The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 338

Prosecutor, You’re Going Places! – Episode 338

Election (7)

The next day.

The front pages of all the newspapers featured Shin Dong-hyun prominently.

Even the real-time search rankings had been dominated by Shin Dong-hyun since the previous day.

Newspapers aligned with the Min Dynasty Party and Manse Party highlighted their unification, while those favoring the Daehan Party emphasized Prosecutor Gong Sang-wook’s exposed corruption on their front pages.

The internet mirrored this division.

The top real-time search term was ‘Candidate Shin Dong-hyun Unification,’ followed by ‘Shin Dong-hyun SV Group Favoritism Controversy.’

Fortunately, the data uncovered by Prosecutor Gong Sang-wook had a significant impact, preventing it from being completely overshadowed by the unification news.

Crucially, the fact that a group ranked 7th in the business world had risen to 4th in just four years after the president took office was widely understood in political and business circles to be impossible without substantial backing.

However, the epicenter of this corruption was the current president, Shin Dong-hyun, leading to widespread silence.

Prosecutor Gong Sang-wook unearthed what had been buried, revealing a massive scale of wrongdoing.

Having accumulated over four years, it was inevitable.

The initial revelation concerned preferential treatment in the electronics sector.

Two years prior, KP Electronics, a mid-sized company holding patents for semiconductors used in various smart devices (including air conditioners), suddenly declared bankruptcy.

Articles attributed this to excessive reinvestment leading to debt, which was then covered with promissory notes, ultimately causing the bankruptcy. However, this explanation seemed inconsistent with KP Electronics’ financial standing at the time.

Regardless of the exact process, KP Electronics’ president filed for bankruptcy, and the company reverted to state control, leading to an auction for its disposal.

Unsurprisingly, Juok Electronics, the industry leader, participated in the auction to acquire KP Electronics. However, SV Group surprisingly offered only 100 million won [approximately $75,000 USD] more than Juok Electronics’ bid.

A mere 100 million won difference in an auction involving hundreds of billions of won [hundreds of millions of USD].

It was an absurdly small margin.

Frankly, it was impossible unless Juok Electronics’ maximum bid had been leaked.

Since such a leak seemed improbable, the conclusion was clear.

The state, managing the auction, had passed the information to SV Group.

However, Juok Electronics couldn’t protest, fearing retaliation from Shin Dong-hyun, so they remained silent.

This favoritism wasn’t an isolated incident; even national projects were being awarded to SV Group, naturally pushing Juok Electronics into a secondary position.

Just before Prosecutor Gong Sang-wook revealed this information, he contacted Juok Electronics.

They, too, had gathered their own data, which they provided to him, leading to a comprehensive disclosure.

Given the abundance of evidence, the impact was significant.

I was the one who connected Prosecutor Gong and Juok Electronics.

Years ago, I had assisted the current chairman during the Juok Group’s internal power struggle between siblings.

They were the first business group I partnered with upon arriving in Seoul.

Our relationship had continued since then, making us close allies.

Consequently, they believed my election would be more beneficial than Shin Dong-hyun remaining in office, leading them to join forces.

Naturally, factions were forming.

Since many people’s fortunes are tied to the policies enacted in politics, this was inevitable.

“From today, I’m going to adopt a more aggressive approach. We’ll continue with our usual general rallies, but when we take the microphone in competitive areas, I think it would be beneficial to incorporate negative campaigning.”

“Let’s do that.”

There was no reason to hold back.

After all, they would undoubtedly criticize me as well.

“By the way, have the approval ratings been released?”

“Not yet.”

“Okay.”

I couldn’t help but be sensitive to the approval ratings.

After Manse Party’s Seo Hyun-mi endorsed Shin Dong-hyun, the election dynamics would shift dramatically.

The problem is that the majority of her supporters will likely transfer their support to Shin Dong-hyun.

The 16% approval rating that Seo Hyun-mi initially garnered and the current 16% approval rating are vastly different.

In the early stages of the election, floating voters were mixed in, but that’s no longer the case.

We’re now just one week away from the presidential election.

The Manse Party’s policies are well-defined.

Therefore, their supporters are not merely floating voters but individuals who have largely made up their minds.

There’s a strong possibility that a larger number than expected will switch to Shin Dong-hyun.

Above all, Shin Dong-hyun’s unification proposal remarks will have a significant impact.

“Seol-ha, tell Prosecutor Gong Sang-wook to accelerate the investigation further. If possible, secure arrest warrants for individuals connected to the SV Group as well.”

“Understood.”

“Go Pro, lobby the court side as much as possible.”

“Yes.”

Of course, making those arrests won’t be easy.

No matter how much I push, arresting executives of major corporations is a challenge, and they are certainly aware that Shin Dong-hyun, a potential presidential candidate, is the former chairman of SV Group.

In other words, issuing arrest warrants for SV Group-related individuals is tantamount to aligning themselves with me.

In short, they are also choosing sides.

Since the warrant review process takes time, they will likely make their decision after seeing the approval ratings announced today.

“Let’s move as quickly as possible. There’s only one week left.”

“Yes, Candidate!”

***

“Have the approval ratings been released?”

I’ve asked that question more than five times today alone.

I felt apologetic while asking, but I couldn’t help myself.

That’s how urgent I felt.

I knew I shouldn’t be impatient, but I couldn’t suppress it.

Yoon Seol-ha nodded.

“Yes, they just came out.”

She immediately retrieved her tablet PC and showed it to me.

Number 1, Min Dynasty Party, Shin Dong-hyun 50.4%

Number 4, Independent, Choi Seo-joon 49.6%

“Hoo…”

As soon as I saw the numbers, I felt breathless.

It had risen by only 0.6% from my existing approval rating of 49%.

Despite the Manse Party’s 16% approval rating, I had only gained 0.6% of that.

Of course, Shin Dong-hyun’s unification with Seo Hyun-mi would have caused some of my supporters to defect, and more than 0.6% of Seo Hyun-mi’s supporters would have come to me.

However, the net result was still only a 0.6% increase.

I anticipated that many Manse Party supporters would harbor antipathy towards me, but even so, this outcome was far more concerning than expected.

My head throbbed.

Go Joong-hyuk cautiously spoke.

“This is within the margin of error. It’s a figure that can be overturned overnight, so you don’t have to be too disappointed.”

“Of course, it should be.”

If I were going to be discouraged by such a small difference, I wouldn’t have even considered running in the first place.

Yes, it’s no fun if it’s easy.

It’s far more thrilling to overcome adversity and hardship and ultimately be elected.

I gathered my mental strength and asked Yoon Seol-ha again.

“What about the arrest warrants?”

“I received a call 5 minutes ago saying they were rejected. Even if they are issued, the SV Group side seems likely to push for a warrant validity review.”

Looking at the approval ratings, it was understandable.

When the outcome is uncertain, it’s safer to stick with the incumbent president.

“Then let’s abandon that for now and immediately reveal the next piece of evidence.”

“Understood.”

I then called Go Joong-hyuk.

“Go Pro.”

“Yes.”

“Identify the three most detrimental policies that Shin Dong-hyun implemented over the past four years.”

“Understood.”

“What’s the next scheduled event?”

“A brief election pledge with Representative Lee Doo-hyung at the National Marine Corps Veterans Association…”

***

5 days until the election.

Number 1, Min Dynasty Party, Shin Dong-hyun 50.1%

Number 4, Independent, Choi Seo-joon 49.9%

I was closing the gap.

Only a 0.2% difference.

Frankly speaking, at this level in a preliminary survey, it was statistically insignificant.

Optimistically, I could definitely win.

Pessimistically, it wouldn’t be surprising to lose.

Of course, Shin Dong-hyun was aware of this as well.

He knew that he could be defeated with a single misstep if he wasn’t careful.

Still, fortunately, my approval rating was still trending upward, while Shin Dong-hyun’s approval rating was slowly declining after peaking immediately after the unification.

The incidents that Prosecutor Gong Sang-wook revealed were having an impact.

The only drawback was that because the presidential and general elections were being held concurrently, numerous impactful incidents were emerging, and voters were also focusing on their local constituency representatives, preventing Prosecutor Gong Sang-wook’s revelations from maintaining continuous prominence.

There was only one solution.

To maintain a relentless barrage of attacks.

To continue to stimulate the electorate.

So Prosecutor Gong Sang-wook was holding two press conferences a day.

Not only the inspection department under his command but also the special investigation department led by Jang Ha-young and even my friend Song Hyun-sung, who is currently the Deputy Chief Prosecutor, were all conducting investigations with their respective teams.

If I am elected, they will all be promoted, and if I lose, they will all be exiled to the provinces or forced to resign.

Their careers are also on the line in this presidential election.

That’s why I must be elected.

“Still, fortunately, there seem to be quite a few undecided voters.”

“That’s right.”

Not only had the number of candidates been reduced from four to two.

The Daehan Party, a major political force, declared its support for me, and the Manse Party, which had initially pursued an independent path, also withdrew and endorsed the Min Dynasty Party.

Because the political landscape was shifting so rapidly, it was certain that a significant number of voters remained undecided.

In the preliminary survey, they were forced to choose between Shin Dong-hyun and Choi Seo-joon, but it was impossible to predict their actual choice in the election.

“We must definitely capture these undecided voters.”

“How much research has been conducted on them?”

“Most are in their 20s to early 30s. According to our analysis, most of those in their mid to late 30s have firmly established political views and are unlikely to be swayed by moderate issues. In terms of numbers, the number of undecided voters in their 20s to early 30s is almost three times higher than those in their mid to late 30s.”

“The most pressing issues for them are university and employment, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Then, Go Pro, develop additional supportable policies related to student loans and policies that can definitively address the unemployment rate. Conversely, highlight the failures of Shin Dong-hyun’s policies and prepare a comparison.”

“Understood.”

“You stay here and conduct research with the analysis team. It’s sufficient for me to attend today’s rally with Seol-ha.”

“Yes. I will.”

As I was about to put on my clothes and leave, Yoon Seol-ha rushed into the election headquarters.

“Candidate!”

I had a bad feeling.

“Candidate Shin Dong-hyun has issued a temporary suspension order for some of the special investigation department prosecutors, citing his presidential authority.”

“What?”

“The charges are leaking investigation information and violating political neutrality by passing investigation information to our election campaign.”

“What the f–”

Of course, they are innocent.

I didn’t receive information from anyone other than Prosecutor Gong Sang-wook in the first place.

That’s all I directly confirmed and instructed Prosecutor Gong Sang-wook to reveal.

I had only been informed about which incidents were going to be revealed.

This means that the charge of leaking investigation data is baseless.

There’s no way Shin Dong-hyun doesn’t know this.

However, there is only one reason for issuing a temporary suspension order so drastically.

He knows they’ll be found innocent eventually, but the investigation will take time, so he’s effectively tying their hands until the presidential election.

“That son of a b*tch is really…”

He’s signaling that he’s willing to engage in a dirty fight.

Okay.

Let’s go all the way.

“Call a press conference immediately. I’ll directly accuse him of abusing presidential power.”