From Millions to Tears: The Wide Range of First Paychecks Among K-pop Idols

Known as the largest girl group in terms of members, the TripleS members surprised everyone when they revealed that the production and operation costs for the group alone amounted to 10 billion won. When asked about their salary, which was comparable to that of a manager at a major company, Kim Na Kyung skillfully dodged the question. “I received my first paycheck last year and treated the members to a meal,” the idol said.

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NewJeans received their first paycheck two months after their debut. According to the Financial Supervisory Service report released in April, ADOR’s revenue last year reached 110.3 billion won, more than five times the previous year’s figure (19 billion won). With an operating profit of 33.5 billion won, the total salary that the members of NewJeans received was around 26.1 billion won. Since the group has five members, each could have earned over 5 billion won.

STAYC, the popular girl group known for hits like “So Bad,” “Stereotype,” and “Bubble,” revealed that they received their first paycheck after promoting “Teddy Bear.” The first salary of STAYC was estimated to be 98.25 million won per member.

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The first salaries that idols receive vary greatly

Choi Ye Na, a solo singer and former member of IZONE, shared, “After receiving my first salary as a solo artist, I took my family on a trip abroad and bought a house for my parents in Yangpyeong.”

Jo Kwon of 2AM surprised everyone by confessing that he cried after receiving his first paycheck because it was so little.

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