On the May 17 broadcast of MBC’s popular variety show Point of Omniscient Interfere (also known as The Manager), girl group (G)I-DLE (now rebranded into “i-dle”) made a memorable full-group appearance. Here, the members, including Soyeon, Miyeon, Minnie, Yuqi, and Shuhua, offered fans a rare behind-the-scenes look at their personalities and group dynamics, all while sharing candid stories.
Among the most attention-grabbing moments was Soyeon’s revelation about her music royalties. Known as the main producer and songwriter of many of the group’s hits, Soyeon shared that she has registered 88 songs with the Korean Music Copyright Association (KOMCA).
However, when asked about rumors that her royalties are enough to buy several cars, the female idol replied with a laugh, “To be honest, the royalties aren’t that much. Even if I write all these songs, Yuqi makes more from her earnings in China.”
This isn’t the first time Soyeon has opened up about her income. In a previous web variety show appearance, she stated, “At one point, I made 1 billion KRW (approx. $730,000) a month in royalties. But during slow periods, it could be as low as 100,000 KRW.”
Meanwhile, Yuqi also shed light on the group’s financial history, explaining that for the first seven years of their career, all earnings, regardless of whether they come from group or solo activities, were split evenly. It wasn’t until after they renewed their contracts that they began keeping individual profits from personal activities. “I was finally able to earn money from my own work,” she said, proudly adding, “And the first thing I did was buy a car for my parents.”
The episode also delivered plenty of laughs thanks to the chemistry between members and their managers. Fans got to see the group operate under a 1:1 manager system, with unique pairings revealing their personalities.
In particular, Yuqi, Miyeon, and their managers exuded extroverted power, passionately singing and bickering during their trip. Meanwhile, the introverted Shuhua barely spoke during her ride. The members’ contrasting personalities caused the managers to be surprised about the group managing to stay together. One manager joked, “People thought they renewed their contracts because they got along well, but that’s not true. It’s a mess. It’s a mystery how they even renewed their contracts and worked as a team with these different personalities.”
