TLWSL 111

Chapter 111…

When the ON F&B company’s representative, Byun Chang-hoon, raised his hand,
the moderator gave him permission to speak.

“Presenter Park Young-rok is sitting right here in the conference room. I think it’s a problem for someone else to present on his behalf for health reasons.”

“I disagree. I’m also a presenter, so I see no problem. Mr. Lee Jin-woo, as the chair, what do you think?”

The chair glanced back and forth between Byun Chang-hoon and me, eyes glinting slyly.

“How about this? Attorney Cha Do-hyuk, as you know, Mr. Byun already explained the disputed points well. So let’s have a short discussion focused on the conflicting parts.”

Oh, that’s a clever way to silence the opposition.

So the spy is trying to stir chaos and blur the issue, huh?

The only ones who seemed to catch on were Chairman Ho Seung-won and Congressman Kim Soo-sung.

In a public hearing like this, it’s all about how long you can stretch the impact.

The sharper the confrontation between both sides, the greater the shock. So great they can’t recover from it.

The chair turned to me.

“What do you say?”

“I don’t mind, but I’d appreciate ample time. There’ll be debate, after all.”

Kim Soo-sung looked intrigued, as if he was watching a lunatic walk into a tiger’s den.

In contrast, the opposition members Kim Jin and Park Young-rok sighed—but in the end, they’d be the ones smiling.

“We’ll now change the order of proceedings. Attorney Cha Do-hyuk will present his opinion and participate in the debate.”

👏👏👏

“Good afternoon. I’m attorney Cha Do-hyuk, the presenter and debater opposing the construction of the logistics complex at 124 Jidam-dong. I’ve listened carefully to the developer’s arguments regarding this large-scale logistics hub next to a residential area, which has become a national hot topic.”

(Not yet a national issue—but it will be soon enough.)

“The proponents mentioned revitalizing the local economy. You said you’d bring in an advanced, particularly American-style, logistics system for this 90,000-pyeong complex. Mr. Byun, correct?”

“That’s right.”

“Then how many full-time employees are expected to be hired there? Please give an estimate within ±5%.”

“About 4,000.”

…Unbelievable.

“And what’s the automation rate? 40? 50%?”

A resident muttered, ‘Automation system? Doesn’t that mean machines do all the work?’ and Byun flinched.

Exactly.

“In advanced systems, robots and AI play a central role. So that means 70–80% automation. Based on Amazon’s logistics centers in North America, they hire fewer than 1,000 employees.”

Depending on whether it handles fresh food or manufactured goods, but given the massive scale, it must include cold storage facilities.

“You’re planning to run a cold storage, correct?”

“The blueprint isn’t finalized, so I can’t say for sure.”

Exactly the kind of evasive answer I expected.

“A typical logistics complex with 40% automation would need about 2,000 workers across three shifts. So where does your 4,000 figure come from? Manual labor?”

Murmurs filled the room.

“Or does that include temporary construction jobs, post-completion maintenance staff, and operational service workers?”

(No answer again.)

Then I’ll drive in the nail—sure, you might stimulate the economy, but stop selling illusions.

“You mentioned tax revenue and local business benefits, and yes, there may be side effects—but without finalized blueprints, claiming 4,000 jobs as certain…”

You’re misleading the residents.

“We’re referencing a study by the Ministry of Land—”

“Yes, the employment-inducing coefficient, right? I’m also referencing that. But I’m applying it to an advanced logistics system.”

Chairman Ho Seung-won chuckled awkwardly, taking the microphone from Byun.

“Impressive insight for a lawyer—but you seem to know little about corporate operations.”

…Me?

“As you know, we’re still at the preliminary stage, not actual construction. Only broad guidelines exist, and corporate data can’t be disclosed.”

Ah, he’s trying to dodge it as a trade secret.

“The final outcome depends on this hearing. Regardless, whether it’s 1,000 or 2,000 hires, what matters is that there will be employment.”

The spy nodded and applauded—it seemed he was about to make his move.

If they’re building momentum…

Maybe I’ll play along and then strike back.

“Mr. Byun, earlier you mentioned eco-friendliness. But the trucks entering the logistics hub will be large freight trucks, not small ones, correct?”

“Yes.”

“How many large electric freight trucks are currently sold in Korea?”

“We’re not in the automotive business, but we plan to purchase our own eco-friendly fleet.”

“Traffic assessments show over 15,000 daily vehicle movements. Are you saying your company will buy all 15,000 trucks?”

“There may be a margin of error, but yes.”

“That’s fascinating.”

Large trucks are usually owned by independent contractors. Is he claiming his company will buy and operate all of them?

Tap. Tap.

“What’s so strange?”

Even giants like Amazon or Coupang don’t own and operate all their delivery trucks directly. They rely on mixed models—leased vehicles, independent contractors, partner firms, and so on.

So Byun assumed the residents wouldn’t understand logistics terms and just lied through his teeth.

Fine then—I’ll play dirty too.

“In 2024, Europe reached annual sales of only 10,000 large electric trucks. In Korea? Practically none.”

“…Pardon?”

“And even if you plan to buy 15,000, it’d be phased, right? Based on Volvo’s model, that’s €250,000 each—around 390 million won. Mercedes models cost €345,000, about 540 million won. Can you afford that?”

Buying 10,000 Volvos alone would cost trillions of won.

Gasps filled the room.

“Your plan seems unrealistic.”

Now the local activists began their part—acting as if they were on my side.

Crowd murmurs:

Is that even possible?
A new logistics hub in Namsan-eup, Odam City will soon finish construction—traffic from there alone will clog the roads here. 15,000 trucks a day? Total gridlock! How will they manage?
And they’re refusing to build an alternate road!
Yongin, Anseong, Pyeongtaek, Odam, Gwangju, and Jidam—traffic will explode! Isn’t the developer taking this too lightly?

The chair will probably jump in soon.

And right on cue—Chairman Lee Jin-woo grabbed the mic, pretending he was back in control.

“Did Jidam City notify that Odam City and Jidam City must coordinate, as per Gyeonggi Province’s request?”

The Jidam official looked uneasy.

“We’re still negotiating.”

“Why?”

“Because they want conditional approval.”

Odam City demanded a separate interchange (IC), minimized operations, child safety zones, traffic cameras, and other conditions before agreeing.

“Then just give them what they want.”

“We also have to explain this to residents. To add a new IC, we’d need to acquire land…”

“So acquire it.”

Now Jidam City was cornered.

If they reject Odam’s conditions, their permit could be denied—and that would let ON F&B sue the city in an administrative court.

The moderator isn’t moderating, the chair is interfering—it’s chaos.

Residents shouted:

What about the people near the new IC? What about noise and pollution?
Exactly! One-sided development violates citizens’ right to live!
What about our view rights? We can’t tolerate dust either!
There’s already a resort and golf course nearby. Economic growth, my foot!
What? My house price dropped in half and won’t sell even cheap—economic growth? My stomach’s the only thing growing!
The developer ON is the problem—review this project again!
No, it’s the city’s fault for approving it!
Right! Selling that land was the real mistake!

Too many cooks spoil the broth—the debate descended into chaos.

Chairman Ho Seung-won of ON F&B was caught smiling.

The man who’d been so calculated all along couldn’t hide his dopamine rush.

You were waiting for this moment, weren’t you?

Let’s see if you can still smile after the shock that’s coming.

BEEEEEEP!!!

The microphone shrieked painfully.

“Everyone, please calm down. The moderator and chair seem overwhelmed—am I right?”

The flustered moderator and chair couldn’t intervene anymore.

“A resident mentioned the real problem was selling this land in the first place, correct? Let’s confirm that. GH Construction—where’s your representative?”

There you are, in the shirt.

“Yes, I’m Han Sang-min, assistant manager at GH Construction.”

“Why did GH include distribution complex in the official land use notice?”

“I’m not sure about the details back then, but I know it wasn’t illegal.”

“From past records, there’s never been a logistics or distribution facility right next to a housing complex.”

“That’s something you should discuss with Jidam City.”

Rude? Then I’ll be ruder.

“The sale occurred before the 8th municipal administration, so the current mayor must feel wronged, right?”

“……”

“From what I found, the Jidam City master plan had already labeled it as a commercial logistics zone, correct?”

That site had been designated for distribution operations, which by definition require distribution, handling, and storage—but the earlier plan included only “distribution.”

“The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission and the Ministry of Land both confirmed that a private developer bought the site, found the issue, and corrected it.”