Golden Spoon Investor

Chapter 569: CH570

Two days later — Washington Dulles International Airport.

After several days of rain and snow, the weather had finally turned clear and bright.

Under a blue sky they hadn't seen in a while, a sleek Gulfstream IV stood on the wide apron, its polished fuselage gleaming. The tail fin bore the initials TH, accented with a gold stripe — Chairman Park Tae-hong's private jet.

Inside, unlike the cold outside, the heater kept the cabin warm and comfortable.

The interior, decorated with mahogany wood and top-grade leather, felt luxurious. Chairman Park and his wife, dressed comfortably, sat across from their second son, Seok-won, chatting.

"The past two days have been a whirlwind."

Leaning back into the soft seat, Chairman Park spoke with all tension finally gone from his posture.

"The inauguration, the White House banquet, the inaugural ball… it was all such a rare experience. Not something you get to do twice."

Madam Jo responded with a bright, satisfied smile that filled her face.

Chairman Park lifted the corner of his mouth proudly.

"The chief presidential secretary who came as a special envoy looked stunned when he saw us sitting at the main table with President George."

The envoy himself had barely managed to get a seat at a distant side table. Meanwhile, Chairman Park and his wife were seated at the main table with Seok-won — in seats incredibly close to the president. That alone was enough to make anyone stare.

In addition, the main table included the vice president, the Senate and House speakers and their spouses, and Nick Watt, the White House chief of staff. The message it conveyed was unmistakable.

Wearing a perfectly tailored suit and a silk tie, Seok-won asked gently:

"You had a packed schedule. Was it tiring?"

"A little, but it was such a rare experience that I didn't mind."

"I can still handle this much just fine."

Next to her, Chairman Park Tae-hong spoke leisurely, bringing a glass of whiskey on the rocks to his lips.

"Then I suppose you can come again for the next inauguration."

"Oh my, yes. If we're invited, I could come ten more times."

Madam Jo Deokrye laughed, covering her mouth with her hand.

Being treated as VIP guests from start to finish at a U.S. presidential inauguration was a privilege almost no one experienced. Naturally, both of them took Seok-won's comment as a light joke.

But since Seok-won already knew who would be taking over the White House after President George, seeing how delighted his parents were, made him think he should arrange an invitation for them again next time.

Rolling up his sleeve slightly to check his watch, Seok-won lifted his head.

"I should get going now. Have a safe flight back to Seoul."

"When are you planning to return?"

"I still have a few things left to take care of, so I'll need to stay a few more days."

"You'll be in Washington the whole time?"

"No. Once I finish what I need to do here, I'll stop by New York before heading back."

Chairman Park Tae-hong looked at him with a trusting expression.

"All right. Better to be busy while you're still young."

"But don't overdo it. Take your time and get some rest. Nothing matters more than your health."

Madam Jo patted the back of his hand as she spoke with concern.

"Yes, I will. Don't worry."

Seok-won stood and bowed politely to his parents.

"Have a good trip. I'll call when you land."

"We're flying home on a private jet. Do you really think we won't get there safely? Don't worry about us. Focus on your work."

"Oh, honestly. Must you talk like that?" Madam Jo scolded lightly beside him.

Chairman Park simply pretended not to hear, sipping his whiskey on the rocks with an indifferent expression.

But Seok-won knew very well that his father would be secretly pleased when he called later. With a faint smile, he bowed once more, walked down the carpeted aisle, and descended the steps of the boarding stairs.

As the stewardess closed the heavy cabin door, Chairman Park gazed out through the large window.

He saw Seok-won climbing into the black Cadillac Escalade, its door opened by his aide.

"The kid… somewhere along the way, he grew up and became a far bigger figure than I ever was."

At Chairman Park Tae-hong's quiet murmur, Madam Jo Deokrye leaned closer and whispered softly:

"He's your son, after all."

Watching the Cadillac Escalade glide forward and slowly pull away, a pleased smile spread across Chairman Park's face.

"That's right. He takes after me perfectly."

Hearing the pride overflowing in his voice, Madam Jo laughed warmly beside him.

***

After seeing his parents off, Seok-won returned to the penthouse suite of the most luxurious hotel in downtown Washington, where he was currently staying.

As he stepped into the living room, Landon—dressed in a navy suit—rose from a European antique sofa upon seeing him.

"Did everything go smoothly?"

Seok-won removed his cashmere coat and handed it to Manager Han Jisung behind him, then unbuttoned his jacket and naturally walked to the center seat reserved for the head of the table.

Crossing one leg over the other, he leaned back into the plush seat and glanced at Landon, who sat to his left.

"I heard you met with the Chinese delegation today for negotiations. How did it go?"

Landon lifted one shoulder in a casual shrug.

"Since Secretary Romeo had already applied significant pressure beforehand, the meeting ended without much friction. We exchanged only the necessary points and wrapped it up."

Manager Han placed a glass of cold mineral water on the table, and Seok-won acknowledged him with a brief nod of thanks.

Taking a sip to moisten his throat, he set the glass down and spoke lightly.

"China's most critical objective right now is joining the WTO. Whether they like it or not, they had no choice but to accept what we demanded."

"Exactly. If WTO accession were derailed because of something like this, the damage to China would be enormous."

"Luckily, the timing is in our favor. A few years from now, it would have been nearly impossible to reclaim the neodymium magnet patents that Magnequench used to own."

Landon leaned forward, a puzzled expression settling on his face.

"I know they're used in advanced weapons like Tomahawk missiles and the F-22. But most of the time, neodymium magnets end up in things like electric motors that move car seats back and forth. I still don't quite understand why they're important enough for you to push President George into helping us secure them."

Landon's reaction was identical to how the general public viewed rare earth elements.

There had been careful maneuvering behind the scenes, but because global understanding of rare earths was so shallow, the United States had carelessly allowed China to take over the entire rare earth industry.

"There are seventeen elements—like lanthanum and lutetium—that we group together and call 'rare earths.' Despite the name, rare earths aren't actually rare. They exist almost everywhere in small amounts."

"…"

"The real issue is the technology required to gather them, extract them, and refine them."

"But isn't the problem that the refining process produces toxic wastewater and radioactive by-products? Doesn't that make it an industry everyone avoids?"

"It's true that the pollution is severe. But if you install proper purification systems and manage the process strictly, it's possible to handle it safely. The problem is cost—the expense becomes so high that the industry stops being profitable."

Seok-won let out a faint, bitter smile and continued.

"With regulations tightening and environmental groups attacking the industry as dirty and dangerous, China started aggressively trying to take over the rare earth sector. Both U.S. companies and the government were more than happy to pass the technology over and sell off the factories. As a result, China has already swallowed a massive portion of the global rare earth industry."

"The government offloaded a troublesome environmental issue, and companies get cheaper materials. Seems like everyone wins, doesn't it?"

"On the surface, yes. But if you look even a little deeper, you'll see how dangerous—how downright foolish—it was to hand that industry over to China."

Seeing that Landon still didn't fully grasp it, Seok-won lowered his voice and explained.

"You know a single car requires tens of thousands of big and small parts, right?"

"Of course."

"If even one tiny nut or bolt is missing—just one—the car can't be completed, even if all the other parts are ready."

"If a part is missing, couldn't we just source it elsewhere or replace it?"

"You could—if it's a normal part. It might take time and cost more, but it's possible. The problem is that rare-earth-based components, like neodymium magnets, are extremely hard—or completely impossible—to substitute."

"Hm…"

The more he listened, the more serious Landon's expression became.

"As technology advances, rare earth elements will be used across nearly every industry. When that happens, China's influence will grow automatically, because they've seized control of the entire rare earth supply chain."

Seok-won glanced at Landon's stiffening face.

"In the worst case, China could weaponize rare earths, which are essential to advanced industries."

"That would be no different from openly picking a fight with the U.S. and the rest of the developed world. Surely China wouldn't do something so reckless."

"Maybe not now. But what about ten or twenty years from now?"

Landon fell silent, unable to give a confident rebuttal. Seok-won continued, fully serious now.

"For the moment, they hide their claws, but China fundamentally has the mindset of a power that wants to press down neighbouring countries by force and rise above them."

"…"

"And once China revitalizes its economy through WTO membership, they'll inevitably clash with Korea, Japan, and ultimately the United States—the current global hegemon."

Landon still couldn't imagine a developing China growing that powerful, but Seok-won had never been wrong before. That alone made the warning impossible to ignore.

"When the fight for global dominance eventually begins, China will undoubtedly use rare earths as a powerful weapon to pressure the United States and other Western nations. And when that happens, the technologies and facilities we secured in advance will become extremely valuable."

"If things unfold the way you predict, those assets could become a critical strategic card later on."

Seok-won nodded.

"Once we reclaim the patents China took, buy out all related technologies and patents from Sumitomo Special Metals as well. They developed neodymium magnets together with GM. Since they don't consider those technologies particularly important, offering a bit of a premium will make them part with everything easily."

"I'll handle it as you instructed."

Leaning back into the soft sofa, Seok-won allowed himself a faint smile.

It was the satisfied smile of someone who knew he had not only dealt a significant blow to China's ambitions in the rare earth industry, but also secured a powerful bargaining chip for the future struggle between the United States and China.