Former Wonder Girls member Lim revealed how much she's saved up while working.
She appeared on the June 8 broadcast of MBC's 'Don't Be Jealous' where she and fiance Shin Min Chul were seen discussing their futures. The subject of finances came up and the two talked about their savings.
Shin Min Chul revealed that he had a savings of around 300 million KRW (~250 thousand USD). Lim stated: "I am renting a house (jeonse) right now. I have around 150 million KRW (~125 thousand USD) saved up. I saved up less than you thought right? I feel like I haven't saved up as much as I worked. Usually, when people think of idols, they think of building owners with a lot of savings. I have the same perception as well. If you think Wonder Girls member, you think I should own a couple of buildings. But I wasn't in the group during the time when the Wonder Girls had their hit songs like 'Tell Me' and 'Nobody'. I joined the group after all that was over and started promoting in the United States. I joined at a time when the group started earning less money. However, I saved a lot for my age but not enough to buy a building."
Shin Min Chul reassured Lim, saying: "No. You paid for your dormitory, housing, and tuition all by yourself. I fell for you again after seeing that. I thought it was amazing, you didn't ask for any help from your parents. That's why I don't think that's important. You did well."
I like that they showed them having this kind of honest open discussion about finances!
Also, I'm guessing there is an exponential difference in earnings between less popular-medium popular-popular (but not the most) and the real top artists. Only the ones who released super massive hits or many popular songs will be really wealthy. Even more so for idols who start with debt to pay off and don't get royalties for writing/composing.
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