Comedian Lee Sun-min sees 10-fold income increase after 10 years of struggle

Comedian Lee Sun-min opened up about reaching his prime 10 years after his debut, overcoming a period of obscurity where he lost his job overnight at the age of 30. His tenacity to stick with comedy, despite realistic advice from his family, eventually led to a major life turnaround.

On the September 12 broadcast of tvN's 'You Quiz on the Block,' Lee, a former SBS open recruitment comedian, appeared to candidly reveal his long period of obscurity and his life after achieving success.

Lee took his first steps into the broadcasting industry in 2016 when he passed the SBS open recruitment comedian exam as the runner-up. However, the joy did not last long. Just one year after his debut, he suddenly lost his job when 'Laughing Search' was canceled.

Recalling those times, he said, "At the age of 30, I suddenly became a person without a job. I cried my eyes out after the last recording ended truly."

The problem was not just simple unemployment; it was a moment of total uncertainty regarding his future as a comedian. Those around him suggested more stable paths: a professor suggested corporate employment, and his father urged him to move back to his hometown to prepare for the civil service exam.

However, Lee did not give up on his dream easily.

"It's too regrettable to end it like this. I want to show something before I leave," he said, choosing the path of perseverance.

To make ends meet, he worked whatever jobs came his way, including loading and unloading delivery packages, working as a DJ at a pojangmacha (street stall) in Sillim-dong, and working as a designated driver. Even after the broadcasting stages disappeared, he did not let go of comedy. Even while watching his colleagues gain fame and success through YouTube, he maintained faith that his turn would eventually come.

He endured for 10 years.

Finally, his fortunes changed. Currently, Lee appears in approximately 10 regular YouTube programs and maintains a packed schedule through September.

His income has also increased to an incomparable level compared to the past. When Yoo Jae Suk asked, "I heard you've become a big star and your income has increased 10-fold," Lee replied, "It's about 10 times compared to my income just before the cancellation of 'Laughing Search'."

However, he laughed, adding, "If I say it like that, it sounds like I'm earning a huge amount," offering a realistic reaction typical of someone who experienced long-term financial hardship.

The first thing that changed after his success was his attitude toward his parents. He revealed that he provided a massage chair for his parents' home and gifted a used SUV for his father's 70th birthday, a way of repaying his parents who had worried about him for so long.

Despite his success, he noted that his spending habits have not changed much. When the topic of being frugal even with leftover seasoning came up, he drew laughter by joking, "Isn't the word for dishwashing (seolgeoji) related to the character for tongue (seol)? I just do the dishwashing."

The reason Lee's story is special is that it is more than a mere success story of an obscure comedian. Although he once hit a wall so high that his family advised him to become a civil servant, he did not view that failure as a dead end, but rather as the strength needed to endure.

The unemployment that hit at age 30 was not the end, but a long grace period. While others succeeded first, he waited for his turn, and that decade of waiting finally bore fruit.

Ultimately, for Lee, this prime is not just about a 10-fold increase in income, but a period of proving to himself that "it was good not to give up back then."