Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2637 The Filial Son's Long Road Home (Second Update, Please Subscribe)
What does a country at war look like?
Is the country in dire straits and its people exhausted?

According to traditional thinking, this should be the case; war should deplete a country's wealth.

Soldiers will die, and wealth will be depleted.

But what about here?

"13%."

As the car was moving, Han Bidong said:
"Changxing, do you know what this is?"

Wang Changxing naturally knew this, and he immediately replied:

"This is the growth rate of the Yong'an Index this year."

"Ah."

Han Bidong nodded and said:

"The war not only did not have any impact on the economy here, but it also stimulated economic growth. In the first half of this year, SEA's economic growth rate has already exceeded double digits, and achieving double digits this year is not a problem!"

When Han Bidong mentioned this double-digit figure, his tone was full of admiration. After all, this is the size of SEA's economy.

“Minister, we are now also involved in the war, which should have a certain boost to our economy, just like when we sent troops to Saigon back then.”

Hearing Wang Changxing say this, Han Bidong shook his head and said:

"This time, for us, sending troops is not about gaining economic benefits, but about..."

For what?
Looking at the official residence that came into view, Han Bidong thought to himself:

"It's so that we can truly become a part of this place!"

Amidst such anticipation, Han Bidong once again entered the official residence.

Unlike a month ago, this time his feelings were complicated.

A month ago, Han Bidong arrived in Chang'an with the mission of applying to join the Nanyang Free Trade Zone. According to the procedure, he first needed to submit an application, and then the Free Trade Zone Committee would conduct a corresponding review.

This review period is lengthy. First, the applicant country needs to demonstrate its willingness and ability to meet the high standards of the Nanyang Free Trade Area.

At the same time, it also requires a good track record of long-term compliance with trade rules. After confirming that it meets all the hard requirements, it also requires consensus among members—the unanimous agreement of all member states is required.

That means it's a veto!

When Han Bidong had this thought, he wasn't thinking about the 30 chapters and more than 2300 articles of the Nanyang Free Trade Zone.

Instead, it's a veto.

Because if even one country vetoes a free trade zone, it's tantamount to shutting South Korea out, which is why Han Pil-dong came to the official residence.

"Right now, the most important thing for South Korea is to win your support. With your support, the biggest obstacle to South Korea joining the free trade zone will be removed."

As they were about to enter the official residence, Han Bidong said to Wang Changxing:
"Changxing, do you think Your Excellency will support us?"

A dozen minutes later, in the study of the official residence, Li Yi'an looked at Han Bidong, the South Korean Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, who was sitting respectfully in front of him. He was sitting on a soft chair, but he only sat on half of his buttocks. His cautious and timid appearance was quite impressive.

Listening to him speak of South Korea's desire to join a free trade zone, and the expectations of the entire nation, he also mentioned many changes in South Korea, such as the widespread adoption of Korean language education in schools, and even spoke in a tone that seemed regretful but was actually a report of achievements:

"Oh dear, my father-in-law is very upset because his grandson and granddaughter can't speak Korean or write Korean characters. He said that during the Japanese colonial period, he and his friends preserved Korean characters, but now his grandson and granddaughter can't speak Korean..."

This is South Korea today. Over the past two decades, while Koreans have taken pride in "going to Southeast Asia," the Korean language has been deliberately abandoned. There was no other way; America was too far, and South Korea was too poor. Going to Southeast Asia was the only option for Koreans to change their fate at that time.

It's not about changing our fate, but about avoiding hunger.

So, the Koreans made their own choice. Although Korean schools taught Hangul at the time, who would want to write the language of "not having enough to eat"?
More than a decade ago, after Park Jung-woong came to power, he fully embraced Mandarin, and over the past two decades, South Korea has become almost entirely a Mandarin-speaking region.

Lee Yi-an, who has visited South Korea three times, is very clear about this. He will certainly not refuse such an initiative to integrate, but not refusing does not mean that there are no difficulties.

"Actually, the most important thing right now is not whether I support South Korea."

Looking at Han Bidong, Li Yi'an continued:
"To ensure the viability of the free trade zone, the committee has developed a total of 30 chapters and more than 2300 articles."

Those clauses meticulously formulated various rules, including some that even conflicted with national sovereignty. For example, there were labor provisions, prohibitions against implicit government subsidies and targeted support, requirements for state-owned enterprises to operate commercially, and the ability for foreign investors to bypass the host country's courts and directly apply for international arbitration in the trade zone. Moreover, international arbitration takes precedence over domestic judicial rulings, and this is just one part of it.

Can South Korea accept these harsh conditions?

Is this a reminder?
Of course, in fact, Li Yi'an would remind every country that wants to return to free trade that the rules of trade are harsh.

"South Korea can accept this!"

At this moment, Han Bidong had made up his mind. The reason he came here was because the Blue House had already accepted these conditions. The biggest problem now was the veto power.

“If South Korea is willing to accept it, then you should first meet the entry requirements, which are equivalent to ‘entry qualifications’. Once you meet these requirements, you will be eligible to negotiate. There are also guidelines: which are equivalent to ‘rules of the game’. Once you join, you must abide by them for a long time. If you violate the rules, you will be disqualified in serious cases.”

Because the free trade zone is the foundation of Southeast Asia, Li Yi'an attaches great importance to its operating mechanism. It can be said that he reviewed almost every single one of the 30 chapters and more than 2300 articles, which is why he emphasized this point in particular.
"Although free trade zones and GATTs are different, GATTs provide a transition period for new members, allowing participating countries to participate first and then meet the requirements. In other words, you can meet the requirements tomorrow if you can't do them today. Of course, that transition period is three years. If you fail to meet the requirements, your 'associate member' status will be revoked."

But it's different in free trade zones!

When he said "different," Li Yi'an emphasized the word, and then said:

"It's different from the application stage. The applicant country needs to submit a formal application to the committee. The assessment stage: member states assess whether they meet the access conditions. The working group stage: a working group is established to conduct detailed negotiations. The approval stage: domestic legislative adjustments need to be completed and approval from all member states is required."

In other words, you have to meet the standard from the very beginning.

You should know that Australia applied for membership two years ago, and only now has the application assessment been completed. To complete all the work, it will take at least four more years.

"South Korea can wait, Your Excellency!" Han Bidong bowed slightly and said.
"Before I came to Chang'an, President Park said that South Korea was willing to amend all laws to ensure compliance with the rules of the free trade zone."

"The key is not to amend the laws, but to implement them."

Li Yi'an shook his head and said:

“You should know that the committee never cares how many laws member states have enacted; they only care whether the laws are enforced and whether the enforcement is fair. They believe that the source cannot be polluted, just as Bacon said, ‘An unjust judgment pollutes the source of the law.’ If you cannot ensure fairness at this source, you will also be shut out.”

As he finished speaking, Li Yi'an looked at Han Bidong and asked in return:
"This is the biggest challenge you face."

After he finished speaking, the office fell silent. After a brief silence, Han Bidong said:

"Your Excellency, for South Korea, joining the free trade zone is an opportunity for progress. The Blue House hopes to use this opportunity to further develop the economy, and many people in South Korea hope to take advantage of this opportunity to achieve economic growth and social progress, and..."

Raising his head, Han Bidong said again in a solemn tone:

"To truly integrate into this big family, after all, Korea has been an orphan for hundreds of years, it's time to go home!"

These sudden, heartfelt words stunned Li Yi'an, despite his decades-long efforts to bring South Korea into his sphere of influence.

However, this is the first time I've heard such a frank answer. Actually, it's not the first time. For the past ten years or so, there have been some people in South Korea calling for South Korea to further integrate into Southeast Asia.

It's not just about economic integration into the Nanyang Free Trade Area. It's also about national-level integration into Nanyang.

Like other countries in Southeast Asia, through integration in politics, law, and other areas, South Korea is no longer an orphan adrift on the peninsula.

"The Orphan Theory".

This is a statement that has emerged in South Korea since the US military withdrew from the country.

The core of this argument is that South Korea is a weak orphan. Without the protection of a major power, South Korea is destined for destruction.

Therefore, if South Korea truly wants to gain the protection of a great power, this protection should be like that of the Joseon Dynasty, where South Korea exchanged the protection of the Ming Dynasty for the spirit of serving the great power.

Thus, it can survive as a nation amidst future changes.

It won't be like being colonized by Japan after the First Sino-Japanese War, nor will it be like being annexed by the north.

In short, it's basically about acknowledging someone as a father.

Ever since they were forced to acknowledge the Manchus as their fathers, they have always considered themselves orphans. Now... after going around in circles, they have finally found a new father.

Therefore, the "orphan theory" became popular. At first, it was only a discussion among a few people, but now this trend is highly regarded in South Korea.

After all, South Korea has a centuries-old tradition of subservient to the great powers, and for centuries has it been remembering its long-deceased father.

Now that they have a more powerful new father, all they can think about is one thing: Daddy, love me again.

Han Bidong is precisely such a person, not only because his family has always inherited the "spirit of serving the great power," but also because Han Bidong studied in SEA in his early years. He is a natural "pro-South Korean" and takes pride in it. In fact, his appointment as vice minister was seen by the outside world as the rise of the "pro-South Korean" faction.

Now, he has made no attempt to hide his true thoughts, or rather, the thoughts of a portion of the Korean population.

Well, who could refuse such a filial son's heart?
Looking at Han Bidong in front of him, Li Yi'an thought of his background, his ancestors, history, and many other things.

Then he smiled at Han Bidong, sized up the South Korean diplomat who had uttered words unbecoming of a diplomat in a diplomatic setting, and said:
"Well, in principle, I agree with South Korea joining the free trade zone... but the prerequisite is that you must meet the hard requirements!"

Overwhelmed with joy, Han Bidong jumped up, bowed deeply, and even stammered:

"Sir, thank you, thank you so much, you've finally let us go home..."

Although the road home is still long, at least we have finally taken the first step.

(End of this chapter)