Celebrity home shopping activities are once again drawing attention. From appearance fee levels to cases of daily sales in the billions of won and broadcasters who succeeded as CEOs being highlighted, evaluations such as "home shopping has become another main stage" are emerging, while mixed reactions are also being detected among the public.
"15 million won in 60 minutes"… reexamining Ahn Sun-young's remarks
Broadcaster Ahn Sun-young's mention of appearance fees revealed on YouTube in the past has resurfaced. She said, "Celebrity guests also have grades. I was on the higher-paid side," and "the appearance fee for a 60-minute live home shopping segment is about 15 million won." She added, "It's not an amount determined overnight but the result of 20 years of broadcasting experience."
Her activities as a businessperson are also being discussed. After founding a company, she set a goal of "building a company building if sales reach 3 billion won," and when it became known that she achieved this within three years, she was cited as a representative case of a 'self-made broadcaster CEO.' Industry insiders analyzed that the formula "people ultimately buy based on the person" prevailed.
Mother and daughter set records at the same time… Mija's "second heyday" assessment
Recently it was reported that broadcaster Mija and her mother achieved "legendary sales" on different channels. Mija quickly sold out the prepared stock during her appearance on CJ OnStyle and set a daily sales record that day, and her mother reportedly achieved results exceeding 200% of the target on another channel. Officials said, "It was an unusual case in which viewer ratings and orders surged simultaneously throughout the program."
Born in 1984, Mija married comedian Kim Tae-hyun in 2022 and expanded her activities to variety shows, live commerce and home shopping, and is assessed to have entered a second heyday as a "host who livens up the atmosphere with words."
"The moving national tax service" joke even… Yeom Kyung-hwan's earnings are a hot topic
On a YouTube talk show, Ji Sang-ryeol praised his close friend Yeom Kyung-hwan with a joking remark, saying, "Net earnings in 2025 alone are 5 billion won, and taxes are only 2.3 billion won." Yeom Kyung-hwan also said on another program, "There are times when we sell more than 1 billion won in 60 minutes, but the appearance fee is the same," and complained that he has worked for years without an increase in appearance fees.
"A dream stage" vs. "a sense of disconnection from reality"… mixed reactions
As appearance fees in the tens of millions of won and cases of daily sales in the billions are being discussed, opinions are divided over celebrities entering home shopping. On one side, people view the self-made stories positively, saying, "It's the result of expertise, trust and speaking skills combined," but on the other side some react, "There is a big disconnect with people's economic reality." The higher the skyrocketing prices and flashy figures attract attention, the more the temperature difference with public sentiment appears to be exposed.
Inside and outside the industry, alongside analysis that "the structure that star power directly translates into sales has solidified," there is continued assessment that home shopping has become "the battlefield of star business."
[Photo] 'SNS, broadcast screen'
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