IWSF – Ch 242

The scene of the hearing was broadcast live through the National Assembly channel.

Of course, though it was live, very few people actually bothered to watch it in real-time. After all, the important parts would be on the news in the evening.

However, interest suddenly surged with the news that Kang Jin-hoo would be appearing.

Who is Kang Jin-hoo?

He’s the most famous investor of the 21st century, and the wealthiest person in the world, not just in Korea. He’s also the very person who brought down the previous administration and put the former president in jail.

The lawmakers steeled themselves.

Going up against Kang Jin-hoo was a good opportunity to increase their name recognition. Perhaps because of this, lawmakers lined up to ask questions.

News channels connected to the National Assembly broadcast, focusing on Kang Jin-hoo’s appearance at the hearing, and the viewership of the National Assembly channel skyrocketed.

Shortly after, an unbelievable scene unfolded.

Kang Jin-hoo sat calmly in the witness seat, but Representative Lee Jung-hye, who was questioning him, was red-faced and yelling while thrashing about, and several lawmakers from the Liberty National Party had to step in to stop her.

People watching the broadcast were all speechless.

Had there ever been a business leader who acted like that at a hearing before?

Not even Chairman Han Min-goo, the founder of Eunsung Group, who once controlled the Korean economy, or Chairman Im Im Il-kwon, the founder of Seosung Group, had ever openly insulted a lawmaker at a hearing.

In short, this was a first in constitutional history!

Caught completely off guard, the ruling and opposition lawmakers at the hearing clearly showed signs of bewilderment.

The internet went wild.

– Damn, look at Kang Jin-hoo’s audacity.

– LOL, insane. This is truly a legendary hearing.

– I almost peed my pants watching the hearing.

– The National Assembly is an institution where lawmakers representing the people gather. In a democratic country, respecting the National Assembly and its lawmakers is natural.

– So it’s okay for lawmakers to treat the people poorly, but the people can’t do that to lawmakers?

– This is uncomfortable to watch. Do you think this kind of attitude is right in a hearing?

– Exactly. He’s young, and it’s wrong to act like that towards lawmakers who are much older than him.

– Then is it okay for lawmakers to call in chairmen much older than them and humiliate them?

– If someone innocent is called in and harassed, should they just apologize no matter what?

– Why innocent? It’s a fact that his company is in a tax haven. I agree with Representative Lee Jung-hye.

– Typical leftist, nitpicking over something ridiculous.

– What’s a ridiculous nitpick? It’s a fact that Representative Lee Jung-hye attended the Self-Defense Forces Foundation Day celebration.

– I bet when a ruling party lawmaker comes up, he’ll bow his head and answer politely.

– Like how pro-North Korea leftists hang out together.

***

The hearing was temporarily adjourned as lunchtime approached.

People work to live, so they have to eat. The other chairmen all returned with expressions that suggested they had lost their appetites.

Since I had to attend the afternoon hearing as well, I headed to the cafeteria. Eating alone in an unfamiliar place made me feel lonely.

This is why I should have brought Taek-gyu.

After eating a quick meal, I got a coffee from the vending machine. As I was drinking, someone approached me. I turned my head and saw a middle-aged man in his fifties with a kindly face, wearing a suit.

It was none other than Jang Hyun-joon, the floor leader of the New Politics Party.

He got a coffee and said with a smile, “CEO Kang, I think you acted a bit excessively earlier. It is a hearing after all, so it would be better if we all kept to the boundaries, don’t you think?”

If they think that ruling party lawmakers will be happy about me embarrassing an opposition lawmaker, they are sorely mistaken.

Birds of a feather flock together, and lawmakers are completely on the side of other lawmakers. Sometimes when you see them vote down an arrest warrant for a lawmaker, you wonder when the ruling and opposition parties even fought.

Various calculations of each political party and lawmaker are intricately at play in a hearing. However, the ultimate goal is to make a good impression on the public so they can win again in the next general election.

Business leaders don’t want to be enemies with politicians, and politicians also don’t want to be enemies with business leaders.

So, in a way, this is a kind of staged performance for the public. But here I was, acting differently from the script.

“The questioning by the ruling party lawmakers is scheduled for the afternoon, so please cooperate. The public is watching.”

I nodded.

“Of course. I understand perfectly what you mean.”

He looked satisfied at my words.

“That’s a relief.”

***

The afternoon hearing began.

The first to step forward was Representative Kim Sang-soo of the New Politics Party.

He presented some documents and said triumphantly, “K Company operates a cryptocurrency exchange called Bunsome, correct?”

“We don’t operate it directly, we only invested in it.”

Representative Kim Sang-soo frowned at my words. “You not only invested in the exchange, but you also bought and mined cryptocurrencies yourself, and then sold most of it right before the crash, didn’t you? What are your thoughts on the opinion that this is speculation?”

I corrected him.

“It’s not speculation, it’s investment.”

“Cryptocurrency was practically a gambling den! Can you say you have no responsibility in this?”

“I agree that cryptocurrency was a gambling den. But the cryptocurrency boom wasn’t just happening in Korea, it was a global phenomenon, and I didn’t instigate it, did I?”

Representative Kim Sang-soo then became angry. “Countless people jumped into the cryptocurrency market and lost money, but K Company made enormous profits in a short period! Is that the right thing to do?”

“What’s wrong with it? Is it wrong to make money from investments?”

“This isn’t investment, it’s speculation! Speculation!”

Before coming here, I had thoroughly read the materials I received from Chairman Im Jin-yong.

The information written there wasn’t obtained through illegal surveillance; it was all facts that had already been reported in the media.

Of course, the other chairmen would know this too.

Despite that, the reason they couldn’t say a word and just kept their heads down was probably because they had committed so many wrongdoings. They also had to consider public opinion.

But I’m not like that. I can’t say I have no shame before heaven, but at least I haven’t committed any illegal acts.

So, I can comfortably say whatever I want.

“Then, Representative, was your purchase of land in Gimpo also speculation?”

Representative Kim Sang-soo was taken aback.

“Wh-what did you say?”

He probably didn’t expect me to say something like this to a ruling party lawmaker. Not only that, but everyone in the hearing room was also surprised.

I didn’t pay attention and continued speaking.

“You bought about 800 pyeong of land in Gimpo, and it was later included in a development zone, allowing you to make a profit of over 10 times your investment in three years, correct?”

“Th-that’s……”

“Surely, you didn’t buy the land because you loved nature too much, like a certain ministerial candidate said. According to your logic, wouldn’t that be speculation?”

Representative Kim Sang-soo shouted.

“That wasn’t speculation, it was a legitimate investment!”

I nodded.

“It’s always investment when you do it, and speculation when someone else does. It was an investment for me too. Is that enough?”

“……”

He looked dumbfounded but couldn’t say anything more.

Next up was Representative Hong Seung-yong from the same party.

“Currently, an overwhelmingly high percentage of graduates from Korea University work at OTK Company and K Company. What are your thoughts on the allegations of preferential hiring?”

I said matter-of-factly, as if it were obvious, “We hired the necessary talent.”

“That sounds like you’re saying that talent only exists at Korea University. This preferential hiring deprives others of fair opportunities and encourages the ranking of universities.”

What kind of nonsense is he spouting?

However, even if the other party is talking nonsense, I have to say something that makes sense.

“There might be allegations of favoritism. Come to think of it, there were allegations that you gave preferential treatment to your father-in-law.”

“Wh-what are you talking about?”

“Three years ago, when you were on the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee, which oversees the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, didn’t the Ministry of the Interior and Safety provide special grants to pave the road in front of the factory owned by your father-in-law? According to your logic, wouldn’t that be preferential treatment that deprived other companies of fair opportunities?”

Representative Hong Seung-yong was startled and denied it.

“That has nothing to do with preferential treatment!”

I nodded.

“Same here.”

The next questioner was Representative Eun Hee-jae of the Liberty National Party. As if seeking revenge for Lee Jung-hye, she started off sharply.

“OTK Company has invested in a pornography company called Faceit, is that correct?”

Are they now even picking on the companies I’ve invested in?

“That’s correct.”

“Are you aware that pornography is illegal in Korea?”

I nodded.

“I am aware. And pornography is legal in the United States.”

“Answer only the questions you are asked.”

She took out some materials.

“This is data from a European women’s rights organization about pornographic actors. While pornography companies make huge amounts of money, the actors suffer from drug addiction, deteriorating health, and mental illness. The rates of bankruptcy and suicide are also dozens of times higher than the general population! Have you ever thought about the oppressed women’s rights?”

I don’t know when a Liberty National Party lawmaker started thinking about the human rights of pornographic actors, but what she’s saying is true.

Although pornographic actors may seem to live glamorous lives on the surface, there is deep darkness beneath. This applies to both men and women.

Some small production companies are even connected to organized crime, and there are cases of forcing actors to film against their will or extorting their appearance fees by trapping them with debt or threats.

From the actors’ perspective, they make a lot of money in a short period, so they may indulge in extravagance or turn to drugs or gambling.

If you think about it, if someone comes from a good family background and is financially well-off, there would be no reason to choose this profession.

Faceit was also aware of these problems and made continuous efforts to improve them by signing agreements with various production companies.

First, they worked with the FBI to drive out the mafia and cartels from the industry and prohibited forced filming using upfront payments or debt as bait.

They also regularly provided health checkups for actors and offered consulting on savings and pensions. They also worked hard on retraining and job placement after retirement.

Initially, most production companies didn’t pay attention. However, later, when Faceit grew into a massive platform that dominated the pornography industry, they had no choice but to comply.

They would exclude companies that did not comply with the agreements from their services altogether. Some production companies protested, calling it an abuse of power, but the actors welcomed it with open arms.

Toby’s and Gerard’s strong will was behind this.

The two genuinely believed that pornography made the world a happier place. Their argument was that industry workers had to be happy first for that to happen.

In fact, there are research results showing that the quality of life for pornographic actors has drastically improved since Faceit was established.

However, even if I explained all of this earnestly here, they wouldn’t listen.

The reason they brought up the frame of pornographic actors’ rights in the first place was likely a ploy to make me defend or oppose it, thereby damaging my own image.

Within this frame, even if I win the argument, I’ll just be seen as a pornography advocate.

So, instead, I brought up a different frame.

“I understand how important women’s rights are to you, Representative. But I understand that you were at the forefront of supporting the comfort women agreement between Korea and Japan, which the comfort women victims vehemently opposed. You argued that the comfort women grandmothers should understand and concede to Japan’s position to improve relations between the two countries. Perhaps the comfort women grandmothers are not included in the women’s rights you are talking about?”

Representative Eun Hee-jae was flustered and shouted in a sharp voice.

“No, why are you bringing that up now? Answer only the questions you are asked! Do you understand?”

“I don’t want to.”

“Wh-what did you say?”

I continued.

“And yet, you received the grand prize at the Awards Ceremony for Outstanding Women Lawmakers of the Republic of Korea last year. It’s the first time I’ve even heard of such an award, but you were in charge of the judging. How is that any different from Alfred Nobel receiving the Nobel Prize, or Lee Sang receiving the Lee Sang Literary Award?”

“Shut up!”

The next turn belonged to another New Politics Party lawmaker.

Representative Lee Yong-soo said in a trembling voice.

“There are allegations that OTK Company has committed various irregularities in derivatives trading.”

Why is he trembling so much, it’s not like someone’s going to eat him?

Still, I have to say what needs to be said.

“Speaking of irregularities, there are allegations that you fraudulently admitted your second daughter to Jeongseon Women’s University……”

“Alright! Stop it!”