The North Korea-Russia summit was held in Vladivostok.
The North Korean leader arrived on Russian soil by train, and the two leaders grasped each other's hands.
After two days of talks, the leaders of both nations agreed to the construction of a railway and gas pipeline that would pass through North Korean territory, in conjunction with the Najin-Khasan project.
As per the existing plan, the investment would be managed by a consortium formed by the Russian government and companies, and that stake would then be acquired by a consortium formed by the South Korean government and companies.
Russia agreed to bear all responsibility for the project.
At the signing ceremony, Chairman Kim stepped before the reporters and spoke directly.
“Our Republic has decided to proceed with the gas pipeline and railway connection project, as hoped for by Russia and South Korea, in a sovereign and autonomous manner. This will be of great help to the lives of our people and can be considered a new step forward in North-South relations.”
Up to this point, it was all information everyone already knew. However, the announcement that followed was enough to send everyone into a state of shock.
“In the past, Japan committed irreversible criminal acts on the Korean peninsula, and even now, countless people are suffering because of them. In accordance with the San Francisco Treaty, our Republic will begin negotiations for reparations from Japan, and we urge the Japanese side to engage in these negotiations in good faith.”
The North Korean leader’s announcement in Vladivostok sent shockwaves around the world.
Every media outlet reported it as breaking news, and NHK interrupted its regular programming for an emergency broadcast and special programs.
In the midst of the uproar, another piece of news broke.
OTK Company’s CEO Kang Jin-hoo had been appointed as an advisor to the North Korean side regarding the calculation of the amount and the payment method!
People had thought Kang Jin-hoo might be playing some role in the inter-Korean economic cooperation, but no one had ever imagined it would be for reparations negotiations.
Reporters from both domestic and foreign media immediately packed their cameras and microphones and rushed to the OTK Company headquarters.
As Kang Jin-hoo appeared in front of the main gate, the reporters simultaneously hurled questions at him.
“Is the North Korean announcement true?”
“Have you really taken on an advisory role for the reparations negotiations with Japan?”
“Was this discussed in advance with the South Korean government?”
“When did you make this decision?”
Among the reporters was Kuroda Hideo from Japan's Sankei Shimbun. He shouted a question in slightly halting Korean.
“Why are you getting involved in negotiations between Japan and North Korea? OTK Company isn't even participating in this project, so by what right are you advising North Korea?”
Kang Jin-hoo looked at him and said.
“My right? Because we are the same people. Is there any other reason needed?”
At those words, Kuroda looked dumbfounded.
‘Wait, wasn’t he ‘foreign capital’ just the other day?’
He shouted again.
“This is a matter between Japan and North Korea. Your involvement, CEO Kang, is an overreach of your authority!”
“My maternal grandfather was born in Hamgyong Province. According to stories I heard as a child, many people around him were forcibly conscripted by Imperial Japan and dragged off to battlefields, coal mines, or as comfort women. Can you still say I have no connection to North Korea?”
The Sankei Shimbun is one of Japan's leading conservative media outlets, and Kang Jin-hoo was the South Korean with the most influence over Japan.
Therefore, Kuroda knew all about Kang Jin-hoo’s family background.
“Didn’t your maternal grandfather pass away when you were a child?”
“Yes. He passed away when I was five. The stories were so shocking for a young child to hear that I remember them all the more clearly. If you wish, I can spend all day telling you about the immense damage Japan inflicted during its colonial rule of the Korean peninsula. Would you like to hear it?”
“…”
At that, he fell silent.
The world’s foreign press was gathered here. It would do no good for Japan’s historical issues to become a point of controversy.
This time, a CNN reporter asked a question.
“What amount do you have in mind for the reparations?”
Kang Jin-hoo said, with a look of feigned sorrow.
“How can one possibly put a price on the damage inflicted upon a nation and its people through Japan’s invasion and forced colonial rule? However, if it is accompanied by a sincere apology, we are considering a compensation amount of around 100 billion dollars, taking Japan’s circumstances into account.”
At those words, all the reporters were speechless.
This was an amount more than three times North Korea’s GDP, ten times its trade volume, and equivalent to five percent of Japan’s annual budget.
Even the total sum of all reparations Japan had paid to victimized nations to date would not reach such a figure.
Kang Jin-hoo looked around at the astonished reporters and said.
“I imagine everyone is surprised at how small the compensation is compared to the damage inflicted. However, it is my belief that a bold concession from North Korea is necessary for North Korea and Japan to move forward into the future.”
***
[Kang Jin-hoo Claims $100 Billion in Reparations from Japan]
[A Bill Delivered to Japan. How Will They Respond?]
[How Will the Reparations Amount Be Calculated?]
[Past North Korea-Japan Talks Discussed Figures Around $10 Billion. Is $100 Billion Possible?]
[Kang Jin-hoo’s Mention of ‘Compensation.’ Was it Intentional?]
Kang Jin-hoo’s statement was enough to turn the Japanese archipelago upside down.
-Kang Jin-hoo isn’t even a North Korea expert, what is he advising them on?
-Didn’t they call him the world's biggest scumbag? Does it make sense to get advice from that scumbag?
-Isn’t this just a cheap ploy to get more money?
-Why does Japan have to pay reparations to those North Korean bastards? Someone explain this to me.
-The union of Japan and Korea was what Joseon wanted! Why are they asking for money now? If anything, Japan should be the one getting paid!
-Chiksho! How much are they going to bleed us for this time?
-We shouldn't give them a single yen! No more! Absolutely not!
-Let's just go to war! War is the only answer! The JSDF is the strongest in the world!
As Japanese netizens rose up, South Korean netizens did not stay silent either.
-Wow~ This is so satisfying~
-Crazy lol. He said he was doing inter-Korean economic cooperation, but he’s actually shaking down Japan for money hahaha.
-At least $100 billion! Kang Jin-hoo is seriously insane lol.
-Yenkazaki must want to kill Kang Jin-hoo. Ah! My mistake. Okazaki.
-No matter what you guys do, you're destined to get your asses kicked by Kang Jin-hoo.
-Hey, so are you going to stop using OTK batteries? Stop playing Lost Fantasy? Stop watching porn?
-War? Don't make me laugh. If a war breaks out, you guys will be drafted too.
-The JSDF is the strongest in the world lol. What, does the JSDF have Gundams or something?
-If there's a war, is Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Shinji going to pilot Unit-01 into battle?
Netizens from both sides engaged in a fierce debate over the issue, which escalated into a cyberwar with the mass participation of hikikomori, keyboard warriors, and armchair generals from both countries.
***
The biggest issue in Japan recently had been the bankruptcy of Technics.
The interesting fact here was that the cause of Technics' bankruptcy was none other than Kang Jin-hoo.
Just three years ago, Technics had the world's second-largest share of the battery market. Technics was the exclusive supplier of cylindrical batteries to Nikola, and together they built a Gigaplant.
Technics held a 40 percent stake in the world's largest Gigaplant, constructed in Nevada.
The plan was to supply the batteries produced there not only to Nikola but also to other electric vehicle companies.
Although a massive investment was made, it was projected to be fully recovered once the factory was completed and began operations, and its stock price soared.
But before the factory was even finished, the OTK Battery was created.
The first commercialization of lithium-ion batteries was in the early 90s. While their capacity had more than doubled since then, the core materials had not changed significantly.
But now, a new type of battery utilizing new materials had finally been introduced to the world!
CarOS's new car, equipped with the OTK Battery, quickly dominated the market. Nikola's market share plummeted, and Technics' sales fell along with it.
Then, the Big One hit, and the partially operating Gigaplant was damaged and shut down. Nikola entered a workout program.
At the request of American politicians, CarOS stepped in to acquire Nikola, but there was no reason for them to take responsibility for the Japanese company, Technics.
The money poured in with the expectation of future market share growth was recorded entirely as a loss.
As the deficit snowballed, Technics even considered selling off its battery division, but no company wanted to buy a cylindrical battery factory that had already lost its competitiveness.
Unable to hold on any longer, Technics filed for bankruptcy. Its home appliance and solar power divisions were torn apart and sold off to China and India, and tens of thousands of people in Japan alone lost their jobs.
Following Sharp and Toshiba, the bankruptcy of Technics, once valued at 4 trillion yen and the second-largest in the electronics industry, sent a huge shockwave through Japan.
This was a stark demonstration of the extent of OTK Battery's influence.
Once technology advances, it can never go back. Thanks to the OTK Battery, OTK Company had gained dominance not only in the automotive industry but also in the electronics industry.
With the exception of home appliances like TVs and refrigerators, there are no electronic products that do not use batteries.
Electronics companies worldwide were engaged in fierce competition to secure even a slightly larger supply of OTK batteries.
In fact, during the Korea-Japan trade dispute, the biggest blow to Japan was the suspension of OTK Battery supplies.
At the time, the Japanese government cried out to the international community that it was unfair retaliation, but since they had started the trade retaliation first, their words had no effect.
In the end, as everyone knows, the Japanese government was the first to wave the white flag, reversing its previous stance and paying compensation for the forced labor ruling.
The Auto Alliance, which Prime Minister Okazaki had ambitiously promoted, was also effectively broken.
Toyota, whose largest shareholder changed due to the Nishida Securities mistaken order incident, was embroiled in internal conflict. Japanese automakers, who had been cautiously watching each other, were now all reaching out to CarOS and requesting OTK Battery supplies.
However, after CarOS, GM, Ford, and Eunsung Motors had top priority for supply, followed by European companies like BMW, Peugeot, and Fiat, pushing the Japanese companies down the list.
Grumbling voices emerged from Japanese companies, complaining that they had missed their chance by blindly trusting and following the government.
This damage was reflected in the economic indicators.
Both the growth rate and inflation, which had been barely rising thanks to quantitative easing that supplied unlimited yen to the market, fell back into negative territory.
The third-quarter growth rate announced last month was shocking. Credit rating agencies like S&P and Moody's diagnosed that the Japanese economy had re-entered a recession.
It was hard to even fathom the extent of the damage Japan had suffered because of one man, Kang Jin-hoo.
Some experts estimated that the combined losses from the Nishida Securities incident, the stock market crash, the damage to the electronics and automotive industries from the trade dispute, and the economic recession amounted to at least 20 trillion yen, and at most 50 trillion yen.
Who could have imagined that the world's third-largest economy, Japan, would be hit this hard by a single South Korean?
It reached a point where even right-wingers were making self-deprecating remarks about how the Great Empire of Japan had been defeated by Kang Jin-hoo.
This was a fatal blow to Prime Minister Okazaki and the LDP, who had long championed a "Strong Japan." After the Nishida Securities incident and the defeat in the trade dispute, the slogan "Strong Japan" had become a hollow phrase.
Some right-wingers still shouted that they should recover the losses even if it meant going to war with South Korea, but it was nothing more than an empty cry.
Talk among LDP members about buying back Toyota's shares or suing OTK Company had completely disappeared. The cabinet ministers who had previously made reckless remarks about the forced labor and comfort women issues also fell silent.
Having been burned several times already, they wanted to avoid any further friction with South Korea and Kang Jin-hoo.
However, that did not mean they had given up on the path of right-wing nationalism.
Prime Minister Okazaki worked to consolidate his support base within Japan and hurried his moves toward constitutional reform.
Abolishing the peace constitution, which prohibits the possession of a military and the right to belligerence, to make Japan a "normal country" capable of war was his long-held dream.
The threat from North Korea was a great help in raising support for constitutional amendment, which was why Japan did not want to see inter-Korean relations improve.
Prime Minister Okazaki could barely hide his delight when, after the breakdown of the US-North Korea summit, North Korea conducted various provocations such as missile launches, and this time, even requested the demolition of the Mount Kumgang facilities from the South Korean government.
However, his happiness did not last long.
Kang Jin-hoo attended the talks, resumed the Mount Kumgang tourism, and sealed the deal for the gas pipeline and railway projects.
He was already watching the tense North-South relations shift to a mood of reconciliation with a heavy heart, but what was this?
Suddenly, a bullet came flying straight at Japan!
An emergency cabinet meeting was convened.
Prime Minister Okazaki shouted.
“Why are we suddenly talking about reparations from Japan, and why is Kang Jin-hoo involved?”
Foreign Minister Okamoto said, sweating.
“It seems they are using the reparations issue as a safety measure for the inter-Korean economic cooperation. They likely intend to drag out the reparations negotiations while the gas pipeline and railway projects are underway.”
“There is also the risk that they will publicize our past historical issues to the international community by raising the issue of compensation for North Korea.”
“Isn't their hidden intention to redefine Korea-Japan relations through this opportunity?”
A wave of anger washed over him, causing his whole body to tremble and his eyes to become bloodshot.
Prime Minister Okazaki ground his teeth.
‘That son of a bitch Kang Jin-hoo! How dare he use Japan for inter-Korean relations? Just how much of a joke does he think Japan is?’