[In-Depth Look] The Saying "Artists Starve"

Ham Hyeri / Journalist · Cultural Critic

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the content industry saw remarkable growth last year. This was the result of the global popularity of Hallyu content, including the K-pop craze, games, comics, and dramas.

In particular, K-pop artists such as BTS and BLACKPINK, Netflix series like "Squid Game," "D.P.," and "Hellbound," as well as the mobile game "Mobile Battleground," demonstrated the global success and competitiveness of K-content to the world. The Korea Creative Content Agency estimated that the sales volume of the K-content industry reached 133.6 trillion KRW last year. With the K-pop craze still strong and the online video service (OTT) and online gaming markets heating up, the growth trend in the content sector is expected to continue this year. The old saying that "artists starve" now seems to be incorrect.

Now, let’s shift the scene and take a look at how artists (including popular artists), the main producers of cultural content, are living. In short, the situation for artistic activities has seriously worsened overall. According to the "2021 Survey on the Status of Artists" (based on 2000 data) released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism at the end of last year, the average annual income earned by individual artists through artistic activities was 7.55 million KRW, a 41% decrease of 5.26 million KRW compared to 12.81 million KRW three years ago. The proportion of artists earning less than 1 million KRW per month increased from 72.7% in 2018 to 86.8%. The percentage of those earning no income from artistic activities at all was as high as 41.3%, a significant increase from 28.8% three years ago. The annual total income of artist households was 41.27 million KRW, showing a gap of about 20 million KRW compared to the average household income of 61.25 million KRW (Household Finance and Welfare Survey, Statistics Korea). The saying "artists starve" is literally true.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism conducts a survey on the status of artists every three years to understand artists’ welfare and creative environment and to use the data as a basis for policies protecting artists’ rights and welfare. This time, 5,109 artists from 17 cities and provinces across 14 artistic fields participated in the survey. Among the respondents, 55.1% were full-time artists. The population includes artists who have completed proof of artistic activity, artists participating in projects by the Korea Arts Council and local governments, and members of cultural and artistic associations and organizations. These are people who are relatively better off.

The issuance of the "Certificate of Artistic Activity," which allows artists to receive benefits under the Artist Welfare Act, is limited, and with the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic eliminating opportunities for performances and presentations, many young artists who majored in the arts are forced to do part-time jobs, odd jobs, and quick delivery services to make a living. This suggests that the actual situation may be even more severe than what the survey reveals.

The legal basis for the Artist Status Survey is the "Artist Welfare Act," a law enacted to guarantee the social status and livelihood of artists, which has been in effect since November 18, 2012. This law was established following the death of Choi Go-eun, a film director and screenwriter, on January 29, 2011. Choi, a promising filmmaker who graduated from the Korea National University of Arts’ Film Department, died prematurely at the age of 32 after struggling with financial difficulties. At the door of the multi-family house where Choi lived, there was a note that read, "Thank you so much for all the help you have given me. I am ashamed, but I have not eaten anything for several days. If you have leftover rice and kimchi, please knock on our door."

In 2022, the 10th year since the Artist Welfare Act came into effect, our artists are still being pushed to the brink of survival.

An "artist" refers to a person who engages in artistic activities as a profession and contributes to enriching the nation culturally, socially, economically, and politically. They engage in creation, performance, technical support, and other activities in the cultural and artistic fields. Although the international status of our culture has risen in some fields to the extent that Baekbeom Kim Gu, who said, "The only thing I endlessly desire is the power of high culture," would be pleased, we must not overlook the fact that many artists still cannot make a living through "art."

The presidential election is just around the corner. Yet, no candidate has seriously promised to guarantee artists’ rights or to address the severe imbalance they face.