094 : As I wish
Samcheok, Gangwon-do.
blank. blank.
“Are you there? Is anyone inside?”
We ran all night to find Samhwa Steel, found an old and clumsy signboard, and knocked on the factory door.
If a blast furnace that can be used as a fluidized furnace is found here, the entire report to the president will change.
It can be said that we will not use unverified new technology, but will incorporate the fluidized furnace technology verified by Incheon Steelworks into the integrated steelworks.
“Who are you? From this puppet dawn.”
“Is this Samhwa Steelworks?”
“Yes, but where are you from?”
He stared through the crack in the factory door, but did not open the door.
“My name is Woo Chan-soo, president of Daesae Unemployment. I came to inspect Samhwa Steelworks under the direction of the Blue House.”
I waved at the appointment of the Comprehensive Steelmaking Promotion Committee.
“Ugh! The Blue House?”
At the word Cheongwadae, a person who looked like a Samhwa Steel employee opened the door in amazement.
“Oh, the creditors have already wiped out anything worthwhile, and we have nothing hidden.”
“I didn’t come because of debt. I will look around and tell you.”
I reassured the staff and went inside.
Everything that was of any use had been torn down, and all that remained were the skeletons of the buildings and the blast furnaces standing alone.
I don’t know the exact reason, whether it was because there was no technology to dismantle it, or if it was judged that it was not worth the money compared to the labor required, but I was very fortunate.
“It’s not 6, but a total of 8.”
said Voest in admiration.
It wasn’t all that was in the picture.
The odds are higher than before. You only need to get 4 out of 8.
“Mr. Wöst, let’s go up and see each other.”
“I see.”
Voest’s judgment would be more accurate than mine.
“Oh, it’s dangerous to go up that way…”
“Don’t worry, I’ll climb carefully.”
The staff was worried, but Böst and I climbed up the iron ladder over the blast furnace.
To know the condition of the blast furnace, it was most accurate to look through the fuel inlet at the top.
“Oops, I can’t use this. The refractory material was broken and the cooled molten iron was completely entangled with the blast furnace.”
At first glance, the first blast furnace was unrecoverable.
The tuyere was completely clogged with molten iron and slug.
“Let’s see the next one.”
We diligently checked the condition of each blast furnace.
Things got better the further back we went, and we cheered with a sigh of relief.
I checked a total of 8, the last 3 were in good condition and 1 could be used after somehow repairing the tuyere. It seemed that the iron ore was exhausted and the blast furnace installed at the back could not be turned.
“Mr. Voest, how come you think you can decorate a flow path with this?”
“Yes, with a little work, I think we can handle up to 50 tons instead of 30 tons per blast furnace.”
“So, that means Incheon Steel can pull out 200 tons of molten iron a day.”
“I think so.”
It was said that about 70,000 tons of hot-rolled steel could be produced in one year. Since the heavy plate used for a 230,000-ton oil tanker weighs just over 30,000 tons, thousands of tons are left over even if two large oil tankers are built.
“Wow, Chansu-ya, isn’t that enough?”
“Who knew that such a treasure could be found in Samcheok?”
This isn’t a big deal.
It’ll save you a ton of time.
Since there is a fluidized furnace, Incheon Steel will be able to extract molten iron in just a few months by importing ready-made products from the U.K. or the U.S. only by smelting.
If there were no one watching, I wanted to dance at least.
“Let’s eat before anyone takes notice!”
“Of course. Look, old man. When do the staff here go to work?”
“No one goes to work. I don’t know if my former colleagues stop by to see what’s going on.”
“Were you an employee?”
“Yes, it’s embarrassing, but I worked as a factory manager here.”
Come to think of it, the name Soo-cheol Nam was visible on the left chest, even though it was a worn-out overall.
“Mr. Soo-cheol Nam is the manager in charge of the fluidized furnace of Incheon Steel from today. Contact existing employees. They told us to come quickly because we will take over Samhwa Steel. Of course, we have to start by tearing this blast furnace apart and moving it.”
“Yes? Are you rewriting us? thank you Boss, thank you very much.”
Manager Nam Soo-cheol bent down as if his head was about to touch the ground. You’ve been protecting this factory for a while, so it’s the number one hiring.
Responsibility is the strongest competitiveness of an office worker.
“Sambok-ah, work with Mr. Böst here to take over Samhwa Steel and take care of the staff.”
“Leave it to me. By the way, are you going to go straight to Seoul?”
“It should be. I have to report it to the Blue House.”
If you run now, the time will be just right.
“Where does that bastard’s stamina come from? Then you die… No, even if you don’t go, something big will happen.”
“You have to become steel from your physical strength to run a steel mill, didn’t you know?”
“Oh, go go. Get some sleep on the way.”
Sambok pushed me on the back and put me in the car.
“Secretary Ki, let’s go back to Seoul. Driving is shifted in the middle.”
“no. I had enough rest when my former boss went to the US. Boss, please get some sleep in the car.”
“Thank you, please go to the Blue House.”
“Yes, boss.”
I left the blast furnace of Samhwa Steel and headed for Seoul. The 25-meter blast furnace covered in black soot seemed to shine like a golden tower.
“Really, I have all these luck…”
I fell asleep before I could finish talking to myself.
***
Blue house,
“Oh, are you arriving now?”
“Because the road is a bit blocked.”
As soon as I entered the Blue House, Deputy Minister Yeom Won-cheol rushed to me and led me inside.
It looked really close and came just in time.
“I will listen to the progress report of the general steelworks promotion chairperson.”
At the call of the secretary’s office, I went to the front of the meeting room, and Assistant Secretary Yeom Won-cheol and Director Seok Ki-hoon came out as assistants.
“Imja, briefly explain the results of attracting the vice minister and the future schedule.”
The president sat down at the table and took out a notebook and fountain pen. He was wearing a suit and white shirt, and no tie.
This meant that the work of the integrated steelworks was technical, not political.
Behind the president’s back, many people left their chairs and sat down. They were all wearing white shirts and suits.
The Secretariat, the Economic Planning Board, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Commerce and even a few members of the ruling party attended.
Uh, even Congressman Kim Joong-pil? What’s going on?
“We raised $150 million in investment at the Pittsburgh Conference. Among them, the commercial loan is $40 million, and the rest is equity investment.”
“How much does our government own? It’s a national key industry, so shouldn’t management rights be taken away?”
“Yes, 40 million dollars in commercial loans plus 10 million dollars, which is part of Incheon Steel’s compensation, is 31.25%.”
“You calculated the total capital to be 160 million dollars.”
“Yes. More safely, it seems that the government should invest an additional $10 million to raise the stake to 35%.”
Through final discussions among investors, BR took a 35% share in an alliance with Silverstein, so it would be good for the Korean government to have a 35% as well.
“They say they need another 10 million dollars… Why don’t the owner invest some money? I thought I would have been in charge of the promotion committee.
If I take charge of the integrated steelworks, which is no different from a state-owned enterprise, the government, or more precisely, President Park, will be my employer? Why am I going to a place like that? There is no choice.
The Incheon Steel I received in return is enough.
“The form is a joint stock company, but management should be run according to state-owned enterprises. Of course, I believe that the representative director should be a manager who can represent the country. For a private entrepreneur like me, I think it would be advisable to let go once the first button is filled.”
“You just let it start and let go?”
The president made a displeased expression when I said I had to withdraw. How can I help with building a factory, but even manage Pohang Iron and Steel?
My goal is a conglomerate, not the CEO of Pohang Iron and Steel Company.
Moreover, the thought of being the CEO of Pohang Steelworks in the 1960s is terrifying.
“Right now, the stake is not important, the progress of work is important. I received an investment, but I couldn’t select a site for the factory and didn’t even have a blueprint, right?”
“Who is it?”
At the remark that came in with a hook, the president quickly turned his head.
When he looked back and saw that it was Kim Joong-pil, he only slightly frowned.
“Your Excellency, not only the National Assembly but also the entire nation is looking at this project. This is the largest single project since Dangun, so should we do it in a fist-fighting way?”
“Fisting? Imja, tell me Are you working with your fists as Congressman Kim said?”
The president looked at me and asked.
“Fisting, that’s not true. Currently, we are reviewing technical service partners such as JG of Japan and Bechtel of the United States, so there is just no official design yet.”
I was going to write the blueprints for the Wöst company.
Seeing Kim Joong-pil hit and run like this, how did it seem that he had contact with Japanese connections behind the scenes?
This is an act befitting a pioneer of low-income capitalism.
“Did you hear? There are a lot of problems with the propulsion! It’s not something to be dazed about, and we need to cooperate with Japan as soon as possible to get the blueprint and start construction. Only then can we import original technology from Japan.”
“what? Source technology?”
“Yes, Your Excellency. The Japanese side has expressed its intention to provide original technology as well as blueprints for $800,000.”
“what? Why is a Japanese company that said it only reviewed it even if it called for millions of dollars suddenly did that?”
The president put on a confused expression as to whether he should be delighted or bewildered.
“In the Korea-Japan agreement, it was agreed to spend 30 million dollars in paid loans within this year, so it seems that it was judged that using it for the construction of a steel mill would help improve relations between the two countries.”
“Hmm, it would be nice if the government’s share went up sharply if the paid loan came in at 30 million dollars. Right, President Woo?”
A little while ago, he called me the owner, but he changed it to President Woo and put pressure on me.
It must be the intention to cooperate with Japan to build a steel mill as soon as possible.
‘Huh, why don’t Japanese kids go beyond expectations?’
I laughed out loud at Kim Joong-pil and the Japanese party.
It was a trick that was always done in Japan.
Is there any company that can only exceed 800,000 dollars for an integrated steelworks design?
Giving is just a schematic diagram, and it is obvious that hundreds of engineers will be dispatched to pay for accommodation and education under the pretext of providing technical support.
With that manpower, they will take control of the site, change the design, push in Japanese-made facilities, and eventually change the construction company.
Originally, the technical service cost that was ripped off from the history was more than 10 million dollars, and the same thing was repeated every time Pohang Iron and Steel expanded.
I heard that the Pohang Iron and Steel Company became technologically independent only when it was time for the 4th expansion after suffering for about 10 years.
It must have been Kim Joong-pil who acted as a bridge for that work.
“Yes, if it is $30 million, of course it is an emergency upfront investment. The design will be selected as soon as major technology service companies send a reply. First of all, civil engineering and port construction…”
“ah! You have to take it slow and do the important things first. The construction of a pre-treatment plant.”
A pre-treatment plant? I see you’ve heard something
Do you think it’s an ace card?
“When you say pretreatment, do you mean a sinter plant or a coke plant?”
“Exactly. If a Japanese company builds a pretreatment plant first, it will have the effect of putting pressure on American companies. Isn’t it?”
“That’s right. The Economic Planning Board also strongly approves.”
“As expected, the chairman of the promotion committee should have been Congressman Kim.”
The applause team brought in added a choo-im-sae.
Seriously, it’s embarrassing to say such a thing in front of me, the head of the promotion committee.
There was nothing bad about it.
If an additional 30 million dollars comes in, it can be spent on Pohang Steelworks, and if the money is left over, it can be used for other construction projects.
Not Japan, but the way we want it.
“You are right. We will urgently finalize the blueprint and execute the investment after formally completing the secret tender. That way, you won’t hear any noise from US investors. All work will be carried out with the approval of the President. Would that be okay?”
“Yes, do it. America won’t be very happy if it seems to give Japan preferential treatment. However, keep in mind that our goal is to make the best use of this money and that money to build a great steel mill.”
“Yes, Mr. President.”
Everyone kept their mouths shut when the president said he would approve investment.
“Then, Director Seok Ki-hoon will explain the bidding process of US investors and the project allocation plan. Come forward.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
I passed the microphone to Director Seok before the word about the factory site came out.
It is enough to create an opportunity to have a private meeting with the president and confirm Pohang as the site for the factory.
The promotion committee had already conducted preliminary research on Biin, Gwangyang, Samcheonpo, Pohang, etc., and all members agreed that Pohang was the best location.
Yeongilman Bay in Pohang received the highest rating because it is deep enough to accommodate large boats and easy to secure industrial water.
In order not to be misunderstood, instead of secretary Ki, he ordered Director Seok to secretly purchase 3 million pyeong of land in Pohang.
Kim Joong-pil will push the land that is his birthplace, rain, so if the members of the promotion committee and their faces shine there a few times, all the land speculators will flock there.
As long as I am the chairman of the promotion committee, there will never be a mass production of riches with factory land.
“BR’s bid proposal is…”
Director Seok’s boring report began.
After this work report is finished, the promotion committee will have to spend time writing all sorts of reports, and it will work just fine without me.
It’s been a few days, but I’ve bought valuable time to catch the trend.
***
that evening,
“Sambok, let’s have dinner together tonight.”
“why? Make me work and where are you going?”
“Hey, it’s 100 steps.”
Does my poker face not work for Sambok?
Well, just looking at him makes him playful.
“Damn, I really look like I’m going. tell me where you are going If you’re going far, you should buy some beef.”
Sambok made the sound of Bolmen.
“I’ll go to Ulsan and meet CEO Hwang Hye-seong, catch up on the shipping industry in Busan, then I’ll go to Tokyo and take a flight to Australia.”
I answered as honestly as possible.
“Ulsan, Busan, Ho-O-Zoo~?”
“Why can’t I go to Australia?”
Nancy pointed out an iron ore company called Hammersley in Australia as a resource speculation partner.
“Take it easy, ma’am. You really die then.”
“I’m going to not die. I’m going to get a good night’s sleep while I’m on the plane.”
“I’ll be fine. Hey, what should I do to dry it? You were trying to tell me to bring the employees of Samhwa Steel, help Böst set up the flow furnace, and take care of textile exports at the same time, right?”
“Hey, as expected, Mr. Manager!”
I praised him, but Sambok’s shoulders drooped.
“I must have been born with work clothes. I should change the name to Ilbok instead of Sambok.”
“Work clothes? Fighting until our Ilbok-i and older brother come back!”
“Wanna die?”
I ate beef to my heart’s content with Sambok and headed to Ulsan.
It was a series of forced marches, but it could not be stopped.
In June 1967, it was necessary to gather as much money and resources as possible before things broke out in the Middle East.
