BONG SANG PIL
KING
OF
LAWYERS
KING
OF
LAWYERS
BONG SANG PIL
KING
OF
LAWYERS
 It was the day of the final hearing for Mayor Lee Young Soo’s murder trial.
Bong Sang Pil was well-prepared. There were stacks of documents
on the Defense Table.
Bong Sang Pil looked stunning as well as fastidiously lean and taut in his white shirt and burgundy double-breasted suit which was matched with a black patterned tie.
Being a sharp dresser with a unique sense of style, Bong always looked the part of the sophisticated and suave lawyer.
What was arresting about him was he looked like a super model right out of the fashion pages of some men’s fashion magazine.
But, what some were about to know was that Bong Sang Pil was not just handsome but also very brainy and courageous. 
Wu Hyeong Man seemed jittery and worried. Why hadn’t his favourite female lawyer appeared?
 
Bong Sang Pil words seemed dampening. Without looking at him, he admonished, ‘Don’t you think being in your trial would be too much for her?’ Wu Hyeong Man felt utterly ashamed of himself.
Then, Bong turned. With a deprecating look, he explained that despite what Wu had done to her mother, Ha Jae Yi still wanted to help him. She was out there gathering evidence for his case. Why? It was because she was a lawyer and she lived by her legal professional ethics. That greatly lifted Wu Hyeong Man’s spirits.
     
Ha Jae Yi and the lawless gang were out early in the
morning in their whirlwind attempt to gather their evidence. They had assembled at a transportation
company whose truck was at the warehouse where the mayor was murdered.
They hoped to get hold of the vital video footage from the dashboard camera from that truck. They would search through all the trucks if they had too.
But, the manager objected to their request even though they had pointed out that it was crucial to the court trial. He abided obstinately by the company regulations and refused to help them.
 
But, the quick-witted Geum Ga commented that he looked familiar; he was the man who had taken bimonthly loans from her. Teasing him about his need for extra cash every two months, she deemed it would be sensational news if his wife knew about his excessive lifestyle. In the end, in order to squelch any future marital problems, he consented to their request to search through the dashboard cameras.
Fortunately for them, the trucks had not left the company compound.
          
When the murder trial resumed, Judge Cha Moon Sook instructed the Defense Lawyer to cross-examine
his client.
Bong Sang Pil rose from his seat and after addressing the judge, he turned purposefully to deliver his speech to his audience in the public gallery.
In an attempt to remind them of the previous court proceedings, he boldy declared that Judge Cha Moon Sook had rejected all the evidence that he had presented to the court and had also subsequently, dismissed his very important witness.     
The implication of Bong’s accusation was lost on no one, least of all, Judge Cha Moon Sook. Judge Cha’s previous actions had called into question her integrity in the trial. It was out of character for a judge to reject valid and solid evidence against crime. He was challenging the validity of her rejections.
Judge Cha had made a charade of what could have been a fair and unprejudiced trial. He did not want the judge to hoodwink everyone into thinking that she was a fair and impartial judge.     
Prosecutor Kang Yeon Hee, as was her usual habit, raised her objection. She deemed that the facts were unrelated to the trial.
Raising his brows, Bong looked at her questioningly.
Why were the facts concerning the hitman unrelated to the trial? Three conclusions could be drawn from her objection.
One. She did not do her homework and could not connect the dots between the hitman and the trial. Two. Perhaps, she had dealt with too many criminals in the past and had by now become numbed and uncaring. Therefore, she couldn’t tell right from wrong. Three. She was obstructing justice.  
Prosecutor Kang’s objection was sustained. Judge Cha took the opportunity to avenge Bong’s earlier implied insult.
Bong Sang Pil was reproached for his unseemly and shameless attitude. She chastised him for his disgraceful behaviour which she had noticed even at the previous hearing. What she meant was Bong had insisted on displaying a lack of professionalism and civility in the courtroom.
That left the audience with vexing questions, ‘Had Bong Sang Pil no right to express his discontent against the way Judge Cha conducted the trial?’ Was that tantamount to contempt of court?
   
Judge Cha Moon Sook's fault-finding and censure did nothing to mar Bong Sang Pil's spirits. He didn’t give a damn to her even if
she had panned his lawyering skills, his attitude or behaviour in court. He was
too experienced and thick-skinned to be ruffled.
Turning towards his client, Bong Sang Pil sought Wu Hyeong Man’s
eye. The time was ripe to expose Judge Cha Moon Sook’s trial court.
He posed the question, ‘Why do you think you were framed?’
 
Wu Hyeong Man's criminal past had caught up with him. Instead of answering the question directly, Wu Hyeong Man poured out his sentiments about his guilt.
Being the focus of everyone’s scrutiny, he broached the subject of Karma. Misfortunes had befallen him because of his deplorable past actions. 
‘Karma?’ Bong Sang Pil asked. Wu elaborated that he had used his detective badge as a licence to commit all sorts of contemptible crimes. There was sudden rush of guilty sentiments but Wu did not break down during the cross-examination. He condemned himself for using it as an excuse, that is, to pay for his wife’s hospital treatment but then, he couldn’t excuse himself because not everyone with sick family members acted despicably like him.
What was most shocking was he claimed that he was Chairman Ahn Oh Ju’s loyal dog.
Bong Sang Pil’s handsome face was inscrutable. If he had looked at Wu unsympathetically, no one would have blamed him.
        
Someone from the audience screamed that Wu was evil to have
soiled the name of the mayoral candidate. Probably, that person had been
planted by Ahn to wear down Wu’s defences.
   
Go In Do, Ahn Oh Ju’s lawyer who was in the public gallery, looked anxious.
Judge Cha cautioned the defendant against saying anything in court that was impossible to prove. Wu Hyeong Man would be held accountable for his words.
One is puzzled about whether the defendant’s mouth was being muzzled. Did he not have the right to give his testimony and express whatever from his own point of view?
Did Judge Cha labour under the delusion that she could stop Bong Sang Pil and Wu Hyeong Man?
 
Thinking on his feet was one of Bong Sang Pil's laudable attributes. Bong, switching gears, rose swiftly to capitalise on Wu Hyeong Man's testimony.
A change of tactics to upset the judge and the prosecution was crucial in the trial. Bong Sang Pil turned not to Judge Cha but to those in the gallery, as if they were the jury, to ardently emphasize and rationalise that Chairman Ahn Oh Ju’s name had been mentioned twice in negative terms by two persons on different occasions during the trial. What was of significance was Ahn Oh Ju’s name had been dragged through the mud, and deep suspicion had been cast on the mayoral candidate. The first time his name was mentioned was when the witness, the fixer, stated that he had introduced Jo Boem Jin, the hitman to Ahn Oh Ju’s secretary. The second instance was Wu Hyeong Man’s mention of his name. A certain negative picture of Ahn Oh Ju had been formed in the minds of those in the public gallery.  
Then, the single-minded and sharp-witted Bong made a startling demand. ‘To ensure that this trial is impartial, I am convinced that Ahn Oh Ju must be brought in as a witness!’
Judge Cha Moon Sook must have been unnerved but she was compelled to summon Ahn Oh Ju to be a witness.
The judge granted a short adjournment of 10 minutes.
     
Ahn Oh Ju, the mayoral candidate, was making his rounds in his
fish market constituency. He had staged a media event for his campaign.
When Go In Do, his lawyer, conveyed the court summons to him through the phone, Ahn was arrogant and refused to accede to the demand that he appeared in court. It would be an unwise political move if he were to attend a court trial for it might damage his mayoral prospects. There was a need for damage control.      
Upon reflection, it seemed strange that Judge Cha Moon Sook had not subpoenaed Ahn Oh Ju to appear as a witness. But, luckily for the judge and the mayoral candidate, the trial ended early.
The lawless team were flustered and all worked up over the
video evidence that they hoped to dig out from the dashboard cameras of the
trucks of the transportation company.
After checking the cameras, they, to their total relief, finally found what they wanted.    
When the court reconvened, Bong called upon Investigator Min, a
witness who was seated in the dock, to answer questions about his work.
Investigator Min, the Prosecution Investigator of Prosecutor Kang Yeon Hee had worked with the Detective-in-Charge to launch an investigation into Mayor Lee’s murder case. Bong asked whether Investigator Min usually worked as hard to collect evidence for other criminal cases as he did for the mayor’s murder case. The investigator seemed to possess an inflated or grand sense of duty to produce the murderer, which he actually did.        
Cynicism and scepticism had crept into Bong’s tone. Collecting the crucial evidence seemed so effortless for Investigator Min. He was speedier than Speedy Gonzales in amassing the evidence, especially the forensic evidence that incriminated Wu Hyeong Man. Even the Detective-in-Charge was no match for him.
1. Shoe prints that match Wu Hyeong Man’s shoe soles
2. Wu Hyeong Man’s pants soaked with the Mayor’s blood
Bong’s words quickened the imagination of those in the gallery. Was Investigator Min trying to frame Wu Hyeong Man?
Investigator Min defended his work ethics by retorting, ‘Is it a crime to work hard?’
     
Ha Jae Yi and the others had arrived for the court hearing. She
signalled Bong with her eyes that she had obtained the evidence that he sought.
  
Bong Sang Pil looked at Investigator Min doubtfully when the latter explained
that he went to the murder scene upon receiving the call from the
Detective-in-Charge.
Trying to contradict him, Bong arched his head questioningly and asked rhetorically, ‘Are you sure?’ Bong had perceived the scenario differently from the one that Investigator Min had presented.
    To everyone's surprise, Bong turned to Judge Cha to request permission to present a new piece of evidence.  
As was her established habit, Prosecutor Kang objected. Her objection had a familiar ring to it; it was the usual reason. She protested that the court had not examined the new evidence thoroughly before it was presented.
The two lawyers were requested to approach the bench. Bong Sang Pil stressed that it would be in Prosecutor Kang Yeon Hee’s interest to allow the evidence to be revealed in that trial.
   
Bong was asked to explain. If Prosecutor Kang refused to budge, she would be guilty of trying to hide the evidence that would implicate Investigator Min for evidence manipulation. He had implied that she would be in really hot soup if she protested yet again.
He appealed to Prosecutor Kang to make the proper decision. She should do herself justice in the trial.
Judge Cha was on edge. She was trying to find out what he really meant. Was Investigator Min’s evidence fabricated?
       
Turning urgently to Judge Cha, he requested permission to reveal the evidence there and then. He stared at Prosecutor Kang and finally, she acceded to his request.
      
With Judge Cha’s consent, Bong strode towards the public gallery to
get the all-important evidence. Ha Jae yi handed him a smartphone with a built-in projector.
Naughtily, he waved the smartphone and winked at her. The pride and gratitude on his face said it all.       
Bong Sang Pil used the newly acquired smartphone to display its contents on the screen. The video footage showed someone videotaping Investigator Min who was in the act of fabricating the murder evidence.
The evidence provided by the Defense Lawyer had pointed in a different direction from that of the prosecution.
Bong Sang Pil had uncovered a conspiracy of lies that stunned everyone present.
Bong Sang Pil smirked. He had achieved the effect that he had wanted all along – the shock of everyone on discovering the truth of the murder trial. It was his lot as a lawyer to unearth the lies and bring the truth into the open.
     
Investigator Min, the accomplice of other wrongdoers who were still
at large, was petrified that his lies were found out and he tried to flee.
But, Ha Jae Yi had put her leg out to trip him, an action not unlike that of Bong in her battered wife-murder case in Seoul.         
Bong Sang Pil gave her a toothy smile for her quick-thinking but she had a dead pan
expression on her face.
  
There was panic in Prosecutor Kang’s voice as she admitted that
the prosecution was wrong and the evidence had been fabricated. Therefore,
she moved the motion to drop the charges against the defendant.
Prosecutor Kang Yeon Hee had been uncritical and had over trusted her prosecution investigator. She had to be held accountable for having swallowed all Investigator Min’s lies whole.       
Bong Sang Pil wagged his forefinger at Prosecutor Kang Yeon Hee indicating that she had done the right thing.
Wu Hyeong Man deserved to be freed. The tragedy of the murder of Ki Seong’s mayor illustrated the injustice and the corruption of Judge Cha Moon Sook’s court.
The gritty Bong Sang Pil had proven beyond reasonable doubt that Wu Hyeong Man was not guilty. It was to Bong Sang Pil and his team’s credit that Judge Cha Moon Sook was finally compelled to return a verdict of not guilty. The charges against the defendant were dismissed and the trial was ended.
It could be hailed as a landmark case in the history of the murder of high profile personalities. Bong Sang Pil had prevented Judge Cha Moon Sook and Prosecutor Kang Yeon Hee from trying to pervert the course of justice. The trial proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Bong Sang Pil was the King of Lawyers.
Wu Hyeon Man, the defendant who was acquitted of the crime, was deliriously overjoyed. Justice had been served in the end.
  
Perhaps, Bong Sang Pil, the masterful legal tactician, had learnt from Sun Tzu’s ‘The Art of
War’ principle, ‘If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear
the result of a hundred battles.’
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