The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 188

A Rising Star Prosecutor – 188

Behind the Scenes (3)

I ended the call with Reporter Park Su-hyeong and immediately called Gyeong Dong-su.

-Yes, Prosecutor.

It was late, but his voice showed no signs of sleepiness.

Gyeong Dong-su seemed deeply troubled.

“President, please answer my questions honestly.”

-Has something happened?

“How much did you receive from Mirus Aviation, and through what channels?”

-That’s…….

“I’ve heard there’s a tip-off to WK Daily. It’s scheduled to be published as an article tomorrow morning.”

He showed a hint of panic.

-Surely, you don’t mean I received money from Mirus Aviation…….

“Yes. I heard it from a friend at WK Daily. They say they’ve secured evidence that you received a ‘rice cake fee’ [a colloquial term for a bribe] through your Chief of Staff.”

-…….

I urged Gyeong Dong-su, who couldn’t bring himself to speak.

“Tell me the exact amount and the channels. Then I might be able to find a way out for you.”

-Is that possible?

“It’s your decision whether to trust me or face the media onslaught as it is.”

Over three minutes of silence passed.

Gyeong Dong-su, after much deliberation, spoke with difficulty.

-10 billion won.

As expected, a huge sum.

Given the nature of the incident, Mirus Aviation knew it couldn’t be covered up with petty cash, so they must have offered a large sum.

-They approached the Chief of Staff through a lobbyist, and the money was passed through that connection.

“Who is the lobbyist?”

-……Assemblyman Gwak Hyeon-jin of the People’s Party.

Assemblyman Gwak Hyeon-jin, the National Assembly member for Hwaseong City, where Jeon Gok Port is located.

Although he’s from the same People’s Party, he’s not someone I can trust completely.

Given his political leanings, there’s a possibility he could have been swayed by the Korea Party [a rival political party].

Gyeong Dong-su made an excuse, though it didn’t sound convincing.

-I swear I didn’t know such a thing had happened, as revealed by the black box. If I had, I wouldn’t have tried to gloss over it like this. This is the truth.

“That doesn’t matter. The public will only see what they want to see.”

-Is there a way to overcome this?

“Listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”

I explained my plan to him, step by step.

After hearing the story, Gyeong Dong-su asked worriedly.

-Will that work?

“It will work. When the public is as angry as they are now, they don’t make rational judgments. If you’ve kept the money you received intact and can reveal it immediately, there won’t be a problem.”

-Shouldn’t I take the initiative first? That would reduce suspicion.

“That won’t do. That would negate the meaning of the scoop that WK Daily obtained, and we can’t afford to screw over the person who leaked the information to us in advance, can we?”

-You’re right.

“I emphasize again, we must criticize the media along with Mirus Aviation. That’s the only way to divert attention.”

-I understand. Then I’ll prepare a statement from the Blue House [the executive office and official residence of the South Korean president] immediately after the article is published.

“Yes. Do that.”

Just before hanging up, he gave a sincere greeting.

-Thank you, Prosecutor.

“Save your thanks until the job is done.”

-Yes. I will.

***

-President Gyeong Dong-su’s Bribery Gate…… The dirty truth revealed thanks to CEO Shin Dong-hyeon.

-Beneath the surface of the Mirus Aviation plane crash, politicians were filling their dirty pockets. And that too, by none other than the president representing the people and the Republic of Korea! WK Daily has exclusively obtained the fact that President Gyeong Dong-su received billions of won in bribes from Mirus Aviation through Chief of Staff Ho Jung-seok. The price of the bribe was none other than halting the search for the crashed Mirus Aviation aircraft. In other words, it was to prevent the black box in the cockpit from being made public. Looking at this point, it is undeniable that they were trying to bury the truth of the Mirus Aviation crash. Above all, the fact that the government tried to ignore it after causing so many casualties suggests a complete disregard for the people. This bribery case proves that the government values the money President Gyeong Dong-su can pocket more than the people. ……(omitted)……. One wonders whether the Gyeong Dong-su government exists for the Republic of Korea, or whether it works for itself. I still wonder if the Republic of Korea is not a kingdom, but a republic. A chaebol [a large South Korean business conglomerate] republic.

-WK Daily Reporter Lim Baek-seon

It contained so much of the reporter’s personal opinion that it was hard to tell if it was an article or an editorial.

He is said to be the chief reporter of the WK political department, and if he wrote the article to this extent and was allowed to do so from above, it would be safe to say that one can glimpse the publication’s intent to properly target the Gyeong Dong-su government and cling to it until the end.

No citizen of the Republic of Korea could read this article without being angry.

Even I would have been disgusted if I hadn’t known the truth in advance.

As expected, the internet exploded.

The word “impeachment” was plastered across all sorts of online communities.

The Korea Party and the People’s Party were holding emergency meetings and conferences from early in the morning.

Gyeong Dong-su had prepared in advance from the moment he heard the story from me, but he waited a little longer until the news heated up even more.

If it’s going to be a hot topic anyway, it’s better to detonate it when more attention is focused.

As time passed, exactly at noon.

The Blue House statement was released.

The Blue House spokesman began to speak politely in front of the camera.

-It is a misunderstanding that the President received bribes.

He continued to speak without missing a single word as I had told him.

In short, Gyeong Dong-su noticed something strange when Mirus Aviation tried to ban the search for the aircraft by offering bribes, and he pretended to receive the bribes in order to uncover the truth.

And he was secretly contacting Prosecutor Choi Seo-jun and conducting a detailed investigation into Mirus Aviation through him.

In this case, it appears he deliberately conducted a sting operation to uncover the truth, rather than receiving bribes to line his own pockets.

The Blue House spokesman continued.

-In fact, the reason why the government was silent was to identify other politicians who had received bribes, and then reveal them after their investigations were completed, but it is a little disappointing that this plan was disrupted because a certain media outlet released this fact first.

He also openly blamed WK Daily.

President Gyeong Dong-su conceived a grand plan, but the reporter who coveted the scoop caused problems, jeopardizing the goal of wiping out corruption.

That way, the government can appear as innocent as possible.

I had told Reporter Park Su-hyeong in advance. He said he understood because it wasn’t his article, so I’ll buy him a meal with Gyeong Dong-su later.

As soon as the Blue House spokesman finished speaking, the atmosphere reversed instantly.

All the data they had prepared to question and interrogate became useless.

While everyone was busy posting new articles, one reporter raised his hand and asked.

-But wasn’t CEO Shin Dong-hyeon the one who actually discovered the black box? When were you going to reveal the truth if it wasn’t for SV Group?

It’s a really sharp question.

It was the only loophole in my plan that couldn’t be covered.

However, the Blue House spokesman is the best orator in Korea.

He answered without a moment’s hesitation.

-Of course, the government was also investigating. However, we were only moving through the National Intelligence Service [South Korea’s primary intelligence agency] so that it would not be known to the media because we had to see how Mirus Aviation would react.

National Intelligence Service.

It is an organization directly under the President.

This is a place where the President can control as he pleases, unlike other places.

As soon as this word came out, Gyeong Dong-su would be coordinating his words with the Director of the National Intelligence Service.

There’s nothing to worry about.

Thanks to that, 10 billion won will be added to the national treasury.

Large corporations are working so hard for the country.

The only one who benefited from this was not Gyeong Dong-su.

My position will naturally rise greatly.

The Blue House directly proved that I was just following the government’s will, and that I was not acting recklessly or relying on my gut for my performance.

This statement itself says that I have been in close cooperation with the Blue House, and that I started investigating Mirus Aviation as a result.

In fact, my public opinion was reversed at the same time as the black box was released, but those who still disliked me were saying that ‘the result was good, but it was just a lucky shot.’ Or, ‘I made a pre-emptive move and accidentally got caught,’ etc. They were barking as if I was attacking Mirus Aviation to somehow raise my profile, but I was able to blow away all these suspicions.

Not only that.

The fact that I was moving under the direction of the Blue House, not the Prosecutor General, the Minister of Justice, or the Prosecutor General, means that the government trusts me the most among the Korean prosecutors.

In other words, it indirectly proves that I am the most capable prosecutor in Korea.

Old men like the Prosecutor General or the Prosecutor General may be dissatisfied, but they won’t be able to show it outwardly.

Even if it’s a lame duck period, their personnel rights are with the President.

This incident made it possible for Prosecutor Choi Seo-jun to get on a track where he doesn’t have to be obsessed with performance.

Gyeong Dong-su was saved, and I showed that I am capable.

It’s like killing two birds with one stone, and catching crayfish while cleaning the ditch [a Korean idiom for achieving multiple benefits from a single action].

In addition, Mirus Aviation will be completely destroyed, so it is obvious that the public will cheer for my actions.

It’s like a tiger has wings [another Korean idiom for gaining immense power].

At this point, I’m curious about how Mirus Aviation will react.

I’m especially curious about the expression on Executive Director Kim Yoon-geun’s face.

I want to go to the Seoul Detention Center right now, but I am the only one who can confirm whether the Blue House’s words are just claims or the truth.

I have to tell them through a press conference that all their words are true.

I smiled and said to Yoon Seol-ha.

“Seol-ha, please prepare a press conference in exactly one hour.”

“Yes, Deputy Chief.”

***

After the press conference, I headed straight to the Seoul Detention Center.

I was curious about what kind of expression Executive Director Kim Yoon-geun would have after hearing this news.

However, Executive Director Kim Yoon-geun didn’t want to play along, so he avoided me.

“He refused the interview?”

“Yes. He says he’s not feeling well…….”

Cute guy.

He made such a big noise in front of me, but now that this situation is unfolding, he must be too embarrassed to show his face.