It had been a week since I began Taewoo Group's internal culture reform.
There had been quite a bit of opposition, mostly from the executives, though no one voiced it openly.
After all, no one could outright oppose a policy made by the leader of Taewoo Group.
That didn't mean I had forced every executive to hold their tongue.
Contract-based executives certainly kept a closer eye on my reactions, but those with exceptional skills could jump ship to another company at any time — so they tended to speak their minds.
Fukuda, the head of our Economic Research Institute, was one such case.
And today, the person having lunch with me — Team Leader Chun Min-jung — was another.
"Chairman, I do like the corporate culture reform policy… but can't you relax the overtime rule just a little? You know how it is with IT — overtime is practically a necessity. It's frustrating when we have to stop work in the middle of something."
"Do your best to finish within working hours. If overtime becomes entrenched, won't employees' lives start to feel like a prison? People need to enjoy cultural activities and spend time with their families if they're to enjoy life at the company as well."
This wasn't a policy that would cause anyone real loss.
Overtime, vacations, parental leave, sabbaticals —
They were all about shortening working hours, and as a result, I'd been hearing many reports of improved efficiency.
"These days, people are going to great lengths to get off work on time. They're even cutting down on smoke breaks and timing their trips to the bathroom to match lunch hour."
"When focus improves, the total workload will be about the same whether they leave on time or stay late."
"The overall atmosphere really has gotten better. The person sitting right in front of me told me he and his wife are making plans to have a child."
For now, the low birth rate wasn't a pressing issue.
But in ten years, it would likely become a serious social problem.
Of course, I had no intent to take on society's issues myself — but this was one way to instill the idea that Taewoo Group was different from the rest.
"Doesn't it seem like there are more advantages than drawbacks?"
"We'll have to keep watching over time, but for now, the feedback is definitely positive."
"I'm glad to hear that… though, after conducting that anonymous survey, I realized it created more than a few headaches."
"Taewoo IT was in quite an uproar over the survey as well."
"That's why I was thinking — instead of relying on old-fashioned methods like surveys, why don't we create a space where employees can communicate freely? Of course, their anonymity would be guaranteed."
An anonymous online community for office workers.
Before my regression, such sites had gained massive popularity — but right now, they didn't yet exist.
"To ensure anonymity, we'd have to minimize information collection. But for registration, we still need to verify that they belong to Taewoo Group."
"That can be done by requiring an employee ID or company email during sign-up — and immediately deleting all such information after the account is created."
"Building the site itself won't be hard. But if we want younger employees to actually use it, we should develop it as an app as well."
As expected, Chun Min-jung could take one idea and instantly grasp ten related points.
There was no need for me to go into further detail — she was about to create a service that every office worker would come to rely on.
"Just make sure it allows communication in as free an atmosphere as possible. And block executives from joining."
"You wouldn't let senior citizens play in a kids' café, right? I'll make it so executives can't even access it."
The executives of Taewoo Group were used to being treated with the utmost deference — not just in Korea, but abroad as well.
But on the anonymous employee site, they would become the very definition of unwelcome.
Myself included.
October 2012.
The day a new chapter opened for Taewoo Group.
The company's new headquarters in Seoul's Gangnam district had been completed.
"How do you like it, Grandfather?"
"I like it very much. Hah, you've worked hard. It's all thanks to you. Without you, the Taewoo Group we know today wouldn't even exist."
His eyes grew red with emotion.
Since this was a day too joyful for tears, I decided to tease him a little.
"So, you'll be staying in Korea from now on, right? When the Financial Tower was completed, you only attended the opening ceremony before heading straight back to Vietnam. Now that we have our new headquarters, how about living in Korea for a while?"
"Didn't I already tell you? Until I can hold my great-grandchild in my arms, I won't be coming back to live in Korea — and you can take that as final."
And just like that, the tears in his eyes vanished.
What was in Vietnam that made him cling to it so?
My grandfather had a peculiar fondness, not just for Vietnam, but for the entire Southeast Asia region.
"Still, you'll help out today, right? We're going to have a lot of guests."
"It will be nice to see a lot of familiar faces again after so long."
The completion ceremony began.
After a brief program, we moved on to the real task — welcoming our guests.
The first to arrive was a welcome acquaintance: Chairman Oh Hee-gun of Samjin Group.
"Chairman Kim! How many years has it been? I've heard you've been living in Vietnam, but still… not showing your face even once?"
"My dear friend, if I stayed in Korea, I would just be buried in work all day long. You should hurry up and retire too, and get ready for a comfortable life like me."
Chairman Oh, about the same generation as my grandfather, was only six years his junior.
At their age, a difference of ten years could still make you close friends — so six years was nothing.
And here was my grandfather, chiding him for still refusing to step down as group leader.
"If I had a smart grandson like Chairman Kim, I would've stepped down long ago. But things aren't there yet… I have a few more years of teaching left to do."
"Once you hand the reins over, they'll find a way to handle things. You've always been too meticulous — even back in our business days, it was your blessing and your curse."
"I can't help it — it's just in my nature. Oh, and here we've left today's star standing like a statue! How have you been?"
After finishing his greetings with my grandfather, Chairman Oh Hee-gun's expression changed completely.
While he'd been all warmth and geniality with my grandfather, the look he gave me was sharp and assessing.
"I should have visited more often and paid my respects, but I'm sorry I haven't been able to."
"You're the busiest person in Korea — I understand. Once the massive semiconductor complex you're building in Gyeonggi-do is completed, you'll be even busier."
"The semiconductor plant won't be finished until the third quarter of next year. And most of the factories will be dedicated foundry plants."
Samsung Electronics' main business was semiconductors.
Naturally, they were wary about Taewoo Group building such a large semiconductor park.
Trying to ease his concern, I emphasized the foundry aspect.
"I'm not thrilled about a top Korean conglomerate like Taewoo Group entering the foundry business. If you want to lead the global semiconductor market, shouldn't you handle everything from design to production under one roof?"
"We're investing heavily in the design sector as well, of course. Still, I believe foundry plants are essential if we want to avoid direct competition with our clients."
In some ways, foundries could be seen as subcontractors—just manufacturing chips designed by other firms.
That was why Chairman Oh looked on foundry operations with disfavor.
But foundries were no mere subcontracting game: they were poised to dominate the semiconductor market and become a solid cash cow for Taewoo Group.
"Taewoo Group doesn't produce smartphones, so I suppose running a foundry plant is feasible. But rumor has it you're focusing too much on financial speculation these days. An entrepreneur should never become a mere trader or loan shark."
"I'll keep that in mind."
I accepted Chairman Oh's advice without taking offense.
Of course, it wouldn't change my thinking.
"I'll be going now. It's been a pleasure seeing Chairman Kim again after so long."
"Why leave so soon? We've prepared plenty of good food, and I've brought in some excellent European wine just for you."
"I find it hard to spend much time outside these days — age is catching up to me."
"Nonsense! When I was your age, I was still in my prime. You're a young man — don't start complaining like that."
But Chairman Oh didn't look well.
The Samsung family was legendary for their frail health, and I was already aware that it wouldn't be many years before Samsung
"I'll go see Chairman Oh off. You handle the foreign guests."
"Please, take your time together."
My grandfather strolled off with Chairman Oh, chatting quietly.
In the meantime, a very welcome guest from America approached me.
"Musk! Thank you for coming all the way to Korea."
"For Mr. Kim, of course I had to come."
"I've been hearing nothing but good news about you lately. I heard you've even succeeded in launching a new type of rocket?"
"With NASA's full support, we were able to achieve results quickly."
Musk had succeeded in the first-ever rocket launch by a private company.
Recognized for this achievement, he became an official partner with NASA, developing new rockets and launching countless satellites.
"Now that things have stabilized somewhat, shouldn't we move on to the next project? If we can make the boosters reusable, we could cut launch costs by more than 50%."
"Mr. Kim, you understand my thoughts perfectly. That's exactly why I came all the way to Korea."
"If you need funding, just say the word. I'll invest as much as you want. And if Taewoo Group has any technologies or patents, we can collaborate freely."
SpaceX.
The space exploration company created by Musk.
Its value was rapidly growing — but the moment reusable boosters succeeded, its worth would multiply many times over.
Naturally, the value of my own shares would rise too, so there was no reason to hold back on spending.
"I came to request collaboration with Taewoo Group's AI team. I want to apply their work to orbit corrections and design error fixes."
"If that's what you need, of course we'll help. And I'll increase your investment generously."
"No need to hold back. Developing a booster reuse system costs money everywhere."
Musk smiled slyly as he spoke.
With SpaceX's success and rising electric vehicle sales, he couldn't stop smiling.
"I heard your electric vehicle sales have increased a lot too."
"The synergy with Apple Car pushed sales beyond expectations. And thanks to the GM factory, mass production became possible. That saved us time on building new factories."
Musk's success was my success.
Having stakes in all his ventures meant I could quietly siphon off the benefits without lifting a finger.
"Let's continue growing together. There's still plenty of pie left in the electric vehicle market."
"With infrastructure improving constantly, I'm confident the market will keep expanding. Within 20 years, the electric vehicle market could surpass internal combustion engine cars."
With the electric vehicle discussion complete, I ended my meeting with Musk and prepared to welcome my next guest.
It was someone my grandfather had brought back after seeing Chairman Oh Hee-gun off — Donald Trump, who would become the U.S. president a few years later.