Yongsan, Ministry of National Defense Headquarters.
Inside the spacious office, behind a large desk, the South Korean flag and the Ministry of National Defense flag with a red background stood alongside a presidential portrait mounted on the wall.
Minister Ahn Yong-guk sat at the center, flanked by Army Chief of Staff Choi Jin-seok and 2nd Field Army Commander Cha Ji-hwan, who were seated on a sofa.
Tea cups rested on the table, but no one had touched them, and the tea had grown cold.
In the heavy atmosphere, Cha Ji-hwan, his face darkened from sun exposure, spoke with obvious frustration.
"This is ridiculous. Our military isn't some private security company!"
Across from him, Chief of Staff Choi Jin-seok chimed in with a reluctant expression.
"Exactly. They're asking soldiers to guard ordinary civilian facilities, not critical national installations. It's unacceptable."
Seeing the two generals so visibly upset, Minister Ahn pressed one hand against his temple, as if the situation were giving him a headache.
He let out a deep sigh and said,
"I feel the same way. I don't like it either, but it's an order from the Blue House. What choice do we have?"
"But still…"
As Cha Ji-hwan opened his mouth to object again, Ahn Yong-guk raised a hand to stop him.
"The president of Daehung Investments will be coming personally soon. Let's hear what he has to say first."
"And what if he comes and spouts nonsense?"
Cha Ji-hwan asked sternly. After a brief silence, Minister Ahn responded in a calm, measured voice.
"Then I'll go to the Blue House and ask the president to reconsider his instructions."
The two men, well aware of how difficult it was to ask the newly inaugurated president to reconsider his orders, fell silent.
The reason the two generals, both senior officers, were lodging such a strong protest to their superior, Minister Ahn Yong-guk, was none other than Seok-won.
Seok-won, having purchased an underground bunker in Busan for use as a personal vault, was considering how to securely store the gold bars he planned to keep there.
He recalled Fort Knox—a U.S. gold storage facility located within a military base, where armed troops could be dispatched immediately in an emergency.
Even with separate armed guards, knowing that soldiers equipped with heavy weapons could respond at a moment's notice was far more reassuring.
No matter how tempting the gold-filled vault might be, few would dare attempt a break-in.
Through Assemblyman Woo Chun-il, who had become a secretary in the Blue House, Seok-won requested that military personnel be stationed at the bunker in exchange for the surrounding public land that came with the purchase.
And now, the current situation was the result.
In silence, the three men sat with stern expressions, smoking, waiting for Seok-won to arrive.
After some time had passed, a lieutenant, wearing the rank insignia of captain, knocked and then entered the office.
"Something?"
Minister Ahn Yong-guk turned his head, a cigarette pinched between his fingers.
Sensing the tense atmosphere, the aide spoke cautiously.
"Guests from Daehung Investment have arrived."
Ahn Yong-guk crushed his cigarette in the ashtray on the desk and said,
"Bring them in."
"Yes, sir."
Shortly after the aide left, Seok-won entered the office, accompanied by his personal secretary, Deputy Han Ji-sung.
Minister Ahn Yong-guk rose along with the two generals and approached Seok-won, extending his hand first.
"Welcome."
"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Park Seok-won."
Seok-won shook hands and met the gaze of the others.
Minister Ahn Yong-guk then, with a stern expression, gestured to the two generals standing beside him and introduced them.
"These are Chief of Staff Choi Jin-seok and 2nd Field Army Commander Cha Ji-hwan."
"I see. It's a pleasure to meet you," Seok-won said with a smile, offering a handshake to each. However, the two generals returned only stiff nods.
"I'm Choi Jin-seok."
"I'm Cha Ji-hwan."
From their expressions and the tense atmosphere, Seok-won quickly realized he was not a welcome guest. It was hard to miss, given how openly the military men displayed their disapproval.
After this brief exchange of greetings, both sides settled onto the sofas.
The atmosphere remained awkward until a duty officer cleared the tea cups, brought fresh coffee, and left. Minister Ahn, seated in the middle, finally broke the silence.
"I understand you wish to relocate the 53rd Division Military Police to the Chungmu facility in Gwangandong."
Although Seok-won was much younger, he spoke carefully, aware that he was a member of a chaebol family and, more importantly, held in special regard by President Kim Jae-chun.
"That's correct."
Seok-won leaned back slightly, maintaining a composed demeanor as he addressed Minister Ahn and the two generals across from him.
"If you agree to relocate the Military Police, I will cover all costs to demolish the current Civil Servant Training Center and the Public Health and Environmental Research Institute buildings, and rebuild all necessary military facilities required for their stationing."
Hearing this, Chief of Staff Choi Jin-seok, wearing four stars on each shoulder, fixed Seok-won with a steady gaze, expressing clear disapproval.
"I apologize, but the military exists to serve the people and protect national security. It is not here to safeguard an individual's private property."
Commander Cha Ji-hwan, seated beside him, nodded solemnly in agreement.
But Seok-won, anticipating such objections, remained calm and responded without a trace of hesitation.
"Your point is well taken."
Choi Jin-seok, surprisingly acquiescing, drew a faintly puzzled reaction from Seok-won, but the Chief of Staff quickly relaxed, relieved that the discussion was progressing smoothly.
"I'm glad the conversation is going well, contrary to my worries. Then we can consider the proposal as withdrawn—"
Before he could finish, Seok-won spoke with a deliberately serious tone.
"However, I understand that if a facility is essential for national security or the maintenance of social and economic order, the military can assume responsibility for its security, protection, and defense."
"Of course, but as I said, that applies only to facilities of national importance."
"So legally, there's no issue."
Choi Jin-seok frowned, suspecting Seok-won was being difficult.
"Are you suggesting that the Gwang-an bunker you purchased qualifies as a national key facility?"
"That's correct."
As Seok-won nodded, Minister Ahn interjected.
"I think there's a misunderstanding. The Gwang-an bunker was a critical facility until recently. However, with the creation of a new Eulji facility beneath the Busan City Hall, it has been removed from the national key facility designation."
Critical facilities refer to installations that, if destroyed, occupied, or rendered inoperative by an enemy, could decisively impact the lives of citizens.
"I am aware of that," Seok-won said, shrugging.
"You know what I plan to store in the Gwang-an bunker."
"I've heard it will hold gold bars collected during the national gold-gathering campaign."
"That's correct. But do you know how much?"
"That, I'm not certain of."
Since the higher authorities hadn't provided precise figures, even Minister Ahn was unsure. He only speculated that, given the nationwide gold-gathering campaign, it must be substantial. Still, he thought moving the military for gold, however precious, seemed excessive.
Seok-won then looked around at the three men and stated calmly,
"166 tons."
"...!"
"That's just for January alone. By the time the campaign ends, we expect at least 220 tons to have been collected."
The sheer magnitude of the gold left Minister Ahn Yong-guk and the two generals wide-eyed, mouths agape.
"Wow… I had no idea there was that much gold in the country!"
Hearing Ahn Yong-guk exclaim, Chief of Staff Choi Jin-seok nodded in astonishment.
"Indeed."
At that moment, with a subtle nod from Seok-won, Han Ji-sung quickly retrieved a thin binder from his briefcase resting on his lap and placed it on the table.
Still reeling from the shock of 166 tons of gold, Minister Ahn looked at it and asked,
"What is this?"
"It's an agreement with the Bank of Korea."
"...?"
"As you'll see, it allows the gold bars I purchased to be used as foreign exchange reserves if needed over the next ten years."
Seok-won smiled, showing his teeth, as he looked at the three blinking men in disbelief.
"In other words, while the gold is my property, it simultaneously serves temporarily as part of Korea's foreign reserves."
"...!"
"Since these bars will be used as critical reserves in emergencies, the storage location qualifies as a national key facility without issue, wouldn't you agree?"
Understanding the implication, the three exchanged slightly flustered glances.
"Hmm."
"Ahem..."
Having anticipated resistance, Seok-won had even brought along the official agreement with the Bank of Korea, leaving little room for objection.
Ignoring their uneasy expressions, he continued.
"Of course, if someone were intent on finding fault, there could still be objections."
As if on cue, General Cha Ji-hwan spoke up.
"That's precisely our concern."
"I see. In that case, I have a proposal."
Minister Ahn and the two generals furrowed their brows, focusing intently on him.
"As I mentioned earlier, not only will I fund and rebuild the barracks and all necessary facilities in a modern style for the military police, but I will also provide one hundred million won annually for operational expenses."
Still, General Cha's demeanor reflected reluctance.
"Your offer is appreciated, but frankly, the inconvenience of relocating an established post and the potential for unnecessary controversy outweighs the benefits."
Minister Ahn Yong-guk and Chief of Staff Choi Jin-seok could acknowledge the need to protect gold that could serve as part of the foreign reserves.
However, taking direct responsibility for it themselves was a different matter, so their unease hadn't completely disappeared.
"I've heard that prototypes for the next-generation self-propelled artillery are already being produced and are currently undergoing testing."
Mentioning the next-generation artillery out of the blue left Minister Ahn and the two generals with puzzled expressions.
Until the 1980s, the South Korean military lagged behind North Korea in both quantity and firepower of self-propelled artillery, as the North had independently developed 170mm units with a 40km range.
To address this gap, South Korea launched a project to domestically develop a new self-propelled artillery system surpassing the existing K55 in performance.
'After ten years of grueling effort, what emerged was the pride of South Korea's arsenal: the K9 self-propelled howitzer.'
Seok-won quickly pushed the thought aside and presented an offer that artillery enthusiasts at the Ordnance Corps could never refuse.
"I understand that if this year's testing concludes successfully, production will begin next year."
"That's correct. But why are you bringing this up?"
Chief of Staff Choi asked, raising an eyebrow.
"If you agree to relocate the military police as requested, I will donate thirty K9 self-propelled howitzers to the army."
"!"
As the two generals stared in shock, Minister Ahn quickly leaned forward.
"Is that for real?"
"It is. If you wish, I can even provide a written pledge."
Seok-won nodded without the slightest hesitation.
Hearing his answer, Chief of Staff Choi Jin-seok and General Cha Ji-hwan couldn't help but swallow hard.
It was understandable. The exact delivery price hadn't been finalized since the testing was still ongoing, but each next-generation howitzer was estimated at around 4 billion won.
That meant a total value of roughly 120 billion won.
On top of that, the entire country had entered austerity measures after the IMF crisis, and the defense budget had been significantly cut.
As a result, the planned production quantity for the next-generation howitzer was at risk of being drastically reduced.
Naturally, fewer units meant higher per-unit costs, which was a major headache for the budget-strapped Ministry of Defense.
And now, an unexpected savior had appeared, making them want to throw their arms up in joy.
As Seok-won sat there with a calm expression, the three exchanged quick glances, silently communicating.
Minister Ahn cleared his throat and spoke first.
"Hmm. Mr. Park, we are grateful for your efforts on behalf of the military. Especially since the gold you're storing will, albeit temporarily, serve as part of the Bank of Korea's foreign reserves, I think it's reasonable to consider it a national critical facility. What do you think?"
Even Chief of Staff Choi, who had been the strongest opponent, flipped his stance without hesitation.
"After experiencing the foreign exchange crisis, the importance of reserves has become clear. From a security standpoint, it seems necessary to protect them."
"I agree as well," said General Cha.
Naturally, the three of them now had only one thing on their minds: thirty brand-new K9 self-propelled howitzers.
Bigger weapons!
Greater firepower!
A new base? Why wait to move it!
Seeing their unified determination, Seok-won couldn't help but smile brightly.