You Have Been Defended – Episode 419
#419
Jo Bong-joon and Choi Jong-hyun were rendered speechless by Lee Ga-yeon’s shocking confession.
She was only 17 years old.
Of course, it was appalling enough that they had made a 13-year-old child pour drinks and subjected her to sexual harassment, but the fact that the age when sexual favors began in earnest was 17 was simply unbelievable.
“Are these sons of bitches for real…”
Jo Bong-joon couldn’t contain his anger and cursed under his breath.
However, those including Lee Ga-yeon didn’t seem all that surprised.
“Besides us, there are countless others who were dragged to those sponsors and offered sexual favors. We’re currently living together, six of us in total, and all of us experienced such things around that age…”
A woman sitting next to Lee Ga-yeon added.
“Countless?”
“Yes. We’ve talked amongst ourselves, and it seems like the truly exceptional prodigies, like Seung-hee, are solely focused on studying. Those who can’t adapt to the gifted school after attending the initial Japanese language academy end up like us.”
“…So, are the three of you still offering sexual favors to that sponsor—no, those subhuman creatures?”
Lee Ga-yeon shook her head.
“No. We ran away. Once we’re identified as kids to be used for sexual favors, our passports are confiscated, and we’re transferred to a different school, isolating us from the kids who are already receiving gifted education. From that point on, we’re transferred to a special school where classes start late in the morning and end early in the afternoon. It’s a miracle that Seung-hee and I are even in contact.”
“Then, what kind of life did you lead while attending such a school?”
“Well… When those sponsors have drinking parties, we go there like barmaids to pour drinks and endure sexual harassment… Then, when we look mature enough to pass as young women, we even sleep with them. I heard a rumor that there was a kid who was raped at the age of 14. I’ve never seen it myself, but that’s the story we heard among ourselves…”
Unbelievable.
This isn’t just about sexual favors; it’s about the sexual harassment and rape of minors.
They trap children in a swamp like that, and only bring back a select few with outstanding academic abilities to plant them in Wooshin, and then brag, ‘We’re doing this kind of talent development project; please praise us’.
“Some people live as mistresses, trying to please those sponsors, and some people, like us, run away and try to survive. But people like us have our passports taken away and face visa problems, so we live as illegal immigrants. That’s why we couldn’t get cell phones and couldn’t give you our contact information…”
“Then, what kind of work are you doing now?”
Those who received Choi Jong-hyun’s question began to exchange glances.
Choi Jong-hyun, sensing he had asked a difficult question, was about to say that they didn’t have to answer if they were uncomfortable.
However, after the exchanged glances, Lee Ga-yeon spoke.
“I ran away because I didn’t want to give sexual favors, but I don’t know what else to do, so I’m living by prostituting myself again. Funny, right…?”
A sad smile touched Lee Ga-yeon’s lips.
“No one wants to hire illegal immigrants anywhere. Even if we somehow get a job at a regular workplace or a restaurant, they know we’re illegal immigrants, so we often get our wages stolen. That’s how we ended up going down that path.”
“Haven’t you asked the Korean Embassy for help?”
“We came here on student visas, but we ran away from the managers of the House of Angels [likely a euphemism for the organization exploiting them], so our visas were revoked, and we became illegal immigrants. Illegal immigrants have to pay a fine. We have to pay the fine to return to Korea, but we don’t have the money to prepare for the fine right now… We’re working hard to earn money, but it’s hard enough just to survive…”
“And if we contact the embassy ourselves, the managers of the House of Angels might find out again… Once we’re caught as illegal immigrants, we have to be investigated in Japan… Then, the people from the House of Angels will eventually find out. The sponsors are all high-ranking officials, so it’s easy for them to uncover such things.”
That’s probably why Lee Ga-yeon was so wary of her surroundings when she first came to the airport to meet them.
It seems that Lee Ga-yeon responded to Choi Jong-hyun’s email in order to ask for help in resolving her illegal immigrant status.
If they act on their own, they will surely be caught by the managers of the House of Angels and suffer a great misfortune, and they don’t want to continue living like this.
“Then, about how many people do you think are living like the three of you, or are still living by giving sexual favors?”
“Well… At least 50? There are people who come here every year under the guise of studying abroad, so it will continue to increase.”
Choi Jong-hyun rubbed his forehead.
When he first caught wind of the sexual favors, he hadn’t imagined this scale and atrocity.
But hearing the testimony firsthand, wasn’t it an outrageous situation?
He didn’t know where to start or how to solve it.
“After receiving the reporter’s call, I searched for the reporter’s name in a PC cafe [internet cafe] and watched a few broadcasts. You were broadcasting about exposing Wooshin’s corruption… Are you going to cover our story too?”
“I can’t give you a definite answer right now because I’m in the stage of collecting evidence and verifying the circumstances, but if there is enough evidence that Wooshin can’t deny, I will definitely cover it.”
“Then, until then, we can’t go back to Korea and live…”
The woman sitting next to Lee Ga-yeon sighed.
Unfortunately, that’s the truth.
Right now, I can help you pay the illegal immigrant fine and return to Korea, but returning to Korea is like walking into Wooshin’s territory with your own feet.
I don’t know what Wooshin might do to them, so I can’t bring them to Korea right now.
At the very least, I have to bring them when this case is widely publicized and Wooshin is in a situation where they can’t do anything to guarantee their safety.
“It’s going to be difficult, but I’d like to ask you a few more questions.”
“Yes.”
“I know there are also male international students, but do male international students also go out for sexual favors?”
“Well… I heard that there are also old men who like men, but I don’t know what happens to male international students. The dormitory buildings are different, and we take separate classes, so I don’t know much about that side…”
“I see. Just a few more questions. Do you know the names or positions of the sponsors?”
The woman sitting at the end took out a file from her bag.
“I was going to give it to you anyway, so I printed out a list at the PC cafe yesterday.”
The document she handed over contained news photos of high-ranking Japanese officials and basic personal information that could be found online.
I didn’t examine it in detail right away, but seeing that it was more than 3 pages, it seemed that there were quite a few people involved.
“What’s there may not be everything. We’ve only written down the people we’ve met directly, and there must be more people we haven’t met. But we don’t contact other people who have run away or people who are still giving sexual favors, so that was the best we could do.”
“No. This is more than enough. Thank you.”
Choi Jong-hyun said, putting the file in his bag.
“Do you have any more questions?”
“Ah. I was looking into the House of Angels and found out that infants also come to study abroad… Can you tell me what happens to infants? It seems like you came when you were teenagers.”
At Choi Jong-hyun’s question, they looked at each other and shook their heads.
“We’ve never seen such young children.”
“I see… Ah, lastly, can I have the address of the house where you live?”
“Why is that?”
“We’re going to get you cell phones and send them to you. I thought it would be good if we could exchange messages. It would be easier to help you.”
“We’d be so grateful if you could do that.”
“You might be tracked by Wooshin, so please don’t use it outside and only use it inside your house.”
“Yes, yes. Thank you.”
Lee Ga-yeon took the pen that Choi Jong-hyun handed her and wrote the address on a memo pad.
“Ah, and this is… It’s not much, but we give a small interview fee to those who have been interviewed, and I would be grateful if you could accept it.”
Jo Bong-joon took out an envelope from his bag and placed it in front of them.
“Ah, you don’t have to give it to us… We’re rather grateful that you came all the way to Japan to listen to us.”
“No. Please accept it.”
Jo Bong-joon pushed the envelope towards Lee Ga-yeon and got up from his seat with Choi Jong-hyun.
“If you have anything more to say, please send us an email before we send you the cell phones. Then I’ll be going now.”
“Yes, thank you. Be careful on your way.”
Choi Jong-hyun turned off the recorder as he left the cafe.
The hand putting the recorder back in the bag was trembling.
As a reporter, he comes across many shocking incidents, but this incident was more shocking and devastating than all his experiences so far.
Wooshin is offering young women to high-ranking Japanese officials.
What benefit do they get from doing that?
“Was it because of this that they tried to kidnap and kill Attorney Cha when we first brought up L&B on the show? To bury it because this sexual favor case might be revealed?”
“I thought about that while listening to the story. If this breaks out in Korea, where would it be a common thing? Our Koreans, who already have anti-Japanese sentiment, are offering orphans from orphanages to Japan.”
“It doesn’t make sense, really… I can’t believe it. I wondered if I should really believe this the whole time I was listening to the story.”
“Me too. Ha…”
The two continued to sigh as they headed towards the main road to catch a taxi.
But no matter what, they couldn’t figure out how to reveal Wooshin’s unforgivable atrocities to the world, and they couldn’t find a way to calm their increasingly troubled minds.