Chapter 388 |
The reporters were dumbfounded.
Accusing someone of being a "commie" was an unbeatable tactic in South Korea. Simply playing this card could rally supporters and corner an opponent.
It didn't matter if the opponent refuted it or was proven not to be a communist. By then, the actual issue would be obscured, leaving only the ideological mudslinging.
That's probably why everyone loves to play the ideology card.
Propose free school lunches? Commie. Go on strike? Commie. Criticize the government? Commie.
One amusing fact was that few of those who loved to throw around the "commie" accusation had actually served in the military.
After all, isn't patriotism something you do with your mouth, not your body?
After a moment, a reporter who had collected himself asked a question.
“What's your motive for soliciting these reports?”
“Do you have any personal grudges against the Ministry of National Defense?”
That last one hit a little close to home.
As someone who'd served, how could I not have personal feelings... Still, getting rid of corruption would be a good thing.
"Even ten thousand unruly bamboo stalks must be cut down."
A saying by the Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu, which became famous again when quoted by Chairman Jiang Pinghua. The importance of eradicating corruption couldn't be overstated.
The old notion that corruption was acceptable as long as the economy grew was outdated. Now, integrity was crucial for national competitiveness. That’s why businesses could thrive in countries with high labor costs like Switzerland or the Netherlands.
I didn't want to over-explain and sound like a lecturer, so I just gave a suitable answer off the top of my head.
“Do you need a reason to catch commies?”
***
[Kang Jin-hoo's Shocking Spy and Commie Remarks!]
[Generals and Lawmakers Worried About Weakened Military Strength and Soldier Morale Labeled Commies!]
[Absurd Ideological Accusations]
[Free People's Party Leader Yeon Nakyeong: "Kang Jin-hoo's Harsh Words Made My Hands Tremble and Tears Flow"]
[Public Figures Need to Be Careful with Their Words and Actions...]
Military groups like the Korean Veterans Association and the Military Mutual Aid Association launched large-scale protests, engaging in a public opinion battle.
However, public opinion largely supported Kang Jin-hoo, and the public's view of the protests was unfavorable.
This was because public anger over military-related corruption was immense.
- LOL, if you disagree with me, you're a commie.
- Actually, defending military corruption is what spies and commies do. Accepting substandard weapons for money or embezzling defense funds weakens our forces.
- It's because times have changed; in the old days, it would've been immediate execution by firing squad.
- I don't know about other things, but anyone embezzling in the military should be executed by firing squad~
- Why all the fuss? According to former Minister of National Defense Han Min-gyu, defense industry corruption is a "crime of livelihood" ^^
- The "shit-stars" (derogatory for generals) are looking after their livelihoods while the soldiers are the ones dying.
- But why is Kang Jin-hoo suddenly like this? Isn't it because his reserve duty is coming up?
- Suffering in active duty, then suffering again in the reserves. He has every right to be pissed.
- Is this how he's getting revenge for all the crap he went through in active service?
- Still, he served, so I acknowledge that.
- Wasn't Kang Jin-hoo exempted?
- Surprisingly, he completed his service as a sergeant. That's why he went to reserve training last time~
- Haha, with Kang Jin-hoo's money, he could probably hire a PMC and form his own army.
The Ministry of National Defense and DAPA (Defense Acquisition Program Administration) went all out to silence insiders.
All scheduled training was halted, and intensive "mental education" was conducted for soldiers across all branches—Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. Access to OTK Company and news media websites was completely blocked in the "cyber knowledge rooms" (military PC cafes).
The idea was to gag people instead of uncovering and eliminating corruption.
However, these efforts were largely ineffective.
After all, there was a limit to the corruption ordinary soldiers could encounter.
Amidst this, a statement made by Corps Commander Jeong Cheol-myeong to a gathering of officers was leaked to the press.
“Those scoundrels who forget their duty as soldiers and report things for personal gain and a piece of the pie will be thoroughly rooted out, and we'll make an example of them!”
- LOL, how will you make an example of them? Firing squad?
- The class of a corps commander saying he'll hunt down and crush those who report defense corruption!
- At this rate, they'll form a Seobuk Youth League within the military~ (A historical right-wing anti-communist paramilitary group)
- This guy is a spy, at the very least.
- He's a commie! A commie has appeared!
- How about just driving a tank straight into OTK Company?
- Let's gooo~ Insurrection, let's gooo~~
- Hey! You too!! You can stage a good coup d'état!!!
As criticism poured in, Corps Commander Jeong Cheol-myeong backed down, claiming his 'intentions had been misunderstood.'
When a DAPA official complained in a media interview that 'fish cannot live in water that is too clean,' a lawmaker on the National Defense Committee retorted, 'That's not wrong, but it's hardly something the one polluting the water should be saying.'
***
The front of OTK Company headquarters was swarming with people in military uniforms.
“Apologize for the commie remarks!”
“Communists, step down!”
“Guarantee the livelihoods of retired soldiers!”
Seeing that, it struck me that South Korea truly is a country with freedom of assembly and protest, and for some reason, I felt a sense of pride.
But just how much had they been skimming off for them to protest so desperately?
Ellie asked.
“Jin-hoo, didn't you see any corruption when you were in the military?”
“Well... there was so much.”
If I were to tell you everything, wouldn't it take several sleepless nights?
“Just tell me one.”
I immediately said what came to mind.
“The administrative supply NCO of the headquarters company used to order the drivers to put diesel fuel into his personal car.”
Ellie tilted her head.
“Isn't using military fuel for personal use embezzlement?”
“That's right. It's theft.”
He even made soldiers wash his car for his weekend outings. But who would dare point that out or argue with the supply NCO?
“Our supply NCO always used to say, like a mantra, that a soldier's duty was to sacrifice for the country and the people, and that we should think about what we can do for the country rather than what the country can do for us. But then, one time, there was talk in political circles about reforming military pensions. He flew into a rage, practically foaming at the mouth, yelling, 'What has the country ever done for me that they're trying to cut my pension?'”
“So he could tell soldiers to sacrifice, but he couldn't bear the sacrifice of his own pension being cut, it seems.”
“Well, people who demand sacrifices from others rarely think of sacrificing themselves.”
It's easy to demand sacrifices from others, but hard to make them yourself.
As we were all talking and looking over the reported information, breaking news flashed on the TV.
At a press conference at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Chief Prosecutor Ahn Seong-nam himself appeared. Taekgyu quickly acted like he knew him.
“Oh! That guy's on TV again.”
According to Taekgyu, he was a bit of an attention seeker.
Chief Prosecutor Ahn Seong-nam read a statement in front of the cameras.
“The prosecution has conducted simultaneous raids and seizures at thirty-four defense industry companies suspected of corruption.”
***
The prosecution formed a dedicated team to investigate defense industry corruption, and the Ministry of National Defense vehemently protested, calling it an overreach of authority.
They argued that defense corruption was a matter for the military prosecution. However, since the investigation targeted only private companies, there was no way to stop it.
DAPA held exclusive authority to select military supplies and contractors, and many companies had been supplying goods for over a decade.
This naturally led to the formation of strong ties between companies and high-ranking military officials.
Retired generals would become advisors to defense companies for hefty salaries or even act as brokers.
They were punished for corruption but resumed supplying under a different company name; items that failed performance tests were passed; items that should have gone to competitive bidding were changed to negotiated contracts; specifications were altered to favor specific companies and disqualify others; and there were even cases where three companies bid, but it turned out all three were owned by the same person.
As the prosecution launched a full-scale investigation with the materials seized from the raids, not only military generals but also members of the National Assembly were implicated.
Reporters thrust their microphones at a New Politics Party lawmaker.
“There are allegations that you pressured DAPA to allow a company run by your brother-in-law to supply field jackets. Is this true?”
Assemblyman Choi Man-soo vigorously shook his head.
“I know nothing about it. I don't even know what my brother-in-law does.”
“We have a recording of a phone call you had with the DAPA Administrator before the bidding. What about that?”
“……I will not answer any further.”
***
Reports continued to pour in, and I paid out the reward money as promised.
From minor items like clothing and sleeping bags to major ones like fighter jets and warships. There were petty thieves and master thieves, but it was truly a situation where the saying "they're all crooks" fit perfectly.
The cases were diverse: military supply corruption, logistics corruption, embezzlement, bribery, wasting taxpayers' money, and so on.
There was so much material that it was hard for us to go through it alone. We had no choice but to look at it with the staff. Those who had served in active duty were all excited, even when working overtime.
Senior Sang-yeop clicked his tongue in disbelief.
“No way, they said they spent 10 trillion won on improving soldiers' living quarters, but where on earth did all that money go? Did they build the barracks with Raemian or Prugio materials?” (Raemian and Prugio are luxury apartment brands in Korea).
According to the documents, even half that amount would have been more than enough to replace them with new barracks. Yet, the Ministry of National Defense claimed they were short of funds and even requested additional budget.
“They claim they can't disclose the budget usage details due to military security, but what does constructing buildings and bringing in beds have to do with security?”
According to a whistleblower's report, there were records of collusion with construction companies to skim money. They had diligently siphoned it off.
Team Leader Seo Sang-won also chimed in.
“With just this money, they could have paid the soldiers minimum wage and still had plenty left over.”
A few years ago, a defense corruption scandal erupted, leading to a string of generals being dismissed, and even the Chief of Naval Operations was arrested.
However, nothing changed even after that. This meant that the corruption stemmed from systemic problems rather than individual wrongdoing.
The next day.
A visitor arrived early in the morning. It was the public relations officer from the Ministry of National Defense who had come before.
“I'd like to commission the game development we discussed before.”
“The defense FPS game to encourage enlistment?”
“Yes.”
“As I mentioned before, the budget is more than ten times the original amount. Is that okay?”
He nodded readily.
“Of course. It's for national security.”
“……”
70 billion won for such nonsense. Then again, considering all the money they'd wasted so far, this amount was probably trivial.
I could tell what he was thinking just by his eyes and expression. He wanted to prevent the corruption from being exposed by entrusting us with a military contract (the game).
Taekgyu asked bluntly.
“This isn't some kind of bribe to ask us not to publicize the corruption reports we've received, is it?”
At that, he shook his head and hands simultaneously.
“Oh, no. Not at all. We're suggesting this because we believe OTK Games is the most suitable for this project.”
“So it's okay if we expose everything then?”
“Well, that's a bit……”
After hesitating for a moment, he spoke cautiously.
“If you happen to need more for production costs, we can review it further on our end.”
“……”
Money doesn't just appear out of thin air.
Spending tens of billions on a game means cutting the budget for other areas. Ultimately, the soldiers would bear the brunt of it.
Taekgyu shouted.
“Get out!”
***
[New Barracks Replacement Project Revealed to Be Riddled with Corruption]
[Costs of Lockers and Bunks Inflated More Than Tenfold]
[Uncomfortable Combat Uniforms and Easily Torn Combat Boots. There Was a Reason!]
[Night Vision Goggles That Can't Distinguish Objects at Night]
[Sonar Test Reports Fabricated]
[Active-Duty General Suspected of Receiving 100 Million Won Bribe from Defense Contractor]
[Air Force Colonel Confirmed to Have Embezzled 280 Million Won in Fighter Jet Maintenance Funds]
[Accepted Entertainment and Turned a Blind Eye to Used Parts...]
When OTK Company compiled and announced the corruption cases it had received, media outlets worldwide, as expected, paid close attention.
Even conservative media outlets, usually at odds with Kang Jin-hoo, reported on it extensively. That's how strongly both progressives and conservatives condemned military corruption.
- Do they have brains or not?
- This is the true face of those who always go on about North Korean threats and national security.
- They work the soldiers to the bone saying war could break out any time, while they themselves live lavishly off taxpayers' money~
- Now they'll probably say let's catch the whistleblowers and make an example of them.
- Defense corruption is treason! All the bastards caught this time should be executed by firing squad to restore military discipline!
Some generals implicated in corruption submitted leave requests just before being exposed or fled overseas under the pretext of training.
As public outrage boiled, the military prosecution reluctantly launched an investigation, and Minister of National Defense Bae Yeon-bong bowed deeply before the nation.
“As the Minister of National Defense, responsible for the security of the Republic of Korea, I feel profound responsibility and remorse regarding the various corruption cases recently exposed within the military. I promise that the military will take this opportunity to undergo thorough reform, eradicate corruption, and be reborn as the people's military, a strong military.”
***
President Heo Chang-min ordered a sweeping military reform, and as part of it, decided to change the procurement system so that general goods, excluding weapons and special equipment, would be purchased through the Public Procurement Service instead of DAPA.
This was a move to weaken DAPA's authority and was difficult for the Ministry of National Defense to accept.
However, with defense corruption scandals that had been previously glossed over now erupting one after another, and public opinion of the military hitting rock bottom, they had no grounds to argue.
Along with eradicating military corruption, the issue of improving soldiers' treatment was also discussed.
South Korea is a country that clearly implements a minimum wage system. People should not be made to work for less than the amount set by the state. Therefore, both the government and private companies have wage systems structured to ensure no one is paid below the minimum wage.
However, there is one exception: the military.
Soldiers had to live confined within their units 24 hours a day, working for pay that didn't even amount to half the minimum wage.
When a constitutional petition was filed regarding this issue, the military gave the ridiculous response that since they provide room and board, there was no need to pay minimum wage.
This issue had been controversial several times in the past.
The Ministry of National Defense acknowledged that soldiers' salaries should at least meet the minimum wage but cited the practical problem of budget shortages.
However, this incident revealed that hundreds of billions of won had been siphoned off. The argument that soldiers' wages could have been raised if only that money had been properly saved gained traction.