Cover BTS’ Bangtan TV are among the highest-earning YouTube channels in 2021 according to Forbes Korea (Photo: Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
BTS’ Bangtan TV are among the highest-earning YouTube channels in 2021 according to Forbes Korea (Photo: Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
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From BTS, Blackpink to IU, here's the list of Korean stars who have the highest-earning YouTube channels in 2021, according to Forbes Korea
Forbes Korea has unveiled its annual list of highest-earning YouTube channels as part of its Power YouTuber report. The list of 20 celebrity channels is ranked according to its estimated earnings over the year with only four of the channels not belonging to a K-pop star.
The four non-K-pop channels are actress’ Ahn So-young's mukbang (eating) channel Ssyoung, comedians’ Lee Yong-joo, Jung Jae-hyung and Kim Min-soo’s channel Psick University, celebrity chef Baek Jong-wong’s cooking channel and Hong Jin-kyung's studying channel.
Curious to find out who else made it to the list and what their estimated earnings are? Read to find out more.
Editor's note: The number of subscribers, views and earnings are based on Forbes Korea’s Power YouTuber report as of August 31, 2021.
See also: Bang Si-Hyuk, Founder of BTS’ Label, Makes His Debut On Forbes Korea’s Richest List 2021
NCT
Subscribers: 4.22 million
Estimated earnings: ₩363.8 million
NCT’s group channel is the first on the list with an estimated earning of ₩363.7 million, thanks to its 282.8 million views across 244 videos.
AKMU
Subscribers: 2.54 million
Estimated earnings: ₩374 million
AKMU, the sibling powerhouse duo of Lee Chan-hyuk and Lee Su-hyun boasts an estimated earning of ₩374 million with almost 150 videos to date and 634.7 million views overall.
Gym Jong Kook
Subscribers: 2.11 million
Estimated earnings: ₩426.4 million
Running Man star Kim Jong-kook is a hardcore gym enthusiast, and his channel Gym Jong Kook is proof. It boasts 58.1 million videos despite only having 12 videos and has an estimated earning of ₩426.4 million for the year.
Study King Real Genius Hong Jin-kyung
Subscribers: 849,000
Estimated earnings: ₩427 million
Hong Jin-kyung, an entrepreneur, model, host, comedian and actress and her studying-themed channel may have under a million subscribers, but she has an estimated earning of ₩427 million for her 79 videos and a total of 81.3 million views.
NCT Daily
Subscribers: 5.15 million
Estimated earnings: ₩561.8 million
K-pop boy group NCT’s daily channel has an estimated earning of ₩501.4 million, a total of 729.9 million views with almost 500 videos.
Paik’s Cuisine
Subscribers: 5.15
Estimated earnings: ₩561.8 million
Paik’s Cuisine is a Korean cooking channel by Baek Jong-won, a notable food guru and celebrity chef in South Korea. He posts easy-to-follow, well-curated videos and introduces them to the international audience but also appeal to a lot of Koreans.
loonatheworld
Subscribers: 1.67 million
Estimated earnings: ₩781.7 million
K-pop girl group, Loona and their YouTube channel, loonatheworld has a total of 589.9 million views across 1,025 videos.
Red Velvet
Subscribers: 4.41 million
Estimated earnings: ₩782 million
K-pop girl group, Red Velvet only has 144 videos but they boast total views of 619 million which brought in an estimated ₩782 million earning for the year.
See also: Red Velvet's Joy is Selected As Tod's New Brand Ambassador
Psick University
Subscribers: 1.45
Estimated earnings: ₩1.1 billion
Psick University is a channel shared by comedians, Lee Yong-joo, Jung Jae-hyung and Kim Min-soo. Their channel has 377 videos and has a total of 361.8 million views and an estimated earning of ₩1.1 billion in the year.
Ssoyoung
Subscribers: 6.44 million
Estimated earnings: ₩1.1 billion
Ssoyung is the YouTube channel of actress, Ahn So-young. The 34-year-old actress’ channel has a total of 951.1 million views across 573 videos for an estimated earning of ₩1.1 billion for the year.
Tomorrow x Together Official
Subscribers: 7.54 million
Estimated earnings: ₩1.1 billion
K-pop boy group, Tomorrow x Together (TXT) has an impressive 467.1 million views across their 755 videos. Their total estimated earnings for the year is ₩1.1 billion.
aespa
Subscribers: 2.35 million
Estimated earnings: ₩ 1.44 billion
K-pop girl group and Givenchy ambassador, aespa only has 60 videos on their YouTube account but that accounts for ₩1.4 billion of estimated earnings for the year.
See also: K-Pop Girl Group aespa is the New Face of Givenchy
IU Official
Subscribers: 6.69 million
Estimated earnings: ₩1.6 billion
K-pop soloist, model and actress IU and her YouTube account, IU Official has over 100 videos for an estimated ₩1.6 billion of earnings for the year.
See also: IU: 20 Stylish Looks To Dress Like The Korean Star
EXO
Subscribers: 8.31 million
Estimated earnings: ₩1.7 billion
K-pop boy group EXO has almost 200 videos on their YouTube channel, boasting 472 million views for an estimated ₩1.7 billion earnings for the year.
See also: Exo's Kai Partners With Gucci For An Exclusive Collection
Mamamoo
Subscribers: 6.07 million
Estimated earnings: ₩1.7 billion
Four-member K-pop girl group, Mamamoo has 1.6 billion views across its 604 videos for an estimated earning of ₩1.7 billion in the year.
BamBam
Subscribers: 1.07 million
Estimated earnings: ₩1.7 billion
Got7 member BamBam’s eponymous YouTube channel only has 72 videos but its estimated earnings for the year is already ₩1.7 billion.
Seventeen
Subscribers: 6.85 million
Estimated earnings: ₩1.9 billion
K-pop boy group Seventeen has a whopping 881 videos on their YouTube channel, making up a total of 2.1 billion views and almost ₩2 billion earnings this year.
NCT Dream
Subscribers: 3.95 million
Estimated earnings: ₩2.2 billion
Taking in the third spot in the list is NCT Dream with an estimated earning of ₩2.2 billion for the year across its 233 videos with a total of 395.4 million views.
Blackpink
Subscribers: 64.6 million
Estimated earnings: ₩13.5 billion
K-pop quartet and Tatler's Culture List honouree, Blackpink—the most followed K-pop music act on YouTube—has a whopping 64.6 million subscribers. Their views are almost at a total of 20 billion across 372 videos for an estimated earning of ₩13.5 billion for the year.
See also: Blackpink's Lisa: 13 Of The K-Pop Star's Most Stylish Looks
Bangtan TV
Subscribers: 57.1 million
Estimated earnings: ₩19.1 billion
BTS—the best-selling artist of 2020 according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFP)—takes the top spot in the Power YouTube list, raking in almost ₩20 billion for their more than 1,500 videos, some of which were posted even before the septet debuted.
See also: BTS Graces Louis Vuitton Men's FW21 Show In Seoul As House Ambassadors
Jianne is a Hong Kong-born, bred and based Filipino. She graduated with a degree in International Journalism from Hong Kong Baptist University and went to work in Japan a travel writer. Upon returning to Hong Kong, she joined Tatler as a digital writer.
