The 16th presidential election campaign was in full swing.
However, the gap in approval ratings was so significant that rumors were openly circulating that the election was already decided.
From May to October, the opposition candidate maintained a lead of over 15%.
"Vice Chairman! The ruling party candidate's approval rating is rising sharply."
"Is there any talk of a consolidation deal?"
"Yes. There are rumors that a merger negotiation is underway between the ruling party candidate and Candidate Jang, who is currently in third place."
Jang Myung-joon.
He was part of the Hyundai Group and the fifth son of Chairman Jang Young-joo.
He was also the CEO of Hyundai Heavy Industries and the president of the Korea Football Association.
"He managed to reach first place in approval ratings thanks to the World Cup boost, and now it has come to a consolidation deal."
"If the merger succeeds, the outcome of the election will become unpredictable. While the opposition candidate is facing public criticism over his child's military service issue, he still maintains high approval ratings."
"Whoever gets elected, it doesn't really concern us."
Had we funded the election campaign, it would have been a different story.
But since we hadn't contributed a single penny, we had no particular candidate to support.
"Still, wouldn't it be better if the business-friendly opposition figure won?"
"Don't worry too much. It's time for the political and business sectors to go their separate ways."
"I hope things turn out as you say, Vice Chairman, but Korea isn't ready for that yet."
Was I being too optimistic?
But we couldn't continue being dragged around by politics.
I wanted to break this vicious cycle once and for all.
Even if the process was tough and exhausting.
While Korea was caught up in the presidential election, the United States was shaking the world.
The situation was so significant that even David, who had close ties to U.S. politics, came to Korea to share the latest updates.
"The bill justifying military action against Iraq has passed both the House and the Senate."
"It's been a year since the 9/11 attacks. It seems America's anger hasn't subsided."
"To be honest, the justification is somewhat lacking, but Iraqi defectors have been leaking information that Iraq is developing weapons of mass destruction, which at least provides some pretext."
The Iraq War was now inevitable.
The point of no return had already been crossed, and there was no way to prevent it.
"The war will likely begin next year."
"There are also rumors that certain forces are pushing for the Iraq War. Some say oil companies are backing the attack to secure oil distribution networks, while others claim defense contractors are supporting the war to sell more weapons."
"Those conspiracy theories aren't really worth believing. What matters is that the war is happening and that it will have a negative impact on the global economy—especially on oil prices, which will be highly sensitive."
Iraq was one of the world's top five oil-producing nations.
So, if war breaks out, it will have a significant impact on oil prices.
"The price of oil has already risen sharply this year."
"It will surge even higher just before the war begins."
"SAVE Investment has made substantial investments in oil, so we stand to make a considerable profit."
Although war has a negative impact on the economy,
it is undeniable that war generates money.
And since we had already made a fortune during the Gulf War, we were systematically raking in profits once again.
"If war breaks out, it will be good news for Russia."
"When oil prices rise, the demand for natural gas inevitably increases. Additionally, crude oil produced in Russia will be sold at higher prices, making this a highly favorable situation for Russia."
Russia's largest energy company, Gazprom.
I owned a significant stake in it, so when Gazprom profited, I profited as well.
Moreover, when it came to the crude oil and gas imported into Korea, we could secure them at stable prices. This was an extremely favorable situation for Taewoo Refinery as well.
"The Iraq War is for the U.S. government to handle. We just need to focus on our own business. If we have spare time, we can lend some support to Dimon."
"I've already been introducing my friends to the Fintech Bank. They are fairly well-known individuals, so their involvement will enhance the bank's credibility and provide a positive promotional effect."
"Well done. Even though it's the primary bank for Apple and SAVE Investment, being a relatively new institution, it will still face many challenges."
The growth of the Fintech Bank was crucial.
If the fact that I was the true owner of SAVE Investment were to be revealed, then all the operations currently managed by SAVE would have to be transferred to the Fintech Bank.
"I've also acquired a 35% stake in the Fintech Bank through discreet and complex methods. The approach ensures that no obvious link between SAVE Investment and our boss can be found."
"For now, the U.S. government is shielding SAVE Investment's information, but that won't last forever."
We had received substantial support from the Bush administration.
Not only had we provided the largest amount of election funding, but we had also been of great assistance during the 9/11 attacks, which justified the support we were receiving in return.
However, a president's term is not indefinite.
Once the term ended, the assistance we received from the U.S. government could disappear.
Of course, if the next president was someone I supported, the aid could continue.
***
Today, I once again headed to the hotel conference room for an idea meeting with Chu Min-jeong.
However, unlike usual, the TV was left on, and I couldn't help but keep glancing at it.
That was because today was the day of the 16th presidential election.
"Vice President, should we wait until the vote count is over before continuing the meeting?"
"No need to watch the entire count. Let's just check the exit poll results and then resume."
In presidential elections, exit polls were almost 100% accurate.
That's why the results were crucial, and I stood in front of the TV, putting the idea meeting on hold.
As the countdown began, the three major broadcasting stations simultaneously released their exit poll results.
"All three networks show the ruling party's candidate leading by 2–3%."
"As expected, the president will come from the ruling party."
It was an election result that did not differ from history at all.
It was partly because I had not actively intervened and partly because the natural flow of the times led to the same outcome.
"Let's start the meeting again."
"But the margin is only 2%. The final count could be different. Are you sure it's okay?"
"The lead may fluctuate as the votes are counted, but the outcome won't change."
I turned off the TV and sat down.
Even Chu Min-jeong, who wasn't particularly interested in politics, immediately took her seat.
"I have good news."
"Don't tell me there's progress in AI development?"
"We've successfully developed an early-stage artificial intelligence. That said, it's not an advanced AI—it can only recognize voice commands and perform simple functions."
How could she call that just a minor achievement?
The ability to input commands through voice alone was already a significant breakthrough.
"What's the error rate for voice recognition?"
"For English, it's over 90%, and for Korean, over 80%. On average, it exceeds 75%."
"What functions can it perform using voice recognition?"
"Basic tasks like setting alarms, making calls using names from the contact list, and sending simple messages."
Clap, clap, clap!
I stood up and applauded.
I was as enthusiastic as if I were applauding the victorious candidate in the exit polls.
"This isn't a technology worth that much praise. It's still in its infancy. It's not even advanced enough to be called weak AI."
"It's impressive enough. It's perfect for smartphones."
"It doesn't even incorporate deep learning or generative AI technology yet."
Deep learning and generative AI were, of course, important.
But at this moment, what was needed was a version of AI that could be used on smartphones.
And that technology had been developed through a collaboration between Professor Hinton's team and Chu Min-jeong.
"Can it be applied to smartphones right away?"
"The entire project experiment was conducted using an iPhone. The voice recognition device was the iPhone's microphone, and all function tests were performed on the iPhone's built-in features."
"So, it can be implemented immediately."
"There might be some issues with the current iPhone model, but it should work smoothly on the next version."
Once again, a groundbreaking technology was set to be integrated into the iPhone.
Of course, even without my involvement, Apple would have eventually adopted AI technology.
However, thanks to me, the adoption timeline had been accelerated by several years.
Naturally, it wasn't for free.
In return, I had acquired a massive stake in the company.
And Apple had to pay a hefty royalty to Taewoo Group.
"By the way, do you still have no plans to move to the U.S.? If you want to participate in even more advanced tech development, video conferencing has its limits."
"Are you going to the U.S. as well, Vice President?"
"I can take a short business trip to the U.S., but as long as Taewoo Group is based in Korea, I need to stay here."
"Then I'll stay in Korea too. Instead, how about bringing Professor Hinton's project team to Korea?"
It wasn't a bad idea.
Preventing technology leaks and managing the team closely could accelerate progress.
However, the problem was that many researchers preferred to avoid Korea.
If Korea were located in North America, this wouldn't even be a concern. But the distance between Korea and the U.S. was simply too great.
"It's difficult right now. But if we can make them want to come to Korea, then it could be possible."
"Is there a way to do that?"
"I've been considering a plan. It's something necessary for developing engineering talent as well."
"Developing talent? Don't tell me... are you planning to establish a university? Doesn't Taewoo Group already sponsor one?"
My grandfather had a strong interest in education.
That's why he had practically taken over a university located in Suwon.
But it wasn't enough to meet my expectations.
In Korea, students with great intelligence didn't apply to engineering schools—they went into medical school instead.
Even those who got into Seoul National University often retook the entrance exam just to switch to medical school.
"I have a plan to bring one of the world's most prestigious engineering schools to Korea. If that happens, we can develop talent and offer faculty positions to the project team—it's a win-win situation, don't you think?"
"I don't know much about this, but if it means bringing Professor Hinton to Korea, I'm all for it!"
"Then we need to attract an engineering school prestigious enough to catch Professor Hinton's attention."
I already had one in mind.
A globally renowned institute whose graduates dominated the major positions in IT companies.
"I plan to bring an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campus to Korea."
"IIT? In Korea? A lot of engineers on Professor Hinton's team are IIT graduates."
Bringing IIT to Korea.
It was also a great opportunity for Taewoo Group to absorb top IIT engineers, who might otherwise head to Silicon Valley.