“After the controversy emerged…”
Koreaboo
20 minutes ago
Busan City has been forced to change its plans for BTS’s upcoming concert after facing heavy public backlash over the use of civil servants.
| BigHit Music
Recently, an anonymous post on Blind exposed that around 915 civil servants were set to be deployed for the event. The post, written by a civil servant themselves, questioned why public workers were being assigned to a commercial concert hosted by HYBE rather than staff hired by the organizers.
The issue quickly spread among Korean netizens, with many people divided over whether the city should be involved.
BTS sparked similar controversy in Seoul only months ago. | YNA
Some argued that BTS concerts bring major tourism and economic benefits to Busan, making city support necessary. However, most said that safety and crowd control for a profit-driven event should not rely on public employees.
BTS’s Concert Sparks Huge Debate About Making Use Of Celebrities
As criticism grew, Busan City confirmed it would step back from its original plan to assign civil servants. Instead, the city will now recruit volunteers to handle on-site support during the concert.
The civil servants initially assigned were planned to handle traffic control and public order maintenance around Sajik Stadium on the day of the concert. However, after the controversy emerged, we held internal discussions and decided to withdraw the plan.
Instead, we are currently accepting volunteer applications for that day, and the exact number of personnel and assignments will be finalized on the 10th. Even if the number of staff ends up lower than originally planned, we will place personnel where needed to ensure maximum public safety.
— Busan City via Kookje
| News1