My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 247

“That’s right. So they can’t just run away overseas. They have to liquidate their assets here and smuggle them out somehow. Well, it’s too late for that now.”

The government has issued a travel ban because of this incident.

“What about illegal entry… or exit, in this case?”

“That would be difficult. You need connections to arrange something like that.”

Chinese people who’ve lived in Korea for decades without any trouble can’t suddenly find a route for illegal exit. These things take time and planning.

“China is probably the easiest place to contact, though.”

In Korea, these things are usually done so secretly that ordinary people don’t know about such routes for illegal entry or exit.

“So even if they suddenly try to find a way out now, it won’t be easy for them to make contact with the right people.”

Of course, they might figure something out eventually, but right now, the chances aren’t high.

“But, Detective, is a civil lawsuit even possible? I thought you couldn’t just sue someone because their child caused an accident.”

“In reality, you have to prove negligence to hold them accountable. You have to show that they didn’t properly supervise their child.”

“In a real case where a child secretly left school while the parents were at work and caused an accident, the court ruled that the parents had fulfilled their duty of care and were not at fault.”

“Ah, that won’t be a problem in this case. I already looked into it while preparing for the lawsuit. The child hasn’t been going to school for a long time… or rather, they haven’t been sending him.”

“They don’t send him to school?”

“No, and the reason is ridiculous.”

Jungho-u is definitely old enough to attend school in Korea. He should be in the first grade of elementary school. Even though he’s a Chinese national, there’s no problem with him attending because elementary school is compulsory.

“But the parents don’t send him.”

“Why not?”

“They demanded that the school provide Chinese language and a Chinese-style education for him.”

“What?”

Lee Ji-soo was shocked by Jung I-yeon’s words. But Jung I-yeon shook her head, as if she understood.

“There are more cases like that than you think. Some Chinese people see Korea as a lesser country, a tributary state [historically, a state that paid tribute to a more powerful one].”

“So they demand that the school provide Chinese language and a Chinese-style education. But in Korea, with its established compulsory education system, there’s no reason to agree to such demands.”

“Then it sounds like things escalated when they taught the child how to draw the Taegeukgi [the South Korean flag].”

“It was just a lesson to teach the children about national flags and let them draw the Taegeukgi, but Jungho-u’s parents reportedly went ballistic as soon as they heard about it.”

“They insisted that the Chinese flag, not the Taegeukgi, should be taught to their child. Of course, the school stood its ground and said that was nonsense.”

“Teaching their child how to draw the Chinese flag was their own business, and it was impossible for a Korean elementary school to teach all the students the Chinese flag and national anthem just for one Chinese child.”

“So?”

“So, what do you mean, ‘so’? It’s obvious. Why else would the child be at home during school hours?”

“I see.”

“Of course, Jungho-u’s parents couldn’t accept that, and the school and parents remained at odds. Jung I-yeon said the situation has been temporarily resolved by Jungho-u’s parents simply not sending him to school.”

“That’s quite a sight, really.”

“Isn’t it? But there are more parents like that than you think.”

“No, if they came to Korea, they should follow Korean law.”

Park Do-joon shook his head.

“It can’t be helped.”

“It can’t be helped?”

“From their perspective, this isn’t just about education; it’s about survival.”

“A matter of survival?”

“What do you think will happen to a Chinese person who learns about liberal democracy, individual rights, and natural human rights?”

“Ah…”

“They’re Chinese, not Korean. Eventually, they’ll have to go back to China. Right now, they’re protected by the law because they’re minors, so they can’t be forcibly deported. But when they grow up, they’ll have to return.”

“I don’t know about the future, but looking at the current situation in China, a Chinese citizen who’s been exposed to liberal democracy? That’s a walking time bomb.”

“In Korea, they teach based on common sense, but if you go to China with that kind of common sense, you’ll be under constant surveillance and targeted by the government.”

“So, while some Chinese people might see Korea as a vassal state, it’s also a matter of survival for the child.”

“That’s why they don’t send their child to school?”

“Well, that’s a bit extreme.”

“If that’s a concern, they could just ask for the child to be excused when those topics are being taught.”

“The important thing is, we need to catch them first, regardless of civil suits or anything else.”

“That’s how the case proceeds. And that’s how we can prove the crime.”

“Proving the crime is a secondary issue. First, we need to find out where they’re hiding.”

Park Do-joon tapped the table and fell into thought. Then, as if struck by an idea, he turned to Jung I-yeon.

“First, I-yeon, call Attorney Kang Su-won and tell him to file a civil lawsuit and put a preliminary attachment [a legal process to freeze assets] on all their assets.”

“I already told him to do that.”

“Since they fled, anyone could have predicted that they wouldn’t pay back the money, not just a profiler.”

“But, Detective, wouldn’t they know that? According to the case records, they’ve lived in Korea for 10 years.”

“Jungho-u was even born here. But Korea follows the principle of jus sanguinis [citizenship based on parentage], not jus soli [citizenship based on place of birth], so only those born to Korean parents are considered citizens. He’s not Korean.”

“Come to think of it, they’ve been involved in lawsuits three times while in Korea.”

“They’ve been in lawsuits three times?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm, so they know a lot about preliminary attachments and such?”

“In fact, their house has even been seized before.”

“Really? Is that so?”

“If so, they know the Korean legal system to some extent and are likely to try to avoid it.”

“So what’s the solution?”

“They’ll probably transfer the ownership to someone soon to avoid the preliminary attachment.”

“Korean law protects the rights of bona fide third parties—people who receive the transfer without knowing about the legal issues.”

“Then what should we do?”

Lee Ji-soo asked worriedly, but fortunately, Jung I-yeon told her not to worry.

“The conditions for being considered a bona fide third party are more 까다로운 [difficult/strict] than you think. They have to be complete strangers. If that’s not the case, we can get the property back and sell it. In the current situation, it’s impossible for them to claim they didn’t know.”

“It makes no sense to claim ignorance when the media is making such a fuss about it.”

“And there are other ways besides that, so don’t worry. We’ll be able to get that house back in the end.”

Lee Ji-soo tilted her head but didn’t ask any further. A more important issue came from Park Do-joon’s mouth.

“And I think that’s the key to tracking them down.”

“Why?”

“Once they transfer the ownership, it’s not easy to get it back. Chinese people are known for not having integrity. Even if they sell it to someone right away, there aren’t many people who can suddenly come up with hundreds of millions of won in cash right now.”

“Moreover, Korea imposes huge taxes on households with more than one home. Naturally, in these cases, people won’t do it unless they’re very close.”

“Ah, so you’re saying they’ll ask the most trustworthy person to lend them their name.”

“Yes, and that means there’s a high possibility they’re hiding around that person.”

“The most trustworthy person… someone they can monitor at the same time.”

“I don’t know where they went, but they’ll show up before long.”

Park Do-joon’s prediction was accurate. Kang Su-won barely managed to file the civil lawsuit and apply for the preliminary attachment, and the very next day, there was an attempt to change the ownership to a Chinese man.

“However, the preliminary attachment was made one day earlier, so fortunately, the ownership change didn’t go through. But we were still able to find out the man’s name.”

“His name is Lu Weng, and he lives in Ansan. He’s lived in Korea for 10 years.”

Park Do-joon said, handing out the printed documents to the detectives.

“He owns a villa in Ansan and is relatively successful among the Chinese community.”

“Korean people often think that Chinese people are poor and came to Korea to make money. But that’s only half true.”

“Not all Chinese people are poor, and not all of them came to make money. Rather, there are quite a few people who come to Korea to protect their assets.”

“Because China is fundamentally hostile to freedom. Of course, they basically accept capitalism and pretend to recognize and protect it, but if things go wrong, they ignore capitalism and turn it upside down.”

“There’s a reason why China’s richest man disappeared for months and then reappeared, praising the Chinese Communist Party while donating all his assets to them.”

“As a result, there’s a surprising amount of money flowing out of the country to protect their assets. Countless countries and cities… There are so many wealthy Chinese people that their assets are said to be behind the incomprehensibly high house prices in countries like Paris, France, or London, England.”

“So, is Lu Weng protecting them now?”

“There’s a high possibility.”

“It’s hard to see it as illegal to hide them anyway. The only reason is that they are suspects, not criminals. And in the current situation, it’s not possible to accuse him of hiding criminals and proceed with a seizure of his house or conduct an internal search.”

“Could it be that he’s more loyal than we thought?”

“Well? I think the opposite.”

“Why, Detective?”

“Chinese people aren’t that loyal.”

“Benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom? Sorry, but that was all destroyed during the Cultural Revolution [a period of political and social upheaval in China], and all that’s left is the Chinese people’s unique tenacious survival instinct.”

“Naturally, the possibility that Lu Weng is acting out of loyalty is not very high.”

“He’s probably looking for an opportunity to profit.”

“They aren’t criminals, they are suspects. Even the son, Jungho-u, who is not an adult, committed the crime. If he helped without knowing that, the government can’t touch him, which is the realistic situation.”

“As a result, in the current situation, there’s a high possibility that Lu Weng is hiding the criminals’ family.”

“Then should we go and tell him to hand them over?”

“That’s the problem. It won’t be easy.”

“In any case, they are Chinese citizens with Chinese nationality. If we rashly request a warrant for them, it’s obvious that the Chinese embassy will make all sorts of fuss.”

“That seems like a problem for later, right?”

But unexpectedly, Jung I-yeon said worriedly.

“A problem for later?”

“If he has a villa in Ansan, it seems like that area is a Chinese enclave…”