You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 626

After the broadcast, Choi Jong-hyun and Jo Bong-joon immediately switched their phones to airplane mode.

With Kim Mi-ja dropping a bombshell, they knew they would be flooded with far more calls than ever before.

[Who are the ‘political figures’ who received underage sexual favors from Wooshin?]

[Kim Mi-ja’s shocking revelations… Why she had to become a pathological liar]

[Wooshin’s organized human trafficking… National shock]

[What will happen to the rescued ‘Children of the Angel House’?]

[Will the Ko family still deny everything?]

[Kim Mi-ja’s claims need verification]

Critical articles flooded in, but some still seemed to defend Wooshin.

It was absurd, but there was no surprise in an accomplice acting like one.

Bzzzz.

I was about to get up to help with the cleanup when my phone rang.

The caller was Kirihara Sachiko.

“This is Cha Joo-han.”

─I figured the broadcast was over, so I called. Is it a good time to talk?

“I was just about to call you. I wanted to ask about the situation with the Children of the Angel House.”

─Yes, that’s why I called too. I’m on my way out of the Metropolitan Police Department.

“How are the children doing?”

I had already received an email, but her tone sounded excited, so it seemed like things were going well.

Still, I had to confirm.

─I can’t say their health is great, but they don’t seem to have any major illnesses.

“Were any children injured during the raid?”

─Just minor bruises. Other than that, they’re fine. Unlike Ribbon Medical Center, there weren’t many security personnel, and the building itself wasn’t prepared for criminal use, so it ended faster than expected.

At Ribbon Medical Center, there was a hostage situation during the rescue, so they were worried about unexpected events.

“How will the investigation proceed in Japan?”

─The case is so big that it’s a bit chaotic. But within the police, the realistic option is to bring Ko Sang-joon in for questioning, but he’s also a suspect in Korea, so it’s not easy. They seem to be quite concerned.

“They’ll need cooperation with the Korean police. Give and take.”

─Yes, I suppose so. Speed is important, so it won’t drag on. Rather, the Japanese side seems a bit worried because the Korean police have put Onodera Masao on Interpol’s wanted list and are taking a very strong stance. If the Korean police want that, it shouldn’t be a problem.

“Then, will the entry of people like Lee Ga-yeon be processed quickly? The Japanese police will want to use Lee Ga-yeon’s testimony in the investigation.”

Lee Ga-yeon was the first to inform us about the sexual exploitation Wooshin was committing.

She had been at the Angel House and was selected as a prodigy to go to Japan. She and several other victims risked their lives to escape and are living in hiding.

─Lee Ga-yeon says she doesn’t mind waiting longer because she knows she can go back now, after waiting so long without any certainty. But she probably doesn’t want to burden us. We’re going to try to help.

We had been considering ways to rescue the Children of the Angel House while dealing with this case.

Then, as Onodera’s grandson’s surgery approached, we connected Lee Ga-yeon and Kirihara to establish a plan.

If the children were still in the dorm where she had lived until she escaped, we could proceed with the rescue quickly.

But a lot of time had passed since she escaped, and when they went to check, the dorm had already been moved.

The building had even been demolished, so it seemed they had moved before we even realized their human trafficking.

However, Kirihara didn’t give up.

Just as we had Heo Min-woo, Kirihara had cultivated a long-standing friendship with a detective in the Metropolitan Police Department.

Kirihara and the detective persistently gathered information through nearby inquiries and reviewed hundreds and thousands of CCTV footage to track the location of the Children of the Angel House.

It was also a great help that Kim Mi-ja remembered the license plate of the car used to bring the children to the *yōsei* [brothel or establishment where sexual services are offered].

Wooshin moved the dorm location once more after the organ trafficking report, so the investigation took longer than expected.

So, I was worried about whether the 56 children would be safe, whether they had scattered, or whether it was too late.

But finally, today, I heard the news that all 56 had been rescued.

“Then, how about the Children of the Angel House returning to Korea? The Japanese police will probably think that the rescued children will be more helpful to the investigation than Lee Ga-yeon. Then, their entry into Korea will naturally be delayed.”

─I suppose so. But Kim Mi-ja’s revelations are causing a huge stir in Japan, so there’s a lot of talk about sending the victims back quickly. They’re not suspects, they’re victims, so it’s problematic to keep them here for the sake of the investigation. We’ll have to work hard to make sure that public opinion reaches the government.

“Yes, thank you. You’ve worked hard.”

─I’m nothing compared to the hard work of the lawyers and others. I’ll contact you if there’s any other news. Please contact me too.”

After hanging up, I noticed that everyone in the studio was staring at me.

“They say they’ll take steps to ensure the victims can return quickly. Public opinion is also moving in that direction.”

As I put down my phone, Choi Jong-hyun kept repeating, “That’s great, that’s great.”

* * *

Kim Mi-ja entered the country three days later.

They did their best to maintain security, but it was impossible to avoid the reporters’ eyes.

Quite a few reporters had been waiting at the airport departure hall since the day after Kim Mi-ja said on the broadcast that she would enter the country.

And with her arrival, the investigation gained momentum.

First, the police compared the dates of visits and immigration records of the people listed in the ledger to verify it.

Of course, the ledger contained only the truth, so it was revealed that they had all been staying in Japan during that period.

Assuming that the ledger had considerable credibility, a high-intensity investigation began on those listed as having received bribes.

[Korea-Japan Joint Investigation Decided]

[56 Victims to Set Foot on Korean Soil Within 10 Days]

[Status of ‘Kim Mi-ja Gate’ Entering Its First Week]

[Ledger Included ‘Former and Current National Assembly Members, Former Commissioner of the National Tax Service, Governor of the Financial Supervisory Service, Lawyers, Executives of Major Media Companies’]

[Judge Who Sentenced Wooshin for Accounting Fraud in 2001 to Probation Visited the *yōsei* [brothel or establishment where sexual services are offered] 32 Times]

[Everyone Sweating Profusely, Saying ‘I Don’t Know Who Kim Mi-ja Is’]

Until now, after breaking a case, I used to go to places with a lot of foot traffic because I wanted to see how the public was reacting.

But now, there was no need to do that.

I could feel it even if I just stayed still.

Originally, Choi Jong-hyun and Jo Bong-joon would have continued to provide side information through broadcasts to keep the interest going.

By checking the past actions of those involved to see what special favors they had given to Wooshin, and explaining what laws they would be subject to and what punishments they would receive.

But there was no need to do that because there were already too many articles and reports like that.

Needless to say, this content further fueled public anger.

[The Totalitarian Family That Made 180,000 Wooshin Employees Accomplices Must Step Down]

[The Totalitarian Family That Disgraced the Nation with Low-Level Crimes]

[Ko Sang-joon, Stop Faking Illness and Accept the Investigation]

[How Much More of the Totalitarian Family’s Crimes Do We Have to Endure?]

The Wooshin labor union, which had started when the case first surfaced, showed the greatest solidarity since its founding.

They declared a strike and began collective action.

Wooshin supplied a considerable amount of services to our society, so the impact of the strike was very large.

Even if the factories weren’t running, even the cell phone service centers weren’t running, so many people would have been inconvenienced.

But most people didn’t criticize them and cheered them on.

And the collective action didn’t end with the Wooshin labor union’s strike.

Statements were issued from all walks of life related to the people involved in the case, and various human rights groups began to host rallies on weekends.

[A Society Where You Have to Worry About Your Life Even When Saying the Obvious]

[Are the Humans Who Receive Underage Sexual Favors Sane?]

[How Can We Entrust National Affairs to Such Humans?]

[Immediately Punish Those Involved]

Surprisingly, the number of people who responded to these rallies increased with each event, far exceeding my expectations.

The public’s demands were very clear.

Regardless of political affiliation, those who had clearly received underage sexual favors and bribes to the extent that their names were written in the ledger should be severely punished.

This was not an area of value judgment, so it may have attracted even more people.

[Ruling Party Proposes Wooshin Special Prosecutor Law]

[Ruling and Opposition Parties Agree to ‘Omit 20-Day Deliberation Period for Special Prosecutor Law’… Goes Straight to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee]

[Will the Wooshin Special Prosecutor Law Clear the Hurdle of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee?]

[The Blue House, ‘A Tragedy of Unethical Human Rights Violations, We Cannot Entrust the People’s Work to Such People’]

[Assemblyman Yoo Won-ho, ‘I’ve Never Heard of Such a Crime’]

[Police to Protect Kim Mi-ja, the Victim and Whistleblower]

Due to this influence, the ruling party, which had gained momentum, quickly proposed the Wooshin Special Prosecutor Law.

The Blue House also expressed a strong will to investigate through a public address to the nation.

“Cha, do you know that?”

Lee Se-hwa read the article with bitter eyes and turned the laptop screen towards me.

It was a photo of a banner containing the contents of urging the punishment of those involved, and the many people gathered below it.

It was the scene of the rally last weekend.

“From the beginning of the incident until now, the investigation has been proceeding quite quickly and strongly. But the scale of last weekend’s rally was quite considerable. What’s the reason? Even though the state is showing a strong will to punish, why isn’t the anger subsiding?”

“Isn’t it probably because of the long-accumulated distrust of the state?”

When I answered, Lee Se-hwa glared at me.

“It’s the right answer, but it’s a bit annoying because you say it so freely.”

The law was harsh on citizens, but kind to *chaebols* [large, family-controlled industrial conglomerates] and the powerful.

Citizens feared the prosecutor’s office and the court, but *chaebols* and the powerful made light of them.

And this gap taught citizens a sense of helplessness that they had to accept this much.

No matter how well they seem to be doing now, they can’t help but doubt whether they will do well until the end.

Even if opinions differ, they are the same in that they are powerful.

There will be an underlying anxiety that they might release them back into this society if they get the chance.

“It’s not just the President’s fault. And didn’t the President decide to break that link?”

“That’s right. It was a bit shocking that there were people I liked in Kim Mi-ja’s ledger, though.”

Lee Se-hwa sighed deeply.

Perhaps because Ko Sang-joon and Lee Jung-chan were on familiar terms, there were definitely more opposition figures in the ledger.

But the ledger contains 15 years of records.

Ko Sang-joon would have wanted ruling party or government officials who could give him special favors, regardless of political affiliation.

So, when the ruling party changed, the target of lobbying would have changed as well.

Not only the Minwoo Party, but also some ruling party officials must be Wooshin’s collaborators.

“How’s the Legislation and Judiciary Committee doing? You said before that you would make it proceed quickly, but the situation is bound to change.”

“It’s not common for the people of our country to hold large-scale collective actions. Moreover, this issue is not about representing the interests of a specific group, but about saying something too obvious. Until now, the people have turned a blind eye to a certain degree of ethical corruption. It can happen when you’re doing big things, big money can come and go. But this level of corruption is absolutely unacceptable.”

Lee Se-hwa rubbed the edge of the glass with her fingertips and continued.

“I want to accept all of the people’s demands, but there are realistic circumstances that make it impossible. But this time it’s different. What problems does the state have to endure to achieve the results the people want? Diplomatic issues? Japan also wants strong punishment. Political affiliation? There’s none of that. It’s a matter of more or less, but they’re equally wrong. It’s not an area of value judgment either? Rather, the guy who opposes this is out of his mind.”

She made a cold expression as if she was thinking of that ‘guy who is out of his mind’.

“Foreign media is reporting on it, and the UN Human Rights Committee is even about to investigate. With the international community paying attention, will the people really forget those who put the brakes on the Special Prosecutor Law? I think they’ll remember it for a long time, if I were them.”

Right now, the eyes of the entire nation are focused on this case, and politicians who made even the slightest mistake in their words about this issue were thoroughly ridiculed.

It’s November now.

And the general election is in April next year.

There’s no way the people will forget the disgrace of that ‘guy who is out of his mind’ in five months.

“Cha, you’re preparing hard for the special prosecutor interview.”

* * *

Soon after, the ‘Act on the Appointment of a Special Prosecutor for the Clarification of the Truth Regarding Wooshin’s Human Trafficking and Illegal Lobbying Allegations in the Political and Business World’ was submitted to the plenary session of the National Assembly.

As a result, it was passed with 201 votes in favor, 12 against, and 17 abstentions out of 230 members present.