WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: LilGuyBlastoise
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Second Life of the Trade King ◈
Chapter 13: Preparations for the Future (1)
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Seoul, Jongno District, the diplomatic quarter.
I parked in front of the main gate of the Australian Embassy and got out, tense.
With the British and Canadian embassies standing side by side, the street would probably have felt overwhelmingly imposing to someone who had lived in Busan their entire life.
The gray stone buildings, foreign flags flying from flagpoles, and diplomatic vehicles passing between them would have contributed to that feeling, but not for me.
I dusted off my suit, wrinkled from the long drive, picked up my bag containing a copy of Han-il Feed's preliminary contract and English-language materials, then approached the guard at the main gate.
“I'm here to visit the Trade Office.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“...It isn't confirmed, but I contacted them in advance to say I would come today.”
“You can't enter without an appointment. You need to schedule with the Trade Office through the secretary's office.”
It was the answer I expected.
What I had said, almost like a notice, in Busan five hours earlier hadn't been an appointment.
I stepped back and looked around. There happened to be a public phone beside the gate, so I inserted a coin and dialed the Trade Office's main number again.
The Korean receptionist I had spoken with earlier answered.
“This is Kim Hyun-woo from Yeongdo Trading. I've arrived in front of the Australian Embassy's main gate.”
“Oh my, you're at the gate? You really came.”
There was clear fluster in the voice over the receiver.
It was the response of someone who had no idea what to do with a Korean businessman who had actually driven five hours to show up.
“Please tell Trade Commissioner Matthews one more time that it's about Han-il Feed's preliminary contract. Five minutes is all I need. Just five minutes.”
“Ah... Please hold on. I'll ask.”
Hold music began to play, and I waited anxiously for an answer.
My palms grew damp with sweat before the receptionist's voice finally came back.
“Trade Commissioner Matthews says he can give you thirty minutes at five thirty. He asked you to come up to the Trade Office on the second floor of the annex.”
“Ah, thank you! Thank you so much!”
When I told the gate guard I had an appointment with Trade Commissioner Matthews at five thirty, he confirmed it with the reception desk and allowed me inside.
The Trade Office on the second floor of the annex had dark carpeting, large windows overlooking Jongno Street, and photographs of Australian scenery on the walls, with red deserts and blue coastlines.
A man rose from behind a Western-style desk and offered his hand.
He was a white man in his late thirties. The moment we shook hands, he sat back down and spoke.
“Mr. Kim, you drove five hours from Busan? Honestly, if you hadn't mentioned Han-il Feed's preliminary contract, I wouldn't have agreed to meet you. You have thirty minutes.”
Though I was Korean, he spoke English instead of awkward Korean.
He folded his arms, lifted his chin slightly, and put on an arrogant air. It was obvious that if I could not speak English, he would not even listen properly.
“Thirty minutes will be enough. First, thank you for seeing me.”
His eyes flickered slightly when I answered in fluent English.
“How old are you?”
“I'm twenty-six.”
“Very young. Yet you're the president of a company?”
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
“No. Go ahead.”
I smiled and began my briefing.
I honestly explained that I was the head of a newly established company called Yeongdo Trading, and that I had met David Jo, the Korea branch manager of Pacific Grain Lines, during my first deal with an Australian grain ship.
“Manager David Jo had been frustrated for five years because he couldn't normalize rates on the Korean line. Yeongdo Trading was the first Korean startup to normalize those rates in its first deal. As part of finding new trading partners, he formally shared analysis materials from Pacific Grain Lines' Korean business division with me. Based on those materials, I personally visited Han-il Feed yesterday and secured a preliminary contract.”
At the mention of Han-il Feed and the first direct deal outside the Agricultural and Fishery Products Marketing Corporation's monopoly channel, Kevin Matthews leaned forward.
“Han-il Feed? Korea's fifth-largest feed company?”
“Yes. I personally signed the preliminary contract at its headquarters in Yangsan yesterday afternoon. This is the first case of a Korean feed company dealing directly with an Australian grain major without going through the Agricultural and Fishery Products Marketing Corporation.”
“Hmm. I understand that much, but... so what? Why did you come to see me?”
I took a drink of water before speaking.
“There's been a problem. I was contacted this morning and told that Pacific Grain Lines' Australian headquarters has begun its regular rotation of Korea branch managers. Manager David Jo is in his fifth year, so they intend to bring him back to a headquarters division next month.”
Kevin Matthews tilted his head.
“If it's a regular personnel rotation, that's an internal matter for the company. A rotation after five years is natural. Why is that a problem?”
“The rotation itself is natural. The problem is the timing. We secured Han-il Feed's preliminary contract yesterday, and the personnel change begins suddenly the very next day. On top of that, the process of selecting the successor includes gathering opinions from Korean trading partners. There is a Korean company that has monopolized foreign-vessel provisioning at Busan Port for five years. We took a trading partner away from them. They are trying to influence headquarters and install someone who suits their interests as the next manager.”
Kevin Matthews frowned as he listened.
“So you're saying that Korean company is meddling in headquarters' personnel decisions to remove David Jo and place one of their own people there.”
“Exactly. If Manager David Jo leaves and someone friendly to them comes in, Yeongdo Trading's channel will be blocked that very day. Han-il Feed's preliminary contract will be shaken as well. Then this direct-trade case, the first to break through the Agricultural and Fishery Products Marketing Corporation's monopoly, will simply be buried.”
It was an urgent matter for me, but naturally not for Kevin Matthews.
So it was only natural that he leaned back in his chair with an expression that said, So what do you expect me to do?
“I understand that it's unfortunate, but... this is an internal personnel matter for Pacific Grain Lines. It isn't the Australian government, and as a trade commissioner, I have no place interfering in another company's staffing decisions. There is nothing I can do.”
I looked straight into his eyes.
“No, there is. I would like the Australian Trade Office to send Pacific Grain Lines' Australian headquarters a formal notice stating that it regards Yeongdo Trading and Han-il Feed's preliminary contract as a decisive example of expanding Australian exports to Korea.”
His brow immediately furrowed.
“Why should I do that? Think about it. If the Australian government sends headquarters a formal notice recommending a single Korean private company called Yeongdo Trading as a good company, do you know what that means? It means the Australian government favors one particular Korean company. Diplomatically, that is extremely risky. If other Korean companies ask why the Australian government is supporting only Yeongdo Trading, I will have no answer.”
He adjusted his glasses and continued.
“If I send one of these notices incorrectly as a trade commissioner in my fifth year, my position could be at risk, along with the Australian government's neutrality. I understand your situation is unfortunate, Mr. Kim, but this is beyond my authority and diplomatically impossible. I'm sorry, but I don't think I can help you further.”
It was the clear line drawn by a diplomat who sympathized but could not help.
Everything Kevin Matthews said was right.
Asking a diplomat to support Yeongdo Trading alone was not something that could be easily accepted.
But that did not mean I could simply say, “I understand,” and leave.
“You're right. Asking you to support Yeongdo Trading alone is something a diplomat cannot do. But that isn't my request.”
“What? You just said it was.”
I pulled my chair close to his desk, leaned in as far as I could, and met his eyes.
“Think carefully. What was the real reason the Australian Trade Office had been unable to enter Korea's feed market for five years? Wasn't it the Agricultural and Fishery Products Marketing Corporation's monopoly structure?”
“Well... that is true.”
“Exactly. The Korean government tied grain imports to a single corporation, so Australian grain majors were unable to deal directly with Korean feed companies. Every time Australian grain entered Korea, its price was cut by seven to ten percent. That was a loss for Australian companies and the Australian government.”
At that, strength began to return to Kevin Matthews' indifferent expression.
“So?”
“Yesterday's preliminary contract between Yeongdo Trading and Han-il Feed was the first to break through that monopoly structure. It is the first case of a Korean feed company dealing directly with an Australian grain major without going through the Agricultural and Fishery Products Marketing Corporation. Yeongdo Trading achieved that.”
“...”
I raised one finger.
“Now, this is the important part. Yeongdo Trading is only the first case to break through the high barrier that has stood until now. Once this structure takes hold, every Australian grain major will be able to enter the Korean market through direct trade. After Han-il Feed, another feed company, then another one after that... Isn't that exactly what the Australian government has wanted?”
He could not answer.
I had struck the heart of the matter.
“...”
“So the formal notice the Australian Trade Office should send is not, 'Yeongdo Trading is a good company.' It is, 'The first direct-trade case to break the Agricultural and Fishery Products Marketing Corporation's monopoly structure has emerged in Korea, and the Australian government supports this trend toward opening the Korean market.' It does not support Yeongdo Trading. It supports the market-opening structure itself. That benefits all Australian grain exports and does not compromise the Australian government's neutrality. It supports a policy direction, not a particular company.”
If he could not understand what I was saying, he had no business sitting in that position.
Fortunately, the Australian government had not put someone that incompetent there.
“Who taught you?”
“Pardon?”
“No, I mean, I don't think you could make that argument unless someone taught you. You're only twenty-six...”
“...Does it matter who taught me?”
He nodded readily, looking impressed.
“I suppose not. You must have good people around you. To turn Pacific Grain Lines' regular personnel rotation into an act against the Australian government's policy direction...”
I did not care how he misunderstood it.
But Kevin Matthews, who had been studying me with a peculiar look, took things a step further.
“How about we do this?”
“Yes?”
“Sending only a formal notice seems a little weak. It would be a document sent once and then forgotten.”
“Then what are you suggesting?”
“There is something the Australian Trade Office can truly do. We can officially register Yeongdo Trading as the Australian Trade Office's priority cooperation channel for entering the Korean market.”
I was genuinely surprised.
I had never expected him to go that far.
It meant the Australian Trade Office would make Yeongdo Trading its official partner channel when creating direct grain-trade lines in the Korean market.
“Are you serious?”
“Would you dislike that?”
Of course not.
“Good. That is an excellent decision.”
It was more than good.
It was a decision exciting enough to make my hands tremble.
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