that's why kdramas are flooded by product placement in a ridiculous way.

Kim soo hyun's dramas make billions all over the world, Yes he's worth 9 million and more

Kim soohyun being one of the highest paid actor is understandable cause his acting is oscar worthy ❤

Many dramas that I watch are only bcoz of well-known actors. For example, my demon. I wouldn't have watched it or dropped it in between if there were lesser known actors. But in dramas like queen of tears, I don't think idol turned actors would have done a good job. The casting is perfect for this drama.

Actually all of this is easily fixed… keep the pay low and add a percentage based on profitability.

Kim soo hyun ...deserve his pay.when he acts u get the feeling ur not just watching but also immersed in the situation.

Is this why it's taking up to 3 years for dramas to be produced? Back in 2019, dramas were being made in 3-6 months. This new system is incredibly harmful to the production of dramas and takes the fun out of it for the viewers. Who wants to wait years to see the next drama from your favorite actors?

Huge Hollywood paychecks and egos have ruined the movie/tv industry here in the US. Hollywood actors and actresses are feeling the pain since there is no longer any demand for them here. The roles are few and far between because the costs became too high, and they became too hard to work with. People are exhausted by their demanding behavior and affecting the quality of the work they are putting out. People have quit supporting them at the movie theaters, stopped going tot heir appearances, and they are not buying the products they are endorsing. I hope the South Korean movie/tv Industry is not trying to follow in Hollywood's footsteps. The top Korean stars will find out soon enough that people will loose interest and move on to keep their love of Kdramas going. There is already a production slow down with fewer filming projects in South Korean due to the costs. Many stars are complaining that they had no issues getting regular work in the past, but are now finding it very difficult. As a Kdrama fan I will keep watching no matter who the lead role goes to BECAUSE in my opinion the writers and character development has always been top quality no matter who the star is.

Honestly I feel that some of these actors are worth this money. However junior actors do need to be paid a decent wage. Don't know what the answer is. I mean in the West some actors are paid ridiculous amounts of money in comparison.

If they can’t afford those actors don’t hired them! It’s the same idea in the US, famous actors in the US gets paid more than less famous actors, due to their huge fan based that will watch their movies. Do you think a movie will be profitable if actors casted are unknown or no name yet in the industry, that’s the reality in the entertainment business!

Kim Soo Hyun unquestionably deserves every dollar he earns!

He deserves to get paid that 9.6 million . He is really a great actor.

I am all for artists making money but I am also very concerned about the fact changing world of Korean Dramas… it’s already clearly happening and it’s not all positive. In fact, much of the western influences in K Dramas are not a positive thing….

actors who are highest paid earn that because of their greatness with hardwork and great effort.. and kim soo hyun is so kind for reducing his fee for queen of tears

I feel bad for the Supporting actors! They should amend and set a regulations on Actors compensation.

He is a great actor. Deserves the talent fee for the extraordinary acting skills he brings into the role. That being said, everyone deserves to be given a fair share for their talent. Koreans are good actors. A lot of kdramas are worth watching.

I am on the both side, I think big stars deserve to get paid more and, I also get that production cost needs to stay in balance so, all the staffs, supporting actors get paid well too. But, I don't see any solution because I don't know how television earn their revenue or profit, my little guess would be sponsors and ott rights. Big stars can reduce their salary but, I don't see it as a core solution. Like it is easy for movies like big star can reduce salary and take profit share from box office. And, right now how Netflix and, Disney dominating Korean TV industry the salary will jump higher then ever. Another thing it would be a bad comparison to compare Korean actors salary with Japanese actors salary because, I mean it no big secret, these kdrama stars we are talking about they are mad popular worldwide, like the Japanese stars mention in the video, no offence but i don't know any of them.

People should be paid for their merits, not according to a standardized system.

There is a disparity in lead vs. supportive sectors- This normal. You are paying for name and experience. Nonetheless, Queen of Tears would NOT be the success it is, without Kim Soo-Hyung.

Producers are paying that much because the actors/celebrities are delivering! Why would they bet so much with the likes of Kim Soohyun if they will lose anyway..they are getting more than their money's worth and laugh their way to the bank

Well Kim Soo Hyun deserves his pay

Before QOT: KSH might have a unreasonable pay After QOT: Nevermind the pay

Who will watch a kdrama if the lead actors are unknown to viewers?

Actors should get paid accordingly to talent. Kim Soo is worth it.

That's Korea..Well, Kim Soo Yoon never fails the viewers or fans. Investors are becoming rich,too. Just wait till the fans decide not to watch or patronized your drama or film. Queen of Tears..it's the best drama ever for this year. TVN has always execellent taste in producing such a wonderful drama. For some companies who are envious, cast the best one and famous to the fans all over the world. That's the trend❤😊

It’s catch -22 situation… Hollywood actors a lot of them under SAG -Aftra union. My husband used to work in Hollywood film industry and he comes to these problems all the time about main actors getting paid too much and the budget becomes so tight for everything else. But he also told me big actors carry the name of the film very much which also determines if a film will flop or become blockbuster. It’s very hard for movie companies if they only have limited budget unless they can get sponsor products placement within the film it self, or back end pays for the actors when the movie does well.. I know nothing about Korean entertainment..maybe they should shortened the episodes , more and more I see 12 -14 episodes instead 16 standards. Unless they airing time and returns tied together to how much they will make. It’s a problem for sure.. but to wrap it up big name actors do deserve to be paid more (reasonable amount) than unknown actors, after all they are the ones who will draw the audience and they also have a lot overhead in their own team management or their agent management take too much of their pay! Why is Kim Soo Hyun being portrayed as unreasonable on this video, that’s not fair! You don’t know for sure if he got offered to be paid 600K per episode! Last time I heard he was making between 80K-140K per episode. Don’t believe everything if you don’t have your facts 😂 plus he deserves to be one of the most highest pay actors. I can’t imagine Queen of Tears will be a hit without him 😊 so don’t try to put this issue on him! The most unfair thing is if rookie actors get paid so little , I don’t agree to that either. Although to get your name and face out there in the beginning, a lot of actors will do that which is sad and considered normalized in this industry.

Set a fixed price for all actors that’s universal add on a handsome bonus if the dramas does well and exceeds the production budget. That’s how you keep things fair and balanced across the board. The pay should also have rankings for rookies, supporting roles and seniors.

Kim Soo Hyun deserved to get paid high salary. 👍🤗👍

Kim Soo hyun deserves to be paid all that money please!

I think bigger stars should get more money since it’s their names that are boosting views. I know I’m more probed to watch something with an actor that I like than something with some unknown names. Somebody correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t think they’re paid for the promotions and fan service either? I wish there would be change to the kpop industry as so many artists are underpaid while they are worked to exhaustion and the companies are racking in the money.

Kim Soo Hyun is WORTH every single dollar that he's being paid. Why not ask all the people that he's worked with? He's a very good actor.❤

I believe kim Soo Hyun deserves what his getting,he brings life to his role,sometimes I forget its a movie and actually live the movie,i don't know if anyone has experienced this

Producers engage famous faces to get viewers. Since they are banking on the popular actors these actors deserve the amount demanded and paid. Obviosuly if a producer cannot afford a famous actor go low budget and pick others actors who have not achieved popularity and hence cannot demand hefty fees! let market rules raise or bring down pay. No need to be patrernalistic in every instance!

$300k is too much already even for a top veteran actor. 150k should be max and the female lead should not be paid far behind.

Why is it that Kim Soo Hyun is just mention regarding this ?? Are you discriminating against him??? What about others?? Also bear in mind he is a very good actor but I find it hard to believe he would demand high fees and mistreat his film crew???

Based on some sources kim so hyun lowers his payment than he got from his drama before queen of tears

Thay are worth it thay work very hard enter taining all there fans

Kim soo hyun is perfect. He is fine like wine. I watched all his dramas, I like him more as time passes. 🍀🫰🏻🥰

He's only making 600,00 grand, he deserves a 1 milion an episode. Pay the man, Korea 😊

Please dont attack my fav actor Kim Soo Hyun. I dont think he demanded the initial pay, otherwise why would he takes pay cut which is quite alot!!

Obviously, actors in supporting roles should be paid fairly. However, I don't agree with everything in your video. For example, nowhere, also not in the US independent studios are able to pay top dollar for the top stars. Also, independent studios in the US are unable to compete with big studios, since they cannot pay the same marketing costs, etc. So, we cannot expect that independent studios in Korea can pay the same as Netflix or other big companies. Independent studios attract actors on the basis on the content they make: they do arthouse movies or other content which is just not interesting for big studios. Actors who seek challenge or just something else than big blockbusters agree for smaller compensation, participate in production costs, etc., to make independent content. That needs to happen in Korea too, not everybody needs to make popular mainstream K-Dramas. Another thing, in the US there is much more granularity between different actors and levels of their compensation. A-listers rarely or never play in TV shows/streaming shows. Therefore, actors starring in shows earn less. In Korea, it seems, their top actors play in both, movies and K-Dramas. So, they expect high salaries in whatever content they play. This is just a different market, K-Dramas are seemingly as popular or more than Korean movies, so they have the right to be paid for that popularity. Also, production costs are still smaller in Korea than in the US. However, nobody in the US is making 16-episode shows, mostly because of high production costs. That needs to change in Korea too: 16-episodes per show is just too much. 12 or even 8 is often enough for most stories to develop. If not, you can make another season, and K-Dramas rarely have more than one season, what needs to change too. 12 or 8-episode shows are easier to consume, much better for international audiences, and if the show is popular, you can make more seasons. Many of the 16-episode K-Dramas just drag their stories endlessly, while they can be easily wrapped in 12 or 8 episodes instead. This is especially the case with romcoms, why they need to be 16-episode long? No idea. And finally, about Japan: Japanese content is not as popular as K-Dramas. They're just not as sought by international audiences. So, why would they earn as much as Korean actors? Nobody expects for, say, Turkish actors to be paid on the level of American actors. Why then Japanese actors want to be paid as much as Korean actors? That just doesn't make sense. We're living during Korean Wave, everything from K-Dramas to K-Pop is tremendously popular internationally. When Japan has its own Japanese Wave, then they'll get to earn more too.

Have anyone noticed that, despite a popular ML, a drama becomes better, admirable or liked - if the FL acts her role superbly. meaning that, the FL carries the whole drama...... if she performs well consistently - regardless whether the ML is popular/performed well or not, or the production/venue is top quality or not, script/screenplay id good or not....So FLs (and may be other casts) should be paid better too in relation to a popular ML's pay.

I think some actors are worth the high pay since they bring in viewers and are experienced in acting and can protray the needed emotions plus they worked hard for years to be where they are but that does not excuse messing with production like insisting on production team change or making unnecessary demands however one thing i have noted with the influx of kdramas even if you have a top star in the cast if the storyline is not compelling viewers will gradually get tired and move on. For example qot had a compelling storyline that coupled with the well known actors but if the storyline is strong they dont necessarily need top actors and can recruit new actors such storylines help new actors gain a footing in the industry and help the industry grow like night has come and pyramid game they did quite well

False story for Kim Soo. He took less money. So stop spreading lies about him. He deserves more because he’s the best in korea

I would love to know who are and the names of those actors which actually REQUESTED a high pay and high demand for their performances. Do you think you can do a video about that? I am a fan of Kim Soo Hyun, and I dont know when and where this saying of him as the most paid actor in kdrama came about. His acting is definitely the best, but I dont know if this saying is true or not. And if true, I dont think he should get hate for this global law issue, as he himself reduced his pay for the drama, meaning that he has no intention of purposely demanding higher pay in order to accept the role. Real actors will value the quality of the script and performance, as well as reasonable pay for their time, effort and skills rather than being over demanding. So it would be great to find out who those actors are and start solving the problem from their pov.

Easy: HIre a less known actor. There are plenty of great actors that haven't been on Netflix yet

If you are good enough you should be paid more, and that's that, they work hard and sell well to be paid same as those who make flops. This is harmful for the growth of good content.

To save the Kdrama business,actors should be paid accordingly if the series was profitable or have many viewers should get more money or less viewers less money.

So if he brings in the sponsors and viewers then he is earning his money. They are complaining cuz they want to keep that money. The companies complaining are probably the ones not able to afford him.

Let's keep it real it's like any job. If you're good at your craft, then you get paid more than your co-worker, so... if you're a top actor and actresses yes! you do deserve to get paid more than your supporting role actors and actresses...

THIS was so interesting, thank you. I was shocked a few months ago to read how much Kim Soo Hyun is paid per episode for his drama appearances. Not meant as a slam, I adore him. Personally, I would love to see actors like Ji Chang Wook and Lee Minho teamed up in the same project, but it would be too expensive. No production budget could afford them. I don't what the solution is . . . rarely do actors reverse their appearance fees.

As someone who used to watch daily drama. On kbs weekly in 2015. This video really opened my eyes.

I mean the top actors have the right to ask as much as they want, but the wages of the staff member should not be affected

So basically the producers will take all the profits again while the actors and actresses suffer? Let’s not go backwards.

How much do you make in. Advertisements and box office sales. Funny how that’s not mentioned. Big stars bring in the money.😊 Put in rookie actors and see your ratings

I mean... if they think that the project is not paying them enough, then just don't do it. Let other people who are willing to take the smaller paycheck do it. If you are just someone starting in the entertainment industry, you cannot expect to be paid fairly. In the olden days, people are willing to work for free or even pay (sponsor) the production team for a chance to appear in big movie project or work with famous actor. They just wanted to be able to add that in their portfolio, make connections and promote themselves.

That's Korea..Well, Kim Soo Yoon never fails the viewers or fans. Investors are becoming rich,too. Just wait till the fans decide not to watch or patronized your drama or film. Queen of Tears..it's the best drama ever for this year. TVN has always excellent taste in producing such a wonderful drama. For some companies who are envious, cast the best 😂one and famous to the fans all over the world. That's the trend❤😊

At least a minimum pay should be made for all the actors.

What's with the thumbnail girl 🙄

As a front line worker who isn’t paid my value (vet tech)… it’s important that the people who make the movies, do the lighting, cater, rigging, sound, clean up, set painters, scouts, etc. all get paid a fair and livable wage. It’s not fair that the actors take 50% of the production costs!! Get off your high horse!! You’re not that special!!

Then why they produced top caliber drama and movie and hired them. Because they worth the price they are being paid. And know that these actors/actress have a midas touch.

The actors should be paid what they are worth. The entertainment companies make a killing off of them. This is absurd.

hiring actor in movie/drama not only for their face or the fame they already have ...... you also pay for their experience in acting, the time they took to study their character to bring the character alive.... if they didnt study the role properly they wont be able to connect with the character.... the audience too will not get the best experience while watching the drama you making resulting the rating wont go high, no one gonna watch a bad acting drama...... the payment are worth it if the actor can carry the character well n the drama going well

How much are the CEO getting paid?

I think this is why Kim Soo Hyun, one of the highest paid actors, only stars in a drama every 3-4 years because they can't afford him which is a shame since he's such a good actor.

They still earn a fraction of Hollywood actors whose productions spend millions on special effects, AI, and template stories. Korea is showing more creativity and much better writing than Hollywood, why shouldn't they be paid for market value? The discipline, scrutiny, and long shooting schedule outpaces the Hollywood every time.

I think it’s normal now that actors receive a big paycheck. Kdrama now is like a new Hollywood.

Its not the fault of the actors/ actress its the system. Why blame it to them. Time for the korean film academy to changed/amend the current system. Its the system’s fault not the artists. Make the artists fees per movie/drama not per episode the producers will get bankcrupt no wonder. Only a suggestion but everybody will be happy artists and producers and staff

Why is it so difficult to have a salary distribution among the casts and production staff? Is it really difficult to to satisfy both actors and staff?

I cannot understand why the big discrepancy in the pay of the male and female lead. In my view, most of the time, it is the female lead who carries the show especially in rom com dramas.

Its quite coward to blame to online video platform if ya cant pay them then hire new bloods or some lower fame value like ruby lee or cast of pyramid game or Elijah lee

I think thay deserve the payment because thay work so hard

Question is how much profit producers earn from the drama. Pay other stars from that money instead of cutting pay to talented actors. Many of viewers watch some dramas only for their favourite actors. If producers earn money because of them then they are deserved to be paid back.

The newcomer actors will gain popularity and their agents will demand more money. I blame the entertainment companies/agents asking for the amount. There is a HUGE difference in Kim Soo Hyun and say Ji Chang Wook per episode pay. Look at how many dramas Wook is in per year compared to Kim Soo Hyun who has been on a break for what, 3 years and it wasn't due to military because he already did that. Don't get me wrong, I like him as an actor. But, is he really worth that amount per episode? There should be a max that goes for all actors. If they don't like the salary, there are others that will accept it and that will give them more exposure. If Korean companies can't keep up with Netflix, than they need to find companies within Korea to produce their dramas. Sponsors and investors will come. They need better marketing. If products are to be used in the shows, like the instant coffee caffein chews in every drama, then those sponsors need to be charged higher costs. They don't want to pay it, there are other sponsors that are waiting to be seen. And don't make it so obvious that it's a sponsor ad in the drama. Stop sending food trucks or digital sign trucks. If the fan base wants to do that, then fine. No more actor to actor food trucks. If they can send a food truck or trucks, they are loaded with money. If the drama plot is good, people will watch it. Sure name dropping big name actors will bring the viewers, but unknowns can do a great job too. Give them a chance.

I really don’t want to say this but Lee min Ho is not worth million dollars per episode. Sorry to LMH fans, 😏 … others might well worth it , like Soo Hyun or Hyunbin or Song Jong Ki.

i think Netflix is getting too greedy tbh. Its never enough money for corporations that's for sure. Those top actors are worth every penny. Stop your complaining and just pay them. If i watch a Korean drama i want to see the top actors not someone i dont know. I refuse to watch it.

There is a solution. In the US there is this filmmaker called Terrence Mallick. He creates unique movies. Cheap ones at that, and all top Hollywood actors are dying to be in them. And many are. He can collect a bunch of major stars in a single movie for peanuts. Their reward is in the prestige of the project. Not in the sallary. The problem is s.korea is about quantity, not quality and prestige. It's just manufactured plastic, with some exceptions. (Don't get me wrong Hollywood has the same problem).

that's no different like the US actors once they become popular on TV and Movie.

They should just get paid a percentage depending on how they do

It should be who will have a greater risk that should be compensated more. MC actors bear great risk in their career if the show flops than the supporting characters and staffs.

I don’t watch Japanese drama because of poor quality. Now I know why

As if the rest gets paid more if they get paid less. It just rises the profit of the companies.

I said this a few months ago, big bang theory cast were being paid 1m dollars per episode before the show came to an end, even if they wanted to be in a series now who would want to pay them cos what would be going through their heads we can’t pay them 🥵except they go out themselves to look for acting gigs and negotiate their prices themselves

I wish we could go back to kdrama days like that's crazy!!

Try not and compare how much you earned without them.

okay, can I play opposite advocate ( hate saying devil)... I get where people are coming from truly but honestly alot of these actors deserve the pay they are getting. They are bringing in more fans, they are earning their salary. The networks get crazy high ratings when any of the mentioned star in a drama and huge global exposure. I mean come one.. all the actors you showed killed it though.. Vincenzo - Amazing, Queen of Tears - Amazing, Lovely Runner- Amazing, My Demon - Wonderful.. So to me they do earn their keep. Also, not all actors are getting paid huge sums ( Like Byeon Woo Seok and Kim Hye Yoon in Lovely Runner). I mean I understand the frustration I do but they very good at their jobs and deserve to be compensated for it. I will say that is crazy about the pay for Japanese actors.. Alice in Borderland was that DRAMA and I still think the director of squid games stole the concept from Alice in Borderland ...so it really sucks they were paid so low. There are some lower budget K dramas that were amazing like Twinkling Watermelon that was totally overlooked and absolutely amazing.

This isn't right and a change should DEFINITELY be made. Not sure what exactly that is but being paid so high per episode is ridiculous no matter how good or well-known they are! Everyone should be paid equally no matter how popular they are and those prices NEED to change drastically, it's only fair.

Top stars are definitely not underpaid if they 50-55% of a budget is for paying the cast. Also 10% of US pay might be higher than the entire production of a kdrama. Korean actors also have way more endorsement deals than American actors. Ideally a projects majority budget should go into the making of the project rather than paying the actors. The director and staff members work as much as the actors but don't get the fame the actors enjoy. So crew getting paid less to compensate actors is injustice towards the crew. They cannot make extra money from endorsements and public appearances or enjoy the fame and appreciation. Actors have many other means to make more money but the rest of the people dont including the director and writer. Its their sole source of income.

They need to regulate the payments because their will be less and less dramas if this carries on. They are harming the industry that they need to survive by accepting high payments.

Its market driven so let the market decide. If an actor is worth 9 million than pay him/her the money, it should work that way. As for the rest of the industry, Korean and Japanese markets need to grow, especially outside of their domestic markets like Hollywood did back in the day. Don't shrink your industry and the amount people get paid, try to expand it!

Thankfully the big Korean stars have other avenues to fall back on, Fashion Jewellery etc.

You do notice that all of the TOP overpaid actors they are referring to are ALL MEN RIGHT?? That is my issue. I believe male or female you should pay an actor or actress what they are worth. Many of them have earned the right to ask for high fees, but their needs to be parity. Everyone working on a drama should be able to EAT.

that actors are rich they will product their own drama and poeple watch that drama for that actors they are well payed because they know their value

So give the actors a percentage of the gross as in Hollywood.

Most actors, Hollywood included, just need to get over themselves! I'd like to buy them for what they are actually worth and sell them for what they think they're worth! Give me a break, they are definitely not nuclear physicists! 😂😂

Honestly, I already exhausted with kdrama for recent years unless it's action or thriller movie. Romance? I dunno, there are so many things that I need very long break from watching it. Same thing Hollywood. Actors demanded high payments but when they are failed to get returns in box office, they don't give a fuck if the studio is broke and fired many people. These actors get away with millions while others must face bankruptcy and live on the streets.

Sooooo they don't want to pay for the very thing people are watching to see ? Yeah that's not how it works . If it were me and someone told me had had to work for less i would be out . Also if you don't want to pay for them get people you can afford . This is a non issue imo . Pay it or don't . It is that easy

For some of their counter part in the us . What they pay to these Korean actors / actress are pennies . People like Kim soo Hyun. Deserves every single pennies they offer and more .

I watch the dramas based on who the actor is. I have watched a lot of Kim Soo Hyun's dramas and want to watch it all because he's a good actor. He brings a lot of money into the industry. He deserves the high pay. But that doesn't mean that the rest should be receiving their salaries late and even underpaid. Hope a solution is reached which is fair to everyone.

so many people here defending soo hyun. but ask yourselves, should the staff work to bone and go hungry to pay him. he's a wonderful actor. it's time for him to prove that he's equally a wonderful human being. and i hope he does exactly that.