Many Arts Professional Work 2 Jobs to Make Ends Meet

One in two people working in the arts in Korea holds down two jobs to eke out a living. Arts professionals earn just W12.55 million a year on average, which shows how tough that line of work can be (US$1=W1,217).

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The figures come from a 2015 survey by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism released Thursday. The first of its kind, it covered 5,008 out of 130,000 arts professionals nationwide.

Architects earned the most with W48.32 million a year, and broadcasters were next with W39.57 million. Those involved with comics made W20.02 million, dancers W8.61 million, artists W6.14 million, and writers languished at the bottom with a paltry W2.14 million.

But the average annual household income of people in the arts was W46.83 million because they often worked second jobs.

Those in their 40s and 50s made the most from their arts-related jobs, though in comics, film and literature, younger people tended to earn more.