Annual Average Income of Artists 10.55 Million KRW... Photographers Earn the Lowest at 3.34 Million KRW

70.4% of Artists Earn Less Than 10 Million KRW Annually
31% Report "No Income"... Only 3.3% Make Over 60 Million KRW

As of 2023, the average annual income earned by artists through creative activities was found to be only 10.55 million KRW. This was confirmed in the "2024 Artist Survey" jointly conducted and published by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute. This survey is conducted every three years in accordance with the Artist Welfare Act.

Among artists, 70.4% had an annual income of less than 10 million KRW, and the proportion of those who reported having no income at all reached 31%. On the other hand, only 3.3% had an annual income of 60 million KRW or more. The average annual income increased by 3.6 million KRW compared to 2020 (6.95 million KRW).

The survey covered 14 fields including literature, fine arts, crafts, and photography. Among these, the field with the lowest average annual income was photography (3.34 million KRW), followed by literature (4.55 million KRW), dance (8.02 million KRW), and music (9.01 million KRW). In contrast, architecture (42.62 million KRW), manhwa (comic art) (27.84 million KRW), and broadcasting and entertainment (24.86 million KRW) recorded relatively high incomes.

The average income of artist households was 45.9 million KRW, an increase of 6.18 million KRW compared to 2020 (39.72 million KRW), but still more than 20 million KRW lower than the average income of general households (67.62 million KRW).

The proportion of artists with experience in signing contracts related to artistic activities in 2023 was 57.3%, a slight increase from 54.8% in 2020. Among these, written contracts accounted for 86.6%, and verbal contracts 13.4%. Contract signing rates were high in broadcasting and entertainment, film, and theater fields, while photography, fine arts, and literature had relatively low rates. The use of standard contracts when signing written contracts was 71.7%, up from 66.0% in 2020. Meanwhile, 7.3% of respondents reported experiencing unfair contracts, down from 11.2% in 2020.

The proportion of full-time artists was 52.5%, down from 55.1% in 2020. Among them, freelancers accounted for 61.7%. The average number of art presentations was 5.8 times, an increase from 3.8 times three years ago, and overseas activity experience also rose to 16.5% from 14.4% in 2020. Additionally, 29.1% of artists held copyrights (neighboring rights), an increase from 26.9% three years ago.

The experience of career interruption among artists was 23.0%, a decrease of 13.3 percentage points compared to 36.3% in 2020. Career interruptions were higher in theater, film, and manhwa fields, while photography and architecture had relatively low rates. Among stress factors outside artistic activities, low pay level (67.0%) was cited as the biggest cause.

Shin Eunhyang, Director of Arts Policy at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, "The contract signing rate and the use of standard contracts among artists have increased, and income from artistic activities has also risen. This year, we will carefully implement policies to prevent unfair practices and create a fair creative environment."

This survey was conducted from December 2023 to January 2024 across 17 cities and provinces nationwide, targeting 5,059 people through one-on-one interviews, online, and telephone methods.