Chapter 51

The next day, long queues formed in front of all police stations on Jeju Island. Countless tourists curiously asked their tour guides if something had happened, especially tourists from Europe and America, who found the islanders' parade and protest style quite unique.

Almost all tour guides would smile and tell the tourists, "Today is the start of the issuance of new resident IDs and passports for Jeju Island residents. Only as residents can they enjoy the various benefits provided by the island's owner, so everyone hopes to get their new IDs as soon as possible."

After nearly half a month of preparation, the new resident IDs for Jeju Island residents finally began to be issued today.

Early in the morning, residents who had already received the news from the media rushed to the police stations to replace their old IDs with new ones. This was a matter that directly affected everyone's personal interests, so almost all residents were fully engaged. The residents knew in advance that to enjoy the benefits provided by the island's owner, they had to be residents. No one from other countries on Jeju Island had this condition, so it was normal for everyone to be proactive.

Of course, there were also citizens from other countries trying to take advantage, especially some former residents who had returned to South Korea. However, because Ji Feng had a list of residents up to the deadline, the police dared not show any favoritism. Otherwise, they would face dismissal and legal punishment, not only losing a well-paid stable job but also risking imprisonment.

So, these citizens from other countries could only watch as the people they had once looked down upon and mocked happily went to get their new resident IDs. Even those who had invested to immigrate had more qualifications than them.

On the new resident IDs, the nationality was removed and replaced with the region "Jeju Island." Ji Feng had publicly promised not to establish a country, and Jeju Island, existing as a region, clearly aligned with the interests of most countries. This is why the separation of Jeju Island from South Korea did not provoke opposition from the international community. After the separation, countries like the United States, China, Japan, Switzerland, South Korea, Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, and Australia were the first to announce their continued good cooperation with Jeju Island and promptly opened consulates.

The new resident IDs no longer had Korean text, replaced by pure English and Chinese. For the issuance of the new resident IDs, English-speaking countries led by the United States all expressed approval and were pleased with Ji Feng's commitment. When asked about the absence of Chinese characters on the new IDs, a Chinese spokesperson smiled and said, "This is an internal matter of Jeju Island, and no other country or region has the right to interfere. It should be decided by the island's owner and residents."

Ji Feng had initially considered printing Chinese, but given the limited space and the lack of complex information, and since people from the mainland would not have trouble understanding the new IDs, he decided to omit it based on the suggestions of his team.

The new resident IDs were promptly delivered by Kim Byung-rip, along with other government officials. This was a good opportunity for Ji Feng to discuss his recent activities in China and the upcoming establishment of various companies and construction projects.

Ji Feng's principles remained quality, efficiency, and price. When the difference was not significant, he would prioritize Chinese companies. Kim Byung-rip had no objections, as Ji Feng was the boss and could decide how to proceed.

After reporting on recent work and future plans, Ji Feng instructed the government officials to focus on the island's interests and dismissed them.

Looking at the four remaining people, Ji Feng sat in the main seat of the spacious reception room and scanned them, asking, "What is the current status of your preparations?"

The four were responsible for different areas: Park Jae-cheon, who had a medium-sized farm on Jeju Island, specialized in raising Korean cattle, with nearly 5,000 heads. His farm was included in the new ranch, and he was elected as the new ranch manager.

Lee Ji-jun had an orchard in the east, which was also included in the new farm. He did not want to relocate and start over, so he ran for and won the position of new farm manager.

Kim Dong-ho was different. He was previously the head of SK's Jeju branch. Despite his qualifications, which could have allowed him to return to South Korea for a better life and待遇, he chose to stay. Before and after the transition, he ensured that the entire energy industry on Jeju Island was preserved, with no oil or screws being removed by the South Korean government or SK headquarters.

Seeing his firm commitment, Ji Feng broke the rules and appointed him as the president of the new energy group, giving him full responsibility for all energy-related industries on the island.

Compared to the first three, Jung Jun-suh was the president of a fishing company. Although his company was not merged, he successfully ran for the position of general manager of the soon-to-be-established Jeju Fishing Group. He offered his fishing company to Ji Feng, but Ji Feng could not take advantage of this. Along with Park Jae-cheon and Lee Ji-jun, who had their own businesses, he gave each of them 1% of the shares, even though their businesses were not worth that much. Ji Feng did not want to be stingy; it was unreasonable to expect horses to run without feeding them.

The four each reported on their preparations. All four companies were expected to be established within the next week, and the land allocation was almost complete. The next step was to relocate the people inside to the towns and hire more workers.

The total number of employees registered for the four direct subsidiaries was already close to 20,000, and more would be needed to keep the operations running.

After listening to the reports, Ji Feng nodded slightly and, after a moment of thought, said, "When recruiting employees, remember to prioritize the unemployed. I said I would provide job opportunities for every islander. Even if they are a bit inexperienced, we can train them. Many jobs do not require much skill."

Seeing the four nod, Ji Feng continued, "Manager Lee, you can handle the arrangements for the agricultural company. I don't know much about it and don't plan to interfere. Manager Park, I hope you can quickly designate a piece of land for testing new dairy and beef cattle breeds. I have ordered 1,000 of each from the United States, and they are expected to arrive by early March. You need to be prepared to receive them."

Both agreed, and Ji Feng then said, "Manager Jung, I hope to see the expansion of Jeju Lake completed soon. I have ordered two new high-end freshwater fish species, which will arrive in a few months. Before that, we need to cultivate water plants for about two months."

Jung Jun-suh stood up and bowed, "Yes, boss. I guarantee the expansion will be completed within two months. I will arrange for the machinery to start the expansion immediately."

Ji Feng nodded slightly, "Jeju Lake is on the edge of the future ranch, so you need to coordinate well. Ideally, a road should be built to facilitate the transportation of the freshwater fish for processing. The fishing port and related factories must also be developed immediately."

Seeing Jung Jun-suh nod again, Ji Feng waved for the three to leave, leaving only Kim Dong-ho.

Seeing Kim Dong-ho left alone and looking a bit nervous, Ji Feng personally poured him a cup of coffee and said, "President Kim, you are different from the others. They are responsible for agriculture, ranching, and fishing, which, although significant, are self-sufficient and export-oriented. The energy group, however, is different. You know that we will never allow any polluting industries on Jeju Island. Therefore, our energy is currently entirely dependent on imports, which is not ideal. How is your plan coming along?"

This was their second meeting. The first time, Ji Feng had simply met Kim Dong-ho, listened to his future plans, and appointed him as the president of the energy group. At that time, he focused on the oil industry.

Now, the new energy group had integrated all energy-related industries on the island, including oil, electricity, coal, and solar power, and would also establish a specialized mineral products division, covering a wide range of areas.

Of course, the most urgent needs were still oil, natural gas, and electricity.

Kim Dong-ho stood up and bowed to Ji Feng, "Boss, I have completed two-thirds of my plan. Based on your vision, I plan to focus on three areas: First, building a power station on the western island. The initial plan is to start the design tender next month, followed by the construction tender after the design is finalized, aiming to complete and put it into operation within three to five years, with an initial capacity of 4 million kilowatts. Second, oil exploration and extraction. I don't understand why you are so confident about the northern sea, which is only a few dozen meters deep, with the deepest part being about 200 meters. There should be no oil there. I would prefer to explore known shallow sea areas, even in other countries, which would be more promising. Third, actively importing oil and natural gas from neighboring countries, securing a supply chain to meet our basic needs. If funds permit, I hope you will approve the establishment of a petrochemical project in another country, where we can refine our crude oil and then transport it back, significantly reducing costs and potentially selling any surplus energy locally."

Listening to Kim Dong-ho's report, Ji Feng frowned slightly and, after a moment of thought, said, "The construction time for the power station is too long. You can directly tender the construction companies. As long as they are qualified, there shouldn't be any major issues. The key is who can build it the fastest. I plan to build a 20 million kilowatt power station, and any excess power can be sold to neighboring countries. The construction time is 18 months, and I will provide you with the design plans."

Kim Dong-ho was somewhat surprised and said, "Island owner, you mean you have already designed it? A 20 million kilowatt power station is a massive project. The area on the western island might not be enough, and expanding the island would take more than 18 months." PS: Please recommend and follow!

Page break AD starts

Page break AD ends