According to Korean media, in recent days, public opinion in the land of kimchi has been stirred up by information that the Busan city government plans to mobilize 915 civil servants to serve the concert organization of the BTS group.
Controversy flared up after a civil servant posted an article on a forum for workers, arguing that mobilizing public authority personnel for a commercial event is unreasonable.
This person emphasized that this is not a free outdoor performance or an event directly organized by the city. The concert is operated by the entertainment company managing BTS for business purposes, so the organizing unit should hire security and logistics forces instead of using resources from state agencies.
This opinion quickly received great attention from the Korean online community.
A part of the audience believes that the government's support is necessary because BTS's concert has the ability to attract a huge audience, bringing significant revenue to the tourism and service industries and promoting the image of Busan city to the world.
However, many people oppose the above argument. They argue that activities to ensure safety for a fee-collecting program should be the responsibility of the organizing unit. The mobilization of civil servants to work without receiving additional salaries creates an inappropriate precedent in the use of public resources.
Faced with an increasingly fierce wave of debate, the Busan city government decided to change the original plan.
City representatives said that the option of compulsory transfer of civil servants was cancelled after considering internal opinions. Instead, Busan will recruit forces to participate on a voluntary basis.
According to the new plan, registered civil servants will support tasks such as traffic regulation, guiding people and maintaining order around Sajik Stadium - where the concert takes place.
The Busan government said that the final number of personnel will be determined after completing the volunteer registration process. Although the scale may be reduced compared to the initial plan, the city affirms that it will still prioritize ensuring safety for people and audiences attending the event.
