You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 106

“Hello.”

“Yes, Attorney Cha Ju-han. As mentioned earlier, you’ve become a hot topic as the informant for this case. First, we need to confirm the facts. Is it true that you reported to the prosecution?”

“Yes, it is true.”

“I’d like to ask exactly what you reported about.”

“It’s as I said. I reported evidence to the prosecution that the person who filmed the video was Cho Hyun-seok, the suspect in the sex bribery case, and Ko Jin-ah, the wife of Jung Young-joon and the executive director of Yangjin F&B.”

The prompter displayed the message: [Maintain the lawyer’s tone].

He may only be a thirty-five-year-old lawyer on the surface, but in his previous life, he had already conducted several national briefings.

He knows best what voice and speed are most effective.

“I understand that the nature of the evidence hasn’t been disclosed yet. I’m curious about what kind of evidence it is and how you obtained it.”

“The evidence is in the form of a video. I am currently Jung Young-joon’s legal representative and was proceeding with his divorce from Ko Jin-ah. Jung Young-joon has consistently claimed that the sexual relations in the video were not of his own volition and that he doesn’t remember them. Also, as is known, Jung Young-joon denied the adultery and wanted to protect his family. So, to prove Jung Young-joon’s innocence, I began investigating who filmed the video and for what purpose.”

The news broadcast screen showed a summary of my words in bold subtitles at the bottom.

“So, what evidence did you obtain?”

“The first thing we did was restore the quality of the video. After watching the circulated video multiple times, we confirmed that a very brief part of the videographer’s body appeared in the video. So, we thought that if we could identify characteristics from that part of the body, we could identify the videographer.”

“Even if it’s possible to restore the quality, it wouldn’t be as clear as the television screen we’re watching now. Was it possible to capture the characteristics of the body?”

“Of course, it was impossible to restore it to that extent. We didn’t secure much from the video either. All we got was the device used to film the video, the height and build of the videographer as seen in the silhouette reflected in the balcony window, and the videographer’s hand that briefly appeared on the screen.”

Kim Woo-jin nodded and asked again.

“Height, build, and hand. In some ways, those aren’t things that would identify someone.”

“That’s right. The height of the videographer, determined by comparing it to the size of the filming device, was over 190 cm [approximately 6 feet 3 inches]. We also found out that it was a large man. He was wearing a navy tracksuit and had a custom-designed couple ring on his hand.”

“If it’s a large man over 190 cm, that certainly matches the profile of Cho Hyun-seok, who is a former basketball player. If it’s a custom-designed ring, it would have been enough to identify the subject.”

“That’s right. Based on those conditions, we identified Cho Hyun-seok as the videographer.”

“I see. However, according to the prosecution’s announcement, the video was not filmed by Cho Hyun-seok alone, but also by Jung Young-joon’s wife, Ko Jin-ah. I’m curious how you identified Ko Jin-ah.”

“After analyzing the video multiple times, we were also able to confirm that there was a woman wearing the same ring as Cho Hyun-seok at the scene during the filming.”

“Was that woman Ko Jin-ah?”

“Yes, it was.”

“Okay, Attorney Cha. You mentioned that the ring Cho Hyun-seok was wearing was a couple ring.”

“Yes.”

“And you said that the woman wearing the same ring was Ko Jin-ah, the executive director of Yangjin F&B.”

“That’s right.”

“Does that mean the two of them were having an affair?”

Kim Woo-jin’s question was followed by a sudden, deep silence around the newsroom, which had already been quiet.

The answer to that question is not something the prosecution can give at this time.

And no matter how much it’s me, it’s not something I can definitively say on the news.

Of course, I’m sure of it.

“That’s how I see it.”

Saying this was the best I could do.

And at the same time, a message appeared on the prompter.

[Ratings surpass 30%!!]

In 2018, News 9 maintained ratings in the low 10% range.

However, I know that in 2009, at this point, the ratings were generally higher, so they often reached the 20% range.

Even considering that, 30% is quite high.

[Shift focus to Jung Young-joon’s divorce stance]

I could actually tell a more detailed story, but I decided to leave that to the prosecution.

Like the black box found in Secretary Joo Min-ji’s car, and other things.

“I see. Thank you for the detailed explanation. I think that if it weren’t for Attorney Cha’s persistent pursuit, this shocking truth might have been buried forever. Now, let’s change the subject a bit.”

Kim Woo-jin turned the script with a brief concluding remark.

“You mentioned that Attorney Cha is the legal representative appointed to resolve Jung Young-joon’s divorce issue. I imagine Jung Young-joon must have had a lot of emotional distress before these facts came to light. Jung Young-joon has stated that he wants to protect his family, but I’m curious about his current stance.”

Suddenly, Jung Young-joon, who had suffered so much, flashed through my mind.

Even when he learned all the facts, he was shocked and hesitated, unable to immediately say he would get a divorce.

“Jung Young-joon was greatly shocked after learning these facts. As his legal representative, I was very saddened because Jung Young-joon had shown a lot of affection for Ko Jin-ah. Jung Young-joon has been unfairly criticized by the public for being falsely accused of adultery during the marriage. That slander has, of course, been passed on to Jung Young-joon’s family as well.”

“I can imagine. Also, since Jung Young-joon was not a business figure like Ko Jin-ah, there was a lot of criticism related to his wealth.”

“That’s right. In fact, Ko Jin-ah’s side has been strongly advocating for a mutual divorce. Ko Jin-ah, who claimed to be the victim, demanded a mutual divorce by proposing a property division amount that was legally incomprehensibly high, but Jung Young-joon continued to refuse. If Jung Young-joon valued Ko Jin-ah’s wealth, he wouldn’t have done that.”

In a divorce lawsuit involving a chaebol [family-owned conglomerate], the area of greatest public interest is, of course, the division of property.

Many people are curious about their inside stories, but nothing is as newsworthy as money matters.

The two anchors didn’t just pass over those words.

“You said the amount set was so high that it was legally incomprehensible, so I would expect it to be an astronomical sum.”

“It’s difficult to call it an astronomical sum… Most of Ko Jin-ah’s assets were inherited or gifted from her father, Chairman Ko Sang-kyung, so they are classified as special property [assets acquired before the marriage or received as gifts/inheritance during the marriage]. Of course, if the marriage lasted more than 10 years, it would be considered that they contributed to maintaining or increasing that special property, and it would be subject to division, but Jung Young-joon and Ko Jin-ah’s marriage lasted less than 10 years, so that doesn’t apply.”

“So, you’re saying that the amount of property division proposed by Ko Jin-ah’s side exceeded the amount calculated as joint property, excluding special property.”

“That’s right. That’s where I became suspicious. Ko Jin-ah claims to be a victim, but why is she trying to give so much in property division? That was the question.”

Personally, I don’t think it’s very good to talk in detail about the amount of property division on a prime-time news channel.

It’s common for the news to mention the exact amount of property division for chaebols anyway, but I decided not to mention the specific amount.

“Then, I’m curious about what Jung Young-joon’s position will be on the divorce in the future.”

“As I mentioned, Ko Jin-ah’s side has been demanding a mutual divorce. However, on the 15th, the day before the prosecution revealed Jung Young-joon’s innocence, Ko Jin-ah’s side notified us that they had filed a divorce lawsuit with the family court.”

The expressions of the PDs [producers] and writers standing around the newsroom brightened.

They seemed very pleased that new facts were constantly emerging.

Because I didn’t write all the stories I would mention today in the pre-exchanged questionnaires, the two anchors also looked very surprised.

“But now that Ko Jin-ah has appeared at the prosecution as a suspect, it’s impossible to know what will happen. Ko Jin-ah’s side may withdraw the lawsuit, or they may continue. In any case, Jung Young-joon has decided to divorce after learning that Ko Jin-ah slandered him. Whatever type of divorce it is, we plan to prepare accordingly.”

As we exchanged stories, the time originally allotted for this interview was almost up.

The PDs didn’t seem to mind going over the originally allotted time, but I didn’t want to go over the time to promote my resume.

There is, of course, the view that appearing on the news is a move for fame, but I didn’t want to reveal that too much.

“I understand that Attorney Cha arrested serial killer Cho Jin-tae, who shocked Korea when you were a prosecutor two years ago.”

I could have ended it appropriately, but I felt Jin Hye-kyung’s will to somehow cram my resume into the remaining time.

“That’s right.”

“Also, you defended Kim Yeon-joon, who was accused of murdering actor Kim Cheol-hwan and famous doctor Yeo Hee-sook, which happened early last year, and revealed that Kim Hyung-joon was the real culprit. At that time, you made a statement in court pointing out that the prosecution’s investigation was insufficient. There was some controversy because you made that statement in the first trial you took on after leaving the prosecution.”

I smiled awkwardly and replied.

“Yes, I did.”

“Because you criticized the prosecution’s investigative power immediately after leaving the prosecution, there was also the impression that you were a lawyer who didn’t trust the prosecution. But this time, you did the opposite and reported directly to the prosecution.”

“I know there are people who see me that way, but it’s not true. It’s not that I don’t trust the prosecution.”

I don’t trust the prosecution.

In this case, the only person I trusted was Lee Ye-jin.

…I shouldn’t say that.

“However, in the case where Kim Yeon-joon was unfairly accused of parricide [killing of a parent], there were definitely insufficient parts in the prosecution’s investigation. As a result, the innocent Kim Yeon-joon suffered great pain. I am a lawyer representing my client. Therefore, I only spoke out considering the pain my client felt, and it’s not that I don’t trust the prosecution. So, I was a little upset when there was such criticism from some quarters.”

Now that we were in the final stages of the interview, I thought it was better to move on to a moderately flexible atmosphere rather than being serious all the time.

Jin Hye-kyung and Kim Woo-jin also smiled slightly at my answer.

“In addition, you are also famous for pointing out the bad practices of the drama industry, where famous writers steal manuscripts from aspiring writers, in the plagiarism case of Jung Hye-jin’s drama . Also, you took the lead in the case that heated up the education world last year. You proceeded with the civil trial of the victims of school violence by Lee Hyuk-min of Jangmyeong High School. Attorney Cha Ju-han, who takes the lead in social problems rooted in Korea, is a role model for lawyers.”

“You’re too kind. I just did what I had to do.”

“I’m really looking forward to your future activities. Then, I hope you will finish the remaining cases well, and I will conclude the interview here. Thank you for responding to the interview today.”

After saying goodbye, the camera zoomed in on the two anchors.

I left, following the route the assistant director had told me in advance.

As soon as I came out of the newsroom, where all kinds of lights were directly hitting me, I felt that sweat had accumulated on my back.

The assistant director handed me a bottle of water.

“Attorney, you’ve worked really hard.”

Sure enough, I was really tired from thinking about my expression and tone of voice and talking non-stop.

“PD, you’ve worked hard too.”