On the 15th, ahead of BTS's comeback show, a post like this appeared on X. The author of the post said, "I want to work and also see BTS."
As a large crowd is expected to flock to the BTS comeback concert at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, demand for short-term part-time jobs is growing. Among nearby merchants, expectations are rising for what is being called the "BTS boom."
◇See BTS and make money
On the 16th, several postings for part-time jobs related to the BTS comeback show were listed on the job platform Albamon. The main recruitment areas are event safety personnel, safety management at downtown subway stations, and wristband distribution.
Word is spreading that it's a "sweet part-time job" with high hourly pay relative to the workload. For the safety staff part-time job, with two people assigned to each of the 27 gates set up from Gwanghwamun to City Hall Station, the shift runs from noon to midnight and pays a total of 165,000 won. The hourly wage is 16,500 won, about 60% higher than this year's minimum wage (10,320 won).
On online communities, reactions included, "The hourly wage is better than working all day at a logistics center," and "For large-scale shows, there's often not that much to do, so it's worth applying."
A recruiter for the safety staff part-time job said, "We posted 54 openings, but considering the crowd, we could hire up to 100," adding, "There are about three to four more companies hiring now, with as many as 500 total positions."
Other short-term jobs related to concert preparation have also appeared. The part-time job installing event equipment pays a daily wage of 104,000 won, and the stage assistant job on the day of the show pays about 15,000 won per hour.
◇Economic impact of 1.2 trillion won... merchants expect a "BTS boom"
BTS is returning with its fifth studio album, "Arirang (ARIRANG)," after about 3 years and 9 months. The comeback concert, to be held at 8 p.m. on the 21st at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, is expected to draw 260,000 fans and residents.
In a 2022 report, the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute (KCTI) analyzed that a single BTS concert in Korea could have an economic ripple effect of up to 1.2 trillion won in tourism spending, transportation, lodging and more.
Ahead of the concert, the commercial district around Gwanghwamun has also become busier. For safety reasons, access to high-rise buildings around Gwanghwamun Square is restricted, but cafes and restaurants outside the restricted area are recruiting part-time workers in anticipation of a boom.
A cafe located inside the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts posted a notice on a job platform that it is hiring short-term part-time workers to work for a day on the concert date. The total shift is eight hours (including a one-hour break), with an hourly wage of about 11,500 won.
Many also said that not only the shop owners but also the employees decided early on to come in on the day of the show. The owner of a snack shop near the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, identified as A, said, "Korean snacks are popular with foreigners these days," adding, "With that many people coming to Gwanghwamun, they'll need to eat, so of course we should do business."
A person identified as B, who runs a nearby sandwich shop, said, "Because crowds are coming, takeout-focused shops with fast table turnover will have an advantage," adding, "We increased our usual ingredient orders by 1.5 times and secured one more staff member."