Quitting Job to Travel and Visit Famous Restaurants with 'Hundred Million Won Salary'... The Harsh Reality of YouTuber Income

The Gap Between the Top 1% and the Rest Widens
Singers and Athletes Alike... "Income Inequality Must Be Addressed"

It has been revealed that the 'income concentration' phenomenon among YouTubers, who have recently gained popularity as a desirable occupation, has intensified.

According to data from the National Tax Service, the number of business operators reporting income as one-person media creators, such as YouTubers, in South Korea has increased twelvefold in two years.

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One-person media creators refer to business operators who produce content and generate revenue by sharing it in media environments based on the internet and mobile platforms, including YouTubers and internet broadcast hosts (BJs).

As of 2021, the number of individuals reporting income as one-person media content creators was 34,219. This is a 12.3-fold increase compared to 2,776 in 2019, and it exceeds the numbers of lawyers (6,292), tax accountants (9,611), architects (8,122), and judicial scriveners (6,783).

However, although the number of YouTubers has increased, the income disparity between the top 1% and the rest is growing larger. According to data submitted by the National Tax Service to Representative Lee Su-jin of the Democratic Party on the 7th, the average business income per person among the top 1% (342 individuals) of YouTubers was 366 million KRW.

On the other hand, the average business income of the remaining 99% (33,877 individuals) was only 6 million KRW. Moreover, the income share of the top 1% has been continuously rising, from 28.8% in 2019 to 36.4% in 2020, and 37.6% in 2021.

Additionally, income gaps have also been confirmed to be widening among singers and athletes.

In 2021, the average business income per person among the top 1% of singers (99 individuals) was 3.8 billion KRW. Singers, actors, professional athletes, and others provide personal services as individual business operators even if they belong to a company or team, making their business income subject to withholding tax.

The income of the top 1% of singers accounted for 76.9% of the total, continuing an upward trend from 60.1% in 2019 and 70.6% in 2020. The remaining 99% (9,761 individuals) had an average business income of 11 million KRW per person.

In the case of athletes, the average annual business income per person among the top 1% (375 individuals) was 803 million KRW, while the remaining 99% (37,143 individuals) earned only 8 million KRW per person. The share of income held by the top 1% in total income fell from 49.6% in 2019 to 48.2% in 2020, then rose again to 49.6% in 2021.

Representative Lee emphasized, “For Hallyu stars, athletes, and YouTubers to operate in a healthy environment, income inequality must be resolved.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.