The announcement that the rookie girl group tripleS is already earning money has ignited mixed reactions among Korean netizens. On May 18, 2024, a post titled “tripleS are already receiving a wage” appeared on the popular South Korean online community forum Instiz.
The original poster noted that tripleS, a 24-member girl group under MODHAUS, is receiving salaries. However, the pay is likely not distributed equally.
The disparity seems significant, with popular members earning more, akin to managers, while less popular members earn less, similar to newcomers in a company. While international fans celebrated the news of the group earning money, Korean netizens had divided opinions.
The primary concern is how tripleS members are making money. A significant portion of their earnings comes from selling Objekts, tripleS’s version of photo cards.
Objekts are purchased digitally through the Cosmo app and function as NFTs, though not in the traditional sense—they cannot be traded in the market. Instead, they generate COMO, a voting token fans use to influence tripleS’s future activities.
Each Objekt costs $2.99 USD. More popular members sell more digital photo cards, while the less popular members sell fewer. Korean netizens criticize this model, arguing it pressures fans into buying Objekts to support their favorite members financially.
They believe this system could lead fans to feel obligated to spend money so their preferred members can earn a decent wage. Some fear that the pay gap could cause tension within the group.
Despite debuting sub-units in 2022, tripleS officially debuted as a full team on May 8, 2024. That they are already earning money so early in their career is seen as a chance for the members to start saving and investing in their futures sooner.
