My Peninsula 2007

Chapter 462 Invitation Letter
Although he was somewhat aroused by the unrestrained Li reporter, An Rusong managed to control himself. It wasn't that he had any morals, nor that he had suddenly developed the quality of remaining unmoved by temptation, but rather that he already had a schedule for the day and simply couldn't get away.

"Wan Shun, my schedule is packed today, I really can't find the time to go to Jeju Island," An Rusong said regretfully as he closed the NGN chat interface and picked up his phone again.

He paused, then chuckled and said, "But Wan Shun, you called me for more than just to invite me out, right? Tell me, is there something else you need my help with?"

"Brother, are you really unable to come?" Li Wanshun said sweetly. "I really miss you, brother, that's why I called you. But...but Zhenrun really does need your help with something."

As she finished speaking, the giggles of two other women came from the other end of the phone. They must be the other two women in the photo, and one of them should be named "Zhenrun".

Hearing the giggles coming from the other end of the phone, and recalling the photos he had just seen on NGN, An Rusong felt a little itchy. He coughed and asked, "Tell me, what is it?"

“Brother Rusong,” Li Wanshun said, “have you heard about what happened this morning at the Kumgangsan Tourist Area?”

An Rusong chuckled inwardly; he knew that the woman's call was definitely related to this unexpected event.

“I’ve heard about it,” An Rusong said, switching the phone to his other hand. He subconsciously picked up a pack of cigarettes from the table, but then remembered that he was in the study and tossed the pack aside.

“Vice Minister Park Sun-gyu is currently in Jeju Island,” Lee Man-soon continued. “We received information that Vice Minister Park Sun-gyu is planning to hold a small press conference tonight regarding the shooting incident that just occurred in the Mount Kumgang tourist area. It seems that people from the three major television stations have already received invitations.”

Park Sun-gyu was appointed as the Second Secretary for Public Opinion after Lee Min-pak took office at the Blue House. He can be regarded as the Blue House's second spokesperson. At the same time, he also served as the Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism.

Interestingly, although South Korea was once colonized by Japan and has been free from Japanese rule for decades, its political system and bureaucracy still bear many traces of Japan.

Just like the vice-ministerial system in various ministries, in Japan, the ministers of various ministries are basically the prime minister's staff, and the vice-ministers are actually responsible for the daily affairs of the ministries. South Korea is the same, and it also has a vice-ministerial responsibility system.

Over the past decade, the South Korean Ministry of Culture and Tourism has been responsible for cooperation between South Korea and North Korea in the Mount Kumgang tourist area. Naturally, it was the Ministry of Culture and Tourism that first spoke out about the sudden shooting incident that occurred in the Mount Kumgang tourist area.

As the Second Secretary of the Blue House and Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism, it is only natural that Park Sun-gyu was the first to address public opinion.

“JTBC has only been back on air for half a year, and in other people’s eyes we are just an insignificant presence, so Man-soon didn’t even get an invitation,” Lee Man-soon complained coquettishly over the phone. “YTN PLUS, where Jin-yoon and Joo-young are, is not as good as JTBC, so naturally they didn’t get an invitation either.”

In later years, JTBC was no longer considered a small television station, and it still had a wide audience in South Korea. However, in 2008, JTBC had only recently resumed broadcasting, and its influence had not yet taken off. Especially compared to the three major television stations like SBS, it could only be considered a small fry.

As for YTN, although the station has been broadcasting for quite some time, it specializes in news programs, and its strategy was problematic before the brilliant Yoon Doo-hyun became president. Therefore, even though it has received huge funding from NAVER, its influence remains very limited.

Interestingly, in An Rusong's previous life, Kim Bum-soo, the founder of Kakao Group and the number one internet tycoon in South Korea, had the wild idea of ​​entering the news and entertainment industry with his own capital strength after seeing NAVER's investment in YTN TV. In the end, he was beaten black and blue and completely defeated.

Aside from the photos just taken, An Rusong didn't know who Zhenrun and Zhuying were, but it was clear that they were two women who, like Li Wanshun, had "come to their senses."

The world is just that realistic. The sooner you realize this, the sooner you'll fall into depravity. The sooner you fall into depravity, the sooner you'll enjoy life. As for whether depravity is good or bad, that depends on your true thoughts.

An Rusong knew Park Xiangui, but this so-called acquaintance meant only a brief meeting; they weren't very familiar with each other. However, as a strong supporter of Lee Minbo and a close friend of Chief Baek Jinjun, getting three invitations to the press conference was no problem for him.

"Invitations to Vice Minister Park's reception? Three copies, right?" After Li Wanshun finished speaking, An Rusong pondered for a moment and asked.

"No, no, no, two portions are enough," Li Wanshun said repeatedly. "Zhenrun and Zhuying don't both need to go, they..."

She had barely finished speaking when she was interrupted by someone on the other side. Clearly, her thoughts did not align with those of the other two women.

“That makes three portions,” An Rusong said with a smile. To him, he was going to have to ask someone for the money anyway, so two or three portions made no difference. “Where are you staying in Jeju Island? Once it’s all settled, I’ll have someone deliver it to you.” “We’re at the ‘Hanok Haven’ Hotel near Yongduam,” Li Wanshun replied.

"What hotel?" An Rusong didn't hear clearly and asked again. After the other person repeated the hotel name, he frowned and said, "'Hanok'? Is it a guesthouse?"

"Hanok" means traditional Korean house, and hotels with this name are usually guesthouses or similar establishments.

“Yes,” Li Wanshun said, “It’s peak tourist season in Jeju Island now, and it’s very difficult to book hotels, especially those near 6-jiro, which are practically impossible to book.”

An Rusong suddenly realized that if Li Wanshun and the others wanted to attend Park Xiangui's press conference, they would naturally choose a place as close as possible to the venue. And press conferences like this would definitely be held in places like government centers. The Jeju Provincial Government Center Building was located on 6th Street.

Just then, a rustling sound came from outside the study door, followed by a twist of the doorknob from the outside, indicating that someone was preparing to come in.

"Okay, send me your address and wait for my message," An Rusong said casually without asking any further questions, and then hung up the phone.

Almost at the same time, the previously closed door was pushed open from the outside, and Sun Manzhu walked in. She was carrying a glass of juice in one hand and a tablet in the other, looking at it as she walked. Only after An Rusong hung up the phone did she ask without looking up, "Freshly squeezed watermelon juice, would you like a glass?"

An Rusong smiled and asked, "Did you add ice?"

As he said this, his hands didn't stop; he directly pulled up Bai Jinjun's phone number and dialed it.

Seeing that he was on the phone, Sun Manzhu didn't say anything, just nodded, walked to the desk, and placed the juice in front of him.

Bai Jinjun answered the phone quickly. Before An Rusong could even speak, the other party blurted out with a laugh, "Rusong, I was just about to call you. Where are you right now? I got some authentic Iberian raw ham and was about to have someone deliver it to you."

"Haha, thank you, Brother Jin Jun, for thinking of me even with such a good thing happening to you," An Rusong wiped his hand on the side of the juice cup, then took Sun Manzhu's hand and, while talking to Bai Jin Jun on the phone, led her to his side.

"We're all family, no need for thanks," Bai Jinjun said with a smile, clearly in a good mood. "By the way, did you call me for something?"

"I just saw on the news, something happened up north?" An Rusong asked tentatively, reaching out to wrap his arm around Sun Manzhu's waist and stroking her flat stomach.

“Yes, someone died at Mount Kumgang,” Baek Jin-jun’s tone turned serious, but his words still carried a hint of glee. “The matter is very serious, and the impact will certainly be severe. We’ve already held a three-hour meeting, and Mr. Cheong-kye will explain the matter to the nation later on the ‘President Online’ program.”

Bai Jinjun's cheerfulness is not hard to understand. As Li Minbo's secretary, he naturally has to consider everything from Li Minbo's perspective. For some time now, Li Minbo has been under tremendous pressure from public opinion, and the biggest part of this pressure comes from conservatives who believe that his foreign policy is too weak and his pro-North Korea stance is too obvious.

The shooting incident at the Mount Kumgang tourist area undoubtedly gave Li Minbo an opportunity to demonstrate a tough stance. Most importantly, he chose this incident as an opportunity to show a tough attitude to the North without provoking too much of a reaction from the major northern power and Russia. It can be described as a golden opportunity.

Therefore, in short, the death of the South Korean tourist essentially bought the Blue House a chance to catch its breath.

"Oh, wasn't it said that Vice Minister Park Sun-gui would hold a press conference on this matter tonight?" An Rusong asked curiously.

“Ah, Vice Minister Park’s press conference and Mr. Cheonggye’s speech do not conflict,” Baek Geum-joon explained simply.

Then, as if remembering something, he said, "Oh, do you want an invitation to Vice Minister Park's press conference?"

(End of this chapter)