MEAWW.COM / ENTERTAINMENT / K-POP NEWS

Do K-pop idols not get paid? Golden Child's Jangjun reveals personal income

The K-pop idol says, “I only make earnings from my individual schedules like this program today”

With some K-pop idols boasting black cards, buying cars and houses for their families and also having shares in their own companies, fans were under the impression that all idols were rich. But that doesn’t seem to be the case as Golden Child’s Jangjun recently revealed. While the boys are currently on their first US tour, a pre-recorded episode of KBS’ ‘The Money School’ starring Jangjun was released on July 3, where he spoke about group and individual earnings.

The episode revealed that Jangjun had six zeroes in his bank account and when asked if he got any income from group activities, the Golden Child member said no. Despite debuting in 2017 and being in their sixth year, Jangjun shared that he had not received anything that the team had earned during promotions. The K-pop idol explained, “I only make earnings from my individual schedules like this program today.” The hosts were further surprised when he added that he started having solo activities in 2019 and it was the first time he started having an income. 

READ MORE
Ciipher producer Rain reveals how EXPENSIVE it is to form a K-pop boy group

'SMCU Ep.2 Next Level': aespa become cartoon characters and diss the K-pop industry

Jangjun earns only through personal activities

Jangjun also added that his mother was managing his earnings and she is in the real estate business, which is why she is good at it. But the Golden Child star’s revelations have opened up a debate as fans are wondering where the money a group earns goes. In the past, fans had compared the profit distribution of labels with the likes of SM getting 95% of the physical sales profits while Starship Entertainment gave 80% of the profit to their artists. But with Jangjun pointing out that he did not actually even get a part of the profits that his group had earned, fans are confused.

‘You are worth more than gold’

One fan tweeted, “Oh jangjun 🥺 you are worth more than gold i hope you and all the members of golden child know that.” Another fan pointed out, “Jangjun: i received my personal income starting from 2019 yubin: you received it fast/early yubin's statement made me sad..it's really telling that the situation was pretty common and other idols might've been through something worse.” One added, “Petition for Jangjun to join the Yoo family. This man deserves so much more opportunities.” Another explained, “IT'S NOT ABOUT WOLLIM BEING SHIT, IT'S ABOUT THE WHOLE ENTERTAINMENT. IT'S VERY VERY EXPENSIVE TO KEEP A GROUP TOGETHER CAUSE WHY ELSE WOULD GROUPS DISBAND BEFORE THEIR CONTRACT ENDS.”

One was surprised, “Woolim don't pay their employees? Debut in 2017, so where is the money going? Why would you create an idol company when you know you never had the initial investment to pay the employees? Labor laws in Korea need to change and this should be illegal.” Another user added, “I admit, this had always bafled me. How do these people survive? Six years and no paycheck? How much can he be making on "personal scheduling?" Wjy would you do this for so long, with absolutely no incentive? I sdmit, I really don't understand this."

Watch the clip below.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.