Kim Soo - hyun is one of the highest - ranking stars in South Korea today.
According to the Korea Times, earlier this year, the actor was paid a promotion of 5 billion won (over 90 billion) for 16 episodes of "Queen of Tears", equal to 1/8 of the production cost of the entire work.
The outrageous number once caused public uproar but in fact, Kim Soo - hyun has received the same remuneration since 2021.
In the drama One Ordinary Day, Kim Soo - hyun is credited with receiving a total of KRW 3 billion (over KRW 54 billion) for eight episodes.
According to Sports Chosun, although Kim Soo - hyun's commercial and reputational value has increased significantly in the past 3 years, the actor's acting ratings have not changed much.
However, the figure of 90 billion VND for 16 episodes still caused great pressure for the film producers in South Korea. Earlier this year, many controversies revolved around Kim Soo-hyun having too high a catalog, surpassing many showbiz celebrities.
Veteran actor Lim Hyung Joon said that the star's cast is too high is a challenge that the film industry faces.
"There's been a lot of talk these days about the remuneration of actors. You might think that less production is due to increased remuneration for actors. But in fact, only the main actor is expensive, my salary is the same as 20 years ago.
It is true that there are stars who can demand billions of won in salaries, but that should not become a norm or raise the general standard, "said Lim Hyung Joon.
The high number of actors paid for lead roles is also a factor in the number of films being produced each year.
Actor Ryu Seung Soo once revealed that South Korea has a production time of 120 films per year, but this number has fallen to about 50 due to budget restrictions. Many supporting actors have to work extra hours to earn a living, because their salaries are only a fraction of those of the main actors.
Currently, only some celebrity faces can attract television audiences such as Kim Soo - hyun, Park Bo - gum, Lee Min - ho, Park Seo - joon.
If they appear, domestic broadcasters can sell the film rights to OTT platforms (streaming services) with large royalties.
One industry insider questioned StarNews: "If an actor receives a promotion of 800 million won per episode (Kim Soo - hyun - p's level), how will the producers deal with the other actors' salaries and the salaries of the staff?
Other famous actors should also appear and we should fill the work with many good and famous actors so that the work is successful".
