This was not the first time an American ambassador had visited the Taewoo Group.
However, with a change in administration, the U.S. ambassador to South Korea had also changed. Catherine, a Harvard graduate, had become the new ambassador.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I've seen you from afar a few times, but this is the first time I've seen you up close."
"Your Korean is impressive. You're the first American I've met with such excellent pronunciation."
"Well, to become an ambassador to a country, I suppose this level of language skill is a necessity, isn't it?"
Ambassador Catherine stood over 180 cm tall. Her linguistic abilities were exceptional, and she had no trouble communicating in Korean at all.
"I understand we went to the same school," she said.
"Yes, I studied public administration at Harvard. It's a pleasure to meet a fellow Harvard alum here in Korea."
Academic ties were not unique to Korea. In fact, the U.S. often placed more importance on alumni connections, and there was a strong sense of camaraderie among fellow graduates.
"I should have come to see you sooner, but my greetings are late," Catherine continued.
"Well, since we're meeting now, I suppose it's fine. But I must say, Chairman Kim's taste is a bit… unique."
True to form, Ambassador Catherine commented on the office's interior. The decor was so lavish that it reminded one of a medieval royal palace—her remark was unsurprising.
"My grandfather had the interior renovated to tease me. As a result, every guest who visits has something to say about it," Chairman Kim explained.
"You must have a very close relationship with your grandfather," Catherine remarked.
"He's my only living relative, so it's inevitable that we're close."
They spent some time breaking the ice by talking about the office interior.
After a bit more discussion about their school days, Ambassador Catherine finally got to the point.
"I've heard that a pharmaceutical company under the Taewoo Group is producing Tamiflu in large quantities. Would you be able to supply it to the U.S. government? Of course, we plan to purchase it at a price higher than the market rate."
"If the U.S. government requests it, we would naturally comply. But the Taewoo Group would have to take a significant loss. We would need to cancel existing contracts and pay penalties to deliver it to the U.S. government."
Of course, this was a lie.
If one offers something immediately without hesitation, the other party rarely feels grateful. So they played the part of reluctantly negotiating, raising the perceived value of Tamiflu.
"If any country or company causes disadvantage to the Taewoo Group because of this, I promise the White House will take retaliatory measures."
"What good is it to make more enemies? It doesn't matter if the Taewoo Group takes all the criticism."
"So you're asking for some other form of compensation. The U.S. is prepared to accept any conditions," she said.
It was essentially a blank check.
But having a blank check didn't mean one could write any amount they pleased. The figure had to be reasonable enough to continue the conversation.
"How can you make demands to the U.S. government? All I hope for is a cleaner, better world."
"A cleaner world? You don't mean fighting corruption, do you?"
"I'm very concerned about environmental issues."
"It's surprising to hear that a manufacturing giant like the Taewoo Group is interested in environmental issues," she said.
"I'm trying to implement many eco-friendly policies to address global warming. Producing electric vehicles is part of that effort."
I effectively added electric vehicles to her blank check.
However, I wasn't expecting to receive all policies and benefits related to electric vehicles at once.
"So you're asking for policies that support electric vehicle production. I've heard there's already discussion in the political arena about providing EV subsidies."
"Electric vehicles, which produce no carbon emissions, are essential for the environment. Of course, if the performance is poor, customers will ignore them—but the environment should still be nurtured enough to draw attention."
Ultimately, the choice rested with the customers.
But if subsidies were provided, the psychological barrier could be lowered.
"Environmental issues are a topic of interest not only to the White House but also to the ruling party. Implementing subsidy policies isn't difficult, but can electric vehicles really become commercialized if subsidies are offered without any infrastructure in place?"
"That's why we'd like assistance with the issue of EV charging stations as well."
"Are you asking us to cover the costs of building charging stations, or would policy support alone suffice?"
Constructing EV charging stations was far from cheap. While building a regular gas station might require one to two hundred million won, an EV charging station could easily cost over five hundred million won.
Of course, a home EV charger could be purchased for less than twenty million won, but buying both the electric vehicle and the charger would be prohibitively expensive.
"The Taewoo Group plans to partner with various companies to build EV charging stations in major U.S. cities. However, installing them in public institutions, large villas, or apartment complexes will require the U.S. government's assistance."
"That's something we can help with. We can draft legislation to allow EV chargers in public institutions and large buildings, and allocate a budget for the government to subsidize part of the charger cost."
Was it because her Korean was so fluent?
It felt remarkably easy to communicate with Ambassador Catherine.
"Of course, I understand that the U.S. government can't take immediate action. But by the end of this year, several companies plan to release electric vehicles simultaneously."
"If the EVs are well received, the government will promise additional subsidies and benefits. But it won't be easy to win Americans' choices all at once; the U.S. is a somewhat conservative country."
That would become clear once the EVs were released.
For now, they had secured the first round of subsidies and a promise for a second round depending on the EVs' popularity.
"Then we'll send 50% of the inventory to the U.S. government and allocate 50% of production to the U.S. as well."
"That's a bit low. Could we send 70% of the inventory to the U.S.?"
"The new factory has already started additional Tamiflu production. Even sending just 50% of future production is a substantial quantity."
"Let's report that to the White House. Don't worry; the price will be set generously, so it won't be disappointing."
We stood and shook hands.
Ambassador Catherine was not only similar in height but also had a bold, spirited personality—calling her a formidable woman was no exaggeration.
After escorting her to the elevator, I returned to the chairman's office and immediately called David.
"David, how are things looking in Europe? I just finished negotiations with the U.S. government."
[Europe is almost on board as well. We've agreed to receive support for charging stations in exchange for supplying Tamiflu to major cities. The EV subsidies were promised earlier.]
"You solved the EV subsidy issue more easily than I expected."
[They probably think that even if EVs are made, they won't sell.]
"So they decided to support the subsidies easily, since the amount of money involved isn't that large."
Their perspective would likely change once EVs are released by the end of the year.
Of course, even if their perspective changed, the EV subsidies could not be reduced.
[And we've launched a shared mobility business. We've deployed e-bikes and scooters in major cities, including Paris, and the results have been quite good. At worst, it seems we'll recover our costs within three years.]
"Has it been approved in the U.S. yet?"
[It's under review now. We should receive approval by next month at the latest.]
"Korea will probably approve soon as well, so the shared mobility market will really take off starting next month."
The shared mobility market was meant to support the battery industry.
It was a strategic measure to offset losses in the battery sector, at least while EV production ramped up.
[Sales in the shared mobility market seem to be better than expected. Of course, it's a small market for Taewoo Group to operate, but it's still an attractive niche.]
"We'll just recover our costs and then sell it off."
[You're going to abandon this valuable market?]
"It's valuable, but also risky. There's no reason to hold onto it for long."
The shared mobility issue was destined to flare up within a few years.
It was an excellent business for last-mile users but a nightmare for pedestrians and drivers.
Sure, it could generate some profit, but it was better to dispose of it quickly rather than earn bad publicity.
[We'll need to structure the revenue neatly in preparation for the sale.]
"Dimon will take care of that, so don't worry. How's the mood over at GM?"
[It's no joke. There's talk that they've sent a devil in as the executive.]
"He was called a devil in both Japan and Korea. But there's no one better at saving a collapsed car company than him."
For GM, I sent Carlos, the president of Kia Motors.
Known as "the devil from France," he had quickly restored Kia Motors to stability, and now he was entrusted with reviving GM.
[He reportedly walks the factory floor every day, and if anyone takes even a moment to rest, he unleashes a torrent of scolding. There are also stories that he treats people like machines.]
"To save GM, which is in hell, sending a devil is probably necessary. He won't lose in any power struggle with the union either."
[Once matters in Europe and the U.S. are settled, I'll visit Korea.]
"There's no need to go out of your way while you're busy. Once the electric vehicles are released, I'll go to the U.S., and we can meet then."
Preparatory work for the success of the electric vehicles was being carried out simultaneously in multiple areas.
Even the Tamiflu shortage had been used strategically as part of the pre-launch work for the EVs.
The production of Tamiflu had become critically important.
With the U.S. and European governments now acting as clients, the factory had to deliver the exact quantities on schedule without any defects.
That's why I visited Centurion personally to inspect the factory operations.
Perhaps because CEO Seo Jeong-jun truly possessed S-class capabilities, the factory was running flawlessly.
"I plan to stay at the company and monitor the factory in real-time until the new flu subsides," he said.
"You and the staff are working hard. This Chuseok, we should provide generous bonuses. If it's insufficient, the Taewoo Group will support you," I replied.
"No, it's unnecessary. In just a month, we've already achieved what could be considered a year's worth of sales."
Everything that was produced sold immediately.
Naturally, sales surged significantly, and Centurion's corporate value had increased more than twentyfold compared to a month ago.
"As the company grows, managing it becomes increasingly complex."
"I've already requested help from Taewoo IT for network security. Not only are there security experts, but IT professionals are also here to reinforce the company's systems."
"Security is indeed vital in the pharmaceutical industry."
We moved naturally toward the IT department as we talked, intending to encourage the Taewoo IT staff working there.
But I was surprised to see an unexpected face in the department.
"Team Leader Chun is here in person? Usually, you wouldn't send anyone yourself for this," someone remarked.
"I came myself to take a break and provide direct support. The security was much more lax than I expected. As you can see, important data is too easily accessible," she said, reviewing Centurion's key materials.
But she wasn't just noting security flaws—she was also scanning the contents of the important documents.
"Looking at the data, I see a lot of areas where AI could be integrated."
"Do you know pharmaceuticals as well?"
"Of course, I don't know the parts that require specialized expertise, but for simple repetitive experiments, you don't need professional knowledge to get a general understanding of the situation."
Chun Min-jung was already planning something new.
The integration of AI and pharmaceuticals was supposed to begin after the new flu crisis ended—but Chun Min-jung had already started before I could even suggest it.