Exactly How Much Does An Announcer In Korea Make?— Former KBS Announcer Reveals Her Final Pay

Apart from singers, actors, and TV personalities, announcers are also often given celebrity stature in Korea, depending on their mass appeal. Working with major networks such as KBS definitely adds to the prestigious nature of the job. But apart from the fame, how much money can an announcer make in Korea?

On August 10, Lee Jung Min, a former announcer of KBS, returned to the network as a special MC on KBS 2TV’s Boss in the Mirror.

Lee became a KBS announcer in 2005 and worked for seventeen long years before becoming a freelancer in 2022. Her recent appearance on the variety show marked her first-ever appearance on KBS in the last three years.

Talking about her income, Lee revealed that after leaving the full-time position at KBS, she opened up a spa business and used her severance pay as the seed money, along with a bank loan. Addressing the curiosity around the amount, she revealed that it was “one big cheque,” which is estimated to be ₩100 million KRW (about $72,000 USD). The estimation left the others in the room completely stunned.

Meanwhile, Lee Jung Min made her debut in 2005 as part of the 31st open recruitment for announcers at KBS and has also appeared as a host and a guest in a variety of TV shows. Though her pay scale is definitely on the higher end of the bracket as a veteran in the field, her candid confession has given viewers a realistic estimate of what kind of lifestyle well-respected announcers can lead.