Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: The Defamation Complaint
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"Over there, what's with those complainants?"
A police officer tidying up his desk said to the coworker next to him.
"They said they're having a consultation."
"Isn't that space where our staff handles consultations?"
"Seems like the person they came with is a lawyer or something."
Seocho Police Station annex, public complaints office.
In the small consultation area off to the side of the lobby, where the two staff members were conversing and looking over, Kang Hyun and Dan Chorok sat deep in discussion.
"Hmm... The charge in the complaint is defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act."
The materials she'd received upon filing the complaint amounted to just a single sheet of paper.
Kang Hyun read over the document she'd obtained and spoke.
The 'InfoComms Network Act' was shorthand for the 'Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, etc.'
He could guess it involved something posted online, but with it labeled as defamation, the specifics of the case remained unknown.
She sat there, legs crossed, face scrunched up in frustration. The materials provided by the complaints office were far too scant.
"That's ridiculous. Even as the defendant, they won't show you the complaint contents?"
"Defendants can't see the complainant's claims. Unless there's a confrontation hearing, you wouldn't even know the complainant's personal details."
"So what do we do?"
"Any guesses on your end?"
"Lately... I've had a lot going on. I don't know exactly what they've got on me."
She shook her head upon seeing the defamation charge under the InfoComms Network Act.
Usually, if someone was facing a complaint serious enough to warrant it, they'd have some inkling of the incident, but she ground her teeth in frustration, eyebrows furrowed.
At that moment, Kang Hyun felt a pang of sympathy and couldn't treat her lightly.
Dan Chorok.
A tough, formidable person, but a reliable senior.
Her juniors summed her up in one word: 'respectable senior.'
She never shied away from dirty work and didn't bow to power.
Naturally, she'd shone in the student council and various other areas with her outstanding abilities.
However, the rights won through the student council's battles had also bred plenty of enemies who viewed them unfavorably.
Separate from the respect she earned from juniors, there were no shortage of people jealous or spreading rumors about her.
Especially at the core was the Central Student Council, dominated by the Business School at Korea University.
They were always desperate to pull down the rising Law Faculty Student Council.
Having heard the brief story behind Dan Chorok's case and mulled it over a bit, Kang Hyun suddenly shot up from his seat.
"...First things first, we need the exact details of the case."
"What are you going to do?"
"What we can do right now. I'll go sort it out, so just wait here."
As the saying went, pull out the iron horns while they're short. It fit Kang Hyun's situation perfectly.
Lunchtime was approaching, emptying out the complaints office—this was the moment.
Clack!
"Huh?"
Kang Hyun strode purposefully toward the police counter, grabbed the sign being lowered into the slot to close it, and poked his face through.
"Thanks for your hard work! You're wrapping up filings, but I've got a favor to ask."
"Yes?"
The officer, who eyed Kang Hyun like some drunken troublemaker barely squeaking in before the lunch rush cutoff, opened the window and said,
"Come back later."
"Ah, you don't have to process it right now. I just want to request it in advance."
"Request what?"
"An 'information disclosure request.'"
"Information... disclosure request?"
"Yes."
The officer failed to grasp it at first, then understood and let out a shocked gasp.
"Yes!?"
The information disclosure request system.
Any citizen, including domestic corporations and organizations, could request disclosure from any public institution.
A requester could simply submit a 'request form' to the public body holding the information and receive the materials, and unless there were specific exceptions, the institution couldn't block a legitimate request.
For ordinary people, it was an essential tool to obtain documents for fairly judging disputes with the state or institutions, but for frontline staff at complaint windows, it was a nightmare.
Just hearing 'information disclosure request' right before lunch made the officer look like he'd swallowed a rock.
"I'll submit it right at 1 PM sharp, so please process it quickly."
"...What are the details?"
"The defendant wants to review the complaint contents."
"Yes? No, we can't disclose investigation materials containing personal information..."
"I mentioned this because it seems easier than a full perusal and copying request for the entire complaint."
"Yes?"
"Perusal and copying requests are allowed, right? I'm saying this to make your job easier."
"..."
The officer, who'd been about to brush it off, faltered at Kang Hyun's words and pretended to fiddle with his computer.
He was right.
A formal perusal and copying request—for a photocopy of the complaint—made things more complicated.
They'd have to redact all personal details, case-related info, and key facts tied to individuals from the original complaint, process all evidence similarly, and then provide it.
In contrast, what he was asking for was simple: just summarize the gist and send it over.
The workload difference was objectively clear.
"Just redact all personal info and send back a simple case summary."
But the officer seemed reluctant to change his mind.
"W-Well... It's not something we can just hand over simply. Even simple online requests can take up to two weeks..."
"That's why I came in person, and from what I see, it looks simpler than the requests you're mentioning."
"Yes?"
"Look up the case by defendant name, then send back the complaint contents per who-what-when-where-why-how. No need to overcomplicate it."
"But current trends..."
"Check Police Agency Regulation No. 178 enacted this year. From the police perspective, it's instructing not to deny perusal/copying requests or information disclosure claims from defendants seeking to review complaint contents, to protect their rights."
"No way, how do you know internal regs...? Are you a cop?"
Surprised, the officer asked, and Kang Hyun paused thoughtfully before smiling.
"A friend of mine... who's going to be a cop."
"..."
The officer stared blankly at Kang Hyun's odd response, like he'd been smacked in the back of the head.
But duty was duty—no matter how annoying, once filed, it had to be done.
Finally waving the white flag, the officer said in a defeated tone,
"...Then bring the fully completed request form by afternoon and have the party submit it personally. I'll pass it to the handling department ahead of time."
"Thank you so much. Please handle it promptly."
Only after hearing that did Kang Hyun's tense expression ease into relief, leaving the officer to respond with the bitter smile of a service worker.
Late afternoon.
What would normally be barely obtainable—if at all—before even showing up for questioning, Kang Hyun and Dan Chorok managed to get the complaint details that very afternoon.
It was all thanks to Kang Hyun's efforts.
"...Have you worked at a police station before?"
"No. But public institutions are all the same."
"Seriously, you talk like you've put in ten years at the prosecutor's office."
At any rate, the case details were as follows.
Law Faculty Student Council President Dan Chorok had posted defamatory content about the Central Student Council President on an anonymous site limited to Korea University students.
The root cause seemed to be her recent formal objection to embezzlement in the Central Student Council.
"Outrageous."
"Yeah."
"Bringing up unverified claims to sow division in the department, then adding a personal opinion like 'Resign as president and apologize for life' to damage their reputation?"
"By that logic, Senior, your actions could qualify as defamation by publicizing false facts under Criminal Code Article 307 Paragraph 2, or factual defamation under Paragraph 1. But they filed under Article 70 Paragraph 1 of the InfoComms Network Act."
"...?"
"It's not a clear-cut case of facts yet, so it's a clever technical legal interpretation to get quick results. Looks like the Central Student Council hired a lawyer."
At Kang Hyun's explanation, Dan Chorok asked uneasily.
"...This won't be easy, right?"
"Hmm. From what we've seen, their absurd attack confirms it. But whether they're planning to drag out the trial—we'll have to watch. Still, going this far suggests they'll pull out all the stops, like media and everything."
Kang Hyun suddenly sighed, and Dan Chorok pressed her temples with thumb and forefinger like a throbbing headache.
If he was right, this wasn't ending simply.
The Central Student Council was warning Dan Chorok.
Just being dragged through a prolonged mess would be torture, and a bad outcome wouldn't end with a dishonorable resignation from student council president.
Dan Chorok squeezed her eyes shut, then glanced at Kang Hyun's face.
But that was it—she couldn't find words.
Kang Hyun's expression was inscrutable, giving no hint of his thoughts.
Truth be told, he was an outsider.
No obligation to help her or the student council just because he was a school junior, no loyalty to the council, no clear justification.
In short, he could've just watched, offered a bit of sympathy, and left without issue.
Yet Kang Hyun sat there before her, arms crossed, wearing an enigmatic look.
No bold offer to help, no 'this isn't my business, I'm out.'
This standoff—not quite a standoff—stretched on thinly and long.
As closing time approached at the police complaints office, Kang Hyun cautiously spoke up.
"It's kinda off, isn't it?"
Dan Chorok tilted her head at his words.
"What do you mean?"
"Fighting the Law Faculty with the law? Hits the pride. The Central Student Council President is Business School, right?"
"Yeah."
"Purely political attack. Even if Senior exposed corruption through some scheme, they'd have to clear themselves first. But they delay the general assembly audit and file a complaint..."
As Kang Hyun finished, Dan Chorok finally read his eyes.
"Let's crush them together."
"Huh?"
"This time, we're on the same team. Can't just take this lying down. We're the Law Faculty, after all."
The Central Student Council's strong discontent with Dan Chorok's objection, yet failure to explain.
Delaying legitimate actions like audits, dragging things out, suing the person involved to wear them down mentally and silence their voice.
For the group representing Korea University students to act like this as if it were natural.
It was the kind of behavior you'd expect from corrupt politicians or vile organizations—something Kang Hyun absolutely could not tolerate.