated as chairman.
On the day she took office as president, she shocked the business world by declaring that she would sell off several affiliates.
He declared that he would first reorganize the terminal business, which was tightly bound by regulations.
As she promised me, she sold us her terminal manufacturing plant.
"Boss, here's the acquisition contract."
Eva handed me the contract to acquire the factory.
After briefly looking over the neatly organized contract, he nodded with satisfaction.
"Thank you for your hard work. If it weren't for Eva, it would have been a bigger headache."
"It's like I just put my spoon on the table that the boss has prepared."
I'm being humble. Of course, I drew the overall picture.
But it is also true that things were organized more easily thanks to Eva, who is an expert.
"How is Director Yoon Hyun-joo's slush fund laundering going?"
"They are still moving the money around to various accounts. They say it will take some time because they have to move it around without being noticed by the US."
"Really? Then, quickly organize it and hand it over. That way, we can clean it up cleanly. And hand over the KS Group stocks that we have on time."
"Okay, boss!"
"How is the stock management going?"
"We are working on selling slowly over a long period of time. If we throw everything we have, it will have a big impact on the market."
As expected, you should leave the work to capable people.
The amount managed by Mirae Investment, run by Eva, was tens of billions of dollars.
If all the stocks were dumped at once, the stock market could collapse like dominoes.
"Is the market still a flower market?"
"Of course. Actually, I still don't understand why. Why the boss is telling me to liquidate my stocks."
No one could have predicted the economic crisis that would strike a few years later.
No, the people making predictions were already out there.
The US Federal Reserve did the same thing.
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In 2001, the year after the dot-com bubble burst, Federal Reserve Governor Edward Grammich warned of the risks of subprime mortgage lending, and others voiced concerns about a housing bubble.
But such voices could not elicit any response in the current market.
"If you just look at the current situation, you don't understand what I'm saying, right?"
Eva nodded and smiled awkwardly.
Evana Han Kyung-young and I both didn't understand my choice.
Since she was the one walking with me, I decided to give her a little more hints.
"The future I foresee is coming soon. A small typhoon that started in Southeast Asia swept through East Asia. But before the aftermath could even fade, the dot-com bubble burst all over the world."
Eva nodded.
She was one of those who made huge profits from it.
"The US had no choice but to lower its benchmark interest rate from 5.5% to 2% in just one year. This was to release liquidity into the market."
But that didn't stop the Nasdaq from falling.
It only calmed down after falling more than halfway.
And from then on, the seeds of nightmare began to grow.
The decline in the benchmark interest rate did not only affect stock indices.
"After that shock, the world economy began to grow. China's growth in particular was astonishing."
"Isn't this normal behavior? China's economic growth rate is increasing every year. As the base interest rate is lowered, the amount of money released into the market increases, so naturally the market will react."
Eva tilted her head as if to ask what the problem was, and nodded to what he said.
"I would understand if the money had only flowed into the stock market. But that's not the real bomb."
"Wait a minute. The stock market isn't the problem?"
Eva asked back with a surprised look on her face.
"If it's not the stock market… Are you talking about home equity loans, boss?"
Eva's face turned pale as she finally understood what I was trying to say.
"Yes. The home equity loan crisis will be a bombshell that will shake the U.S. economy and the entire world economy."
The desire to have a nice home is a common desire not only among people in the United States but also among people all over the world.
The U.S. government wanted the money released into the market to flow into the stock market.
But as the benchmark interest rate fell, capital from all over the world flowed into the housing market.
From then on, people began to make a big mistake.
The belief that the housing market would continue to rise forever. The moment that belief was shattered was the beginning of the end.
A prime example was nearby.
Because Japan, our neighboring country, just collapsed due to a real estate bubble.
Fortunately, at that time, Japan was able to overcome the crisis alone.
But the 21st century global financial markets are characterized by simultaneity.
If a problem arises on one side, problems inevitably arise on the other side at the same time.
"Are home equity loans that risky? That they could bring down the entire world economy? I know that US home prices have increased by more than 100% in five years. But Wall Street believes that this is a normal increase due to the increase in home ownership and the US government's continued encouragement of home ownership."
The problem was that most investors, including Wall Street, thought this way.
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Since Eva also belongs to the mainstream, she couldn't escape that category.
Well, if it weren't for my memories of my last life, I might have thought the same as Eva.
"You could see it as a normal rise, if the hyenas on Wall Street hadn't jumped in."
"······Boss. What do you mean?"
"I can't tell you everything yet. I can tell you that it's just a matter of timing. The bomb will explode. And the impact will be nothing like the dot-com bubble."
When I said that with confidence, Eva was astonished. She seemed even more astonished because I had rarely been wrong before.
"It's nothing compared to the dot-com bubble?"
"Of course. The dot-com bubble will feel like a flash in the pan."
"The housing market and Wall Street's greed combine to create a bombshell······."
Eva muttered to herself, lost in thought.
"It's homework, Eva. Find out what the problem is. If you find it, I'll grant you one wish."
"What? Really, boss?"
"Have you ever seen me lie? Look it up. You'll see what happens."
Eva will be able to quickly grasp the current market situation.
Mortgage loans are a problem, but the various derivative products derived from those mortgage loans are a bigger problem.
"This will be a chance we will never have again. So, please take your time and collect the funds as I instructed."
"But if you're sure, shouldn't you bet short?"
"Not yet. It's still a small seed. Let it grow until it's about to burst, until you can grow it greedily. The more it piles up, the bigger the fruit we'll be able to eat. Do you know what I mean?"
Eva smiled broadly at my words.
"Okay, I'll take it slow and finish it without shocking the market. But I think it'll take until the end of the year to get all the money back."
"That's enough. I'll be busier next year."
After talking with Eva a little more, I sent her away.
After sending her off, I immediately called America.
- Charlie! Long time no see.
Steve Jobs answered the phone with a cheerful voice.
"Are the launch preparations going well, Jobs?"
― Foxconn is already running the factory at full capacity. But the problem is that it is not clear whether they will be able to meet the desired volume by the launch date.
"Oh, then we will contract manufacture the quantity to be released in Korea."
Jobs' voice lit up at my words.
― Oh, you took over the factory? We tried to poke around, but they asked for an outrageous price. After that, we just walked away. Even if it was Charlie's favor, how dare they do something like that to me? I will never let that company sell my iPhone!
As expected, there's a lasting impression. He doesn't show it to me, but he was originally known for being petty.
I tried to calm down the angry Jobs by laughing at him.
"Haha. They don't have the capacity to release the iPhone right now. And they've already signed an exclusive contract with Korea Telecom, right? They have an exclusive contract with that carrier for the time being, so they can't sell it even if they want to."
― I already received the report. It's a good news agency. But what are you planning to do about Japan? It's time to start preparing and promoting it.
I sighed inwardly at Jobs' words. At times like these, I really wish I had two bodies.
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"I've been a bit busy lately, so I haven't been able to focus on it much. First, the simultaneous release in the US and Korea is a priority. It won't be until next year that it'll be available in the Japanese market, so we can start negotiations a bit later, but… I'll get started right away."
The iPhone, which was originally released exclusively in the United States, was scheduled to be released simultaneously in the United States and Korea, and then distributed to Europe and other parts of the world a few months later.
"Don't worry about China."
- Has China decided on a news agency?
"No, but there is a place to do it."
― You will grant all my demands, right? Otherwise, I will not launch in that country.
"Of course I know. I'm sorry for causing any disruption to the production plan because of me."
I asked Steve Jobs to temporarily close Foxconn's factories in China.
Because of this, the iPhone's production schedule was delayed by several months.
- Don't worry too much, Charlie. I would do anything for you. You're my muse.
I laughed out loud because Jobs was deliberately exaggerating.
"Thank you, Jobs. Then send a technician. It would be better to have an Apple employee come and direct the production equipment."
- Okay. I'll send it right away.
After finishing the call with Jobs, I took a moment to collect my thoughts.
There must be a lot of work to do. After finishing organizing, I immediately called Director Ma.
"Sir, please contact the Jungwoo Group and tell them that an Apple representative will be visiting soon. All of the newly acquired production plants need to be converted into iPhone production facilities."
"Yes. I will convey that."
"And please contact SoftBank and tell them I want to meet with them about the iPhone launch."
"Are you going to Japan yourself?"
I shook my head. Was there really any need for me to move?
"The person who is missing should come. Tell them to come themselves. Or tell them that you will find another partner."
"Understood, boss."
SoftBank did not yet have a telecommunications company.
I heard that Son Jung-ui contacted Apple several times saying he wanted to sell the iPhone in Japan.
But Apple hasn't made any promises.
"Let's see if Chairman Son Jeong-ui flies in a few days."
Son Jeong-ui was once called Japan's richest man with assets exceeding $10 billion, but after the dot-com bubble burst, he was too slow to respond, and his assets fell to $1 billion.
Moreover, his success story was slowly coming to an end as I was the first to invest in the Chinese market where he should have invested.
When the dot-com bubble burst and SoftBank lost 90% of its market capitalization, all kinds of media outlets attacked him, questioning his management skills.
Since a Japanese of Korean descent was called the richest person in Japan, it was obvious how much their pride was hurt.
The shady Japanese media was celebrating his downfall.
"Welcome, Chairman Son."
"It's been a while, Mr. Kim."
Son Jeong-ui visited Korea just one day after making the contact.
"You came earlier than expected."
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"Is it true that Mr. Kim has the exclusive right to distribute iPhones in Japan? Apple said they couldn't confirm it."
"Why would I lie to Chairman Son? Let's sit down and talk slowly."
He came running to Korea with only uncertain information.
This meant that he was pushed to the edge.
< Let's find out what the problem is > End
< These are my conditions >