It did not take long for it to be revealed that the individuals in the photos distributed by OTK Company to the media were National Intelligence Service (NIS) employees.
The internet was abuzz.
– These guys carried out illegal surveillance on civilians again.
– Were they caught before and still haven’t learned?
– It’s funny that those who spy got spied on.
– They should have been more subtle. How will the NIS catch spies like this?
– Don’t worry. Just grab anyone and make them a spy. Admit to forging official documents of other countries? Yeah, we admit.
– How come these guys haven’t changed at all?
– There is one change. Last time it was the Prime Minister’s Office of Public Service Ethics Support Office, this time it’s the NIS.
– What’s the problem with the NIS spying on commies?
– NIS, we support you! Crush the enemy!
– The ones who posted the above comments are definitely part of the NIS comment corps.
– Are you ignoring us?
Who could have mobilized NIS employees for illegal surveillance?
Who did they report to?
– How far did the reports flow?
– Surely to the president?
– It’s a well-known fact that Yoon Se-won is close to Park Si-hyeong.
– I have a feeling that someone who claims to be in charge will soon emerge.
– Last time it was the Presidential Secretary for Labor Affairs, who will it be this time?
– So, who is the real target for PAS?
As the controversy spread, suddenly the Deputy Director of the NIS volunteered for a press conference.
Deputy Director Lee Myung-ho stood confidently in front of the journalists.
“With a sense of duty, I have done my best for the development of our country! I am the one in charge!”
The journalists all threw questions at once.
“Who gave you instructions?”
“Does it have something to do with the Blue House?”
“Why did you conduct illegal surveillance?” he shouted, his expression determined.
“I gave the orders and received the reports! It was solely for the country and the people! Hold me accountable!” Conservative media outlets all featured it prominently.
[Exposed as the solo crime of the NIS Deputy Director for illegal surveillance]
[Mistake by NIS officials due to excessive loyalty]
[Illegal surveillance orders existed in the previous administration as well]
[Blue House did not receive any reports]
[Opposition parties and civic groups, stop the political attacks!]
No one believed those words.
Although public criticism was boiling, the prosecution decided to only indict Lee Myung-ho and the officials involved in the illegal surveillance, while shelving investigations into higher-ups.
After the primaries of the Democratic and Republican parties, Yang Jin-young was chosen as the candidate in May. From there, the six-month presidential race slowly began to unfold.
Throughout the campaign period, Ronald, who had been lagging behind, saw a turnaround when OTK Company invested in the American automobile industry.
Subsequently, OTK Company acquired one of the Big Three, Chrysler, merged it with its subsidiary CarOS, and built a factory in the dilapidated Rust Belt.
Even though cars were not yet being produced immediately, the local economy began to revive bit by bit. Closed stores reopened, and construction workers flocked to find jobs.
Thanks to this, Ronald’s approval ratings in the region increased significantly.
CNN mocked him as the candidate who spent the most campaign funds in history, but Ronald proudly countered, “I’m proud of the money spent to increase jobs for Americans.”
Diane’s final campaign stop was Florida, the state with the third-largest number of electoral votes after California and Texas. (29 votes, the same as New York)
It had been a region where the Democratic Party had won in the last two elections. Securing Florida alone would almost guarantee victory in the presidential election.
Diane focused her attacks on OTK Company and Ronald during her campaign.
“Everyone must be aware of what is happening in Korea. The American company OTK, claimed to invest for the US, was actually established and run by Koreans. The CEO of OTK Company is currently facing serious criminal allegations. The company is located in a tax haven, and the source of its initial capital is unclear. They are supporting Ronald with money earned through illegal means in the financial market. That is not justice. I stand for justice in America.”
I will stand straight. I will make a just country with all of you. Together! Stronger!”
Diane’s supporters shouted.
“Together, stronger! (Stronger! Together!)”
The place Ronald chose for his final campaign stop was Pennsylvania. Supporters flocked to the campaign venue like clouds.
In the midst of 50,000 people, Ronald held up the mic and shouted, “OTK Company is an American company established in the U.S. territory of Dela Island! And we are investing in the U.S. What does it matter that our CEO is Korean? Oh! Are you uncomfortable because they are Korean? After insulting me as a racist, it seems she has an Asian hate towards her.”
“Hahaha!”
The supporters burst into laughter.
“The Korean government unreasonably supported Eunsung cars, damaging our automotive industry. The Democratic Party has completely ruined the U.S. for 8 years. While she was just talking about reviving the economy, I have already created hundreds of thousands of jobs for Americans. It doesn’t matter which country’s company it is! As long as you build factories and employ Americans in the U.S., I welcome it!”
There, Ronald announced the investment plan approved just before Kang Jin-hoo entered the prosecutor’s office.
“I will invest $5 billion in new factories in Pennsylvania and Ohio and hire American workers! Thank you, CarOS! Thank you, OTK Company!”
“Wow!”
“Ronald! Ronald!”
The supporters filled the campaign venue with cheers. Ronald raised his hand proudly.
“The only promise I can give you here is one: to make America great again!”
With one heart and one mind, supporters shouted Ronald’s campaign slogan.
“Make America Great Again!”
***
From the prosecutor’s perspective, the most important thing was whether Kang Jin-hoo would be indicted.
The investigation of the CEO of OTK Company was already a global issue. If the prosecution were to fail in such a situation, it would basically admit to conducting an excessive investigation according to the taste of the ruling party. Therefore, even at the cost of the prosecution’s pride, they had to succeed in the indictment. The prosecution showed strong confidence.
There were two major charges. The first was the source of funding for OTK Company, and the second was insider trading.
OTK Company first emerged in the financial market during the L6 crisis. They focused on buying stock options and index put options before the L6 discontinuation, making a profit of 50 times. Their approach was reckless, not even considering the risks of failure. It was impossible to make such investments without prior knowledge.
That’s why financial institutions had requested an investigation by the Financial Supervisory Service. The prosecution delved into this aspect.
“It doesn’t seem like anything significant,” said Hong Man-ho in response to the report, leaving him bewildered. Upon confirmation from financial institutions, it was revealed that OTK Company had purchased the options even before the L6 recall.
At that point, even Seosung Electronics did not anticipate any issues. If they had known, they would not have rushed into the recall.
Subsequently, no additional purchases were made. The possibility of an insider orchestrating the profits and the discontinuation was raised. It was stated that the decision to discontinue was made by Vice Chairman Lim Il-kwon himself, and it was unlikely that he conspired with Kang Jin-hoo to orchestrate the discontinuation.
The amount OTK Company made from the put options was around 600 billion won. However, Seosung Electronics incurred costs of more than ten times that for the recall and discontinuation. The suspicion of insider trading and its ramifications had both companies on edge. If proven true, it would severely damage Seosung Electronics’ reputation, leading to boycotts and potential lawsuits worldwide.
Ultimately, the prosecution focused on tracing the source of the establishment funds. Both OTK’s executives remained tight-lipped on this matter. If illegal funding sources or illegal methods of sending funds to tax havens were uncovered, there would be no issue with prosecution.
However…
[OTK Company’s seed capital revealed to be in Bantcoin!]
[Bantcoin that made today’s OTK Company possible]
[Building a global company with 11,000 BNT received in middle school!]
[The miracle brought by cryptocurrency]
While Kang Jin-hu was being investigated by the prosecution, OTK Company sent materials to various media outlets.
“It is said that OTK Company was established by selling the Bantcoin received in middle school.”
Hong Man-ho suddenly stood up and shouted, “What on earth is Bantcoin?”
“It’s a cryptocurrency. It operates on something like a blockchain, I think. Anyway, it is said that the Bantcoin received in middle school was sold on a foreign exchange.”
“Foreign exchange?”
“It was called Mountain Hill. It has since gone bankrupt due to hacking, but based on the information sent to the media, it seems to be true.”
“Th-then what about the prosecution?”
“Since the assets were originally sold abroad and deposited into a foreign account, it is impossible to apply foreign exchange regulations. We need to find other charges.”
“… ”
Illegal activities related to the seed capital have already been detected, which is a complete setback.
This means that all the major charges put forth by the prosecution become meaningless. It indicated that prosecution was impossible.
Hong Man-ho slumped down.
“It’s over.”
***
A lawyer who had gone to meet Kang Jin-hoo came back.
“What did he say?”
In response to Park Sang-yeop’s question, the lawyer relayed his words.
“There are no changes, so proceed as planned,” he said.
Who becomes the next U.S. president is closely related to the world economy. For some reason, Kang Jin-hoo supported Ronald from the beginning. Beyond just providing financial support, Kang Jin-hoo shook hands with Ronald and invested $25 billion in the U.S. auto market.
If Ronald becomes president, he will likely receive tremendous support, as he is advocating for the revival of American manufacturing.
On the other hand, it might not look good if Diane becomes president. Regardless of Ronald’s momentum, the situation still favors Diane. In the latest poll, Diane surpassed the margin of error and was predicted to secure between 300 to 330 electoral votes.
However, Kang Jin-hoo still anticipated that Ronald would become president. Although slightly uneasy, Kang Jin-hoo had never been wrong before.
Only one person present knew the reason for such judgment.
“Just do as Jin-hoo says.”
Upon Oh Hyun-joo’s words, Oh Taek-gyu nodded.
“This time, Golden Gate will also provide support.”
“Golden Gate too?”
“Orders came from headquarters.”
The person who issued the orders was none other than CEO James C. Goldman.
Golden Gate had prepared internal documents outlining scenarios based on the U.S. election results and how they would impact the global economy.
If Diane wins, there would likely be no major changes as she would continue the current government’s policies. However, if Ronald wins, another major shock would follow after Brexit. Ronald’s stance on immigration and protectionism would inevitably impact emerging market stocks and currencies, including the Korean market.
If global funds move to safe assets, gold and yen would likely rise. In addition, recently, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin were also included in this category.
Cryptocurrencies have seen significant spikes whenever there is a shock to the global economy. After Brexit, K Company significantly increased its investments in cryptocurrencies by acquiring them through exchanges and setting up mining facilities abroad.
OTK Company, K Company, and Golden Gate have built short positions in emerging market stocks and foreign exchange markets.
***
The U.S. presidential election was such a globally significant event that the attention of the world was focused on it. American citizens flocked to the polls to vote for their preferred candidates. As soon as the voting closed, the counting began.
President Park Si-hyeong was in a precarious situation. Despite the mainstream media writing favorably about him, criticism from the public showed no sign of diminishing.
Regardless, if Diane wins, she could stabilize the tumultuous political situation and overcome the crisis. As for what to do with Kang Jin-hoo and OTK Company next, they could take their time to carefully consider it.
President Park Si-hyeong watched the vote count broadcast calmly. Suddenly, a question arose in his mind.
“Why did Kang Jin-hoo support Ronald?”
From the beginning, Ronald’s chances of winning were slim. Currently, almost all polls predicted Diane’s victory.
However…
Thinking back, it was the same during Brexit. Everyone predicted a remain vote, but Kang Jin-hoo moved in the opposite direction. It was the same before Brexit too.
All his predictions had been right, and thanks to that, OTK Company had made astronomical sums of money.
President Park Si-hyeong felt anxiety creeping in.
“Surely… it won’t happen again this time, will it?”
Go