Another year another record I guess, and once again the headliner is top Hallyu actor Kim Soo Hyun. For his starring role in the upcoming drama One Ordinary Day (That Night), he is reportedly paid $500 million won per episode, which is 2.5x higher than what he got paid for his last drama It’s Okay to Not be Okay. Conversely the article reports that the actresses are still hitting the glass ceiling in pay. Kim Hee Ae got $80 million won per episode for The World of the Married and the one actresses to break $100 million won per episode are Jeon Ji Hyun, Song Hye Kyo, Lee Young Ae, and Son Ye Jin, no other actresses can break that mark. But it’s different for actors as many are getting paid over $100 million won per episode including Bae Yong Joon, So Ji Sub, Lee Byung Hun, Hyun Bin, Lee Seung Gi, Song Joong Ki, Lee Min Ho, and Park Bo Gum. And the most recent addition to that actor group includes Lee Je Hoon who got over $100 million won per episode for Taxi Driver. The article further discusses what goes into an actor/actress pay: box office, ratings, buzz, and domestic as well as international popularity. So because the audience for K-dramas remain overwhelmingly female viewers, it’s the actors who are the “money trees” that bring in viewers so that is why their pay is so much higher.
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Also popular rookie actors and some very popular male idols can get 100M/episode. LBH is S list he'll probably get around 200-250M if not more. Since LJH gets 100M would not be surprised if RJY is getting the same for his upcoming drama. The article also mentioned some actor who did his first lead role in 2019 is already getting 100M/episode.
It's so sad that even females don't support their own gender. Back in my university days, my management at a retail store was 2 females. One day my male coworker comes to me and complain how little we are getting pay and he happen to mentioned his pay which was $2 more than me (Keep in mind, I'm a fashion design student, that is my field, he his younger than me had no experiences, and I've been working there longer as well). Then me and my cousin also had this discussion, she stated that both her and her husband were hired at the same time for the same position (at the same company) and he also got offer about $2 more than her (shake my head).
In KSH's case, I'm glad that he is being called out because just a few years ago, the articles would only be about praising him for being the only star to command that much. Production company need to take better care of the people behind the scene because they are also the biggest reason to make those star's project as successful as they are.
@Lili I sympathise with you. ..I've been there. Employers can be discriminatory a-holes at all levels.
Sigh ??. Meanwhile in my country our pay not only difference in gender but races as well. Certain races get higher salary even though they have no experience when they start working. Its a bit sad you know.
You're glad he's being called out? For what? Being paid what the producers and investors want to pay him? Sounds like you're projecting your personal issues on him. He's not responsible for your shitty pay or S-tier actresses not getting their deserved due. Take it out on the shotcallers and big kahunas who make those decisions, starting with your boss.
Essentially articles are calling out the unequal (huge pay grade) in Kdrama land between women/men. You have missed the bigger issue here, this is not about KSH anymore. Look around, people are fighting for equal pay and trying to eliminate being discriminated against gender/race and here you are making it my issues only as the source of the problems.
You don't even need to be in their shoe to understand.
Although shk has bigger star power & even delivered more hits compared to some of the names here, i can't say i'm surprised to see her being paid less than the actors. It's unfair but it's not something that can be changed overnight. Actors will keep getting paid a lot more than actresses and that's how it's gonna be for many more years to come.
One thing i'm curious about tho..if their project flops, will the payment rate also decrease or will it stay the same?
Actresses definitely have to take a pay cut if their project flops not sure about actors because they generally have more star power and longevity. Like kth had to take a pay cut after jang ok jung flopped but yai was unaffected. Also syj could never get paid as much as taejihye because she's considered less popular than them so if taejihye gets 100 then she will be 90 or something like that.
SYJ pretty much solidified her status through her hit movies especially the in the past decade. If she gets paid as much as TaeHyeJi it's likely because of tv producers hoping she can take her box office pull to TV. I'd like to think Jeon Do Yeon was also paid handsomely (for an actress at least) too for her new drama because of the prestige her movie star status brings to the drama.
SYJ brings in more box office $$ than the names you mentioned so it's not a stretch to believe TV networks and producers would have to pay her well in dramas too.
Exactly thats my question too @Nad
Well to be honest Korea is a really patriarchal society so this will go on. I hope this will change
Song joong ki price tag higher 200-300M won more than song hye kyo even after biggest flop artdhal chronicle his price won't go down.Unbelieveble.
Exactly! SJK had 180MW in Arthdal and probabaly 200MW in Vincenzo.
I read in SCMP that JCW entered this league after K2 but suffered a huge cut after China closed its market since it is one of his huge fan base. Pierce Conran wrote the article about this exactly what Koala wrote down.
It reminds me an episode of Abnormal Summit. They discussed the fact if the salary should be known by everyone or not. It was pretty funny because when they offered to tell the salary from the pannel, they were less motivated.
I'm not surprised by this news, it's the same at Hollywood. Chadwick Boseman took on his own salary to pay more Sienna Miller for the movie 21 Bridges.
Agents should fight more for their actresses.
Big respect to Chadwick Boseman for doing that, the studio refused to pay Sienna appropriately so he told then to take the amount out of his salary to make their pay equal.
It really shows his character, not many people would actually make that kind of sacrifice in the name of closing the gender pay gap.
(It exists in all industries, to a shameful extent, and only got wider with corona. The only field where it's weighted in favour of women is fashion modelling...where careers are usually over by age 25)
Chadwick was an amazing human being in almost every way, losing him really hit hard. May he RIP.
Big respect to him, RIP Chadwick Boseman.
One more thing, after paying the cast with huge amount, how about the staff and the crew, they all remain unpaid or underpaid. The prod house will do cutting here and there.
These is another issue here. One is about the equality between actors and actresses and two is the people behind the film and drama making. Who would forget what happened to Arthdal Chronicles that the crew sued the production house Studio Dragon because they were not paid or underpaid and they were dragged to works for so many hours.
I just hope these issue will be addressed somehow and in someway with positive result.
Omg did you really write son ye jin's name Song ye jin!?
Hmm...not proud of this news for KSH...
Makes sense. But actresses make money elsewhere: CFs, magazines, tv show guesting. It may be the agency’s job to negotiate for equal pay, but at the end of the day it’s the production and investors who makes the decisions.
Actors (male) also do loads of cfs, shoots and tv show guestings so that's not exactly "compensation" for actresses.
And sure it's the production and investors who make these decisions about pay....we are just saying they are sexist decisions that value women (even those who are proven ratings draws) less than men with nowhere near their experience and star power, or value women even less than males of similar experience and fame levels.
“We are just saying... blah blah blah...” Sure, Jan. As if you getting your panties in a twist about this on some random K-drama blog is going to change anything. They are sexist? You just realized this? Wow, what a breakthrough! You must be new to the world. Welcome.
@Whateve - having a tantrum because koala dared to point out an injustice and we counter attempts to dismiss it, wow, how mature of you.
@Ace
Fully agree with you. If those producers and investors are willing to shell out that kinda cash, why should the recipient actors be blamed? Not their fault.
This is not credible in fact it is the same source from 2013 just being reposted on reply by some sections and quite the misinformation to be fairly honest coming from someone whos KSH fan almost 80% of the mentioned actors don't reveal salaries and initially this report is based on a 2013 report that has been recycled ever since on top of KSH's new salary so what they initially did is take KSH's salary and put on top of that same recycled report from 2013. Soong Jong-ki, Hyun Bin, Lee Min-Ho and Jun-ji-hyun are classified and never released to public mediaplay. Jun Ji-hyun makes most than majority of the males easily in the range of 300-400m whereas LMH makes 1-billion Won per episode and Song Jong-ki is significiantly higher than what the original 2013 repoer had him on and around that 300-400m won range and as for Hyun bin I would guess around 200-300m won ball-park.. KSH making 500m Won seems quite legit there is no argument there but the report it bases the others on is from an outdated 2013 report that was not even credible itself
How is this possible though? With a budget of 20bn, for LMH for example, 1bn X 16 ep = 16bn, that's 80% of production cost. Even with 500mn, it's still 40% of production cost for a lead actor alone, it's still crazily high.
Ksh with his mediaplay forever. Like once he claimed he earned 81 million usd. Who is robert downey jr infront of ksh rofl
Btw koalas do ur research. Lmh is getting paid 1 billion won per epi of apple plus series. Which has production over 100 million usd. But u wont see him mediaplaying his income . Bcoz he runs his own agency with sister and they keep it low. Ksh is mediaplay God
Lmh has been highest paid since city hunter days. Difference between real rich and a show off
Wait kiddo. So let me get this straight. LMH is soooo low profile yet somehow you know with authority he makes 1 billion won (or whatever comes in your mind) amount? ? okay. Sure. Whatever floats your boat.
Anyway general comment: it sucks that actresses don’t make as much as actors. It’s not a fan war between which oppa makes more ?. No one effin cares. This is about inequality which is a social issue and not just my-oppa-is-better-than-your-oppa BS.
Actresses dont bring overseas revenue like men to
Bae yong joon was reason winter sonata became a 2 billion dollar merchandise business. Even choi ji woo benefited from it. Buying building left right
If my male client bring more money i will pay him more
At same time i wouldve paid angelina jolie more than chris hemsworth bcoz she is more business.
Social issues out of nthng use common sense
Awww Ady, you’re asking someone to use common sense? YOU? Who can’t even form a proper sentence that a 5th grader could. Hello Pot, meet Kettle.
Lol get out of here ?
Aww i made a proper point of how your unnies dont bring overseas salea like oppas. Which u couldnt counter
Using emojis wont make u funny. U didnt have any answer? business isnt about social justice. Even ran a business or busy wanking in mommys basement??
Can you lmh stans stop trying to derail a post about a serious and shameful social issue (the gender pay gap) with bragging about your oppa's salary?
Cause earning that much compared to actresses of equal or greater stature doesn't make your oppa look great either.
Well not my fault if unnies cant demand overseas sales like him
It's business. Oppas bring more money and get more profit get it
Business is not about your feelings
@koala you can see IP addresses in your blog, can you please do us all a favour and find a way to block this particular tantrum-thrower with multiple ids?
I don't care about some warped-mind fangirl but swearing and namecalling other commenters is just not behaviour that should be tolerated.
Aww royal aunty couldnt see people taunting n name calling me. But saw my replues. What a hippo!
Adyjunjihyunbtslmh is now Hipporoyal, lol! Crazy human.
Looks like that adyjunjihyun brat with her multiple usernames, multiple accounts, atrocious English and awful attitude is back like a bad penny.
@empreyean She is really back and instead the social issue is the subject here, her annoying attitude makes the headline. Lol.
Social issues? Business doesnt care about social justice
Angelina jolie gets paid more than men bcoz she sells more
Simple
The day ur unnies can command overseas sales like men, they will get paid more
Bae yong joon was reason winter sonata became smash and choi ji woo benefited from it.
Its not my fault ur dunb asses brains filled with sjw cant comprehend simple business
I'm curious if HB and SYJ were paid the same rate for CLOY? Both being top actors and since they were 'close' even then (heh), could they not negotiate their rates together? I did notice HB got top billing in credits even though I think SYJ is technically his senior.
I think some actors don't disclose their pay so these lists may not be totally accurate.