abcnovels
Chapter 51
Chapter 51
Chapter 51
October 2nd, 2018 10:00
Seoul Jongro-ku Blue House President’s conference room
The conference room had roughly a dozen people who were meeting in a jovial manner. It was because of the report that the investigation related to Lee Myung-bon, Lee Bok-duk’s eldest son, and other suspects involved in the Korean electricity power corporation illegal share trading case had been completed.
The Secret Bureau of Corruption Investigation’s inquiry to the Investigation Bureau of Traitorous Individuals for investigating all the property Lee Myung-bon moved overseas chained other crimes with the illegal share trading of the Korean electricity power corporation as the start of what became a large operation. This case was finished in 10 months with various government agencies working together, and the property that was to be confiscated was more than expected, causing the meeting to be in an even brighter mood.
“We will report on Lee Myung-bon’s property first. 25% of Korea’s electricity power corporation shares that Rhodeycall owns have been seized and returned to the state treasury by working with the Ministry of Justice. The current market value of shares is 6.72 billion dollars. Additionally, the home Lee Myung-bon was living in under his first cousin once removed from his father’s side’s name, valued at 280,000 dollars, land in Kyungi-do and Jeju Island reaching 36,000 square meters under his wife’s cousins name, valued at 563 million dollars, and lastly, lands and houses in California estimated to be at 8.2 million dollars have all been found and are being processed for confiscation.”
The listing of Lee Myung-bon’s property made the various government bureaucrats make different faces and listen intently. At that moment, National Security Director Oh Jang-soo slapped the table with a face showing discomfort and spoke to Director Ahn Chang-gil.
“I still don’t understand how a man like this slipped pass the Japanese Loyalist judgment and lived a lavish life all this time.”
“Yes, I can briefly explain this. After our independence day, Lee Myung-bon’s father Lee Bok-duk must have thought quickly. At the time, he allied himself with Lee Seung-man the rising political candidate and used all the money he made through evil deeds as his political funds to aid Lee Seung-man in the election for the presidency and, in return, his name was removed from the list of individuals to be interrogated by Investigation Bureau of Traitorous Individuals that year.”
“It seems evildoers are smart as well.”
The National Security Director, Oh Jang-so clicked his tongue and lamented.
“Lee Myung-bon’s assets were considerably more than we expected. It’s as much as the head of any corporation.” The President, who was silently listening to the report, read the list of Lee Myung-bon’s properties thoroughly and spoke. Commissioner Kim Youn from the Investigation Bureau of Traitorous Individuals under the Prime Minister, who was in attendance also chimed in.
“Since the Investigation Bureau of Traitorous Individuals was founded in 2016, it has confiscated assets of 48 individuals to the national treasury, but Lee Myung-bon’s assets seemed to be the largest.”
“I see. It’s a relief. At least we have these traitors now and confiscated their property and have aided in the national treasury. All right! Let’s continue.”
“Yes, Mr. President, we will now begin reporting the illegal share trading of Korea’s electricity power corporation related to Lee Myung-bon. The first person related is Oh Man-han former Senior Secretary of Civil Affairs. In September 2015, after the 8.15 terrorist bombing, Oh Man-han illegally pressured the dropping shares of the electricity power corporation to be sold and received 38 million dollars worth of stocks from Rhodeycall. Further, he bought 6,000 square meters of Cheongpyung land at 50% of the market value and sold it off at its regular price to earn three-million dollars in profit. We are planning to confiscate the 38 million dollars in shares and the additional three million dollars in real estate tradings back to the state treasury.”
“That man is incredible as well. He did all that for his gain when the entire nation was in an emergency state...” the Minister of Economy and Finance Youn Won-jin shook his head and spoke.
“The next individual is Executive Director Yoo Git-tae of Korea’s electricity power corporation. Yoo Gi-tae received the illegal request from Oh Man-han and lead the sale of 25% of company shares to Rhodeycall within the organization, and he received a house in a suburb of Los Angles that is worth one-million dollars, and other executives recruited by Executive Director Yoo Gi-tae and himself all received 0.01% of the company’s share five times over the last two years, since 2016, illegally from Rhodeycall. These are also planned to be confiscated for the state treasury. That is all, sir.”
Director Ahn Chang-gil bowed his head and left the report on the table when he finished his presentation.
“Excellent work. So what is the total worth of properties that will be returned to the state treasury?”
Director Ahn Chang-gil picked up the documents when the president asked another question.
“The total worth of property to be confiscated from traitorous individuals is seven billion and 288 million dollars. Additionally, the illegal share trading of Korea’s electricity power corporation is at 67.6 million dollars.”
A silence fell in the room after Director Ahn Chang-gil finished speaking. It was a considerable sum, but when spoken out loud after being added up, they were surprised by the amount that was beyond their imagination. However, this silence was soon broken by the President.
“It truly is a tremendous sum. Since it is the money made by our people’s blood during the Japanese Imperialist era, we must spend it wisely and make it worthwhile.”
The President looked at the bureaucrats and continued speaking in a determined tone when he called the Minster of Justice.
“Minister Lee?”
“Yes, Mr. President?”
“Please process the confiscation of the property to the treasury as quickly as possible.”
“Yes, we will do our best to finish up the processing at an early date.”
“Also, I would like the Ministry of Economy and Finance to put the money towards the budget for the Investigation Bureau of Traitorous Individuals after the state treasury confiscation process is complete.”
After the Investigation Bureau of Traitorous Individuals was erected in 2016, it had two main duties. First was to reinvestigate the traitorous individuals and determine whether their assets were to be ceased, and the second duty was to correctly identify the forced laborers and sex slaves during the Japanese Imperialist era and list the independence activists and their descendants.
“Yes. Mr. President!”
When the president heard the Minister of Economy and Finance’s answer, he stood up from the table, put both his hands on the table and leaned over to speak in an honest and determined manner.
“In the past, our nation was oppressed by foreign powers and could not perform our duty of protecting the people, resulting in young men being cannon fodder for Japan’s war or taken from their homes to be treated like cattle and put under forced labor and became maimed. Our young girls were dragged to warzones and had to live a shameful life as sex slaves. Also, many independence activists, who we have long forgotten, left their families for the liberation of Korea and gave up their lives to fight for our nation’s freedom; they must be remembered. Now, the nation must not enforce sacrifice or duties to its citizens but rather begin enacting policies that the nation puts its people first.”
Chief Kim Youn of the Investigation Bureau of Traitorous Individuals seemed to have gotten emotional from the President’s words, and it seemed as though tears could roll down his cheeks at any moment. It must have been from seeing his grandfather and father go through living hell for five years of Japanese forced labor when he was young; he suppressed his emotions and added on to the President’s words.
“Great speech, sir. Mr. President, the Investigation Bureau of Traitorous Individuals will do all it can to investigate everyone who lived an unjust life due to a powerless nation and send the message that the nation thinks about the people first.”
“Yes, thank you. Chief Kim Youn, I think our top priority is to have those people know the president as a citizen and many others are still thankful for all the pain and suffering they endured and have not forgotten them. I will put my trust in you.”
The President bowed to the white-haired Chief Kim Youn deeply and earnestly requested as a citizen of the nation. Chief Kim Youn also stood up and bowed deeply in response.
“No. I am honored that the President is giving an old man like me a chance to do something this meaningful in my life.”
Chief Kim Youn also seemed to be grateful to be able to perform a meaningful duty in his twilight years.
* * *
December 30th, 2018 16:00
Choongbook Chungju-si Olympus Base.
Olympus Base, which began operating on September 1st, had been producing various military supplies from the many defense industry manufacturing facilities.
Among them, the laser rifle that was obtained from the alien spacecraft was researched in the 17th Fighter Wing Underground research facility for a year and was made into six different models to fit the average Korean stature, and 2,000 were being made daily on the 6th-floor manufacturing line.
‘1-KS1 Specs (Laser Rifle)’
Subjects: Specialists operating equipment (Special forces, Signal corps, Engineers) personal firearm
Length: 600mm / 760mm (With extended gunstock)
Weight: 1.2kg
Caliber: 5mm
Output mode: Low power
Firing modes: Single, repeating
Magazine: Plasma Battery pack reloading (detachable magazine format)
Output consumption: Single plasma battery A pack 500 rounds
Effective range: 3,000m / piercing 8mm steel plates
Range: Theoretically infinite provided visuals but lowered piercing capability beyond the effective range.
‘2-KS2 Specs (Laser Rifle)’
Subjects: Infantry personal firearm
Length: 850mm
Weight: 1.7kg
Caliber: 5mm
Output mode: Low power, High power
Firing modes: Single, Repeating
Magazine: Plasma Battery pack reloading (detachable magazine format)
Output consumption: Single plasma battery A pack 500 rounds low power, high power 10 rounds
Effective range: low power 5,000m / piercing 8mm steel plates, high power piercing 55mm steel plates.
Range: Theoretically infinite provided visuals but lowered piercing capability beyond the effective range.
‘3-KS3 Specs (Laser Mini-machine gun)’
Subject: Squadron support firearm
Length: 930mm
Weight: 2.5kg
Caliber: 8mm
Output mode: Low power
Firing mode: Single, Repeating
Magazine: Plasma Battery pack reloading (detachable magazine format)
Output consumption: Single plasma battery A pack 300 rounds, Single plasma battery B pack 1,000 rounds
Effective range: 8,000m / piercing 15mm steel plates
Range: Theoretically infinite provided visuals but lowered piercing capability beyond the effective range.
‘4-KS5 Specs (Laser Pistol)’
Subject: Officers and Armored vehicle infantry pistols
Length: 190mm
Weight: 0.7kg
Caliber: 5mm
Output mode: Low power
Firing mode: Single round
Magazine: Plasma Battery pack reloading (detachable magazine format)
Output consumption: Single plasma battery C pack 200 rounds
Effective Range: 1,000m / piercing 8mm steel plates
Range: Theoretically infinite provided visuals but lowered piercing capability beyond the effective range.
‘5-KS6 Specs (Laser Machinegun)’
Subject: Vehicles and armored tanks mounted firearm
Length: 1,300mm
Weight:4.5kg
Caliber: 12mm
Output mode: Low power
Firing mode: Repeating
Magazine: Plasma Battery pack reloading (detachable magazine format)
Output consumption: Single plasma battery D1 pack 1,000 rounds, single plasma battery D2 pack, 3,000 rounds
Effective Range: 8,000m / piercing 20mm steel plates
Range: Theoretically infinite provided visuals but lowered piercing capability beyond the effective range.
‘6-KS7 Specs (Laser Vulcan)’
Subjects: Fighter Jets, Choppers and other special armored vehicles
Length: 1,300mm
Weight: 22.8kg
Caliber: 12mm 6 barrels
Output mode: Low power
Firing mode: Repeating
Magazine: Plasma Battery pack reloading (detachable magazine format)
Output consumption: Single plasma battery D3 pack 6,000 rounds
Effective range: 10,000m / piercing 20mm steel plate
Range: Theoretically infinite provided visuals but lowered piercing capability beyond the effective range.
‘7- KS8 Specs (Laser Mini Vulcan)’
Subject: Heavy armored infiltration brigade
Length: 1,300mm
Weight: 18kg
Caliber: 8mm 6 barrels
Output mode: Low power
Firing mode: Repeating
Magazine: Plasma Battery pack reloading (detachable magazine format)
Output consumption: Single plasma battery D3 pack 6,000 rounds
Effective range: 10,000m / piercing 20mm steel plate
Range: Theoretically infinite provided visuals but lowered piercing capability beyond the effective range.
‘8-CS14 Specs (Antipersonnel sniping laser rifle)’
Subject: Snipers
Length: 850mm
Weight: 2.2kg
Caliber: 8mm
Output mode: Mid-power mode, high power mode
Output mode: Single round
Magazine: Plasma Battery pack reloading (detachable magazine format)
Output consumption: Single plasma battery S pack 100 rounds
Effective range: 5,000m, piercing 35mm steel plate at mid-power level, piercing 55mm steel plate at high power.
Range: Theoretically infinite provided visuals but lowered piercing capability beyond the effective range.
On the 7th floor of the defense industry manufacturing line, the K-3 white tiger tanks, based on K-2 black panther tank, equipped with the next-generation laser cannon were being built in the various production lines. Also, on the 10th floor, the Airforce’s long-desired Korean next-generation stealth fighter jet KF-21 Phoenix and KF/A-25P Blackphoenix were being made. Based on the production rate, the day these would replace the KF-16 and F-15K to protect Korea was not far away.
All other defense industry production lines were producing numerous weaponry and parts that humanity could not ever have dreamed of.
“My god, despite seeing it every day, it still makes my heart tremble.”
Director Oh Young-il muttered to himself while watching the monitoring screen installed in the central command center on the 17th floor. Security Chief Kang Mu-jin, who heard him chimed in,
“Hahaha, you feel that way too, director? Every time I look at the screen, it brings out emotions in me as well.”
“Hahaha, it wasn’t just me then. Right?”
“Of course. Anyone from Korea would feel pride and awe about their country if they saw what we’re making. Hahaha.”
Director Oh Young-il thought Security Chief Kang Mu-jin’s words were right. Despite having do be discharged in the rank of brigadier general since he was sworn in as a lieutenant at the age of 24 and having worked 30 years, he was full of happiness at the thought of his last job being here and smiled slightly.