How Much Does A “Nugu” Idol Make? Former Third Generation Boy Group Member Reveals The Shocking Numbers

On July 18, KST, Jo Sung Ho, a former third-generation K-Pop idol from the boy group Halo, appeared on E Channel’s variety program Jjeonsaengyeonbun, where experts help the guests with strategies and advice to reach their financial goals.

Former Halo member Dino, aka Jo Sung Ho | Hi-Star Entertainment

Jo Sung Ho, who is better known by his idol alias Dino, appeared on the show with his girlfriend Lee Sang Mi, who is a model and a digital creator. The couple of 12 years live together in the same house and are looking for ways to manage their finances to pay off their housing loan.

Jo Sung Ho with girlfriend Lee Sang Mi | @ech.official/YouTube

During the initial conversations, Jo Sung Ho revealed that when he was working as an idol, his relationships faced many hardships. Lee Sang Mi shared that the first time they could publicly hang out at a park was after seven years of dating because of Jo’s idol-life restrictions.

Jo added that there were financial situations too, which made things difficult. Despite being busy with so many schedules, he didn’t make much money from his idol activities.

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First of all, I had no money. Since I didn’t have money, we couldn’t go out to eat as we pleased. Also, even if [idols] are not popular, they are busier than people might think…There are many things I couldn’t do for my girlfriend.

—Jo Sung Ho

Halo debuted in June 2014 and was active till 2018. They went on a hiatus in 2018 and silently disbanded in 2019. Though the group failed to make any long-term impact with their music, they enjoyed decent popularity during those five years.

Halo | Hi-Star Entertainment.

When one of the panelists asked Jo how much he made during his idol career, his answer gave a jolting reality check. It turns out that from his debut to military enlistment at the age of 29, he earned only ₩580,000 KRW (about $459 USD) in profit. Apart from that, he had received a slightly bigger sum as a contract fee when he started his career with Halo.

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I received ₩5.00 million KRW (about $3,960 USD) won as a down payment at the time of my Halo activities. I received my first settlement just before going to the military at the age of 29, and I had only ₩580,000 KRW (about $459 USD) won in profits after five years of activities.

—Jo Sung Ho

After his military enlistment, Jo Sung Ho retired from being a Halo member and now works as a digital content creator with his girlfriend.