The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 326

For the Fatherland and the People (5)

Time flew by, and the day of the second trial arrived.

“We will now begin the second trial regarding the retrial of Ahn Jung-geun.”

Kim Sang-moon, the lawyer, took charge of the basic procedures and rebuttals to the Japanese side’s arguments.

And I realized.

Unlike the first trial, the atmosphere in the courtroom was neither oppressive nor biased.

Of course, the gazes of the Japanese participants in the trial were still icy, but that didn’t matter.

After all, the verdict in this lawsuit would be delivered by a single judge.

Kim Sang-moon and the Japanese government, the defendant, engaged in a lengthy debate.

The start wasn’t bad.

Of course, the other side seemed to have prepared a lot as well, so we didn’t overwhelmingly win or shatter their logic.

It was literally 50-50.

How long did the debate last?

The matter was left unresolved and postponed to the third trial. The judge looked at us and asked.

“Does the plaintiff have anything else to say besides the aforementioned matters?”

“Yes, I do.”

Kim Sang-moon looked back at me, and I cleared my throat and stood up.

Then, I opened my mouth.

“I have three points to make.”

For today, I had written a script of what I would say in Japanese, reviewed the pronunciation and content countless times, and practiced it over and over again.

Therefore, I began to speak calmly in a confident voice.

“First, regarding the illegal transfer of Ahn Jung-geun from the Russian police to the Japanese.”

I submitted the data I had directly confirmed and prepared in Russia as evidence.

“Ahn Jung-geun assassinated Ito Hirobumi on October 26, 1909. He was immediately arrested by the Russian police, and less than ten days later, he was handed over to the Japanese consulate.”

The judge began to examine the data with a serious expression.

“However, as you can see from the evidence I submitted, the extradition treaty between Russia and Japan was signed on June 1, 1911. In other words, Japan had no right or reason to receive Ahn Jung-geun from Russia.”

This was evidence that I had reviewed countless times, even going to the historical libraries of the Russian and Japanese foreign ministries to confirm.

There was no room for rebuttal.

The judge nodded silently, seemingly convinced.

Then, I had to press on immediately.

“Secondly, during the trial of Ahn Jung-geun, the Japanese prosecutor argued that Japanese law should be applied to Koreans due to the Korea-Japan Protection Treaty.”

The Korea-Japan Protection Treaty.

In Korea, it is known as the Eulsa Treaty [a treaty signed in 1905 that made Korea a protectorate of Japan].

I was careful in my choice of words, as this was a Japanese court.

“However, the very purpose of this treaty was to deprive Korea of its ‘external right of activity.’ In other words, it only takes away Korea’s ‘diplomatic rights,’ and there is no clause regarding the legal application to Koreans.”

I know that there are problems with the treaty’s conclusion process.

However, in this lawsuit, if we delve into that, we might get caught up in trivialities during the trial, so I skipped it.

“As evidence for this, I have submitted in advance the ‘Giyu Memorandum,’ an annex to the Korea-Japan New Agreement concluded in 1907. Please confirm.”

The Giyu Memorandum is a diplomatic document forcibly signed to seize the rights to handle judicial affairs and prisons in Korea.

A treaty signed by Lee Wan-yong, one of the five traitors of Eulsa who sold the country.

The judge raised the evidence submitted by our side, and I continued to speak.

“The Giyu Memorandum came into effect on July 12, 1909, and Article 3 states, ‘The Japanese Court in Korea shall apply Korean law to Koreans, except where otherwise provided by treaty or statute.’ This contradicts the defendant’s claim that Japanese law should be applied to Ahn Jung-geun.”

This isn’t everything.

The data I prepared for this day is endless.

“Furthermore, if you confirm the Imperial Edict of the Japanese Emperor announced on April 5, 1910, it is proclaimed that Japanese laws and regulations will be applied to Koreans from that time. In other words, even until February 14, 1910, when Ahn Jung-geun was sentenced to death, and March 26, 1910, when the death penalty was carried out, Ahn Jung-geun should have been subject to Korean law.”

After spitting out the words like a bullet, I glanced at the judge’s face.

Again, the judge nodded.

I felt it from the moment I entered, but seeing that reaction, it was clear that his attitude had changed from the first trial.

It meant that he had received instructions from above.

It must be the result of settling things with Prime Minister Matsumoto.

If it was a fair trial, there was nothing to fear.

“Thirdly, regarding the irrationality of the trial at the time.”

I spoke with even more force in my voice.

“When Ahn Jung-geun was arrested, Choi Jae-hyung was preparing a defense team to defend Ahn Jung-geun in the trial.”

Choi Jae-hyung was one of the leading independence activists who provided significant financial support for the anti-Japanese movement.

He poured his entire fortune into supporting Koreans in the Maritime Province and the independence movement.

In particular, he is known to have obtained the Browning repeating pistol that Ahn Jung-geun used to assassinate Ito Hirobumi and helped him practice shooting.

In short, it is safe to say that he sponsored all the plans in the Harbin station assassination.

“However, Japan forcibly appointed a Japanese court-appointed lawyer for Ahn Jung-geun and did not give him the opportunity to appoint the privately appointed defense team prepared by Choi Jae-hyung.”

Then, the court-appointed lawyer, forcibly appointed, spoke as if Ahn Jung-geun was ignorant of international affairs, saying that the Korean people welcomed Japan’s rule, but Ahn Jung-geun carried out the assassination without knowing this situation.

In the end, they moved according to the script they had 짜 놓은 [prearranged].

That’s why Ahn Jung-geun had no choice but to receive the death penalty.

“These three points were irrational, and I believe that the judgment decided through a process that violated legal procedures has no legal effect. Therefore, Ahn Jung-geun’s death penalty is a judicial murder, and I ask that he be declared innocent.”

“Defendant, do you have any rebuttals?”

The lawyer for the Japanese government bit his lip.

“…Yes, I do.”

He stood up with difficulty.

“In 1909…”

He spoke, but it was completely unsystematic and without legal basis.

In the end, the lawyer ended his statement without regaining his composure throughout the trial.

This isn’t everything.

There is a wealth of evidence, including the fact that Ahn Jung-geun was not treated as a prisoner of war, the criminal law regarding the punishment of foreigners who killed Japanese people in foreign countries, and the reduction of the incident to promote it to the international community.

All of this will be revealed in the upcoming additional trials.

“With this, we will conclude the second trial. The schedule for the third trial…”

The judge finished speaking, and I packed my bags and stood up.

This trial made it even clearer.

The verdict against Ahn Jung-geun at the time was unfair, and this trial is an opportunity to clear his name.

Therefore, I had to win.

I had to win the case and clear Ahn Jung-geun’s name.

***

The structure of the subsequent third and fourth trials, including the final trial, was not special.

Everything followed the second trial.

In fact, it couldn’t be helped.

If it was a recent incident, we could find new evidence and make rebuttals, but Ahn Jung-geun’s death penalty happened more than 100 years ago.

Moreover, both Korea and Japan already had the data from that period in their hands.

In other words, everything I argued had solid evidence.

And there was no room for rebuttal.

If we competed fairly, it was a game I couldn’t lose.

And thanks to Prime Minister Matsumoto, we were in a situation where we could make fair legal interpretations, so the Japanese side couldn’t beat us.

“I will now deliver the verdict.”

The judge read out the prepared verdict in a calm voice.

“According to the process of bringing Ahn Jung-geun from Russia, the trial process, and the applicable laws, it can be seen that the judgment made by the Lushun Court at the time was not correct. However, there is no mandatory clause that the claim for prisoners of war must follow international practice, and considering that the Geneva Convention was concluded after the execution, it is right that the claim is not accepted. However, that alone cannot explain the illegal process discovered before the trial was pronounced. Also, the international circumstances of the time…”

The judge continued to speak without taking a breath.

Finally, he raised the gavel and shouted.

“Order. Japan has no right to prosecute Ahn Jung-geun’s death. In other words, he is declared innocent.”

Bang!

A cheerful gavel sound.

No right to prosecute.

In other words, it was a clear acknowledgment that Ahn Jung-geun’s death process was a judicial murder.

Endorphins surged in my head, and dopamine was secreted, constantly stimulating my brain.

“Uwaaaaaah!”

Kim Sang-moon 벌떡 [suddenly] stood up and cheered, then hugged me tightly, and I clenched both fists and thrust them forward.

Finally, we won.

After 100 years… no, exactly 121 years, we restored the honor of Ahn Jung-geun.

“Attorney Choi, we finally did it!”

“Yes. We did it!”

A smile naturally appeared on my face.

No, beyond a smile, a beaming smile burst out.

At that moment, Kim Sang-moon looked at me with a surprised expression and asked.

“Attorney Choi, are you crying?”

Tears were flowing without my knowing.

I was smiling, but I could feel my cheeks getting wet.

Was it because of the pity for Ahn Jung-geun?

Or was it because the 모습 [image] of the independence activists who lost their country and struggled and my 모습 [image] of being unfairly tried in the first trial overlapped?

I don’t know exactly why.

Tears kept flowing.

“You shouldn’t shed tears on such a happy day.”

“I shouldn’t.”

I bravely wiped away the tears with the back of my hand.

It was truly a perfect victory.

Of course, I have no intention of being satisfied and complacent with this.

Clearly, the Japanese government will appeal, and if they lose again, they will appeal to the Supreme Court.

I will win the upcoming second and third trials, and then I will enjoy this happiness even more exhilaratingly.

“Let’s go, Attorney. Shouldn’t we quickly tell this good news to Korea?”

“We should.”

We hurriedly packed our materials and left the courtroom.