1979, Manager Kim is Inheriting Dictatorship! - Chapter 127
Only Krnovel
Episode 127
“Don’t do this. Forgiveness is not my decision. If there is a mistake, shouldn’t it be punished by the law?”
I grabbed Prosecutor Nam Ki-chul’s arm and helped him up.
He nods to his executive assistant to step out for a moment.
Nam Gi-cheol still hadn’t come to his senses.
“… … .”
After the executive secretary leaves, only then does Prosecutor Nam carefully sit back down in his seat.
“Please speak slowly.”
Nam Ki-cheol sighs deeply and then begins to tell a story.
“I’m sorry… I was distracted by the mention of the position of Prosecutor General… … .”
“Prosecutor General? What does that mean? Isn’t there still a lot of time left in the term of the Prosecutor General? Has anyone offered you the position of Prosecutor General?”
“… … .”
Judging from the silence, it seems to be true.
‘There is a separate person with the power to appoint, who would do something like this… … .’
I looked at Prosecutor Nam and asked.
“Prosecutor Nam, since you are the Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, it is not particularly strange for you to aim for the position of Prosecutor General. However, isn’t there someone behind you who is using you as a swordsman?”
The Nam Ki-cheol I know is definitely a quick-witted and good worker, but he wasn’t a very bold person.
He was not a man with the courage to undertake something of this magnitude on his own.
This is clearly someone pushing me from behind.
“That, that… … .”
Nam Ki-cheol hesitates for a moment.
I asked him again like that.
“Who is behind you? This time, you attacked the Korean Party, and it certainly doesn’t seem like you’re the only one who’s acting.”
I don’t know the exact lines of the prosecution, but it is clear that Deputy Chief Prosecutor Nam Ki-chul was not a person with such great control that he could move the entire prosecution on his own.
It was clear that there must have been someone higher than Nam Ki-cheol who helped with this.
‘It won’t be President Kang Sung-min… … .’
The current Prosecutor General Kang Sung-min that I know is not a great person who would do something like this.
He was not a man with the strong charisma to lead an organization.
Rather, he had a style similar to that of former Prime Minister Choi Hyun.
He didn’t have strong leadership or anything, but he was a so-called honest and upright person who just quietly did his own thing.
Clearly, he was not the type of person to do something like this.
‘I guess it’s that gentleman… … .’
I asked Nam Ki-cheol, who was hesitating, if the person he was thinking of was his backstab.
“Is the person behind you, former Prosecutor General Heo Min-seong?”
When the words Nam Ki-cheol and Heo Min-seong came out of my mouth, my pupils shook.
‘I guess that’s right.’
Since the smartphone was constantly being blinded, I couldn’t check properly and could only guess, but as expected, my guess was correct.
‘As expected, I kept having meetings with the inspectors and… I see you’re doing this… … .’
Perhaps the attack on the chief secretary was a trap set by us, so it wasn’t something that Director Huh planned, but most of the other things that happened were probably planned by Director Huh.
“… Okay. I’ll tell you everything. But can you promise me one thing?”
“What is it? Tell me.”
What he asked for wasn’t that great.
“I will step down once the handover of major duties is completed. If necessary, I will accept any legal punishment that I may receive. However, please do not report this matter to the press… … .”
I don’t know if he had political ambitions later on or if he was just a person with a strong desire for honor, but he seemed anxious about his actions becoming known.
Since it was more of a concept of entrapment, there was a high probability that he would not be punished by law, but he seemed to be quite afraid of this incident becoming known to the world.
“Okay, I promise. So now, tell me everything.”
My purpose is to eliminate preferential treatment, not to humiliate and punish this man.
Punishment of this person and such were things that could be dealt with later according to procedure.
After a while, Nam Ki-cheol begins to tell me everything with a look of resignation on his face.
“What the President said is correct. I met former Prosecutor General Heo Min-seong at a restaurant not far from the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office a while ago. And… … .”
* * *
After hearing the whole story from Nam Ki-cheol, I pretended not to know anything and invited Heo Min-seong to the Blue House.
When he arrived, I greeted him with a friendly face.
“Chief Huh, it’s been a while. I should at least see your face like this once in a while, but the position of the President is always so hectic.”
“No. It is an honor to be called by someone who has already retired.”
Heo Min-seong also greets people politely and respectfully.
I started talking to him and motioned for him to bring me some tea.
“Here you go. This is tea I recently bought near Baekdu Mountain. It smells good. Is it because it’s from one of the world’s most famous mountains? Haha.”
Heo Min-seong also smelled the tea and liked it.
“It smells good, just as you said. I’ve heard that tea from Baekdu Mountain has a good smell, but after experiencing it myself, it exceeds my expectations. I should buy one too.”
I wave my hand at him and tell him not to buy anything while drinking tea.
“Don’t be so picky. I’ve bought a few. They’re not that expensive, so I’ll give you one.”
“Haha, thank you.”
Heo Min-seong also smiles and responds.
But the good mood ends here.
Heo Min-seong puts down the car and speaks first.
“Mr. President, I’ll get straight to the point. This is too much. Please withdraw it. If you withdraw it, we will also set our own limits on the amount of money we receive from lawyers after retirement… .”
That’s nonsense.
It’s ridiculous to say that the people who created the problem are self-regulating.
Of course, at first, he will pretend to be guarded.
But it was clear that once people’s interest had waned to some extent, most would probably not comply with the regulations.
If there is no punishment or social condemnation for not following the regulations, then who will follow the regulations?
It would have been safer to leave the fish to the cat.
“Haha. Self-regulation is good. If you just do that, it would be perfect.”
Heo Min-seong’s expression brightens.
“Then, Mr. President, let’s pretend this never happened… … .”
I changed my expression from the smiling face just a moment ago and started talking.
“But you know, why should I do that?”
When a question suddenly comes in, Heo Min-seong is taken aback for a moment, but then answers.
“There is considerable opposition within the prosecution. Of course, this also applies to the courts. If things continue this way, it will certainly disrupt the president’s state administration…”
“Is that so? I have been in power as the President of the Republic of Korea for over 20 years. In addition, the Liberty Korea Party has an overwhelming majority in the National Assembly. Public opinion also overwhelmingly welcomes this measure. So why do you think that the prosecution or the courts will be dissatisfied and cause disruption in the administration of state affairs?”
Let’s talk about this much. Heo Min-seong’s expression crumpled when he realized that I had no intention of taking action.
Then he sighs deeply and says to me.
“Wow, Mr. President. Do you really have to stand up to the prosecution? The prosecution is not what it used to be. Do you intend to turn the prosecution into your enemy? Our prosecution is not an organization that bows down to such unjust measures as it did in the past.”
I said to him with a smile on my face.
“Chief Heo, should I be afraid of that? I am. I am a person who has nothing to fear except the people becoming my enemy. Chief Heo, do you think I am a person who would be afraid of the prosecution or the court?”
I took out a cigarette, lit it, and continued talking.
By smoking like this without the other person’s consent, you remind them that you are in a higher position than them.
“And why are you acting like you’re fighting for social justice when you’re fighting for your rice bowl?”
Heo Min-seong raises his voice, embarrassed by my remark.
“What’s wrong with fighting for your rice bowl? Doesn’t everyone fight for their own rice bowl?”
I slammed the table and shouted.
“Hello! You have to take care of your rice bowl within the limits of what makes sense! President Heo, last year alone, you received 5.4 billion won in legal fees, 5.4 billion won! Does that make sense?”
But Heo Min-seong does not give up and raises his voice.
“Mr. President! In a capitalist country, you can make money according to your ability. What’s wrong with that?”
My blood pressure almost rose at the sound of his voice, but I soon calmed down and spoke calmly.
“Yes. There is no problem with making money according to your ability. But, are you making money according to your ability right now? You are not a good lawyer, but you are making money by using your connections from your time as the Prosecutor General to manipulate trials! What you are doing now is shaking the foundation of the rule of law!”
The patience that was being maintained explodes.
“Mr. President! You’ve gone a little too far!”
I didn’t care and continued talking.
“He had a good reputation within the prosecution, was good at catching criminals, and was trusted to some extent, even making him the Prosecutor General, but when he left, he only cared about his own interests?”
“Okay! I’ll go back now.”
As Heo Min-seong was about to leave, I went to the desk and played the recorder loudly.
[“I spoke with former Commissioner-General Heo Min-seong and intentionally pushed the Liberty Korea Party members and Chief of Staff Oh Young-ho… … I said that if former Commissioner-General Heo handled this matter well, I would push him to become Commissioner-General… … .”]
Heo Min-seong’s feet, which were about to leave, stop as he hears the voice of Deputy Chief Prosecutor Nam Ki-cheol.
‘남기철, 이 개새끼가!’
Then he turns to me and says:
“Hey, do you think something like this will work?”
“Well, Nam Ki-cheol is not just a prosecutor, he’s a deputy chief prosecutor of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office. He’s the second-highest person in the prosecution. Do you really think people wouldn’t believe his testimony?”
Heo Min-seong looks at me and says.
“If my line is removed, the main prosecution lines will all be removed… Can you handle it…? All of the main prosecution lines will be paralyzed.”
What he does is not much different from what Chairman Jeong Man-ho does.
But it wasn’t wrong.
Clearly, most of the current Supreme Prosecutors’ Office was created by Heo Min-seong during his time as a prosecutor.
He must have a good eye for people, because he filled all the key positions with prosecutors who are quite capable of their jobs.
But in the end, these people are the ones who cannot develop themselves.
In the end, if we only catch Heo Min-seong, everyone will probably be dissatisfied, but everyone will probably stay quiet.
And talent wasn’t limited to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.
President Huh continues his speech with a slight grin.
“Mr. President, if you saw me as a weak person like General Kang, then… … .”
“I know. President Huh is good at his job, has good charisma, and is good at managing the organization, so that’s why I put him in that position. But you know, the people who are here now aren’t necessarily the best at their jobs, right?”
“Th, what is that… … .”
I took out another cigarette, lit it, and began to speak.
“Next month is the personnel transfer period, and the terms of several high-ranking officials in the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office have ended. So I’m thinking of doing a personnel transfer starting with the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office this time. I found out that there are many talented people in the provinces. And they are anxious to come up to Seoul.”
Although it is difficult to cut prosecutors, the right to appoint them when their term ends is solely the prerogative of the president.
And there are countless prosecutors in the provinces who want to work at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office or the Central District Prosecutors’ Office in Seoul.
Although the merits will decrease as you will not be able to become a lawyer after retirement, there are still many prosecutors in the provinces who are full of ambition and good at their job who purely want to work in a main office like the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.
“If preferential treatment for former prosecutors disappears, who would want to take that position? If they can’t make much money even after retiring as the Prosecutor General, who would want to be a prosecutor?”
I approached him and spoke in a low voice.
“Chief Huh, if you wanted to make a lot of money, you should have started a business. I don’t have the confidence to make money through business, I don’t want to take risks if I fail, and I wanted to somehow make a lot of money through connections, so I’ve been living like this, but now I can’t do that, so are you sad?”
I looked into his eyes and asked.
“You, were you like this when you were first appointed as a prosecutor?”
President Heo’s eyes waver.