Teen entertainers registered with association number 366

By Lee Hyo-sik

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The number of underage entertainers registered with the Korean Entertainers' Association stood at 366 as of the end of May, according to Rep. Lee Myoung-soo of the minor conservative Liberty Forward Party.

Of the 366, 208 were elementary school students, with 76 and 82 attending middle and high schools, respectively, Lee said Tuesday, citing data from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.

Most of the teenaged entertainers often skip classes as they maintain a busy work schedule and the education authorities take no concrete measures to have them properly educated, he said.

Nearly half of the under-aged entertainers reside in Seoul, followed by 97 in Gyeonggi Province and 64 in Incheon. By gender, girls make up more than half at 199 and the remaining 167 are male.

It is estimated that there are more child entertainers than the statistics suggest as more students are engaged in professional singing, acting, modeling and other activities without belonging to any association.

"More and more elementary, middle-and high-school students are becoming singers and actors here. And many more are aspiring to become one. But the problem is most of them are not getting a proper education at the same time because a heavy workload of rehearsals and practices make it difficult to attend classes", Lee said.

The lawmaker argued that more has to be done to protect teen entertainers' right to education and prevent them graduating from schools without meeting scholastic requirements.

"These child stars are also students. They need to study and learn during their teenage years. Parents, schools and education offices should make more efforts to ensure they are properly educated", Lee said.

In June, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) Friday announced a new guideline for standard contract terms between production companies and artists, requiring management not to deprive the boys and girls working in the entertainment industry from their educational opportunities.

The agency also prevents underage starlets from dressing in excessively revealing or sexual clothing and working long hours.

leehs@koreatimes.co.kr

초·중·고교에 재학 중인 '학생 연예인' 수는 366명

초·중·고교에 재학 중인 '학생 연예인'은 얼마나 될까?

교육과학기술부에 따르면, 올해 5월 기준으로 전국 각 시도 연예인협회에 등록된 초·중·고교생 연예인 수는 366명이다. 이는 연예인협회에 등록된 학생 수이기 때문에, 실제로 연예인 활동을 하는 학생들은 더 많을 것으로 예상된다.

초등학생 연예인이 남자 90명, 여자 118명 등 총 208명이었고, 중학생은 남자 41명, 여자 35명 등 76명, 고등학생은 남자 36명, 여자 46명 등 82명이었다.

지역별로는 서울이 159명, 인천 64명, 경기 97명으로 나타났다. 특히 서울에서는 서울영상고(11명), 서울방송고(10명)에 재학 중인 연예인이 가장 많았다. 성별은 여자(199명)가 남자(167명)보다 더 많았다.