[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] The work began by unpacking the material boxes piled up in the living room and moving them to the work area, then assembling the furniture. Just helping the assembler for about five minutes caused sweat to pour down like rain. While wiping the sweat for a moment, the worker who had been coordinating with him quickly assembled another piece of furniture alone and was already opening another furniture box. The hands of a skilled worker were that fast and precise.
Dan Ho-cheol (43), who has been working as an interior construction technician for 19 years and is considered one of the seven ‘Master Installers’ at Hanssem, gave precise work instructions to the workers even while facing the wall and working. The four workers moved busily following his instructions, which were as if his eyes were on the back of his head.
At 10 a.m. on the 23rd, at an apartment interior remodeling construction site in Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do. After completing the interior work for a 118㎡ (35-pyeong) apartment, this day was the first day to install kitchen furniture and built-in wardrobes. The team led by technician Dan was given two days to complete the installation and finishing of all furniture products inside the house. They were hurrying because a skilled worker had recently been transferred to another team due to a shortage of labor.
Dan said, "I was extremely busy until April this year. Although work has slightly decreased during the off-season, it is still quite a lot compared to last year. Last year, you could wait about a week from contract to construction, but these days, you have to wait at least two weeks, sometimes up to a month."
Especially, the shortage of skilled workers has extended the working hours. Tasks that used to be completed in a day now take two or three days. Dan said, "I want to rest on Saturdays and Sundays, but often I cannot. I hope beginners come and learn while working." However, the construction cannot be neglected. The final evaluation criterion determining the quality of remodeling is ‘construction,’ and if the arrangement of fixed furniture such as built-in wardrobes is even slightly off, all work must be redone.
Interior remodeling goes through the process of ‘consultation → design → material and furniture selection → delivery → construction.’ When remodeling an entire 118㎡ apartment like today, the cost ranges between 50 million to 100 million KRW. The cost is determined during the consultation with the Rehouse Designer (RD) based on which materials and furniture will be used. According to the RD’s design, materials and furniture are selected, delivered, and then constructed. Construction is carried out under the direction of veteran technicians like Dan who have accumulated extensive experience. Dan handles about 20 remodeling projects per month, with an annual income exceeding 100 million KRW.
Most interior construction technicians are freelancers. Masters like Dan receive high fees per project and take responsibility for the construction. The average daily wage of the workers moving with Dan varies between 200,000 to 500,000 KRW depending on skill level. A Hanssem official said, "Even beginners earn at least 100,000 KRW per day, and after gaining one to two years of construction experience, their annual income reaches about 40 to 50 million KRW."
The demand for interior remodeling continues to rise. According to the Korea Construction Industry Research Institute, the domestic interior market was about 41 trillion KRW last year but is expected to exceed 60 trillion KRW this year. Kim Yong-chul, head of Hanssem Rehouse Bundang Sunae branch, who was met at the site, said, "Skilled workers who do good work are sought after by others, so work is booked months in advance. The workload is increasing, but it is very difficult to find skilled workers."
A Hanssem official explained, "Last year, we focused on training RDs, but the demand for interior construction personnel suddenly increased. We currently have about 4,000 construction personnel secured, and this year we established the Hanssem Academy to train beginner construction workers. We plan to produce about 6,300 construction personnel by the end of the year."
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