Sales of Popular Culture and Arts Industry Surpass 15 Trillion Won on K-pop Boom

A 34.5% Surge Compared to 2022

Cover image of the 2025 Survey on the Status of the Popular Culture and Arts Industry. Provided by the Korea Creative Content Agency

The sales revenue of South Korea's popular culture and arts industry has surpassed 15 trillion won.

According to the "2025 Survey on the Status of the Popular Culture and Arts Industry," which presents the industry’s status as of 2024 and was released on January 23 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency, the total sales revenue of the popular culture and arts industry reached 15.3845 trillion won, a sharp increase of 34.5% from 11.4362 trillion won in 2022. This is the highest figure since the survey began in 2015.

The industry’s growth was driven by the increase in the number of registered popular culture and arts planning agencies and the strong performance of major agencies. As of 2024, there were 4,471 registered agencies, up 34.5% from 2022. Their domestic sales amounted to 7.802 trillion won, and overseas sales reached 1.7057 trillion won, representing growth of 35.5% and 61.7% respectively compared to 2022. The Korea Creative Content Agency analyzed that overseas activities of K-pop idol groups and the formation of global fandoms contributed to the rise in sales.

The number of popular culture and arts professionals affiliated with agencies was 12,092, an increase of 6.5% from 2022. By field, singers accounted for the largest share with 5,020 individuals (41.5%), followed by actors with 4,709 (38.9%), and broadcasters with 1,264 (10.5%). The number of affiliated trainees was 963, a decrease of 207 (17.7%) from 2022.

The culture of standard contracts has become firmly established in the field. The rate of signing standard exclusive contracts for entertainers was 95.3%, up 4.5 percentage points from 2022. The rate of written contracts for production staff also reached 97.9%.

The average monthly personal income of entertainers was 3,151,000 won, of which 1,507,000 won came from art-related activities. The average monthly income of production staff was calculated at 3,275,000 won.

Song Jin, Director of the Content Industry Policy Research Center at the Korea Creative Content Agency, stated, "Based on the survey results, we will focus on strengthening the institutional safety net and fostering a transparent industry ecosystem."

This survey was conducted with 6,760 companies in the popular culture and arts industry and 1,907 workers.