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Inside the Night Shift: 12 Hours at Korea's Convenience Store in Gangnam

Howdy Korea

1,471,249 views

Meet Gayeon, a 24-year-old convenience store manager working the graveyard shift at a GS25 in the heart of Gangnam, Seoul.

GS25 is Korea's #1 convenience store brand by revenue — and Gayeon runs one of its locations right in the middle of the country's busiest district.

In this Korean Next Door mini-documentary, we follow her through a full 12-hour overnight shift to show you what most Korean convenience store videos don't: the real, unfiltered life of the person behind the counter.

From midnight rushes to the quiet 4AM hours, Gayeon walks us through what it's actually like to run a convenience store after dark. We also dig into how the Korean CVS has evolved into something uniquely Korean — part bank, part pharmacy, part late-night chicken delivery hub, part community lifeline. It's a cultural institution hiding in plain sight.

How does a young store manager survive the all-night shift? What happens in Gangnam between 2AM and 6AM? And how does Gayeon really feel about her job?
Watch the full story to find out.

🎬 Korean Next Door is a human documentary series by Howdy Korea, bringing you intimate portraits of the people who make modern Korea tick.

▶ Subscribe for new episodes: Korean Next Door

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📌 CHAPTERS
00:00 intro
00:20 heading to work
01:20 service check
02:39 delivery orders
03:40 cigarettes
05:16 logistics check up
07:36 late night dinner
10:05 CVS as safety shelter
11:15 various services
12:44 fishcake & sweet potatoes
13:31 morning wave
14:15 coffee time
15:37 way back home

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Narration : Daniel Jongha Kim

#KoreanNextDoor #korean #seoul #gangnam #koreanconveniencestore #gs25 #lifeinkorea #koreavlog #KoreaDocumentary

20 Comments

@howdykorea Creator 4 months ago (edited) Pinned

Latest episode out now: A Day at a Korean Driver's License Center
https://youtu.be/toeQMsY9w9o

[Timestamps]
00:00 intro
00:20 heading to work
01:20 service check
02:39 delivery orders
03:40 cigarettes
05:16 logistics check up
07:36 late night dinner
10:05 CVS as safety shelter
11:15 various services
12:44 fishcake & sweet potatoes
13:31 morning wave
14:15 coffee time
15:37 way back home

@blacksunangel636 4 months ago

She's doing the job of at least 4 people... She's really a strong young lady

@notsecure 4 months ago

12hr work is brutal. Wonder how much sleep she gets.

@lindaritter1343 5 months ago

This young lady worked so hard she was so cheerful

@criticalfailgaming1562 5 months ago

Gayeon is an absolute hero. The pride she clearly takes in taking care of the customers in her neighborhood is admirable. I hope her company values her.

@heyitsgiggle 5 months ago (edited)

편의점 workers are the unsung heroes of Korea
I used to live down the street from this store, and it's always on top of things. Huge shoutout to this spot

@MoistAlt 5 months ago

The workload of this worker is crazy, I am both impressed and also pity her.

@ingot95 5 months ago

Her workload is crazy. Here in Germany, no employee is allowed to work for more than 10 hours a day (exceptions are, ironically, hospital doctors). It makes me dizzy watching her work. Just imagine that those hard-working convenience store staff get sometimes insulted by some customers for not being fast or friendly enough. Everybody who does this should switch their jobs for one shift of c-store work and they will never behave badly again, trust me.

@PazRabbit 5 months ago

GS25 is lucky to have such a great employee! She works really well and is cheerful and pretty.

@hazzaldo 5 months ago (edited)

If only most YouTube videos were like this. Showing hard-working people doing an honest day's job, and being so passionate and dedicated to their job. Rather than the brain-rot videos from narcissistic, attention-seeking ppl showing off their fake life.

@2m7b5 4 months ago

Fixing displays before clocking in is crazy.

@DisasterxUs 5 months ago

Convenience store workers are some of the friendliest people I knew when I lived in Seoul. After coming back about five times, they would realize I wasn't just some passing foreigner and would open up almost like I became family. 😊 I always made a point to treat them with respect and kindness, unlike a lot of Koreans, and it went such a long way. They deserve much more than they get... pay, respect, and appreciation. Thanks for making this video.

@cbstevp 4 months ago

I have lived in Seoul for 20 years now and the GS25 is a great place to get snacks, drinks, and almost anything you need. Open 24 hours is convenient for customers but hard on the workers. We all appreciate their efforts to make customers happy.

@BirbarianHomeGuard 5 months ago

She deserves to see all these kind comments.

@nutellalatte7522 5 months ago

When I say I want to watch reality shows this is what I want to see. Actual daily lives of real hardworking people 💕👏🏼✨

@Nastradamus516 4 months ago

“Manager” to make you feel better about your job

@angiemota83 4 months ago

She needs at least one more person there with her

@FebruarEinundzwanzig 5 months ago

As a fellow worker, I salute her for her dedication and sacrifice. And to corporations and government, let's not normalise this kind of work environment. With Low wage and long work hours, then you see South Korean government wondering why their population is in decline? This is failure and abuse of system at its best by not protecting honest workers.