I think most have some kind of degree. But yeah, it seems risky and hard. Lots try to make a career through some combination of music-making, acting, and modelling, but it doesn’t seem like a particularly stable or lucrative career and I’m guessing most aren’t even this lucky. I think what often happens is that the female idols who aren’t able to continue as celebrities end up getting married, while male idols may end up having to try and break into the job market to become ordinary office workers, etc.

I think it wouldn’t be as much of a problem if they were here in the West, in countries like Canada, the UK, or America. It’s reasonably common here for people to go back to school and to change careers. It’s not ideal, obviously, but it’s common enough for it not to be all that odd and people are usually able to create good careers for themselves (although it goes without saying that some options are usually off the table — you’re not going to break into investment banking in your thirties, for instance). But in SK, my understanding is that it’s much more of a do-or-die society. If you fail, it can be very hard to pick yourself back up. This manifests in other places as well, like in the fate of failed entrepreneurs and start-up founders. People start planning for success early on, there are usually established pathways to get into established careers, and people who fall be the wayside have a hard time getting back on track.