The city of Busan has withdrawn plans to deploy more than 900 civil servants to help manage an upcoming BTS concert following criticism from public employees and labor unions.
According to local officials and public-sector unions, the city had initially planned to assign 915 personnel from city offices, district governments and related agencies to support BTS’ upcoming BTS World Tour Arirang in Busan concerts on July 12th and 13th. The plan has since been revised, with Busan opting to recruit volunteers instead.
The controversy gained attention after a post on the anonymous workplace app Blind accused the city of mobilizing public employees for a private, for-profit event.
“This isn’t a Busan city event. It’s a commercial concert that HYBE is making money from,” the user wrote. “Is it really appropriate to pull in 915 civil servants instead of hiring event staff? Are we HYBE’s Busan branch office?”
Critics argued that staffing and safety operations for a ticketed concert should be handled by the organizer rather than local government employees. Others countered that public support was necessary given the expected crowds and the event’s potential economic impact on the city.
As opposition grew within the public sector, the Busan Civil Servants Union issued a statement calling for the plan to be canceled and held emergency discussions with city officials.
Busan ultimately reversed course on the 8th, abandoning the mandatory deployment plan and reopening staffing on a volunteer basis.
The workers had originally been slated to assist with traffic control, crowd management and enforcement against illegal street vendors around Sajik Stadium and nearby areas during the concert weekend.
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