"Can't Stop Kids Wanting to Become YouTubers"… Over 1,300 Under 20 Earn Billions Even Without Sponsorship Funds

Annual salary does not include personal donations
Criticism that it is effectively a tax blind spot
YouTube ranks first in OTT platform usage for 3 consecutive years

The number of YouTubers under their 20s earning over 100 million KRW annually has more than doubled in two years. According to data submitted by the National Tax Service to Assemblyman Cha Gyugeun of the Innovation Party on the 15th, there were 1,324 individual media creators such as YouTubers and BJs (personal broadcasters) under 20 who reported income exceeding 100 million KRW in 2022. This is 2.5 times the 528 reported in 2020. Among individual media creators who reported income exceeding 100 million KRW, there were 2,781 people, accounting for about 7% of the total 39,366. By age group, those under 20 were the most numerous, followed by 1,071 in their 30s, 273 in their 40s, and 113 aged 50 and above.

The number of YouTubers under their 20s earning over 100 million KRW annually has more than doubled in two years. According to data submitted by the National Tax Service to Assemblyman Cha Gyugeun of the Innovation Party on the 15th, there were 1,324 individual media creators, including YouTubers and BJs (personal broadcasters), under their 20s who reported income exceeding 100 million KRW in 2022. The photo is unrelated to the specific content of the article. [Photo by Pixabay]

By age group, those under 20 were the most numerous, followed by 1,071 in their 30s, 273 in their 40s, and 113 aged 50 and above. On the other hand, 31,481 people, accounting for 80% of the total, reported income below 25 million KRW. The income reporting data released that day did not include donations received by YouTubers through personal account exposure during broadcasts. This effectively leaves them in a tax blind spot. The tax authorities explained that it is practically difficult to detect transaction details when subscribers send donations to personal accounts. Assemblyman Cha Gyugeun said, "Currently, there is no way to tax income earned through donations," and added, "The National Tax Service should devise countermeasures to prevent the occurrence of tax blind spots."

YouTubers consistently rank high among elementary school students' future career aspirations

According to data from Nux Influencer, a website that analyzes specific pages on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, as of the 15th, the "Korea TOP 100 YouTube Channels" include channels operated by agencies of famous K-pop artists such as BLACKPINK, BANGTANTV, and SMTOWN. Besides these, channels with high rankings include "CuRe Gurae," which covers the daily lives of couples in their 20s, and "Seungbini," a channel focused on shorts. These channels have 24.7 million and 23.7 million subscribers, respectively.
[Photo by Reuters · Yonhap News]

According to data from NoxInfluencer, a website that analyzes specific pages on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, as of the 15th, among the 'Korea TOP 100 YouTube Channels,' besides channels operated by famous K-pop agencies such as BLACKPINK, BANGTANTV, and SMTOWN, high-ranking channels included 'CuRe Gurae,' which covers the daily lives of a couple in their 20s, and 'Seungbini,' a channel focused on shorts. They have 24.7 million and 23.7 million subscribers respectively.

NoxInfluencer estimated that 'CuRe Gurae' earns about 1.4 billion KRW monthly from YouTube, with affiliate revenue per video around 800 million KRW. 'Seungbini' is estimated to earn about 1.5 billion KRW monthly, with affiliate revenue around 780 million KRW. Furthermore, as YouTube's popularity continues, YouTubers consistently rank high among elementary school students' future career aspirations. In November last year, the Ministry of Education and the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training reported that the 4th most desired occupation among elementary students was creator.

Meanwhile, according to the '2023 Broadcasting Media Usage Survey' announced by the Korea Communications Commission in December last year, OTT usage rate this year was 77%, up 5 percentage points from the previous year. By age, those in their 20s and teens recorded the highest usage rates at 97.8% and 97.6%, respectively. In particular, YouTube maintained its position as the number one OTT platform for three consecutive years. Among all survey respondents, 71% used YouTube.