My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 429

“But do you know where they are?”

“Don’t we have their phone number?”

They must have made the call from a confined space. So, if we can pinpoint that location, we can rescue Lee Sang-won from there.

“But it won’t be easy, will it?”

Yoon Tae-min said worriedly.

“As you said, this is a dangerous situation.”

I wish I could deploy the Korean Special Forces, but I can’t send dozens, or even hundreds, of Special Forces overseas for one person. It would definitely cause an international issue.

But I can’t just leave Lee Sang-won to die.

“The best way is negotiation, but…”

The problem is that negotiation itself is almost impossible. Demanding such negotiations means we’re showing our weakness.

“The government won’t allow that.”

“I know.”

Moreover, it’s not just a violent organization involved. If the information is correct, the Karen rebels are watching them. And they are the worst of the bunch.

There will be a 100% chance of engagement, but there’s also the ethical question of whether we should risk hundreds of people for one person.

Even if the number is small, there will be at least 30 rebels there, and considering they are defending, we need three times that number to engage safely.

“Instead… can’t we just go secretly, give them some money, and get my son back?”

Lee Eok-ho didn’t want to take the risk. In fact, who in the world would want to risk their own son’s life?

“That’s also a way, but the problem is that there’s a low chance they’ll keep their promise afterward.”

“A low chance of keeping their promise?”

“Your son will know where they are. What kidnappers fear most is having their existence known to the outside world.”

Lee Sang-won saw them and knows where they are.

“I don’t know who’s in charge, but they’ll know very well the repercussions that will follow. And based on their methods so far, they’re not the type to take risks.”

“But still, negotiation…”

“Of course. Negotiation is about finding common ground. But that’s only when the other party has some legitimacy.”

Park Do-joon said with a sigh. In fact, many people are mistaken about this. They think that even if the other party is shameless, they can find a reasonable agreement through negotiation.

“But criminal organizations are not subject to negotiation.”

“That’s the government’s official opinion. But as you know, even during the Well Church incident, people were rescued through negotiation in Korea.”

“Yes, I know. Didn’t we give them 50 or 60 billion won back then?”

And they used that money to buy a huge amount of weapons and turned the country upside down. In other words, Korea gave money to massacre tens of thousands of people to save its own citizens.

“Well, that’s an act of governance, so I can’t say anything. The problem is that their goal isn’t money.”

“Their goal isn’t money?”

“Yes, negotiation requires at least the possibility of a political goal.”

“I don’t understand? The guys who took Koreans hostage back then didn’t have a political goal?”

Park Do-joon shook his head at Yoon Tae-min’s words.

“No. They have a political goal, no matter how absurd it may be.”

The establishment of an Islamic state. Of course, others see it as nonsense, and it’s impossible, and they themselves don’t think it’s possible, so they don’t do any proper political activity and just talk about it, and all they do is terrorism and massacre, but at least they have the goal of establishing an Islamic state.

“In other words, negotiation is only possible when the legitimacy of the other party’s goal is recognized.”

“And you’re saying these guys don’t have that?”

“Yes, these guys are neither terrorist organizations nor rebels.”

Terrorist organizations or rebels have political goals, and therefore try to achieve their goals through many other means besides extreme measures.

“But they’re just a criminal group. The diversity of their goals is extremely low.”

“Isn’t their only goal to make money? Is that different?”

“It’s different. Very different.”

For the former, that is, a group with political goals, money is just a tool or a necessary process to achieve their goals. But for the latter, that is, a criminal organization, money is the goal of the organization.

“Political groups must also consider the future situation after they earn that money.”

For example, what if they had all beheaded the hostages from the Well Church? Perhaps any country would give up on negotiation itself and only risk armed conflict in the form of a rescue operation, no matter who was captured by them.

If they were already dead, they would shout for revenge and call for retaliation through force.

The Taliban already had many enemies outside. In that situation, what if they beheaded them all and Korea declared revenge?

Korea wouldn’t directly use force, but instead, it would use all sorts of political methods to try to get revenge.

“In other words, no matter what the goal is, there’s no point in messing with them.”

On the other hand, what about a criminal organization? The goal of a criminal organization is money. And survival is more important than achieving the goal. They can always create an organization if they survive.

“If we succeed in negotiating by giving them money, what will happen?”

They might release him if they’re satisfied with the money, but they have to hide their existence. It doesn’t matter whether they release him or not. Criminal organizations have no future.

“You’re saying there’s no point in saving him?”

“That’s right.”

Lee Eok-ho’s face hardened at those words. As someone who has been negotiating for a long time, he couldn’t accept that there was no room for negotiation at all.

“Let’s say we negotiate and get him out by giving them money. But their main source of income is organ trafficking. The problem is that they’re holding a lot of people captive in the process.”

To ensure stable organ trafficking and genetic safety, we must assume that they are holding at least hundreds, possibly thousands, of people captive.

In fact, there was a lot of talk about that.

“No matter how much money we give them, the possibility of their hidden location being exposed increases, and they have no choice but to relocate.”

Criminal groups that need a fixed location want to hide their location. That’s natural.

If they had just locked them up somewhere without knowing the location, it would be different, but if not, it might cost more money to keep them alive than they earned.

“The difference between those who can cut their tails after one profit and those who can’t is very big.”

“Ah!”

For the Taliban, there are plenty of caves that can be used as hideouts in the area, so even if one of them is exposed, it’s not a big deal.

On the other hand, organ trafficking organizations control hundreds to thousands of people and use them to commit additional crimes, so if that location is exposed, criminal activity becomes impossible.

“So, you’re saying negotiation is impossible?”

“You should see it that way.”

At those words, Lee Eok-ho’s lips dried up. He is a politician. So, negotiation is what he does best. But it’s impossible.

“Then what am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to go to the President now and ask him to deploy the Special Forces?”

“Of course not.”

Would the President be crazy enough to deploy the Special Forces to save just one person? Of course, if the other party is small in number and there is no danger, they can consider suppressing them with the Special Forces and rescuing him.

“But that’s a dangerous thing.”

As far as Park Do-joon knows, they are protected not just by gangsters, but by the Karen rebels. And the most vicious ones among them.

“They’ll be fully armed.”

Rifles, heavy machine guns, and RPG-type weapons. Realistically, if Korea wants to engage them and carry out a rescue operation, they need to push in at least a company-level special warfare force.

Even if they push in a special warfare force, there will be casualties. As proper rebels, they will have all sorts of defensive facilities such as watchtowers and trenches.

“A special warfare unit is meant to carry out special missions, but this is virtually a full-scale engagement.”

Units trained in special warfare such as assassination and demolition are certainly much more capable than other troops, but this is virtually a full-scale war. Moreover, we are attacking, and they are defending. Considering the numerical inferiority, it’s just a slightly better level than infantry.

“And it’s impossible to just sneak in and rescue one person and escape like in the movies.”

Would they be crazy enough to give each person a private room? Of course, they’ll put people together in one place and manage them with shackles. If you go to save one person, you have to save the others, and since there are more than one or two, a quiet rescue is impossible.

“Then what am I supposed to do! Negotiation is impossible, Special Forces are impossible!”

“You have to be precise. Korean Special Forces are impossible. But Special Forces from other countries are possible.”

“What?”

Park Do-joon smiled.

“I know a few things too. Hehehe.”

# Political Fights Are Fights for Justification

Park Do-joon took Yoon Tae-min and Lee Eok-ho to a very quiet space. He had no choice. This issue is very serious. And Yoon Tae-min couldn’t help but be horrified when he heard Park Do-joon’s words.

“What did you say?”

Yoon Tae-min’s eyes shook.

“No, such a decision is a bit…”

“This is not something I can decide. I’m just telling you the direction, and you have to make the decision yourself afterward.”

“Ugh!”

“What are you going to do?”

“Hoo…”

Yoon Tae-min had a troubled expression and couldn’t say anything. Then Lee Eok-ho flared up.

“Are you saying you can’t even do that much for my son! How much have I done for your family!”

“No, Elder, that’s not it. But this is such a sensitive issue.”

“I understand.”

Park Do-joon nodded. It couldn’t be helped, because the solution he told Yoon Tae-min was none other than China. To be exact, it was to convey this incident to both China and Taiwan.

But this is a very serious issue. Because the people who are captured are Taiwanese. But if you tell China about it, Taiwan won’t like it.

“Didn’t you say that China was scamming?”

“To be exact, a Chinese person scammed. You have to distinguish that. The Chinese authorities and the Chinese Triads [organized crime syndicates] are completely different organizations.”

Of course, it’s no secret that they are working together behind the scenes. Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense that the Triads can’t be eradicated in China, which is an absolute dictatorship.

“But in this situation, China will help.”

“But those people are Taiwanese?”

“That’s right. That’s why China will help. China doesn’t recognize Taiwan. And this incident is the most certain way to deny Taiwan.”