You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 229

Do you remember the Anthrozol Alpha incident, an arthritis treatment released by Myunghwa Pharmaceuticals? It was an incident where Anthrozol Alpha was on the verge of FDA approval, despite containing harmful ingredients. Myunghwa Pharmaceuticals sparked controversy by allegedly bribing the head of the FDA, as well as members of the Central Pharmaceutical Affairs Review Committee, to push for Anthrozol Alpha’s release.

And in this process, it was revealed that Lee Jung-chan, the leader of the Minwoo Party, acted as a go-between between Myunghwa Pharmaceuticals and the FDA head, causing widespread shock.

Reports surfaced that Kim Hyung-joong, CEO of Myunghwa Pharmaceuticals, Oh Jin-shik, the former FDA head, and Lee Jung-chan, leader of the Minwoo Party, held several secret meetings even before the Central Pharmaceutical Affairs Review Committee convened to discuss Anthrozol.

[……Former FDA head Oh Jin-shik testified that Lee Jung-chan, leader of the Minwoo Party, introduced him to Kim Hyung-joong, CEO of Myunghwa Pharmaceuticals. However, Lee Jung-chan denies the allegations, claiming he has no recollection of such an introduction.]

[Kim Hyung-joong, CEO of Myunghwa Pharmaceuticals, initially denied any connection to Lee Jung-chan, leader of the Minwoo Party, but later admitted to the charges after evidence emerged that he had gifted Lee Jung-chan a painting worth 2.3 billion won (approximately $1.7 million USD) at an art gallery. However, Lee Jung-chan is still exercising his right to remain silent.]

News reports flooded the media all day.

I’ve been holed up in the hotel for five days as a precaution, but I think I can finally leave tomorrow.

The public’s attention has shifted away from the informant right now.

People were stunned by the constant stream of corruption allegations against Lee Jung-chan, and even the announcer on a usually more outspoken radio news program sighed audibly.

At this point, Lee Se-hyung’s staged suicide attempt was effectively buried.

The public criticism that initially targeted me after news of Lee Se-hyung’s suicide attempt also subsided.

Of course, it hasn’t completely vanished.

[kps****: If Lee Jung-chan hadn’t been exposed, wouldn’t everything have been swept under the rug? Are people who commit crimes that deserve severe punishment pitied, while informants who commit minor offenses are treated like dirt? Does that make any sense? LOL, what a world.]

Many people began to defend me.

[ops****: I was wondering who this Cha Joo-han was, since everyone was saying he drove Lee Se-hyung to his death. Turns out he’s just a righteous person; he cleared Kim Yeon-joon, who was falsely accused of killing his adoptive parents, saved Jung Young-joon, who was falsely accused of being a perverted adulterer in a sex video, defended victims of school violence, and saved aspiring writers who were plagiarized by established authors. I wish there were a truckload of lawyers like him in Korea. Why are people so quick to condemn someone over nothing? LOL, Korea sucks. And he’s so handsome…♡ Everything is forgiven then ㅇㅇ

ㄴsda****: Huh?

ㄴops****: I’m a girl, you ㅅㄲ (a Korean slang term, roughly equivalent to “you jerk”)]

Anyway, as things stand, people are no longer particularly interested in whether I was the informant or not.

Even if they were, it wouldn’t matter.

Soon, Park Young-ki will be transferred to the Central District Prosecutor’s Office and will take over all investigations related to Lee Jung-chan.

At that time, if Park Young-ki announces in the investigation results that he couldn’t identify the informant, the informant will remain an unknown, mysterious figure, and everything will be over.

Of course, since Park Young-ki is still in the Western District Prosecutor’s Office, the truth could still come out if the Central District Prosecutor’s Office really tries to dig into my involvement…

However, in the current situation, where they are overwhelmed by the Myunghwa Pharmaceuticals case, announcing that they’ve found the informant would obviously cause public outrage, right?

They’d be lucky if they weren’t criticized as foolish prosecutors who don’t understand priorities and are just pursuing a minor lead.

“Lawyer, you’re here?”

The next day, I checked out of the hotel and went straight to the office.

Kang Byun had occasionally sent me pictures of reporters camped out in the hallway in front of the office, calling it the “office scenery,” but the hallway was clean, as if nothing had happened.

I remember this happening once before.

I recall the building owner, Lee Young-ho, grabbing a broom and chasing everyone away.

I wonder if that didn’t work this time?

“Wasn’t the cafe owner there this time?”

“Yes. I contacted him, and he said he went on a trip to Jeju Island [a popular vacation destination in South Korea]. Ah, if the cafe owner had been here, he would have swept all the reporters away with a broom. It’s a shame.”

Kang Min-jae clicked his tongue in disappointment.

“But we are still getting inquiries to our office email asking if I’m the informant. I don’t know what to do.”

Kang Min-jae opened the office mailbox and showed it to me.

There were about 30 unread emails.

They were all requests for my opinion on whether I was the informant, sent under the names of internet media outlets that I vaguely recognized.

“Is there any need to reply? The case is so explosive right now; there’s no way they have time to be curious about the informant.”

I said, sitting down.

Then, Kang Min-jae followed me to my desk and slammed his hand on it, saying,

“The general public might think that way, but we’re still getting bombarded with requests for comment! At this rate, our work email will be completely overwhelmed.”

“Just send them all to the spam folder. Set it up so that anything with the word ‘informant’ goes directly to spam.”

“……Ah!”

“And it will all fade away soon anyway if we just ignore it. We still have more to reveal.”

I took a file out of my briefcase and placed it in front of Kang Min-jae.

“Weren’t we just waiting for Chief Prosecutor Park Young-ki to get promoted?”

“That’s true, but it’s not easy to get promoted to the 3rd Chief Prosecutor of the Central District Prosecutor’s Office in this situation. No matter how much influence the elders have.”

It’s not a regular transfer period, and changing the commander of such a high-profile case is a decision that needs to be made carefully.

I want Park Young-ki’s promotion more than anything, but I’m just a lawyer; I can’t exert that kind of pressure.

But I can give him a boost.

“If we expose the prosecution’s incompetence now, there will be calls for a change in leadership. At that point, it would be ideal to promote Chief Prosecutor Park Young-ki, who exposed the connection between Myunghwa Pharmaceuticals and Lee Jung-chan. We need to make it happen before the elders can interfere, and in a way that aligns with public sentiment.”

Ordinary people don’t know much about the inner workings of the prosecution.

That’s why they can easily call for a change of commander now, but they can’t specify who should replace them.

Because they don’t know who’s qualified for that position right now.

So, if we create a situation where people are demanding a change of commander, Park Young-ki’s promotion will seem like the most natural and logical choice.

“Hmm, how do you mean we should expose the incompetence of the prosecution?”

“The prosecution is so preoccupied with Lee Jung-chan’s corruption that they’re missing something important. What do you think that is?”

Kang Min-jae seemed to be deep in thought at my sudden question but quickly answered confidently.

“You’re talking about Myungwoon University Hospital, which helped Lee Se-hyung fake his disability, right?”

“That’s right. It’s common knowledge that Lee Se-hyung was receiving rehabilitation at Myungwoon University Hospital. But the moment it was revealed that Lee Se-hyung’s legs were fine, an immediate investigation into Myungwoon University Hospital should have been launched. But there’s no mention of Myungwoon University Hospital anywhere in the news.”

Kang Min-jae nodded.

“And the departments Lee Se-hyung is involved in are neurosurgery and rehabilitation medicine. It’s practically a required course for the children of politicians who want to avoid military service. We need to check if they’ve helped not only Lee Se-hyung but also other celebrities’ children with military exemptions or feigning illness.”

“Exactly. But the prosecution isn’t doing that. They’re just busy chasing after the incidents that are popping up like mushrooms after the rain. A national institution with the authority to access vast amounts of information knows less than a single internet media outlet. The public is already very dissatisfied with the situation where they’re being led around like that, right?”

“That’s right. And the broadcasters kept pointing out that the rest is up to the national institutions to handle.”

“Exactly. Now is the time to highlight that point, inform people of the commander’s incompetence, and emphasize the need for a new commander.”

“Sigh. How can we trust them when they can’t do their job even when we spoon-feed them?”

“That’s a good line, isn’t it?”

“Yes?”

Kang Min-jae was just muttering to himself, but it’s a very impactful statement.

The prosecution can’t do their job even when we spoon-feed them.

No matter how well a writer explains the situation at length, a single phrase that resonates is more likely to move people’s hearts.

* * *

[‘The prosecution can’t do their job even when we spoon-feed them’ – Internet Broadcasters Criticize Inaction]

Choi Jong-hyun and Jo Bong-joon, the internet broadcasters who initially exposed the corruption of Lee Jung-chan and his son, criticized the prosecution on yesterday’s broadcast for failing to investigate Myungwoon University Hospital, which had concealed Lee Se-hyung’s disability. They pointed out that even with the overwhelming investigation into Lee Jung-chan’s corruption, the prosecution is missing the most crucial aspect of the case.

[‘The prosecution is moving according to internet broadcasts’ – Public Opinion Driving Investigations?]

[Are they finally summoning the heads of the Department of Neurosurgery and Rehabilitation Medicine at Myungwoon University? …… The prosecution is being dragged along by public opinion]

Negative publicity is always effective.

People enjoy criticizing more than praising.

It’s not because I subscribe to the theory of innate evil, but it’s a conclusion I’ve reached based on my experiences so far.

The public’s criticism of the prosecution has intensified since yesterday’s broadcast.

There was even a lone protestor in front of the Central District Prosecutor’s Office holding a sign that read, “What the hell is the prosecution doing?”

[dag****: The prosecution is so bad at their job]

[gsd****: Isn’t it because their interests are intertwined and they can’t move easily? How much have they received from Lee Jung-chan and the Minwoo Party? LOL, they know what they have to do, but they’re holding back because they’re afraid of getting screwed if they touch something wrong LOL. Why would you entrust anything to such a prosecution, damn it~]

Now, on the internet, even old corruption cases, so-called “stale rice cakes” [a Korean expression for old news or rumors], are resurfacing, and all sorts of speculations are rampant.

They can’t expose it because of their relationship with someone, or they can’t touch it because there was such an incident at Myungwoon University Hospital before, etc…….

Even I don’t know the truth behind those claims.

And among them, there will probably be a large number of rumors mixed in.

The prosecution promised the public that they would proceed with the investigation as soon as possible, but the public wasn’t satisfied with that.

And not long after, good news arrived.

It had been almost two months since the case officially began.

[

▲Park Young-ki, 3rd Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office (formerly Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Western District Prosecutor’s Office)]