Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Stout]

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2011/12/123_101505.html

While it�s understandable that the rapid growth of Korea�s music, television and film industries allows them to attract a greater wealth of talent, critics are concerned about school leavers sucked into a system ready to spit them out, disillusioned and uneducated, the minute their faces aren�t fresh enough.

The country had more than 170,000 people describing themselves as actors, singers or models at the end of last year, according to a recent National Tax Service (NTS) report. This represented a staggering 40 percent growth over the previous 365 days and nearly matched the 200,000 or so people who take civil service exams every year.

The country�s number of actors jumped from 19,000 in 2009 to 28,000 last year. Singers increased by more than 50 percent to 11,500, while the number of models grew by more than 70 percent to 14,000.

Life for the average entertainer isn�t all glitz and glamour. Actors reported an underwhelming 13.77 million won (about $12,000) in annual income last year, down 25 percent from 2009. Singers earned just 8.48 million won, while songwriters took home 6.6 million won.

It�s questionable whether star-struck teens should be left to dream their dreams without realizing the reality that most of them will struggle to make more than minimum wage.

Although Korea has been touting its entertainment industry as its next great export item to follow cheap cars, mobile phones and kimchi, poor work conditions and compensation of artists pose a problem that could eventually blow up in their faces.

Major music labels like SM Entertainment are still struggling to shake off the talk of ``slave contracts,�� which tie their trainee-stars with long, exclusive contracts that offer scant financial reward, a system critics say isn�t sustainable. And while their singers are gaining international acceptance, it�s hard to say that their style of highly-manufactured music couldn�t be easily duplicated by others.

It�s debatable whether society, too busy patting itself in the back over ``hallyu�� (the Korean culture boom), has allowed itself to be swept by a graceless form of pop-culture philistinism. ``Sexy�� is perhaps the most overused term in daily conversations and media here, and plastic surgery is talked of as casually as beauty salon appointments.

``What bothers me most is that these entertainment companies are not encouraging young people to be individualistic, creative and realize their potential. They are rather looking for puppets to feed their machine for cookie-cutter music,�� said Shin Min-chul, a teacher at a Seoul high school.

``As always, it�s all about hardware (appearance), rather than what�s inside.��

[1927]

Interesting article.

Anyone else see anything ironic in the plastic surgery adverts to the left of the article in the link?

[2i2dk1ny2i3]

interesting read

[Carbon]

Interesting is the ads on the page. Right next to this "poor victims" story is essentially soft porn, with ads for plastic surgery.

Pathetic rag. Korean print media is pure trash.

[fosterman]

unfortunately a lot of the girls make their money from private functions for rich people. I look at the tv and see the girls parading around in those slutty clothes singing some tune, but really it seems like they are just on show for some rich guy to pick up the phone and invite them over for a private party
the rumors that come out, about them working in chinese singing rooms, private functions, entertaining the rich etc.I believe most of them are true.
not to mention this is a producers medium in this country, the businessmen make all the money.
the artists are left with nothing. only a very few make it out to the top while the rest are just used and pushed aside.

[socialjeebus]

It's no co-incidence that many a young, aspiring female singer/actor has ended up marrying her "manager". That being said I heard a lot of the young male actors do "private" gigs too.