K-pop labels likely to hire more foreign staff, says industry veteran – but they need to speak and write Korean, and be ready to work around the clock, like Koreans, when needed

By Dong Sun-hwa K-pop is not just about the singers – there are countless unsung heroes working behind the scenes who dedicate their sweat and tears to producing and promoting albums. With K-pop continuing to sweep the world off its feet, more people than ever are needed to carry out such work at K-pop record labels. There’s good news: Korean music powerhouses have ramped up their hiring. For example Hybe, home to boy group BTS, currently has more than 60 job openings, and the total number of its employees is 456 this year – an increase from 73 in 2017. With many Korean companies expanding their businesses overseas, an increasing number of opportunities are now opening up to foreigners, says Lee Sang-hwan, co-founder and co-CEO of Conexus Lab. Before establishing Conexus Lab, founded in 2019 to provide educational resources for those seeking jobs in the lucrative K-pop industry, Lee had worked in human resources in many companies – including Hybe, CJ ENM and JTBC – for more than a decade. Who runs K-pop? ‘Big Three’ labels face challenge of rivals “The number of foreign employees in K-pop labels is growing these days, and is likely to keep rising,” Lee said in an interview at his company’s headquarters in Seoul. “JYP Entertainment, which houses megastars like Twice and Stray Kids, recently posted job openings exclusively in Japan to hire workers for its Japanese subsidiary. “SM Entertainment, a label behind hotshots like EXO and NCT, said in its latest job opening announcement that foreigners are also eligible to apply for the positions. In the coming years, I think the companies might even consider writing the job advertisements only for foreigners.” According to Lee, many foreign employees are currently in charge of star management, marketing or overseas business at their labels, as they have a good command of different languages including Korean, as well as an in-depth understanding of various cultures. “But the applicants from abroad need to go head-to-head with Koreans,” he noted. “They have to write their résumés and cover letters in Korean and meet the basic qualifications specified in job descriptions. If they are applying for a marketing position, for instance, they should know how to use Google Analytics and have some Photoshop skills, just like other Korean jobseekers.” To give them a helping hand, Conexus Lab has launched a new service offering educational materials for non-Korean speakers wishing to work in the K-pop industry. Until recently, all of its lectures – delivered by seasoned music industry insiders – were available only in Korean, but Lee has added English, Japanese and Vietnamese subtitles, among others, to reach more people around the world. All the lecturers, including Lee, have multiple years of experience in the K-pop scene and are current or former employees at top-tier companies like JYP. Will the next BTS come from the US? K-pop companies look West To date, some 300 Koreans have landed jobs at K-pop labels thanks to his advice. Lee, who used to give lectures on diverse platforms, decided to found his own company and work more systemically after realising the K-pop industry was facing some hurdles. “K-pop companies are mostly veiled in secrecy, because being confidential is often the key to their management,” he pointed out. “So far, they have not actively devised strategies for recruitment marketing due to their culture of secrecy, hindering job-hunters from obtaining necessary information and finding out whether they are a good fit for the company. “To me, it looked like the K-pop industry was not mature enough in terms of human resource management, despite the roaring K-pop boom. So I decided to establish Conexus Lab to help alleviate this problem.” “Conexus Lab’s ultimate goal is to help people overcome information asymmetry with reasonably priced content,” he said. In addition, Lee has signed deals with more than 20 K-pop labels to make educational content for their employees, who aim to take a further leap with their careers. “We will continue to expand ourselves and create educational content for people in the fields of culture,” he added. Wrapping up the interview, Lee gave words of advice for those looking for a job in the K-pop industry, which he warned is not all glitz and glamour. “Working at K-pop labels means you do not have a nine-to-six work schedule,” he said. “Employees are extremely hectic when singers gear up for their new albums; they often have to stay overnight to complete their projects. But this is something inevitable. “On top of that, their initial salaries may not be high compared to those offered in other industries but, once they prove their abilities and earn recognition, they will soon see a big salary increase.” He added: “It is also interesting to note that some companies prefer hiring their stars’ fans for obvious reasons, while others don’t.” Read the full story at the Korea Times Like what you read? Follow SCMP Lifestyle on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also sign up for our eNewsletter here.