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.