Any kind Samster white knights can help our near expirary KPoP Chiobu?

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A K-pop idol breaks down the math behind why your favorite star might be broke​

Cheryl Teh
Wed, 8 July 2026 at 1:00 PM SGT
3 min read
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Hyebin led a once-top girl group.The Chosunilbo JNS/Imazins via Getty Images

• Hyebin is the leader of Momoland. At its prime in 2018, it was a top-tier K-pop girl group.
• In a new video, the singer broke down how much idols like her earn per event.
• The math, according to Hyebin, means most idols may be far from rolling in cash.

K-pop idols are often decked out in luxury clothes from brand deals, but the reality of their careers may look pretty grim.

Hyebin, the leader of the six-member girl group Momoland, took to Instagram this week to dispel the illusion that every K-pop idol is rolling in cash.

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"It has already been more than 10 years since I became an idol," she said in a video posted on Monday. "Many people probably wonder how much money idols actually make. It may seem like they earn a crazy amount of money, but they don't."


Hyebin started the video with an explanation about how many idols — especially those who debut in midsize or small agencies — start their careers with hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.

Costs mount during the trainee period that all K-pop stars must go through before their debut, including lessons, food, and housing to practice room rentals. It's all "billed straight to you after debut" like a "post-paid system," she said.

Hyebin added that reaching the top of the charts or being part of a popular group could mean an idol is "still poor."

 

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"In general, idols split all expenses 50-50 with the agency," she said. Releasing a song means buying a track worth thousands from a composer. Music videos cost money to make, too, and the idols shoulder the cost out of pocket.

"Every time we shoot a music video, tens of thousands of my own money vanishes," she said.

Even active idols who are constantly doing events and activities may not be raking in cash. The average booking fee for an idol event is around $38,000, she said, but the company takes a 50% cut. Then there's manager salaries, gas, and the necessary event prep, like hair and makeup that the idols need to pay part of the cost for, too.

And after all that, the profit is split among the band members. Momoland had nine members at one point. Some bands, like Seventeen, have 13 people.

"Every time I do an event, I walk away with around 2 million Korean won," she said. That's around $1,300.