I want to be a chaebol

Chapter 197 The First Phase of the North-South Korea Railway

Zhou Zhengyong Stadium is located in the center of Pingjing, next to the unfinished Ryugyong Hotel. Ryugyong Hotel is the tallest pyramid-shaped building in the world, with a height of approximately 330 meters. It is also the tallest vacant building in the world.

The stadium looks very sci-fi, like a flying saucer that landed in the center of Pingjing out of thin air. The stadium roof is made of stainless steel and the exterior walls are made of granite. Whether it is sunlight during the day or lights at night, it shines brightly.

Song Yi looked at the towering Ryugyong Hotel. Although it was not the first time he saw this hotel, he still felt very shocked.

Before Song Yi was reborn, he set off from Andong City, entered North Korea via Sinuiju, and then traveled to Pingjing. At that time, the Ryugyong Hotel received capital injection from the Egyptian telecommunications giant and was finally completed. The entire hotel project costs 3.9 billion yuan.

In order to attract investment from Western investors, North Korea adopted a franchise model for the Ryugyong Hotel. Ryugyong Hotel is only open to foreign tourists, and North Korean residents are not allowed to enter. Because at that time North Korea agreed to hotel operators opening nightclubs, casinos and other leisure venues in the hotel.

Seeing Song Yi staring at the Ryugyong Hotel, Zhou Mengxian asked, "What? Are you interested in taking over the Ryugyong Hotel?"

Seeing that the North Korean officials were already paying attention to the conversation between him and Zhou Mengxian, Song Yi smiled and avoided the topic, "As the saying goes, you can't bite off more than you can chew. Now for us, we can combine the Kaicheng Industrial Park and Mount Kumgang International If these two tourist area projects are well managed, they can turn losses into profits. Asan's current financial situation no longer supports taking over the Ryugyong Hotel project."

Zhou Mengxian knew that Song Yi was a slippery boy. When Zhou Zhengyong and Zhou Mengxian, father and son, visited Pingjing, they were also asked by North Korean leaders whether they could take over the construction of the Ryugyong Hotel project.

Zhou Zhengyong and Song Yi have the same view. Zhou Zhengyong wants to run the two pilot projects of Kaicheng Industrial Park and Mount Kumgang International Tourism Zone first. If Asan Group makes money through these two projects, it will not be too late to invest in Ryugyong Hotel.

Song Yi is the second largest individual shareholder of Ashan Group and still has considerable say in Ashan Group.

On the surface, Zhou Mengxian is the entrepreneur representative of the South Korean delegation, but he knows that he can no longer talk about economic cooperation between North and South Korea. Whether Ashan Group should open new projects or continue to inject capital into original projects required Zheng Enxuan and Song Yi to nod at the same time. He could only make reasonable suggestions.

Zhou Mengxian felt that Song Yi was becoming a guest now. He couldn't even get involved in the marriage of his two daughters.

He is quite satisfied with his eldest daughter Zhou Zhiyi's marriage. Koo Kwang Mok is the future heir to LG Group and is now in charge of the Yangxi semiconductor factory project. He is young and promising, and looks very talented. Zhou Mengxian has nothing to be dissatisfied with.

But he was a little dissatisfied with his second daughter's marriage. Chaebol families generally only have internal marriages, and rarely have political and business marriages. SK's Choi Anyon marrying the president's daughter Song So-young is an exception.

Even though Song Woo-seok has been elected president now, there are several Korean presidents who can spend their old age peacefully. If Zhou Zhuyi marries Song Yuxi's son Song Jianhao, Song Yuxi will end up in a miserable state, and his second daughter Song Zhuyi will also be implicated.

But not only Song Yi, but also his wife Zheng Enxuan and eldest daughter Zhou Zhiyi all approved of the marriage. Zhou Zhiyi has a good relationship with Song Yuxi's daughter Song Jingyan, has also been in contact with Song Jianhao, and has a good impression of him.

Song Jianhao is a standard science and engineering man. He has no intention of entering politics and is obsessed with work and research. In their words, even if Song Woo-seok is impeached in the future, Song Jianhao and Zhou Zhuyi can stay in the mainland and live their small lives.

Brother and sister Song Jianhao and Song Jingyan are now an investment banking elite and the other is a senior executive of LG Group. As long as the two of them don't make financial mistakes or accept bribes, then their integrity will not be afraid of their shadows.

What Zhou Mengxian is now dissatisfied about is that his wife and daughter talk about Song Yi. Song Yi's huge success in business has made his wife and daughter begin to be superstitious about Song Yi's authority. There were times when he thought Song Yi was the head of the family and he became an outsider.

Song Yi could feel Zhou Mengxian's grievance, but he could only slowly adjust himself, he couldn't help. In order to better compete with Samsung, Lotte and SK, Song Yi will also promote the merger of New Asia Media Real Estate Group and Asan Group in the future.

Just like the LG Group, the original Goo family of the LG family and the Heo family of the GS family merged to form the LG Group. The Goo family and the Heo family have been helping each other for three generations. Later, the two families broke up peacefully. The GS Group is also one of the top ranking companies in South Korea. former large consortium.

Although Song Yi said he was not interested in Ryugyong Hotel, in fact he was still a little interested. He took a fancy to the gambling card worth thousands of gold in Ryugyong Hotel. If Ryugyong Hotel is allowed to open a casino, it can attract tourists from the United States, Japan and South Korea to come for consumption and tourism.

In fact, the main frame structure of Ryugyong Hotel has been completely built. It only needs to add glass curtain walls and interior decoration to the Ryugyong Hotel before it can be opened to the public. The hotel is expected to have 3,000 rooms and can receive tens of thousands of tourists every day.

Song Yi plans to find experts in the construction industry after returning to Seoul and ask them to estimate the cost of renewing the Ryugyong Hotel and make a plan in advance, but there is no need to rush now.

North Korea attended the opening ceremony of the Zhou Zhengyong Gymnasium including Kim Dong-shin of the Asia-Pacific Peace Committee and Hwang Hak-hai, a member of the Supreme People's Assembly. Huang Haixue was born in Yeji City, Liaozhong Province. He is a descendant of Korean revolutionaries and is a fellow villager of Song Yi.

Jin Dongshen had dealt with Song Yi, and he recognized Song Yi at a glance, who was even more elegant than before. He introduced Song Yi's identity to Huang Xuehai: "This is Song Yi. His grandmother is the youngest sister of Chairman Zhou Zhengyong. He is now also a well-known entrepreneur in South Korea."

Huang Haixue was very happy and shook hands with Song Yi vigorously. "I witnessed Chairman Zhou Zhengyong's demeanor when he visited Pingjing a few years ago. He is a great entrepreneur who cares about peace on the peninsula and intends to promote the reunification of the peninsula. We Peaceful people from all walks of life in South Korea are welcome to visit Pingjing and conduct friendly exchanges."

"Although we are very close geographically, we have been far apart psychologically for a long time in the past. Of course, since we are willing to move around more and communicate more, we are good friends. It is a joy to have friends from far away. Personally I would like to extend my sincere welcome to your Korean delegation." Huang Xuehai said to Song Yi.

Song Yi replied politely, "Thank you, Congressman Huang. My grandmother is Korean and my mother is Korean. I was born in Yeji City, Bienzhou. I like Korean food very much, so I chose to study at Yonsei University after graduating from high school."

"In my heart, President Zhou will always be a role model for me to learn and follow. I also hope that the peninsula can maintain long-term peace. For both North and South Korea, they are not only neighbors who cannot be moved away, but also relatives connected by blood." Song Yi said.

Huang Haixue nodded with satisfaction, "I am also from Yeji. I joined the army in the 1950s and served as a guard company soldier. I visited Bianzhou in the 1990s to inspect and study, and it is now developing very well. In order to welcome the south We have prepared a wonderful song and dance performance for our guests, and we will talk about work later when we have time."

No matter which country it is in, such events are preceded by speeches by leaders, and the opening ceremony of Zhou Zhengyong Stadium is no exception.

A total of four people took the stage to deliver speeches, two representatives from North Korea and two representatives from South Korea. Hwang Hae-hak was the first to appear, followed by Minister Kim of the Ministry of Unification of South Korea, then Kim Dong-shin of the Asia-Pacific Peace Council, and finally Joo Mong-heon, the honorary chairman of Asan Group. Zhou Mengxian took the stage to speak as a family member of Zhou Zhengyong.

Father and son Zhou Zhengyong and Zhou Mengxian donated US$47 million to build the stadium. At that time, Hyundai Group was already in a debt crisis. No wonder, except for Zhou Mengxian, no one else in the modern family agrees with Zhou Zhengyong's decision, including Zheng Enxuan.

After they finished speaking, they officially entered the song and dance performance. The first song played by the North Korean Orchestra is the old North Korean song "Nice to Meet You."

Zhou Mengxian, who was sitting next to Song Yi, had tears in his eyes. Perhaps he recalled the scene when he accompanied his father across the dividing line between North and South Korea and then launched scalper diplomacy.

The DPRK originally planned to hold the opening ceremony of Zhou Zhengyong Gymnasium in 2004. The reason why it was moved forward to 2003 was because the DPRK rushed the construction period while maintaining quality and quantity.

After they learned that Zhou Mengxian had been sentenced to imprisonment and probation, they also wanted to shorten Zhou Mengxian's sentence. So North Korean workers worked overtime to build the Zhou Zhengyong Stadium ahead of schedule, and Zhou Mengxian was designated and invited by North Korea to attend the opening ceremony of the Zhou Zhengyong Stadium.

Song Yi admired the performance of the Korean actors on the stage. They were wearing pink and white Korean national costumes, singing and dancing in the center of the stage to cheerful songs. Song Yi could not sing any of the songs, but good music always It can resonate with people.

In addition to the North Korean songs "My Country is Best" and "Run to the Future", the park also sang folk songs "To J", "Journey" and "The Hometown I Lived in" that are familiar to South Korean people. No matter how popular KPOP is, it is not suitable to perform on this occasion.

The arrangement of this song is very rich, the intro is a beautiful classical guitar, the organ is added to the first verse, the Korean Xiqin is added to the second verse, or it may be Chinese erhu, and percussion is added to the chorus, which is a bit like a ring. Ban, the female singer's high-pitched long voice reminded Song Yi of Japanese enka. South Korea borrowed from Chinese and Japanese culture and then created its own style of pop music.

In this song "My Hometown Where I Lived", Korean folk songs, Japanese enka and Western music are intertwined but very harmonious.

Huang Haixue closed his eyes and sang along with this song emotionally. Taking advantage of the change of actors, Huang Haixue said to Song Yi: "For President Zhou Zhengyong, the north is the hometown where he has lived. It is this complex of being unable to leave his hometown that makes him willing to invest huge sums of money to Develop Mount Kumgang and Kaesong Industrial Park. Although these two projects are not considered successful, they are still of great significance to the current North-South relations."

Song Yi understood what Huang Haixue meant. He personally agreed to retain the two projects of Kaicheng Industrial Park and Mount Kumgang International Tourism Zone. These two projects can provide North Korea with a small amount of foreign exchange income in the future.

North Korean workers in the Kaesong Industrial Park are paid in U.S. dollars. If foreign tourists visit Mount Kumgang International Tourism Zone, they only support US dollars, euros, Japanese yen and RMB for settlement.

Song Yi thought carefully about Huang Haixue's words, and he would not make a mistake.

After Huang Haixue finished speaking, he began to concentrate on watching the performance again. Finally, Pingjing university students and representatives of primary and secondary school students took the stage together and sang "Arirang" with the orchestra actors, which is also a repertoire of North and South Korean theatrical performances.

The Korean delegation was arranged to stay in the Koryo Hotel, the best hotel in Pingjing. This hotel has a total of 45 floors, a height of 140 meters, and a very magnificent interior decoration. After Song Yi checked into the Koryo Hotel, he felt like he was staying at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. Many foreign heads of state choose to stay in this hotel when visiting Pingjing.

Zhou Mengxian reminded Song Yi, "Don't walk around at will, let alone go out privately at night. If you need to hear anything at night, don't be curious. Just sleep peacefully in the hotel. The TV in the room can only watch a few limited channels. They are basically news programs, and I don’t think you will be interested in them either.”

"The waiters in the hotel are all carefully selected. Regardless of their appearance, figure, or education, they are all selected from a million. Be sure not to have private contact with them. If there is a scandal, it will be a diplomatic dispute. It will be difficult to deal with it then." Zhou Mengxian warned again and again.

Song Yi knew that Zhou Mengxian had good intentions, "Thank you, Uncle Mengxian. I understand this. Since I am here to participate in the commemoration of my great-uncle, I will definitely not embarrass him."

The hotel arranged a dinner for the Korean delegation. Song Yi really didn't have much appetite. He took a few bites, said hello to Minister Jin and Zhou Mengxian, and went back to the room to rest.

When Song Yi just returned to the room, he found that Huang Haixue and Jin Dongshen happened to walk to the door of the room where he checked in.

"President Song, Congressman Huang would like to talk to you about the Mount Kumgang International Tourism Zone project. Is it convenient for you now?" Jin Dongshen asked Song Yi first.

Song Yi quickly invited people into the room, "It's convenient. I usually go to bed at eleven o'clock, and it's still early now."

Huang Haixue and Jin Dongshen sat down and motioned to Song Yi to sit down first. The three of them sat on the fabric sofa and started chatting.

"I heard that Xinya and Asan jointly developed a scenic spot in Huizhou City in mainland China called Huangling Scenic Spot. This scenic spot was just put into operation in October last year and received 20,000 tourists in just one week. President Song obviously has no idea how to do it. You have your own experience in operating scenic spots. What aspects of the Mount Kumgang International Tourism Area do you think are currently insufficient and need to be strengthened?" Huang Haixue asked directly.

Song Yi did not hide it, "In fact, Mount Kumgang has very rich tourism resources. It is the number one mountain in the Korean Peninsula. Many Korean tourists want to visit it, but it is not easy to make the trip. Personally, I I feel that the primary condition restricting the Mount Kumgang International Tourism Area is the inconvenience of transportation.”

"If you want to be rich, build roads first. Compared with expensive planes and cruise ships, traveling to Mount Kumgang by train is obviously a more economical and affordable way to travel," Song Yi said.

Kim Dong-shin hesitated, "In September last year, the North and the South held a working meeting to discuss specific technical issues related to connecting the railways and highways between the two sides and hold a groundbreaking ceremony. The North and the South held separate meetings on the Gyeongui Line and Donghae Line railways and highways. Groundbreaking ceremony of the connection factory.”

"However, it is not easy to implement these agreements. After all, it involves a security issue for both parties." Kim Dongshen explained.

Song Yi certainly knows that although the relationship between South Korea and North Korea has been eased, the two sides are still in a wartime state. After the war, North and South Korea only signed an armistice agreement and did not sign a peace agreement. Both North and South Korea have deployed heavy troops along the border, and many landmines have been laid along the short 200-kilometer border. It is undoubtedly even more difficult to build roads under these conditions.

"Congressman Huang, if you want to reconnect the East China Sea Line, it is certainly not easy. In fact, you can simplify things. You only need to connect Inojin Station to Kumgangsan Youth Line. The northern line and southern line of the East China Sea Line Do not care."

"South Korean tourists only need to take a bus at Inojin Station and take a tourist train to Goseong County in North Korea. Then get off at Goseong County and transfer to a tour bus to enter the Mount Kumgang International Tourism Zone."

"The security inspection work at Inojin Station is left to the South Korean side, and the security check work at Goseong Station is left to the North Korean side. South Korean tourists entering North Korea by rail can only visit the Mount Kumgang International Tourist Area and cannot go to Wonsan, Kaesong, and Pyeongkyong For sightseeing, you can only return the same way. This can minimize the difficulty of safety work for both parties and maximize the benefits of Mount Kumgang International Tourism Area." Song Yi said.

Huang Haixue heard what Song Yi said and nodded in approval. This was equivalent to building a temporary tourist line. Korean tourists were actually restricted to specific areas. As long as the Goseong Railway Station and Mount Kumgang International Tourist Area are well protected, hostile elements can be prevented from sneaking into North Korea.

"I understand your suggestion. Have a good rest today. We will convene relevant departments and experts to hold a symposium to see if this tourist line is feasible. If this tourist line is opened, then the work of connecting the South Korea-Korea Railway can be It has been pushed forward significantly." Huang Haixue said in high spirits.

This tourist line is also the first phase of the inter-Korean railway. If this is opened to traffic, the railway connecting Kaesong can be opened by then.

Regarding the current situation between North and South Korea, we must first resolve the issue of whether it exists or not, and then resolve the issue of whether it is good or not.

If the inter-Korean railway has been in trial operation for a long time, as a token project for the politicians of the two countries, then the full opening of the inter-Korean railway to traffic can only be far away...

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