A Direct Breakthrough

Public opinion across society was heating up over a certain policy.

Mir Childcare 365 had already been introduced in Suwon, Seongnam, Yongin, Goyang, Hwaseong, and Anyang.

Demands were pouring into local governments everywhere to implement Mir City's baby product rental policy, while baby product manufacturers retaliated with increasingly fierce backlash. What started as a coalition of fourteen companies had now grown into the hundreds.

Eventually, even major broadcast networks began covering the issue.

Lee Yun-hyeok did not react. He simply waited.

One day. Two days. A week.

Conservative media outlets seized the opportunity to churn out increasingly aggressive articles and columns.

Inside the Gyeonggi Province Governor's office, aides advised Han Gi-jeong that now was the perfect time to strike.

"Let's launch a provincial-level administrative audit! If we bite now, we can drag him down."

"We can announce an audit to verify whether the budget execution and project implementation processes were entirely lawful, citing excessive administrative intervention in the private market."

"Of course, we won't find any legal violations. But we can pressure him politically."

"In the end, public opinion will be on our side. After all, there are more citizens who don't benefit from the baby product rental policy than those who do. This is a country with a birth rate of 0.7!"

But Han Gi-jeong did not budge.

He instinctively sensed that something was off.

Why isn't he reacting yet?

When a disadvantageous frame begins to grow, a politician's basic instinct is to extinguish the fire early.

'We will proceed after fully gathering the industry's opinions.'

A single line like that would allow him to retreat gracefully. In fact, the leadership of the Jayu Party had likely launched this offensive hoping for exactly that.

But why wasn't he doing it?

Was he frozen because this was his first time being battered by the entire media landscape?

An independent rookie might react that way, but Lee Yun-hyeok was no ordinary rookie.

He was not ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a political novice. He wore the mask of a rookie, but he was anything but.

He's aiming for noise marketing.

That was Han Gi-jeong's diagnosis.

Major political parties and massive media outlets were currently giving Mir City a level of publicity it could never afford on its own.

Of course, the risk had grown exponentially, but if he could break through, the return would be massive.

"How? He won't be able to break through," the aides argued.

"Because Lee Yun-hyeok doesn't have any media outlets under his control."

Normally, when such a situation arose in politics, either the progressive or conservative media would shield their own side based on party logic.

But Yun-hyeok had no such shield.

With both sides of the media launching relentless attacks, what could a mere local government leader possibly do?

He couldn't overturn this with the Mir Shinmun or a YouTube channel with a few hundred thousand subscribers.

"Lee Yun-hyeok has no choice but to back down on this policy. Governor, now is the perfect time!"

"No!"

But Han Gi-jeong trusted his gut.

"I have a bad feeling about this. If we touch him carelessly, we'll face a massive backlash."

Having already suffered a bitter taste of defeat during the 80th Infantry Division incident, Governor Han Gi-jeong decided to take a step back.

And a few days later, Han Gi-jeong became absolutely certain that his political judgment had been correct.

"Governor! Look at this!"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Because KTBC's Ssul-jeon had announced a special broadcast.

"What is this?"

The aides who had been pestering him to launch an administrative audit fell silent in shock.

"He's going on broadcast television?"

"To a debate? A politician, live and in person?"

"Is he out of his mind...?"

If he achieved a resounding success in this debate, it could turn a crisis into an opportunity. He might actually flip the frame entirely.

However, neither Han Gi-jeong's aides nor the party strategists had even considered this possibility.

Because...

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"The risk is just too high."

If he failed, his political career could literally end right then and there.

On top of that, confronting the industry representatives face-to-face?

Even if he explained his logic perfectly, he risked giving viewers the impression that he lacked empathy or was overly authoritarian.

On the other hand, if he failed to respond properly to even a single attack from his opponents, he would be trapped in the frame of a 'reckless political experiment by an unprepared amateur.'

Furthermore, the media outlets and party leaderships that had been attacking Yun-hyeok would eagerly dissect his every word, ready to fact-check him to death.

If he slipped up, it would be a public execution.

Yet, Han Gi-jeong was certain of another thing.

This debate was almost certainly requested by Lee Yun-hyeok himself.

He is exactly that kind of monster.

I suppose Han Gi-jeong has some experience as a governor after all.

Yun-hyeok had laid a trap of his own.

He didn't bite.

His silence amidst the media's concentrated fire served two purposes: first, to let the issue grow and draw as much attention as possible; second, to bait established politicians into chiming in.

For instance, Assemblyman Kim Geon-yeong of the Jayu Party had said, "Direct public intervention in the private market is an act that shakes the very foundation of the free market economy."

And Assemblyman Go Hae-sik of the Hanmin Party had declared, "We can no longer tolerate local governments handing out citizen taxes as they please."

But these guys were all small fry.

Instead of these minor players, he had hoped Han Gi-jeong would swallow the bait by launching a provincial-level administrative audit.

His intuition is sharper than I thought.

Still, he had succeeded in elevating the issue to a national scale.

The major media outlets had done all the advertising for him, and the potato was now piping hot.

It was time to set the table.

"Hello."

"Nice to meet you."

After exchanging dry greetings in the broadcast studio, Yun-hyeok took his seat.

The opposing panelists were all representatives of small, boutique companies with annual revenues in the millions of dollars: Nuamont, Baby Naru, and Lullabyang.

"We will begin shortly."

The moderator first greeted the viewers.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Today, we invite you into the heart of a sharp conflict surrounding South Korea's welfare policies. We have with us Mayor Lee Yun-hyeok of Mir City, the architect and driver of Mir City's 'Free Baby Product Rental Policy,' and three representatives of the baby product manufacturing industry directly affected by it."

The moderator gave Yun-hyeok the floor first.

"First, Mayor Lee Yun-hyeok. You were the one who requested this debate, stating that you wished to speak with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the actual stakeholders rather than policy critics. Could you explain your reasoning to our viewers?"

"Because today, I wanted to discuss not just the success or failure of a single policy, but the deep-seated malpractices within the baby product manufacturing industry as a whole. I wanted to seek a desirable path forward for the industry alongside the stakeholders themselves."

No one had expected Lee Yun-hyeok's opening remarks to take such a turn.

"Malpractices...?"

The anchor seemed somewhat taken aback by the aggressive choice of words.

"What malpractices are you referring to?"

The representative of Lullabyang asked, visibly displeased.

But the response that followed was even more shocking.

"Take the baby wet wipes sold by Lullabyang, for example. I did some research beforehand. Sodium benzoate, ethylhexylglycerin, caprylyl glycol, disodium EDTA. These ingredients are exactly the same as those in regular wet wipes."

"What?"

"Only a single fragrance ingredient is different," Yun-hyeok continued.

"Yet, because it is labeled as 'baby wipes,' it is priced at nearly three times the cost of regular products."

"No, well, that's..."

The representative of Lullabyang stammered in embarrassment.

"And the baby bottle cleanser sold by Lullabyang is the same. It is virtually identical to standard Class 1 detergents used for washing fruits and vegetables, yet it is sold at five times the price simply because it is for babies. In fact, if you look at the back of regular detergents, they even have 'suitable for washing baby bottles' written on them."

"...W-Wait a minute!" the Lullabyang representative shouted.

"Baby products are tested against much more sensitive skin standards! When you factor in the research and development costs and raw material prices, the pricing is perfectly reasonable! You shouldn't frame it like that!"

"Do safety verification regulations under the Special Act on Safety of Children's Products even exist for items like wet wipes, detergents, lotions, and shampoos?"

The Lullabyang representative fell silent.

"Representative. Items like car seats are indeed required to receive safety certification. However, most of the consumables I just mentioned have no obligation for safety certification or verification. Consequently, the products sold by Lullabyang haven't received them either. Yet, you market and sell them as baby products. Frankly, this is an issue that the Fair Trade Commission could penalize you for."

"..."

"Mayor," the representative of Nuamont chimed in.

"You are talking about something completely unrelated to your actual policy. Your policy doesn't hand out wet wipes or bottle cleansers; it rents out things like car seats, doesn't it?"

"It is the exact same story, Representative. Take the stroller sold by Nuamont, the 'Voiture d'Enfant.' I believe you've been marketing it heavily using the actress Yoon Hye-in, who recently gave birth."

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"It is a bit strange for a domestic brand to use a French name and even write the instruction manual in French. Furthermore, you sell it for 1.5 million won, but based on wholesale delivery prices, our city estimates the manufacturing cost to be around 300,000 won."

"W-What are you talking about?!" the Nuamont representative shrieked, utterly flustered. "It's not that low!"

"Everyone, I am not here to condemn you. I know exactly why you sell your products this way."

"..."

"Because if they are cheap, they won't sell," Yun-hyeok said.

"It's the truth. I came here today to talk about this. Even if it's the exact same product, it won't sell if it's cheap. If you make it obvious that it's a domestic brand, it won't sell. Am I wrong? That is why you did it."

A brief silence fell over the debate hall.

He had thrown a devastating one-two punch right out of the gate, bringing them to the verge of tears, only to suddenly pull them into a warm embrace.

The representatives' minds spun at the utterly unpredictable direction of the debate.

"Let me give you an accurate diagnosis of the industry's current state," Yun-hyeok said, looking directly into the camera. "I ask the viewers to listen closely as well."

"With the sharp decline in birth rates and the rise of single-child families, our society has begun investing heavily in each individual child. Parents want to give their one and only precious child everything. This is what we call the 'Gold Kids' phenomenon. They want to provide the most luxurious, carefully crafted products—not just for strollers, car seats, and baby formula, but even down to wet wipes and bottle cleansers."

"Under this trend, the premiumization of baby products has accelerated at an alarming rate. You three representatives simply rode that wave."

"Thanks to that, the financial burden on parents has skyrocketed. We have reached an era where there are over seventy 'essential' items, and preparing them all easily costs millions of won."

"For business owners, the premiumization strategy adopted by you and the rest of the industry was likely a rational choice. Thanks to it, the industry's average revenue actually rose despite the era of low birth rates."

"But considering the future of the market, is this truly the right choice? You may think you had no choice in order to protect your companies and defend your stock prices, but you cannot absolve yourselves so easily. You certainly bear responsibility for turning this market into a red ocean of exhausting, superficial competition."

"What is worse is that despite the industry's premiumization strategy, you have still failed to reclaim the luxury market share from foreign brands."

"Isn't the undisputed number one in the domestic luxury stroller market still Bugaboo, a Dutch brand?"

"Look at the result."

"Domestic baby product manufacturers have failed to foster international competitiveness, leaving the market fragmented with thousands of struggling small and medium-sized enterprises."

"To survive in this environment, everyone is resorting to short-term tactics. Rather than building genuine competitiveness through relentless R&D, you slightly tweak designs, add a single fragrance, hire celebrity endorsements, sponsor influencers, and run marketing campaigns that prey on parents' anxiety and competitive instincts."

"However..."

"At this critical juncture, someone needs to step in, put the brakes on this runaway market, and restore order."

"It is difficult for the market to self-regulate in this manner. This is the role of politics."

"I am well aware of the fierce criticism claiming that Mir City's public rental policy destroys the industrial ecosystem and disrupts market order."

"But that is incorrect."

"This industrial ecosystem is already destroyed. The order is already disrupted."

"And I intend to fix it."

Silence hung heavy over the devastated debate hall.

A bizarre thought crossed the moderator's mind.

Perhaps what Lee Yun-hyeok is aiming for in this debate isn't to persuade the industry representatives, but to persuade the citizens.

"H-How... how can you fix it?" the representative of Baby Naru asked.

"It's simple," Yun-hyeok replied.

"At the launch of this project, we purchased a large volume of secondhand goods to minimize budget expenditure and maximize utility. However, demand will gradually increase, and the secondhand inventory will eventually dwindle."

It was a natural progression. Rented products would eventually be discarded once their lifespan ended, and citizens who relied on rentals wouldn't be buying new products. Thus, the secondhand inventory was bound to shrink.

"Ultimately, to maintain this policy, the city will have to purchase new products. But we can't just import Bugaboo strollers for everyone."

"The city hall will act as a buffer zone in this broken red ocean. Supply your products directly to us via B2G procurement. Generate additional revenue by supplying not only finished products but also consumables like replaceable seats and mattresses, or spare parts that weren't previously sold separately. Sign regular inspection and maintenance contracts with the city hall. We will use those to supply these products to our citizens in the absolute best safety and hygienic conditions."

"..."

"By doing so, the government will find a bold breakthrough for the generational challenge of low birth rates. Citizens will receive administrative services with overwhelming convenience and price competitiveness instead of the fatigue of an overheated market. And you, the manufacturers, can focus on genuine R&D instead of wasteful competition. In return, we will group our contracted companies into a Mir City Hall co-branded corporate alliance and apply for a group voucher program with KOTRA."

"K-KOTRA...?"

"It is a trade support platform. A politician's duty is not limited to welfare. Enhancing and fostering corporate capabilities is also my job. Once your capabilities are verified through your partnership with Mir City, we will naturally assist you with administrative tasks and help you participate in overseas exhibitions. Brand yourselves as a 'Government-Supplied Brand.' That is what catches eyes at international trade shows. Expand globally."

"Will you join us in setting this market straight?"

The eyes of all three representatives trembled.

"W-Wait a moment..."

They had entered this debate to oppose Yun-hyeok's policy, but now, that was no longer the issue.