Investor That Can See The Future

Chapter 432

Our meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Sulaiman bin Salman became known all over the world.

The ostensible reason is to congratulate the successor of Golden Gate and the marriage of the Korean branch manager. However, as there were many issues such as Aramco listing, sovereign wealth fund investment, and construction of a progressive nuclear reactor, everyone was keen to know what was going to happen.

Taek-gyu shook hands with Crown Prince Sulaiman and said.

“I only use K-Oil for oil. It’s a good oil.”

“… … .”

What’s that got to do with it?

No matter which gas station you put it in, it must have been refined crude oil imported from Saudi Arabia anyway.

Crown Prince Sulayman burst out laughing.

“Haha, thank you. We look forward to seeing you in the future.”

Taek-gyu quickly added a word.

“Assalamalaicum.”

Crown Prince Sulaiman also replied with a smile.

“Assalamalaicum.”

Taek-gyu muttered as if he was thrilled.

“I’ve always wanted to say this once.”

I patted my shoulder.

“Well done.”

When are you going to do this again? People should do what they want to do.

Crown Prince Sulayman said looking at his current lord’s sister and Henry.

“Congratulations on your marriage. I hope that we will continue to have a good relationship as it is now.”

“Thank you for the congratulations, Crown Prince.”

We all don’t speak Arabic and we don’t know Islamic etiquette, but there was no problem.

Crown Prince Sulayman attended his high school in Switzerland and college in the United States. As such, he was fluent in English. It is said that he rather had a private tutor in his school days to learn Arabic in order to get used to it.

Opponents criticize him for being an Arab only on the outside and an American on the inside.

“I prepared a small present for you two.”

Taehyung said in a low voice.

“What? Would you like to give me a free gas pass for the rest of my life?”

“… … ”

Wouldn’t it be useless if it changed to an electric car anyway?

Crown Prince Sulaiman gestured, and two attendants cautiously carried a large rectangular plate stacked in cloth.

When Crown Prince Sulaiman took off the cloth, what came out was a picture of a woman sitting on a bed and reading a book to children.

Hyunjoo’s older sister and Henry looked surprised.

To me, who did not know well, Ellie explained in a low voice.

“I’m Maximilian.”

Taek-gyu asked.

“Is that the name of the girl in the picture?”

“no. She’s the one who drew it. She is a French impressionist painter. It looks like something that came up at Sotheby’s auction last year.”

Taehyung quickly nodded his head.

“Well, that’s right. I thought I saw something, but it was Maximilian’s work.”

“… … .”

just don’t talk

From what I’ve heard, it’s not comparable to top-notch painters like Renoir, Manet, or Degas, but it is said that he is a painter well recognized by the Impressionists.

Crown Prince Sulaiman is also a major player in the art market. He once swept paintings from Christie’s and Sotheby’s auctions.

His collections are now open to the public free of charge at the Royal Art Gallery in Riyadh.

At the time, the painting sold for $5.6 million. It may not be a big deal for the Crown Prince, whose fortune alone is tens of billions of dollars and his royal fortune is trillions of dollars, but it is a huge amount to give as a wedding gift.

But there is no free lunch in the world.

A gift like this will have to be paid for in some way someday.

“I personally picked a picture that I thought would suit the newlyweds well. It’s a bit small, but I hope you’ll accept it.”

Having said this, it is not polite to refuse.

Henry nodded and said.

“I will be grateful.”

* * *

We all drink tea together, but Crown Prince Sulaiman suggested it.

“I would like to take a look around OTK Company as well. If it’s not rude, may I ask for guidance?”

“of course.”

I got out of the Golden Gate main gate with Crown Prince Sulayman and moved to the next building. While we were traveling a short distance, bodyguards surrounded us, and the reporters from inside and outside the country pressed the shutters continuously.

“Personally, I was very interested in OTK Company and CEO Kang Jin-hoo. I would love to hear a lot of advice on investing.”

“If there is anything I can do to help, I will be happy to help.”

We chatted affectionately and moved on. I wonder what the news will say about this appearance.

In the lobby, Taek-gyu and the staff, who moved first to avoid reporters’ eyes, were waiting.

I introduced the staff one by one.

“This is Park Sang-yeop, CEO of K Company.”

“Nice to meet you, Crown Prince. It is an honor to meet you.”

Crown Prince Sulayman shook hands with his staff one by one and exchanged greetings. He even took a picture with him.

Sangyeop said to me in a low voice.

“I never thought I would meet the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia in my lifetime.”

“Me too.”

“I don’t think the government will be comfortable with it.”

Since I’m already checking capital power, I don’t want my reputation to go up any further.

Of course I don’t know.

After seeing the company sufficiently, I took him to the CEO’s office.

Crown Prince Sulaiman sat down and asked me.

“What do you think about the future of petroleum, CEO Jinhoo Kang?”

Oil is the foundation of human civilization.

In extreme terms, even if food exports are cut off, the country can survive for several months, but if the oil supply is cut off for just one month, the national system of countries such as Korea and Japan, which cannot be self-sufficient in energy, will be paralyzed.

There was a time when this oil supply was controlled by several countries. They openly controlled supply and sales, which shocked the world through two oil shocks.

But that’s all a thing of the past.

The United States has been reborn as the world’s largest oil importer and exporter by extracting oil and gas from shale formations.

Now, the monopoly supply has changed from a monopoly supply to a multilateral supply, and the market has changed from a monopoly market to a normal market. In addition, the expansion of electric vehicles has greatly reduced the value of oil as a fuel.

As petroleum is used not only as a fuel but also as a raw material for various chemical products, the demand for petroleum will not disappear.

But apart from that… … .

I said frankly.

“Decreased demand and falling prices are an unavoidable reality.”

Crown Prince Sulayman nodded his head.

“Saudi Arabia has been dependent on oil for too much of its economy.”

“Technology continues to advance, but oil diminishes as it is pumped. It will be difficult right now, but I think we need to gradually change that structure.”

Another problem with resource-dependent economies is that their structures are unlikely to last forever.

Saudi Arabia has abundant oil reserves and is believed to be capable of mining over the next 100 years.

However, as time goes by, the mining difficulty will increase, which will lead to an increase in cost. And that will reduce your income.

Crown Prince Sulaiman smiled faintly.

“When I was young, the image that came to mind when I was in Korea was construction. Korean workers built numerous buildings in Middle Eastern countries under the scorching sun. But now, decades later, Korea’s top exports have become semiconductors and batteries. However, as in the past and now, our country’s top export product is oil. This situation cannot continue even after hundreds of years. I think this is the last opportunity given to Saudi Arabia, as oil exports are still being maintained. If this opportunity is missed, Saudi Arabia may be on the same path as Venezuela.”

Venezuela, once an oil-rich country in South America, collapsed with falling oil prices. This has also sounded alarms in other countries.

After Crown Prince Sulayman came to power, he declared that he would break out of the oil-dependent economy and is sparingly investing in advanced technology and finance. Aramco’s listing is also to raise funds for investment.

These include electric vehicles, batteries and TWRs. It is also participating in the TWR project led by Rosatom, and plans to build two nuclear power plants with an investment of $2 billion.

But money alone does not lead to reform.

In order to change the economic structure, the social system must also be changed accordingly. So, he hastened major social reforms, such as expanding women’s driving and suffrage.

But reforms come with pain.

Islamic fundamentalists and conservatives strongly opposed Crown Prince Sulayman, saying he was trying to undermine the foundation of the country and divide Islam.

“I understand that relations with the Korean government have been difficult recently.”

I accepted it moderately.

“is that so? There are good times and there are bad times.”

Perhaps it was an excuse to attend the completion ceremony of the K-Oil complex or to celebrate the wedding, did you really come to see me?

Crown Prince Sulaiman said bluntly.

“Are you not planning to come to Saudi Arabia?”(Read more @ wuxiax.com)

At those words, Taek-gyu showed great interest. There’s only one reason why he’s so interested.

That’s right… … .

Taek-gyu asked softly.

“Can Saudi Arabia really have up to four wives?”

Don’t ask me that.

Crown Prince Sulayman smiled and nodded his head.

“of course. Only four wives must be treated fairly and without favoritism. Favoritism creates discord among wives.”

“Um, that’s right.”

What is this kid seriously thinking about?

As Saudi Arabia is a rich country in the Middle East, it is not easy to acquire citizenship. However, due to the nature of the monarchy, a single word from the Crown Prince will solve everything.

“Saudi Arabia needs people with a vision for the future.”

“Is that what we are?”

“As Crown Prince, I promise to give you the best treatment.”

A great king can change a country. So what can a great investor do?

Saudi Arabia is operating a sovereign wealth fund using oil sales proceeds like the Netherlands sovereign wealth fund and Norway’s sovereign wealth fund. Also, it is investing a large amount in the Insight Fund managed by Softbox Chairman Masiyoshi Song.

As the biggest principle of sovereign wealth funds operated by oil-rich countries is to invest in assets that have little to do with oil prices, investment targets are mainly high-tech industries and financial companies such as IT, automobiles, batteries, AI, semiconductors, and services.

The larger the investment, the greater the difference in absolute amount even with a 0.1% return. Moreover, in the case of sovereign wealth funds, they operate for one or two years and do not buy back, but manage them for at least several decades.

Even the slightest difference in returns over time can multiply by several tens of percent or more due to compounding.

What if I go to Saudi Arabia?

You will probably be treated like royalty. If he officially becomes king, wouldn’t he be able to enjoy the glory of wealth together?

But that’s when it all goes well.

If the president attacks me with laws and systems in Korea, Saudi Arabia can do the same thing according to the king’s heart.

Wouldn’t it be possible to detain him in the Richkalt Hotel and then force him to give up his property and shares, as he did to other royals and businessmen?

“Thanks for the suggestion. But I have no intention of leaving Korea yet.”

He nodded, as if he had expected such an answer.

“Okay. I am satisfied that I have learned a lot just by meeting and talking like this today.”

“So do i.”

Crown Prince Sulayman stood up and took my hand.

“I think it was worthwhile to come to Korea. Please come to Saudi Arabia in the future. We will always leave the door open.”