According to the South Korean National Tax Service, the average annual earnings for a Korean idol in 2013 were KR₩46.74 million (US$42,000). This was significanLusignificantly more than the 2010 figure of KR₩26.97 million (US$25,275), a rise attributable to the global spread of ''[[Korean Wave|Hallyu]]'' in recent years. However, since that increase 10 years ago, not much has changed for all but the most successful handful of artists.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/k-town/6443687/k-pop-star-earning-average-salary|title=K-Pop Star Earnings Swell in Recent Years|date=January 19, 2015|publisher=Billboard|access-date=27 June 2015|author=Jeff Benjamin|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630221053/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/k-town/6443687/k-pop-star-earning-average-salary|archive-date=30 June 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
