The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 305

Prosecutor, You’re Going Places! – Episode 305 (305/341)

The Beginning of History (2)

The Prosecutor General.

The first thing I did upon assuming this position:

“I believe we need to reform the prosecution service.”

“Prosecution reform?” President Shin Dong-hyun asked, surprised.

“Wouldn’t there be strong opposition if you implement it immediately after becoming the Prosecutor General?”

“But this is the optimal time to do it.”

He slowly nodded. “You are right.”

The Prosecutor General’s authority is strongest when a new Prosecutor General is appointed, especially when the President is unlikely to become a lame duck.

In other words, my power as Prosecutor General is at its peak.

If not now, the opportunity to implement prosecution reform may not arise again.

Above all, two years as Prosecutor General is never a long time.

President Shin Dong-hyun made a decision without much hesitation. “Let’s proceed. It has already been decided to hand over all authority over the prosecution to the Prosecutor General.”

“Thank you.”

I bowed my head, and then, “And there is one more matter I would like to request.”

“What is it?”

“I would like to establish the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO).”

President Shin Dong-hyun’s eyes widened at that moment.

“Are you referring to the CIO as I understand it?”

“Yes. I intend to draw my sword and wield it myself.”

“Hmm…”

He couldn’t help but be surprised.

CIO, short for Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, is an independent organization focused on investigating and prosecuting corruption by current high-ranking officials, as well as former presidents and their families.

In essence, I was proposing to sweep away the remnants of previous administrations.

After Sung Tae-hyun’s death, the MinGuk Party passed to me and Shin Dong-hyun, but that was limited to members of the National Assembly.

Furthermore, remnants of Sung Tae-hyun persisted in areas beyond our immediate reach, such as local election winners with considerable time remaining in their terms.

While they might not openly declare their support for Sung Tae-hyun, the fact remained that they had received preferential treatment from the previous administration and were subtly influencing public opinion against the current administration.

Frankly, these individuals were also a thorn in Shin Dong-hyun’s side.

Of course, there was a way to suppress them using the President’s power.

However, doing so risked public backlash and could destabilize the administration from the outset, so he was carefully monitoring the situation.

Therefore, from Shin Dong-hyun’s perspective, he was undoubtedly pleased with my proposal to establish the CIO.

“If the Prosecutor General champions it himself, creating it won’t be difficult. But given that it’s the beginning of the term…”

“You anticipate opposition?”

“Yes.”

He couldn’t conceal his worried expression. “It’s only been a month, and if the CIO is established immediately and high-ranking officials are targeted, it might appear as political retaliation…”

“You needn’t worry about that,” I said firmly. “I have no intention of leading the CIO myself.”

“Then who…”

“Are you familiar with Director Ha Jin-il?”

“Are you referring to the Director of the Legal Research and Training Institute?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

I smiled and continued, “Director Ha Jin-il is a prominent figure who opposed Sung Tae-hyun’s faction.”

“Ah…”

In short, we would compel them to submit willingly.

Of course, an example was necessary.

That’s why, “Before the CIO officially exercises its authority…”

At that moment, a murderous intent flashed in my eyes without my conscious control.

“I will utilize the Inspection Department to dismantle all the prosecutors aligned with Sung Tae-hyun.”

Shin Dong-hyun listened intently, his mouth tightly shut.

“Why else would I advocate for prosecution reform?”

I presented the noble intention of identifying corrupt prosecutors to create a just prosecution service, but my true motives were different.

Uproot and eliminate the source.

A saying from the Spring and Autumn Annals [a classic Chinese text], meaning ‘to completely remove the root cause of a bad thing so that it does not happen again’.

It was to eradicate all traces of prosecutors who had opposed me.

Regardless of being hailed as ‘the star of prosecutors’ or ‘the people’s prosecutor,’ there were bound to be those who viewed me with disapproval.

I was well aware of that.

However, I felt no need to embrace or understand those who had mocked or pointed fingers when I was sidelined to the High Prosecutors’ Office during Sung Tae-hyun’s reign.

It wasn’t solely because they were unpleasant that I was removing them.

The sole reason I drew my sword myself was this: to demonstrate the consequences of rebelling against Choi Seo-jun.

I had to directly show that I would relentlessly destroy anyone who had ever disobeyed or slandered me.

Only then would others be deterred from doing so.

Absolute power is not a separate entity.

It simply lies in preventing others from rebelling.

That is absolute power.

That was the essence of South Korean politics.

Frankly, there are no entirely clean prosecutors in South Korea.

Even if there are, they are unable to climb the promotion ladder and remain stuck in provincial positions, living in exile or providing legal services, which is the typical path.

Even a prosecutor’s investigator knows that excessive cleanliness in this industry makes one a target for the corrupt.

Prosecutors working in Seoul or holding significant positions cannot be entirely free from corruption.

It’s merely a question of whether they are deeply stained or have navigated the mundane world appropriately.

Therefore, if I personally draw my sword and punish one or two as examples, the rest will resign from the prosecution before being expelled.

That way, they can at least establish a lawyer’s practice with the title of ‘former prosecutor’.

In that situation, with the CIO established?

Those with animosity towards me and Shin Dong-hyun would have no choice but to silence themselves and resign if they wished to avoid bloodshed.

Moreover, if I don’t directly lead the CIO, but Ha Jin-il, who was the Director of the Legal Research and Training Institute and had been away from the political scene in Seoul, assumes the position, it will appear fairer to the public.

Shin Dong-hyun let out a low exclamation. “To be honest, I’ve considered it, but I couldn’t dare to put it into practice… You are indeed the Prosecutor General.”

“No, it’s only possible because the President supports me.”

He lightly curved his lips and nodded. “Then I will announce the establishment of the CIO as soon as possible.”

“Yes, then I will prepare as well.”

Shin Dong-hyun stood up and extended his hand to me. “Working with the Prosecutor General, things seem to be progressing very smoothly.”

“This is just the beginning.”

I roughly curved my lips. “A brilliant future will unfold soon. You can look forward to it.”

“I will wait with bated breath.”

***

“Oh, you’re here?”

Song Hyun-sung greeted me with a big smile. “Sit down quickly.”

I chuckled and sat down on the sofa. “You look well.”

“Hearing the title of Chief Prosecutor and then Prosecutor General makes me feel great.”

He wiggled his eyebrows and used slang. “I can’t get over the high [feeling of excitement].”

At the beginning of this year, concurrently with my promotion to Prosecutor General, Song Hyun-sung was promoted to the Seoul High Prosecutor General.

His appointment as High Prosecutor General wasn’t merely about fulfilling a previous promise.

Even with Chief Gong Sang-wook in the Inspection Department, he couldn’t arrest all the prosecutors.

I had to personally intervene to oversee those at the Chief Prosecutor level and above.

But what if the High Prosecutor General used his authority?

Then, before I could even act, they would have no choice but to submit.

Ultimately, it became possible to control all the prosecutors in Seoul more efficiently.

I chuckled and leaned back on the sofa. “What about the matter I mentioned last time?”

“The one related to prosecution reform?”

“Yeah.”

“I passed it on to Chief Gong Sang-wook as you requested. From the briefing on the data, the amount was substantial, right?”

“Is it that significant?”

“Yeah. It’s amazing, right? When it comes to work ethic, he’s truly the best I’ve ever seen. It felt like watching you in your prime.”

I had Chief Gong Sang-wook investigate the prosecutors who should be primarily disciplined through prosecution reform, preferably high-ranking ones.

“I think I should meet Prosecutor Gong too.”

“I anticipated that, so I asked him to come in.”

As expected, a knock was heard right on cue. “Looks like Chief Gong is here.”

Song Hyun-sung shouted, “Come in.”

The door opened, and Prosecutor Gong Sang-wook entered with a stack of documents in his arms and bowed politely. “It’s been a while, Chief Gong.”

“Have you been well?”

“Of course, I have. Have a seat.”

“Yes.”

Prosecutor Gong Sang-wook placed the documents on the table and sat down on the sofa. “Are these all documents related to prosecution reform?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

I picked up one of the documents on top and began to read it carefully.

Song Hyun-sung chuckled and said to me with expectant eyes, “You’ll be surprised when you see that.”

“Just wait and see if it’s anything special.”

“I guarantee it.”

Less than five minutes after reading the document, I couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow… This is no joke?”

Song Hyun-sung nodded as if he knew it would happen. “I told you, right?”

“Chief Gong, when did you start preparing this?”

“I anticipated that you might need it as soon as the presidential election was over, so I started preparing right away.”

Only about a month.

Yet, he had completed investigations on more than 10 people.

Not just 10 ordinary prosecutors, but at least 10 people above the Chief Prosecutor level.

It’s easy to say 10 people, but if you calculate it by date, it means he completed an investigation every three days.

It’s beyond human capability.

Prosecutor Gong Sang-wook carefully added, “Thanks to the High Prosecutor General for lifting the restrictions on my authority, it greatly aided the investigation.”

Thanks to the removal of the limit, Prosecutor Gong Sang-wook was, in short, unleashed.

It was almost like releasing a death row inmate about to be executed.

I chuckled and said half jokingly, half seriously, “If you expose all the names on this list, you could run for the National Assembly, right?”

“You flatter me.”

He didn’t elaborate, but if he seriously pursued a seat in the National Assembly, it seemed highly probable.

If he arrested all the prosecutors on this list and held a press conference, becoming a star prosecutor overnight would be a piece of cake.

There’s even a Prosecutor General-level figure involved, so there’s nothing more to say.

Song Hyun-sung’s eyes twinkled with curiosity. “So, who are you going to start with among them?”

“I think this person would be a good choice.”

I placed one of the documents I was holding on the table as if discarding it. “The Seoul Western District Prosecutor General?”

“Yeah. There’s no one better to make an example of.”

Prosecution reform is not just about arresting corrupt prosecutors; it’s about setting an example.

Sending a warning to those who have crossed me.

Among them, targeting the Seoul Western District Prosecutor General, who was close to Sung Jin-hyun, would be enough to make that faction sweat.

“Have you secured all the evidence?”

“Yes. We can release it publicly tomorrow.”

“It’s no fun if we delay it until tomorrow.”

I roughly curved my lips. “Contact the Western District Prosecutor General immediately. Tell him I’m coming there in person now, so let’s have a cup of coffee.”

Prosecutor Gong Sang-wook smiled broadly and replied, “Yes, I understand!”