Average Income of Webtoon Artists is 48 Million KRW
1.5 Times Higher Than Average Income of YouTubers
Webtoon artists in the top 1% of annual income earned an average of 1.1 billion KRW.
According to data submitted by the National Tax Service to Park Seong-hoon, a member of the National Assembly's Planning and Finance Committee from the People Power Party, on the 13th, a total of 14,426 "webtoon artists, etc." filed comprehensive income tax returns for the year 2022, reporting a total of 696.5 billion KRW. The average income amount was 48.3 million KRW. Meanwhile, 15,448 individual media creators such as YouTubers and BJs reported a total of 516.2 billion KRW, which amounts to an average of 33.42 million KRW per person. Although the number of people working in these industries is similar, the average income per person for webtoon artists and others was about 1.5 times higher than that of individual media creators.
Based on the top 1% criterion, webtoon artists reported an average income of 1.114 billion KRW, significantly surpassing the income of individual media creators, which was 538 million KRW. Even when considering the top 10%, webtoon artists reported an average income of 268 million KRW, greatly exceeding the 188 million KRW reported by individual media creators.
The income gap between the top 10% and bottom 10% was 63 times for individual media creators, which is double the 30 times gap observed among webtoon artists.
Previously, all incomes were aggregated if even 1 KRW was reported, but currently only the main source of income is counted. This adjustment removes a kind of "inflation" where individuals with minor side incomes were classified as YouTubers or webtoon artists, resulting in statistics that more accurately reflect the average income of those engaged in these professions as their main occupation.
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