The prevailing income status of the top 1% of high-income earning entertainers, including singers and actors, has been unveiled for public cognizance. 

A report titled 'Income Status of Entertainers by Industry for 2017-2021' was procured by Kang Jun Hyun of the Planning and Finance Committee of the National Assembly and a member of the Democratic Party. The report based its findings on data from the National Tax Service received on the 30th of last month.

The report, as covered by leading outlets such as Yonhap News, highlighted that in 2021, the cumulative annual income of 7,720 singers who declared their income was 515.6 billion KRW (~379.9 million KRW). The average income per individual was approximately 66.790 million KRW.

Interestingly, the top 1% of the income bracket, comprising 77 singers, amassed a whopping 355.6 billion KRW (~262 million USD). This group of elite earners claimed an astounding 68.9% of the total singers' income, and the average income per person for these high achievers was  4.6 billion KRW.

In the acting arena, the 1% elite group, consisting of 160 actors, also had an impressive representation, earning 382.9 billion KRW (~282.4 million KRW) in the same year, accounting for 48.6% of the total income of actors across the board. These top earners had an average income of  2.3 billion KRW (~1.7 million USD) each.

Modeling, another highly profitable profession in the entertainment industry, had a total of 9,536 income-declaring individuals in 2021. They collectively earned a total of 107.6 billion KRW (~79.3 million USD), equating to an average income of 11.3 million KRW (~8,333 USD) per person. Among them, the top 1% of income earners, which included 95 models, reported 43.0 billion KRW (~31.7 million USD), yielding an average income of 4.53 billion KRW per person.

Beyond the traditional entertainment spheres of music, film, and fashion, the conspicuously emerging income of home-grown YouTubers also garnered public attention. According to data submitted by Han Byeong Do, another member of the Planning and Finance Committee of the Democratic Party, the total income reported by 'individual media creators (YouTubers)' for comprehensive income tax in 2021 was around 858.9 billion KRW (~633.4 million USD). These figures suggest a roughly ten-fold increase in income compared to two years ago. The top 1% of these enterprising YouTubers brought in over 240 billion KRW (~176.8 million USD) in a year, constituting 25% of the aggregate YouTube income. The average annual income per YouTuber from this group was  713 million KRW (~525k USD).

As this digital media platform continues to gain traction, tax authorities express growing concern over potential tax evasion, anticipating an increase as YouTubers' earnings continue to soar.