The number of South Korean YouTubers earning over 100 million won ($70,261) annually has surpassed 4,000, showing the rapid expansion of the nation’s digital creator sector.
A total of 4,011 YouTubers here made more than 100 million won in 2023, comprising 2,088 men and 1,923 women, according to data from the National Tax Service released by Rep. Cha Kyu-geun of the Rebuilding Korea Party on Wednesday.
These high-earning creators have increased sharply in numbers, rising from 2,449 in 2021 to 3,359 in 2022 and 4,011 in 2023 — a 63.8 percent increase in just two years.
Those in their 30s made up the largest share of high-earning creators, totaling 1,961, followed by 772 under 30 and 171 in their 40s.
Rep. Cha stressed the need for stricter taxation as the number of high-earning YouTubers rises.
“Both the number of income reporters and their total earnings are increasing every year. The National Tax Service must thoroughly crack down on digital creators who fail to report their income to evade taxes,” the lawmaker said.
In 2023, a total of 24,673 YouTubers reported their earnings, up 52 percent from 16,228 in 2021. Over the same period, their combined reported income jumped 64.9 percent, from 1.078 trillion won to 1.778 trillion won, data showed.
Meanwhile, regional tax offices audited 67 YouTubers between 2019 and 2024, levying a combined 23.6 billion won in taxes, with an average of about 350 million won per person.
cjh@heraldcorp.com
