358 KSm

By late November, a flicker of excitement ignited within Han Jin-Sang, Chairman of SamStar. Months of tireless effort had yielded hundreds of thousands of their new flip phone model, brimming with potential. Yet, the looming question of potential malfunctions held little sway. Testers would meticulously comb through each unit, ensuring initial functionality. Marketing gears were already churning, poised to propel the phone into the market.

However, just as SamStar primed its launch, a seismic tremor shook the Asian market.

KiShin unveiled its own flip phone, simultaneously announcing its US and Asian release. Within a week of this audacious move, KiShin's phones flooded the market, leaving no room for suspense. SamStar's carefully crafted marketing strategy, rendered virtually obsolete, watched as KiShin's devices infiltrated South Korea.

The distributors of the flippable mobile phone were Hyun-Motors and Lucky Gold.

Two powerful Korean conglomerates, Hyun-Motors and Lucky Gold, served as KiShin's distribution channels. Emblazoned with their own logos, these phones, essentially KiShin's brainchild, flooded the market, leaving Han reeling. The months of meticulous planning, the tireless production efforts – all seemingly rendered futile in the face of KiShin's swift and decisive action.

When SamStar Chairman Han Jin-Sang witnessed all of this, he couldn't contain his simmering anger.

Anger simmered within Han, a potent brew fueled by frustration and disbelief. The meticulous development of SamStar's phone, the painstaking production process – all diminished by KiShin's lightning-fast maneuver. The race to market, once thought to be neck-and-neck, had become a humiliating sprint, with SamStar left at the starting line.

While SamStar incurred significant losses in mass-producing the flippable mobile phone, the board of directors felt that Han Jin-Sang wasn't fit to be the chairman. The Han Family took advantage of Han Jin-Sang's fault, and family members with positions in the SamStar Group either competed for the chairman position or supported the person with the highest chances of becoming the chairman.

Han Jin-Sang felt threatened; although he had enough time to deal with KiShin, the greater threat loomed over his family members rather than external companies.

As Han Jin-Sang sensed everything worsening, the worst was yet to come. A certain Han family member was being supported by KiShin to become the chairman of the SamStar Group.

In reality, Shin knew that the person they were supporting had low chances of becoming chairman, but Shin wanted to leverage that fact against Han Jin-Sang, emphasizing how easily he could be replaced.

As Han Jin-Sang grappled with the vulnerability of his position, Shin understood that sooner or later, the chairman would relent and have no choice but to allow significant stockholders, including Han Jin-Sang, to let KiShin purchase their stocks at a lower price than the market.

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Meanwhile, as KiShin announced and released the flipping mobile phone with its considerably larger screen and captivating keypad in 1997, many businesses in the industry were captivated by the creative design of the phone.

The colorful display and screen brightness were ahead of its time; many mobile phone manufacturers were captivated by KiShin's groundbreaking new phone.

Numerous electronics companies were impressed by KiShin's technologies. Although KiShin had actually developed the technology in collaboration with SamStar, before the Asian Financial Crisis, SamStar strategically insisted in the contract that each company would manufacture its own mobile phones independently without acknowledging the other's contribution. Essentially, they were on their own.

SamStar's insistence on non-attribution stemmed from their ambitious plan to surpass KiShin after the success of the flip phone. However, their calculated move backfired spectacularly.

Due to SamStar's stipulations, KiShin faithfully refrained from mentioning SamStar in the development of their new mobile phone technologies. Consequently, cellphone manufacturers who initially believed KiShin would not re-enter the mobile phone industry after selling its stocks in Rebolt Technology for about 3.1 billion dollars a year ago were taken aback by KiShin's sudden release of a mobile phone—a device poised to revolutionize the cellphone market.

The KiShin phone, named "KSm" or KiShin Mobile, was priced at $599.

While some might consider it expensive, those who could afford it were highly satisfied. In fact, just a week after its release, many Japanese salarymen and young people who purchased the mobile phone found great satisfaction in its flipping design.

The phone's flip, reminiscent of the Gameboy Advance, became a feature to proudly showcase to others.

Even amidst the financial crisis in South Korea, many could still afford the mobile phone. With the discounted prices from Hyun-Motors and Lucky Gold compared to other countries, numerous people in the country eagerly bought into the hype surrounding the phone after its release.

Even some political figures bought the KiShin phone for themselves. Clearly, the South Korean government wasn't opposed to the mobile phone's success, as it contributed to their economy. With KiShin's ongoing financial investments in various businesses, many who had lost their jobs managed to recover, thanks to KiShin's financial support.

As days passed, KiShin's seemingly altruistic investments in South Korean businesses gradually changed the opinions of South Koreans toward the Japanese company. By the end of December, people started to view KiShin in a new light, especially after an exclusive interview with KiShin's chairman, Shinro Suzuki, conducted by a TBS Japanese reporter about the Asian Financial Crisis. The interview made its way into South Korea, shedding light on the country's situation and the chairman's thoughts.

In the interview, Shin expressed, "I am trying to compensate for my ancestors' horrible actions by aiding Asian countries, including South Korea, in this Asian Financial Crisis through financial investments." Shin spoke with apparent passion.

Footage of the interview even featured in TV news reports in several Asian countries that had received assistance from the KiShin foundation. The reports highlighted KiShin's aid by purchasing materials in those countries at affordable prices.

However, Shin didn't reveal his true intentions in the interview—that he was motivated more by profit than passion. Undoubtedly, he embodied the title of the "Chairman of Shamelessness."