The winter winds of 2001 seem to be a little more harsh than usual, but this is a little gentler than what South Korea has encountered in this year.

Kim Dae-jung is a remarkable man, he has been a spiritual symbol of active democracy fighters during the reign of early Korean dictators such as Syngman Rhee, and has even been hailed as the "Mandela" of Asia -- well, compared to the future Chinese public, the combat effectiveness of the people is not known to be high.

Because of this, he was a professional prison in South Korea in the early days, and he was imprisoned for decades. Until he was elected president of South Korea in 1998, how could such a figure ascend to the throne of power not purge the government?

Historically, he has been trying to reform the South Korean government since 1998, and basically fulfilled his vision by 2002. By elevating the power of the central government and bringing the civil government into the mainstream, the country's budgetary power was placed in the hands of the central government, paving the way for South Korea's development to enter the fast lane.

South Korea's GDP in 1996 was $573 billion, and by the outbreak of the Asian financial crisis, the total GDP for the whole year in 1998 was only $357.5 billion. Under such a grim situation, under the leadership of Kim Dae-jung, South Korea's GDP increased to $561.8 billion in 2000 in just two years.

It can be seen from this that Kim Tae-chung's reform of the government is not without a guard of honor. This guard of honor is his strong impetus to the country's economy.

By the time he stepped down as president in 2003, South Korea's GDP had reached $680.4 billion.

Tong Guò's reform of the four major areas of finance, business, public sector and labor and management, South Korea was in the term of Kim Dae-jung. It has completed the transformation from an export-oriented economy of low-grade products to a high-tech economy centered on information, and is recognized by the international community as an "excellent student" who overcame the financial crisis.

It's just this "honor student". Today's form is not very good.

"What the hell weather." Park Taesoon, South Korea's minister of foreign affairs and trade, waited for his secretary to open the door of the office building of the State Adjustment Office.

He tightened his clothes. Walked in briskly. It's already 8:56, and if it's not too fast, it's going to be late for this morning's cabinet meeting.

The corridors of the office building were quiet along the way, and today's cabinet meeting was not arranged at the president's official residence, but placed in the state adjustment room, which made Park Taesoon a little worried.

However, he didn't have much time to think, he had already arrived at the door of the conference room designated by the meeting, so he had to push the door and walk in.

"Taishun is here, sit down."

"Prime Minister Handong. How did today's cabinet meeting get to the State Adjustment Office? Isn't it ......"

"Don't think about it." Lee Han-dong, one of the founders of the Democratic Justice Party of Korea, has been South Korea's prime minister since May 2000 and is Kim Dae-jung's right-hand man. Overall, he is also a very capable person. He has a high status in the cabinet and is second only to Kim Dae-jung.

Li Handong pointed to the position next to him and said to Park Taesoon: "Taeshun, you sit here, today's discussion is more important." You will need to provide some explanation of the situation. ”

"Yes." Park Tae-soon sat beside him in fear.

Not long after, Kim Dae-jung, who was already a little old, walked into the conference room, and this old man was already 77 years old. Years of struggle and prison life have destroyed his health. In 2000. He won the Nobel Peace Prize for his sunny policy toward North Korea, and it seems that he has no regrets in his life.

"Our citizens are very good citizens!" As soon as Jin Dazhong sat down, he said with some emotion: "The country suffered the impact of the financial crisis in the past two years. Many people gave their gold to the country, and some newlyweds stopped traveling abroad. He even took out the dollars in his hand and exchanged them for the depreciating Korean won. These efforts have enabled our Korean economy to survive the most difficult stage. This is the trust that the people have placed in us. ”

"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to ask if we can face this trust calmly? The recent 911 incident in the United States is gradually revealing its past impact. One of the most serious crises is, in my opinion, the removal of obstacles for China's accession to the World Trade Organization. How competitive are our Korean products compared to Chinese products? This is the question I want to hear the answer to today, so please discuss it. ”

Lee Han-dong was an aide to Kim Dae-jung, and the prime minister was originally the organizer and de facto leader of the cabinet. After Kim Dae-jung set the tone, the task of presiding over the meeting naturally fell to him.

"Let's talk about it." His eyes first fell on the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Park Tae-soon, and said by name: "Tae-soon, you can talk about it." What industries will the competition between Korea and China emerge in? ”

Park Taishun pursed his lips and thought for no more than a minute, then said: "As far as I know, China has all the industrial categories, so with all due respect, all industries owned by our country will be industries that compete with China." Among them, South Korea's electronics industry, shipbuilding industry, tire industry, synthetic fiber textile industry, automobile industry, and steel production are the pillar industries of our country. It can be said that in the international market of these industries, China may face competition from China. ”

"So does our product have an edge over the competition?"

"I have given up competing with China in the field of crude steel, and only retained the production of high value-added special steel, because we basically have no advantage in this field. China's material and labor costs are much lower than those of South Korea. Therefore, it can be expected that after China's accession to the WTO, crude steel output will explode. No country in the world can compete with China in this regard. ”

"In the same way, there are synthetic fibers and textile industries, and we in South Korea have no way to compete with China in the low-end market, so it is best to focus on the development of high-end markets and design and brand strategies."

"The auto industry is much better, and we can't see that the Chinese auto industry will threaten the prospects of our Korean auto industry in a few years."

"In the same way, the situation in the tire industry is similar, and we Korean companies can still support each other."

"The most unoptimistic situation now is the electronics industry and shipbuilding industry, which had high hopes before......"

"As for these two industries, I think I should ask Minister Jiang of the Ministry of Science and Technology." Park Taesoon kicked the ball and said: "In the final analysis, the competitiveness of electronic products is technical ability, and whether China's technology is more advanced than China's, Minister Jiang has more say than me." Because China has not yet joined the WTO, the numbers in my hands may not be able to accurately reflect the actual situation. ”

Li Handong nodded, as if agreeing with Park Taesoon's statement, looked at Minister Kang Jae-kyeong of the Ministry of Science and Technology and asked, "Zai-kyung, how much do you know about China's situation?" ”

"Electronics Industry ......"

Jiang Jae-kyung's face was a little ugly, he pushed the glasses on his nose, and he was silent for longer than before Park Taesoon.

Kang Jae-kyung is a "turtle", a high-achieving doctoral student sent by South Korea to study in the United States in the 80s to study electronic technology. In his mind, the electronics industry in the United States is very strong.

Of course, with his support, South Korea's electronics industry will one day surpass the United States in technological achievements. But for now, there is still a certain gap between South Korea and the United States.

"I'd like to say that the electronics industry is more competitive in our country, but I'm afraid that's not the case. And after one happens, we in South Korea are likely to face the situation of a fire at the city gate and the fish in the pond. ”

"I don't know if you've heard of the Pan Han Group?"

"Pan Han Group? I think it's a Chinese company, producing-" The minister of culture and tourism thought for a moment and said, "By the way, it's that MP3, right?" Their products are good, but unfortunately the patent rights and our Korean companies have always been at odds, and our companies are not able to produce such interesting products. ”

"Yes, that's the business. In fact, MP3 is nothing at all for Pan Han Group. ”

Jiang Zaiqing said: "Fanhan Group is a much stronger company than it is in the terminal market, and it can be said that it has completed the entire industrial chain of chip manufacturing with one company. In this regard, it is not wrong to consider it the world's largest semiconductor company. In terms of technology, in the past three years, almost all of the technological development of the semiconductor industry has been the presence of Panhan Group. This is a company that can compete with Intel, Microsoft, and even IBM, and we are probably not a rival. ”

"And I noticed that Minister Park Taesoon did not mention the shipbuilding industry before. I know a little bit about that. ”

It seems that Kang Jae-kyung was not very satisfied with Park Tae-soon's behavior of kicking the ball, and easily took him again.

"Before 1997, the transfer of Japan's shipbuilding industry to China was very obvious, and the shipbuilding industry was also the pillar industry of China's heavy industry. But since 1997, the whole thing has changed completely. At present, China's total shipbuilding volume is not even 10% of the world's new tonnage, and 70% of the remaining 90% are currently in China. As far as the shipbuilding industry is concerned, the Bohai Shipbuilding Heavy Industry Group in Bohai Province, China, has reached four times the total output of China. ”

"Minister Park Taesoon, is this situation true?" Li Handong frowned and glared at him.

"Pretend, you pretend again!" Park Taesoon's face changed, and he suddenly realized that he was afraid that he was going to be in big trouble today. Li Handong arranged himself by his side and started, which was clearly a trap against him.

"Prime Minister, listen to me explain that the Chinese have made a breakthrough in shipbuilding technology and applied a technology called the sectional shipbuilding method. With this kind of technology, the cost and time of shipbuilding can be reduced to a fraction of what it used to be! Our Korean shipping companies have no way to deal with it! (To be continued......)