November 3rd, 1997
– Daehung Securities, Yeouido.
Inside the trading floor, around forty individual investors stood in small groups, their eyes fixed on the large electronic market board mounted on one wall.
Following the previous trading day’s rebound, nearly all stocks were surging again today, and the mood was visibly upbeat.
“Look over there! Saseong Electronics is on the move!”
“Hyunwoo Motors is up too. If S...
“Haa… haa…”
Kim Min-sik arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport, breathing heavily, his eyes gleaming.
“So this is China.”
He was the president of Joongang Investment Corporation, a powerful figure in Korea, but he had once been just an ordinary bank employee at Hanho Savings Bank.
A simple man, content with providing for his family and finding joy in his daughter’s affection.
But his life had changed dramatically.
The 0.5% stake he h...
2025-06-03 03:30:01 +0000 UTC View PostFrom suspicions of accounting fraud to a plummeting stock price, Chairman Kim Hoo-joong and his two sons scrambled to salvage the situation, but their efforts were like trying to hold back a flood with a broom. Their closest allies, the shareholders who should have been their support, were abandoning the sinking ship, accelerating Daehoo’s downfall.
As the allegations of accounting fraud, fueled by Kim Min-sik, proved true, the prosecution couldn’t stand idly by. After a month-long ...
2025-06-03 03:25:01 +0000 UTC View PostSaturday noon.
Kissinger headed to the Metropolitan Club, the agreed meeting place.
There was a clear intention behind his choice of this location.
This space, which exuded authority just by its name, was an exclusive haven for the elite and boasted impenetrable security.
That meant that no words exchanged here would ever leak outside.
“This way, please.”
At the soft yet formal voice of the staff, Kissinger nodded and walked inside.
...
“So the MC Soft investment contract is completely finalized, then.”
In response to Seok-won’s question—who sat cross-legged in the central seat—Director Yoo Hyun-deok answered immediately.
“Yes, that’s correct. We’ve agreed to invest 3 billion won and take over 25% of the shares, and we’ve finished drafting the contract.”
“Good work.”
Leaning back against the sofa’s backrest, Seok-won barely suppressed a smile that was about to slip out.
I watched the National Economic Party’s event from the vice chairman’s office.
It was a talk-show style event with Representative Choi Jaeseok and affiliated politicians.
Since a perfect script was prepared in advance, the conversation flowed naturally and professionally.
“The event is going quite well.”
“A few politicians who are weak in English memorized their English scripts for several days just for today’s event.”
“Election campaigns are...
Kissinger was the key to my strategy.
My goal was to bring him into my camp and, beyond that, to make him publicly denounce Holmes.
Of course, making him choose me, someone he had just met, over the ‘granddaughter’ he had bonded with for years was no easy task.
Simply put, this was a delicate operation to make him switch from a ‘granddaughter’ to a ‘grandson.’
Therefore, I first needed to tarnish the reputation of his precious granddaughter.
The conversation between Chun Min-jeong and Lisa continued for quite some time.
What had started at Taewoo IT didn’t stop, and in the end, they even went into the hotel together.
A day passed just like that.
At the beginning of work hours, both of them showed up at the Vice Chairman’s office.
They looked a little haggard, as if they had talked all night, but Lisa’s face was beaming.
“Good morning.”
“It really is a good morning. It feels es...
October 30, 1997.
It was a late night, nearing midnight, yet the lights in the president’s office at the Blue House were still brightly lit.
Inside the spacious office, heavy with silence.
Seated on a vintage hardwood sofa was President Kim Sung-kyu, flanked by his close aides—Chief Presidential Secretary Koo Hyung-ki and Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Choi Jin-woo. All three wore grave expressions.
Having just set down the agreemen...
The Lithium Triangle.
More than half of the world’s lithium reserves were concentrated here: Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile.
Yet, at this time, global interest in the Lithium Triangle was still limited.
This was mainly because extracting lithium from salt flats like the Uyuni Salt Desert was inefficient due to high impurity levels.
But the moment the smartphone and electric vehicle era arrived, lithium demand skyrocketed exponentially, making even...
I needed a whistleblower.
Emily was my chosen candidate, but…
It was uncertain whether she would actually expose the truth if left alone.
‘She must have signed an NDA as well.’
There was only one reason why both current and former employees of Theranos remained silent.
It was the fear of getting entangled in a lawsuit.
Emily was no exception.
What would she need to overcome this fear and testify?
Courage.
W...
Daehung Venture Capital
As Choi Ho-geun entered the office, he noticed a group of employees gathered around, looking at something.
“What’s everyone doing?”
The employees turned to him and greeted him one by one.
“You’re here.”
“Welcome, sir.”
“Good morning!”
“Yeah, yeah. Good morning to you all.”
Returning the greetings with a casual wave, Choi Ho-geun took off his jacket and hung it on the coat r...
After finishing my business in the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, I returned to Korea.
I’d been overseas for more than two weeks, meeting countless people. And during that time, a lot had erupted back home.
“Vice Chairman! We have an unprecedented situation. A motion to impeach the sitting president has been introduced! It’s already been reported to the plenary session, and although the Judiciary Committee hasn’t approved it, the authority has been passed on to the National Asse...
October 28, 1997, Government Complex 1, Gwanghwamun.
Choi Jin-woo, the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, sat anxiously, tapping the armrest of the sofa with his fingertips as he stared at the phone resting on the side table.
He rolled up his shirt sleeves to check his wristwatch and muttered to himself,
“It should have been deposited by now… I don’t understand why there’s no contact.”
It was the day when the promised $10 billion...
Now it was my turn.
Team Leader Han and David had already taken turns delivering a mountain of reports.
Finally, the moment had come for me to speak.
“As you all know, the president’s seat at Taewoo Electronics is currently vacant. I’m planning to bring in someone new to fill it.”
“Did President Woo Sung-il get fired? Wasn’t he one of the key people who helped you rise to Vice Chairman?”
“He wasn’t fired. I gave him a chance to move up to s...
A sensational incident that would go down in Super Bowl history.
During the halftime show, Justin ripped off Janet Jackson’s top.
In 2004, the shocking moment of Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction was broadcast live across the nation.
The incident sparked a storm of rumors and speculation.
It was widely believed that while the tearing of the top had been pre-agreed upon during the planning stages, Janet Jackson had deliberately worn nothing underneath in an attem...
2025-05-31 12:35:01 +0000 UTC View PostOctober 27, 1997
— Daeheung Group Headquarters, Mapo
In the spacious chairman’s office, Chairman Park, the chairman, sat in the center of a leather sofa, flanked by his eldest son, Park Jin-hyung, president of Daeheung Textile, and Secretary Gil Sung-ho. They were engaged in conversation.
“What’s the exchange rate today?”
Chairman Park asked, resting his arm on the sofa, and Secretary Gil, meeting his gaze, answered imme...
Two months.
Within that short period, I must bring down Theranos and secure funds.
I have already devised a strategy.
Instead of targeting the “exclusive technology” that Holmes guards like a fortress, I will exploit the weakness of “poor management.”
I have meticulously collected evidence of their poor management, and now, I just need to take this bomb to Kissinger and detonate it.
But then,
“Don’t even mention it. I thought I had s...
IT powerhouse.
A phrase often used to describe South Korea.
But South Korea was a country full of regulations and restrictions, making it extremely difficult for fledgling IT companies to survive.
Fantasy TV was no exception.
At launch, it held a market share far exceeding YouTube.
Yet, due to exorbitant network fees and discriminatory policies against domestic companies, it struggled in the red and eventually lost users as its market share ...
At my suggestion to establish a method to distinguish the third treatment, David reacted unexpectedly.
“Isn’t it too early to draw such a conclusion?”
His response was somewhat lukewarm.
Carefully choosing his words, David continued speaking.
“At this point, even the identity of the second treatment remains unclear. Amelia’s case could simply be interpreted as a lack of efficacy from rapamycin.”
He was expressing doubt that rapamycin might h...
Dobong-gu, Seoul.
[This is Chang-dong Station. The doors on the right will open. This stop is——]
Suddenly dropping temperatures made people bundle up in heavier clothes as they listened to the announcement and streamed out of the subway car.
It was the weekend, making the platform even more crowded, and among the throng was Jung Young-tae, a 51-year-old long-time assistant manager at Hyunwoo Construction.
Since the foreign exchange crisis hit a...
Every January, CES takes place.
Last year, we skipped CES and focused on Apple’s developer conference, WWDC, so we didn’t launch any outstanding new products.
But this year was different.
We unveiled some premium home appliances co-developed with the Arnault family at CES.
To hear about the response at the event, I called Director Woo Seong-il, who was there, into the vice chairman’s office.
“How was the reaction at CES? I should have gone myself, bu...
During my stay in New York, I received lecture requests from several universities.
New York State University, Columbia University, Harvard University, MIT, and more. MIT, in particular, was very proactive, with the president himself sending a lengthy email. Their reasoning was that since I had visited Caltech, I should visit MIT as well.
“……”
Is this what they call a reason that isn’t really a reason?
Some places even offered honorary degrees as bait, but...
I have always stayed ahead of the times.
The Planning Director knew this well, so when I suggested expanding the general trading company, he showed signs of surprise.
The perception of trading companies was more of a business stuck in the past rather than one leading a new era.
“Vice Chairman, while the trading company is necessary to keep the group running smoothly, I doubt it can do more than serve as a lubricant.”
“That might have been true until now, but ...
Chairman Kim Tae-jung raised his soju glass.
As Assemblyman Choi Jae-seok hurried to raise his own, Chairman Kim spoke up.
“I’ve prepared a small gift.”
“I don’t accept money.”
“Tsk tsk, don’t jump to conclusions before hearing me out. Taewoo Telecom is planning to build a large-scale data center. I’ll make sure it gets built in your district. It may not create as many jobs as a factory, but it will greatly help with tax revenue.”
“…I...
The three Kims, who had been tearing each other and Daehoo Group apart in a mad internal struggle, finally had a three-way meeting at Chairman Kim Hoo-joong’s insistence.
From the start, Vice Chairman Kim Sun-woong and Executive Director Kim Sun-yeop glared at each other, growling like beasts.
“Hyung, you sure bought up Joongang Investment’s shares quickly, didn’t you?”
Kim Sun-woong scoffed at his younger brother’s words. “Why are you blaming me for your inabi...
2025-05-29 13:04:21 +0000 UTC View PostThe battle for control of Daehoo, sparked by Chairman Kim Hoo-joong’s conflict with his son, Executive Director Kim Sun-yeop, raged fiercely. It was a grueling back-and-forth, with the balance of power shifting by a mere 1%. Neither side could be confident of victory.
Why was Executive Director Kim’s side, initially so confident of winning, now struggling to gain the upper hand?
There was one reason.
“Uh… I’m withdrawing the loan offer. Sorry.” Kim Min-sik said n...
2025-05-29 12:59:09 +0000 UTC View PostSeeing Seok-won's reaction, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Jin-woo quickly added,
“Of course, I’m not asking you to take on these deeply troubled merchant banks without any support.”
“Go on,” Seok-won said with a calm, cool gaze.
Choi leaned forward in his seat and continued,
“The three institutions we’d like you to acquire are Shinchang, Goryeo, and Gyeongnam.”
“All three were heavily exposed to large loans to major conglomerates that defaulted earlie...
The news of Amelia’s death came as a shock.
But it wasn’t sorrow.
She was merely someone who had briefly passed through my life—not close enough to mourn.
If anything, this shock stemmed purely from a selfish emotion.
Her fate, mirroring my own illness, felt like a forewarning of what lay ahead for me.
As I stood there in a daze, David cautiously spoke.
“There’s no need to push yourself. I’ve heard investment banking has a tight schedule....
The next day.
I received a summons from Delphine Arnault early in the morning and visited the Korean branch of the Arnault family’s company.
“You're the first visitor to our Korean branch, Vice Chairman. Please excuse the disarray—we're still getting settled.”
“Not at all. I've visited many companies, but this is the first time I’ve seen a building decorated so beautifully. It’s more stunning than a museum or an art center.”
“Than...