Making videos online pays better than ever, but the rewards are far from equal. New government data shows that while the average one-person media creator now earns over 70 million won ($52,000) annually, the richest 1 percent are pulling in nearly 1.3 billion won each.
Representative Park Sung-hoon of the People Power Party released the figures on Monday. The data reveals that 34,806 YouTubers filed income taxes in 2024. This is a massive jump from just four years ago when fewer than 9,500 creators reported their earnings. Together, this group generated 2.47 trillion won in total income.
The industry grew quickly, with average earnings rising about 25 percent since 2020. Political content drove much of this recent surge, especially after the martial law declaration in December 2024 spiked viewer interest. However, this growth highlights a massive wealth gap within the creator economy.
The numbers show a “winner takes all” reality. The top 1 percent—just 348 people—earned a combined 450.1 billion won. Their individual average jumped 70 percent in four years. The top 10 percent also did well, averaging 333 million won per person.
In sharp contrast, the bottom half of creators barely scraped by. This group, representing 50 percent of all filers, earned an average of just 24.63 million won. That is significantly lower than the national average salary.
Age also played a factor in success. Creators in their 30s generated half of the total revenue, but those in their 40s held the highest average income at nearly 87 million won.
With so much money flowing into the sector, lawmakers are demanding stricter rules. Park urged tax authorities to crack down on high-earning creators who hide their income and called for better monitoring of harmful content used to generate quick views.
