The 80th Infantry Division
July is a crucial month for civil servants.
This is because the performance evaluations conducted at the end of June are finalized and take effect starting in July.
And this year, there were several major changes.
First, the vacant position of Director of the Future Strategy Bureau.
Yun-hyeok had previously appointed the Head of the Information and Communications Division to this post when transforming Mir Childcare 365 into a cooperative consortium with other local governments.
The appointment had actually been fast-tracked by about a month and a half ahead of the official evaluations, a strategic move to facilitate smoother cooperation with those other municipalities.
Next was the Head of the Administrative Support Headquarters.
Yun-hyeok appointed the Head of the Future Industries Division to this role.
Having spent years planning new industries and complex projects that required extensive collaboration across various departments, the division head possessed the exceptional organizational coordination skills demanded of the Head of the Administrative Support Headquarters.
Aside from these, various minor and major personnel appointments and awards were handed down across City Hall.
But among them, the most significant appointment of all was this:
"Deputy Mayor Kim Min-cheol."
Kim Min-cheol, still unfamiliar with the title, looked slightly awkward, but Yun-hyeok smiled warmly.
"Congratulations."
"Thank you, Mayor."
Deputy Mayor Ahn Yong-dae, who had been swept away during the purge of the political appointees, had voluntarily resigned. Yun-hyeok had declared that he would personally select and recommend a candidate to fill the vacant seat.
Although deputy mayors were typically appointed and sent down by higher-level government bodies, local government heads retained the right to recommend specific individuals.
After observing him for about six months, Yun-hyeok had decided to appoint Kim Min-cheol.
"Well, a promotion is always nice, but I must admit it feels rather daunting," Kim Min-cheol said with a wry smile. "Especially when I think about how hard you're going to run me."
"Haha... Brace yourself."
Yun-hyeok waved the project proposal for the Smart Farm Innovation Valley.
"I need you to take charge of this and wrap it up. Assemblyman Lim Jun-won will handle the land zoning changes."
"Understood. I suppose I'll have to go live and sleep on-site again."
Since October of last year, Kim Min-cheol had practically lived in Doma-myeon, dedicating himself entirely to drafting the roadmap for the Smart Farm Innovation Valley.
"The house I recommended back then was decent, right?" Yun-hyeok asked.
He had recommended the vacant house where he himself had stayed during the renovation of Doma Elementary School.
"Yes, it was fine."
"I even did some repairs on it myself."
"Though there was a bit of a draft."
"A draft?"
"Yes, it got quite cold at night. But once I stuffed the door cracks with newspaper and turned up the boiler, it was manageable."
"...I'm sorry."
When Yun-hyeok had stayed there during the Doma Elementary School renovation, it had been spring. Kim Min-cheol, on the other hand, had stayed there during the dead of winter.
"No need to apologize. With how hot it is lately, I actually find myself missing those cold nights."
Time was flying like an arrow.
To think it was already July.
Yun-hyeok's deadline was now down to nine years. No, eight years and nine months.
Terrible.
At this rate, while restructuring Mir City might be feasible, implementing national-scale reforms to combat the demographic collapse would be nearly impossible.
I need to become the Governor of Gyeonggi Province as soon as possible.
"The Gyeonggi Province Governorship."
As if reading his mind, Kim Min-cheol spoke up.
"You're aiming for it, aren't you? In the next local elections."
"...That's correct."
"It won't be an easy fight, Mayor. The Gyeonggi Governorship is a stepping stone to the presidency."
The incumbent Gyeonggi Governor, Han Gi-jeong, was already preparing to run for re-election with that very goal in mind.
Furthermore, Choi Gwang-seop, the current Mayor of Seongnam City from the conservative Jayu Party, was also planning to run for the governorship.
Both were heavyweights in their respective parties.
"You are far more competent than either of them, Mayor. But in terms of public recognition, I believe you are at a disadvantage."
"I suppose so."
"What about joining a political party?" Kim Min-cheol suggested. "With your capabilities, even if the Hanmin Party is out of the question, there's a good chance the Jayu Party would nominate you as their candidate for Gyeonggi Governor."
It was a valid point.
In Han Gi-jeong's case, it was a title defense, making it difficult for the Hanmin Party to replace him. However, the Jayu Party would gladly choose a superior challenger over Choi Gwang-seop if one presented himself.
With Yun-hyeok's track record, it wasn't an impossible scenario.
But...
"I want to found my own party," Yun-hyeok said.
"Founding a political party in our country is incredibly difficult," Kim Min-cheol said, his face clouding with concern.
According to Articles 4, 17, and 18 of the Political Parties Act, to establish a political party in South Korea, one must first gather at least 200 promoters to hold a preparatory committee meeting. Then, they must establish an office in Seoul, form a party creation preparatory committee, set up regional offices in at least five metropolitan or provincial governments within six months, and recruit at least 1,000 party members in each of those regions.
In other words, a total of 5,000 members nationwide must be recruited just to register a party.
Compared to almost any other country, these conditions were exceptionally stringent.
For instance, in the United States, which has a population six times larger than South Korea's, one only needs to gather 500 members in a single state to establish a political party.
The United Kingdom requires 1,000 members, and Taiwan requires 500.
In Hong Kong, a party can be formed with just two people, and they don't even require a physical party office.
Furthermore, regional political parties are legally banned in South Korea.
This meant that a local party dedicated solely to Mir City's internal politics, without involving itself in Gyeonggi Province or national politics, could not legally exist.
By law, every political party had to be a national one.
This was one of the primary reasons why local autonomy struggled to develop politically. Even if one wanted to create a localized party solely for the benefit of Mir City, they were legally mandated to establish a central headquarters in Seoul.
The system had been designed under the pretext of ensuring that political parties prioritized national interests over regional ones, but... well.
Considering whether the giant political parties born from this system actually prioritized national interests, the argument held very little water.
Regardless, founding a party was a monumental task.
"Gathering five thousand members within Mir City would be trivial for you, Mayor, but recruiting a thousand members in five different metropolitan provinces across the country is a different story," Kim Min-cheol pointed out.
"And even if you do succeed in founding a party, there is a very high probability that the public will dismiss it as a minor, fringe group, or that it will eventually be reduced to a mere puppet of the two major establishment parties."
"You're absolutely right."
The dream of creating a third party to break the duopoly and split the political landscape into three had been attempted by countless politicians throughout history, but every single one had failed, meeting the exact tragic end Kim Min-cheol had described.
"That's why I plan to use a rather aggressive method to establish it."
"...That sounds a bit terrifying."
Kim Min-cheol had witnessed Yun-hyeok's political madness firsthand on multiple occasions. Hearing the word "aggressive" from such a man made him wonder what on earth he was planning.
"But it's not something we need to do right this second. We'll start preparing early next year, leading up to the local elections."
Yun-hyeok patted Kim Min-cheol on the shoulder.
"For now, let's focus on Mir City, Deputy Mayor."
Kang Se-jin, the Director of the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, was nursing a massive headache.
"Does this guy have some kind of personal vendetta against me?"
He was the man who had clashed with Lee Yun-hyeok over the closure of Doma Elementary School back when Yun-hyeok was still unemployed.
Kang Se-jin's strategy had been to consolidate underperforming rural schools like Doma Elementary and use the saved budget to develop Gyeonggi Province's major, affluent school districts.
Why? Because the parents in those wealthy districts possessed the loudest voices.
They were the ones who would elect him as the Superintendent of Education in the local elections a year from now.
And yet...
[Proposal for the Reopening of the Closed Hawol Middle School Near the Doma-myeon–Hawol-myeon Smart Farm Innovation Valley]
That lunatic kept breathing life into dying rural schools.
First, he had blocked the closure of Doma Elementary, and now he was performing CPR on a middle school that had already been shut down.
And it was all being driven by Deputy Mayor Kim Min-cheol.
"This is driving me insane."
If he saved the elementary school and resurrected the middle school, was a high school next?
"Why don't you just build a whole university while you're at it?"
Word was that Jayu Party Assemblyman Lim Jun-won was pushing through the land zoning changes near the Smart Farm Innovation Valley to attract young people and improve residential conditions.
It was highly likely to pass, and once it did, the Office of Education would have absolutely no justification to block the school's reopening.
"He's grown too big."
This was the consensus not just of Kang Se-jin, but of all the key players in next year's local elections.
The greenhorn political rookie had grown far too powerful.
Gyeonggi Governor Han Gi-jeong, Seongnam Mayor Choi Gwang-seop, and Education Director Kang Se-jin—all of them viewed Lee Yun-hyeok as a major threat in the upcoming elections.
We need to keep him in check.
And that was a thought they all shared.
It was complete.
Dr. Mun Gi-hyeon's drone, that is.
"Shall we go?"
Yun-hyeok had coordinated with the 80th Infantry Division to schedule an official visit, bringing Dr. Mun Gi-hyeon along.
"But Mayor, is it really alright for you to help me so directly like this?"
While Mun Gi-hyeon was deeply grateful, he couldn't help but worry. He wondered if it was legally or politically acceptable for a local government to push so hard for a specific private company.
"It is perfectly fine," Yun-hyeok reassured him, easing his anxieties. "We aren't interfering in a competition between local small-and-medium enterprises within our jurisdiction."
The price of a single combat drone varied wildly, ranging from ten million won to tens of billions of won.
Dr. Mun Gi-hyeon's combat drone was priced at approximately 23 million won.
And the drone-bot combat unit within the division operated around 200 to 300 drones.
If they could secure just the 80th Infantry Division as a client, the resulting revenue would be astronomical.
Factoring in maintenance and repair costs, this was an opportunity to instantly catapult a small startup into a highly competitive enterprise with revenues in the tens of billions of won.
This was crucial for Mun Gi-hyeon, but it was equally vital for the local government.
It served as a core strategy for fostering future industries, bridging national defense, science and technology, and the regional economy.
And when considering the jobs, corporate taxes, and regional development that would follow the growth of Mun Gi-hyeon's company, it became an incredibly significant project.
"Naturally, it is the duty of a local government head to step forward to foster regional industries. It's not as if I'm personally signing the procurement contract; the Ministry of National Defense will make their decision according to standard procedures, so there's no issue."
"I-I see. I don't know much about politics, so..."
"Still, I will do my best to facilitate things from the middle. If the sales turn out well..." Yun-hyeok looked at Mun Gi-hyeon with a request. "Please invest some of those profits back into Durim-myeon."
"What kind of investment?"
"It can be investments for your own employees, CEO Mun. Things like company dormitories, an on-site daycare center, or a cultural center."
"Ah."
Mun Gi-hyeon nodded in understanding.
"I understand! If we can just secure this contract, that won't be a problem at all..."
"It will go well."
In his second life, Mun Gi-hyeon had gone to the United States, developed drones there, and successfully exported them back to South Korea.
Now, since the technology was being developed and manufactured domestically, it held a massive advantage in terms of national security. The division commander was highly likely to accept it.
And there was one more thing.
The 80th Infantry Division is in a tight spot right now.
This contract was crucial not just for Mun Gi-hyeon and Yun-hyeok, but for the division commander as well.
"You may pass."
The military police at the main gate saluted. Inside the guardhouse, the electronic security gate clicked open.
The iron gates slid apart, and their vehicle rolled onto the base.
A moment later, Jo Hyeon-seo, who was at the wheel, gasped in shock.
"M-Mayor, look over there."
A line of soldiers stood in formation ahead of them.
There were about sixty of them.
Dressed in summer combat uniforms and berets, three platoons of twenty soldiers each stood in designated sections. At the front of each platoon, the platoon leaders stood at rigid attention.
An honor guard.
The car stopped in the center of the formation. As Yun-hyeok, the City Hall staff, and Dr. Mun Gi-hyeon stepped out, the soldiers saluted in perfect unison.
"I've just been reminded of how powerful you really are, Mayor," Jo Hyeon-seo whispered.
"No, that's not it," Yun-hyeok replied, shaking his head.
This was excessive.
While large military bases would provide significant protocol for high-ranking provincial officials like governors, the reception for a basic local government head was usually far more modest.
Usually, it would end with a meeting with working-level officers, an assigned escort officer, and a brief presentation.
So why this grand welcome?
The division commander had ordered this on his own authority.
To curry favor with Yun-hyeok.
The division commander is in a tighter spot than I thought.
The 80th Infantry Division in Mir City was currently plagued by demands to relocate the base.
Originally, this area had been on the outskirts of the city, but urban expansion had brought residential zones right up to its borders.
Specifically, in Baekryeong-dong, Mir City.
The core of the civil complaints was that the students of Baekseo Middle School and Baekseo High School were having their right to learn disrupted by the noise of military training.
Strictly speaking, the military base had been there first, and the schools had relocated to the area much later.
Regardless, military bases always found themselves on the losing end of such public complaints.
And, naturally, relocating a base was no simple task.
Relocating a division-sized base could cost anywhere from hundreds of billions to trillions of won. It was a massive undertaking that required designing and constructing entirely new infrastructure. Securing a plot of land of that size in the metropolitan area was nearly impossible, and both the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Capital Defense Command maintained a conservative stance, fearing that relocation would create a critical gap in defense operations.
On top of that, a significant number of the base's officers were already residents of Mir City.
"Welcome, Mayor."
Major General Ham Tae-hwan, the commander of the 80th Infantry Division, welcomed Yun-hyeok alongside his senior officers.
"I believe we have much to discuss," Yun-hyeok said as he shook the commander's hand.