Chapter 221 Weird

Chapter 221 Weird

Chapter 221 Weird

NGN Corporation, President's Office.

An Rushong stood in front of the window, looking through the clear window glass at the falling snowflakes outside.

It was snowing, the second snowfall at the end of 2007. Unlike the first snowfall a few days ago, the snowflakes this time were obviously much bigger. And unlike the previous snowfall, the snowflakes did not melt as they fell to the ground. Instead, they remained and dyed the entire Seoul white in just half a morning.

However, beneath this whiteness lies more disgusting filth.

At the beginning of last year, a movie called "The King and the Clown" caused heated discussions throughout South Korea. The masked dance artist named Jang Saeng in the movie said: This is a disgusting world, so it's better to have fun before leaving.

Zhang Sheng's cynical attitude is certainly not worthy of praise, but the first half of his words reveals the true quality of this world.

At the beginning of this month, the BBK Special Prosecution Law, promoted by the progressives, officially came into effect after being signed by President Roh. The Supreme Prosecutor's Office immediately formed a special prosecution team to investigate the current most popular presidential candidate, Lee Min-bo.

Less than a week later, the conservatives led by the Grand National Party introduced a "Samsung Special Investigation Law" in the National Assembly, requiring the establishment of a special prosecutorial team to formally investigate the core leadership of the Samsung Group, including Samsung Group Chairman Lee, Vice Chairman Lee Hak-soo, and President Kim In-joo, in response to Samsung's large-scale bribery case.

But after the initial vote, the special prosecutor law proposal failed to pass Congress. Coincidentally, at this critical juncture, a disaster occurred.

On An Rushong's desk, his computer was still open, and the interface of the web browser was open on the monitor screen. As for the interface currently displayed, it was Yahoo's hot news, and the first one was about a serious oil spill that had just occurred early this morning.

The crude oil spill occurred on the coast of the Yellow Sea, more specifically, 10 kilometers northwest of Wanlipu in Taean County.

The cause of the incident was that two tugboats under the Samsung Group attempted to forcibly tow an offshore crane to Geoje in South Gyeongsang Province, ignoring the weather forecast and the collision risk warning issued by the Maritime Administration. As a result, the tugboats collided with the Hebei Spirit oil tanker when passing through the waters of Mallipo in Taean County, causing a serious crude oil leak from the tanker.

This is not the worst part. What is even more infuriating is that after the collision, the crew on board modified the logbook in accordance with the instructions of the "superiors" of the Samsung Group. When the relevant departments launched an investigation, they actually claimed that they had not received any danger warning from the Maritime Administration.

From yesterday morning till now, this news has become the focus of attention of the entire South Korea, Asia, and the entire world. Both China and Japan have expressed serious concern about this oil spill incident, because according to experts' estimates, the amount of crude oil that may have leaked in this oil spill incident is estimated to exceed 12500 liters.

This large-scale oil spill will have a significant impact on the marine environment and marine economy of the Yellow Sea. Therefore, it is no longer just an economic or environmental disaster, it also involves the diplomatic level. After all, the Yellow Sea is not unique to South Korea.

This morning, several environmental protection organizations in South Korea have called on thousands of people to march to the Blue House to petition, demanding that the government severely punish the culprit of the oil spill and impose the most severe punishment on the Samsung Group.

It is foreseeable that this disaster will inevitably further deepen the public's resentment towards the Samsung Group and cause members of Congress who oppose the passage of the "Samsung Special Inspection Law" to have to bear greater public opinion and political pressure.

At present, in the balance of power within the National Assembly, the progressive groups are almost in a state of disintegration due to President Roh's excessive manipulation. Therefore, compared with the conservative forces headed by the Grand National Party, they are actually in a weak position. If it were not for President Roh occupying a high position, the weakness of the progressives would be even more obvious.

Now, as the public's anti-Samsung Group sentiment continues to grow, if the conservatives once again push for the passage of the "Samsung Special Inspection Law," the progressives may not be able to stop it.

In his previous life, An Rusong often looked at South Korea's political issues in a simple way. At that time, he simply believed that the progressives were trying to limit the influence of the chaebols, while the conservatives were the same as the chaebols.

But now, he has seen it clearly. Progressives and conservatives may be antagonistic or even hostile to each other, but when it comes to their relationship with the chaebols, they are all the same.

Politically, the chaebols that dominate the South Korean economy are actually fence-sitters. They also choose sides based on which way the wind is blowing.

An Rusong didn't know the relationship between President Roh, the Grand National Party and Samsung, nor did he know what kind of political struggle existed behind the "Samsung Special Investigation Law", but one thing he knew was that in the contest over the "Samsung Special Investigation Law", the Samsung Group, which seemed to play a major role, was actually just a background board and a prop. The two real contenders were always the progressives and the conservatives.

After the Yellow Sea oil spill, the ugly faces of all political forces in Seoul were revealed, and we know how accurate Zhang Sheng's words are. This is a disgusting world.

The sound of a cell phone ringing came from the direction of the desk behind him. An Rushong withdrew his gaze from the window, turned his head to look in the direction of the desk, then turned around slowly and walked towards where the cell phone was.

The call was from Nan Xuyu. An Rushong pressed the answer button without hesitation and then turned on the speakerphone.

"There is a banquet at noon, in the rooftop lounge of the Shilla Hotel," Nan Xuyu's voice was heard as soon as the call was connected, "Pay attention to your makeup, and remember to arrive before 11:40."

"I'll remember that, Director Nan," An Rushong responded.

"Today's banquet is mainly to entertain Chairman Sun Bingdou." Just when An Rusong thought that the other party would hang up the phone directly like in the past, Nan Xuyu continued, "In addition, Chairman Li Xubin may also be present."

"Oh," An Rushong did not interrupt, but his mind was working fast, trying to find the two people mentioned by the other party from his memory.

Information about Sun Bingdou is not difficult to find. In An Rusong's impression, the so-called "Chairman Sun Bingdou" who deserves to be personally entertained by Nan Xuyu is most likely referring to the current chairman of KBS TV station. Yes, it is most likely this Sun Bingdou.

As for Chairman Li Xubin, An Rushong really didn't remember him for a while, until the other party hung up the phone, he suddenly remembered that the current chairman of Samsung Life is Li Xubin, a staunch supporter of the current Chairman Li of Samsung Group.

Who is Nam Wook-woo? He is a close confidant of Councillor Kong, a senior conservative councillor, a veteran of the Grand National Party, and a supporter of candidate Lee Min-bok.

At the same time, the conservative party, especially the Grand National Party, is holding on to the issue of Samsung's bribery case, and seems to be determined to send Chairman Lee to prison and overthrow the progressive presidential candidate Chung Dong-yong.

At such a sensitive time, Nan Xuyu asked Li Xubin out for lunch, and the other guest was Sun Bingdou, the chairman of KBS TV station.

Ha, this meal must be interesting. An Rushong feels that there must be a lot of stories here. Even if he just goes there with the mentality of eating spectators, it will be a rare experience.

Putting down his phone, he checked the time. It was just after ten o'clock, and there was still more than an hour until the time agreed with Nan Xuyu, so there was no need to rush.

So, An Rushong stayed in the office for a while, browsed the web for a while, and it was not until half past ten that he called Luo Minzhi and asked him to prepare the car. He went to the second floor and changed into a suitable suit in the cloakroom that had been reserved for him. Then he left NGN Company by car and went straight to Shilla Hotel.

In the past period of time, An Rusong has been to the Shilla Hotel twice, and both times he went to the 23rd floor, which is the top floor. This time was no exception, and the executive lounge that Nan Xuyu mentioned was also on the 23rd floor.

It was just past 11 o'clock when the car drove into the parking lot of the Shilla Hotel. An Rushong took Luo Minzhi upstairs in the elevator and went straight to the area where the executive lounge was located.

The so-called executive lounge is actually similar to a comprehensive rest area, with facilities such as a reception room, bar, restaurant, etc., which is very suitable for activities such as business banquets.

Considering that there were still forty minutes before the agreed time with Nan Xuyu, An Rushong thought he was the first guest to arrive. However, when he found the concierge and asked him to take him to the booked restaurant, he realized that someone had arrived before him.

The restaurant Nan Xuyu booked was not very big, estimated to be about a hundred square meters, and a long dining table took up more than a quarter of the entire restaurant.

The hotel has already arranged the restaurant. Eight seats are placed on both sides of the long dining table. Four sets of tableware are also provided. If nothing goes wrong, there should be eight guests at noon today.

In addition to the long dining table, the restaurant also has three booths arranged in a triangle shape, with eight sofas arranged next to them. When An Rushong walked into the restaurant under the guidance of the concierge, there was already a person sitting on one of the sofas. He was a young man wearing a black suit and gold-rimmed glasses, and looked gentle and handsome.

(End of this chapter)