Hyebin of MOMOLAND Reveals the Economic Reality of Idols: An Infinite Negative Loop

Hyebin, the Leader of MOMOLAND, exposed the economic realities of the K-POP industry based on her over 10-year career as an idol. She revealed that even groups with global recognition face significant financial difficulties due to structural debts and a 50-50 cost-sharing system.

In an Instagram video, Hyebin stated, “I’ve been an idol for over 10 years,” adding, “Many people wonder how much idols earn. It might seem like they make huge amounts of money, but that’s not the case.”

Idols under smaller agencies start out in debt from the moment they debut. Hyebin explained, “All expenses during training are charged after debuting.” Costs such as lesson fees, meals, housing, and practice room rentals incurred during training are accumulated as if through a “prepayment system” before being billed after debuting.

Idols and agencies split all costs 50-50. Producing music videos requires paying thousands of dollars to composers, and the filming costs themselves are substantial. Hyebin said, “Every time we shoot a music video, hundreds of thousands of won are spent from my own funds.”

The same applies to event activities. The average deposit required for an idol’s event is around $38,000, but the agency takes 50% of that amount. And that’s not all—idols also have to cover manager salaries, transportation costs (like gasoline), and expenses for hair and makeup.

As a result, Hyebin’s net profit from a single event is only about 2 million won (approximately $1,300). In groups with multiple members, this income must be divided among them. MOMOLAND once had 9 members, while other groups may have 13 or more members.

Hyebin compared this situation to an “infinite negative loop.” She explained, “Even the money we earn hard and save is immediately turned into a deficit when invested in the next music video.” She continued, “That money accumulates, is then invested in the next music video, resulting in another deficit,” describing it as “an infinite negative loop.”

Hyebin emphasized that even famous groups are not exempt from this situation. She stated, “Even if you reach the top of the charts or become part of a popular group, financial difficulties still persist.”