Korean slang profile
생계형 아이돌
saenggyehyeong aidol
An idol taking varied roles to get by
An idol working under limited conditions who takes on varied roles requested by broadcasts and similar programs.
- Expanded form
- 생계형 + 아이돌생계형 (livelihood-oriented) + 아이돌 (idol)
- Other spellings
- —
- Earliest source found
- 2010
- Documented trend period
- Not verified
This is the earliest source we have verified, not the date the term was coined.
01Examples, with English translations
- Example by Julimmal
여러 예능에서 부지런히 활약하던 생계형 아이돌의 이야기를 들었다.
I heard stories of 생계형 아이돌 working diligently on several entertainment shows.
02Documented history
- 2010The National Institute of Korean Language’s 2009 new-word collection lists the headword “생계형 아이돌” and its definition.[1]
03Origin & word formation
This expression was checked in the National Institute of Korean Language’s 2009 new-word collection. The collection defines an idol responding to varied program demands under less comfortable working conditions. Who first used it and when have not been verified.
Evidence for the origin explanationHigh
The headword and definition in the 2010 collection were checked. The original re-quoted articles were not directly opened, so their dates were not used as firstSeen. The original coinage and path of spread remain unverified.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- 2009년 신어 자료집 (국립국어원·전주대학교 한국어문화원)Published 2010Original source checked Nov 14, 2026