The employment rate for acting is so high that IU has to directly speak out to deny it

On social networks, a list of actors with the highest salary for acting in Korean dramas is spreading again.

The faces ranked mainly participated in popular films aired in 2024 - 2025 such as "Squid Game 2" (Squid Game 2), "Queen of Tears", "When Life Gives You Tangerines", "Casino"...

This list once caused a stir in the Korean online community. The public was surprised by the rapid increase in TV actors' salaries in recent years.

As director Jang Hang Jun shared on an entertainment program, the salary of Korean TV actors is increasing exponentially. This trend began when global streaming platforms poured heavily into Korean content.

Looking at the list of popularity, it can also be seen that the actors with the highest salaries mostly act in films on online platforms such as Netflix, Disney+.

In addition, some actors on the list such as Park Hyung Sik, IU, Park Bo Gum caused controversy because the audience thought that their abilities were not worthy of the sky-high remuneration.

Many audiences were upset when Park Hyung Sik was said to have received a salary higher than veteran Choi Min Sik. Although after the hit film "The Strong girl Do Bong Soon" from 2017 to 2024 (when Park Hyung Sik starred in "Doctor Slump"), his works were not too explosive, and the broadcasting efficiency was not as expected.

At the time this list was going viral, IU and Park Bo Gum were causing a stir with the drama When Life Is for You, the tangerine, which ranked No. 1 on the global Netflix chart.

However, IU's producer and management company directly denied that IU was paid 500 million won (about 9.4 billion VND) for 1 episode, the highest in the history of Korean female actors.

Otherwise, top actors rarely speak out about their salary news, including IU's co-star Park Bo Gum in the drama "When Life Is for You".

Some opinions say that although IU has denied the salary of 500 million won/episode, after the resounding success of this drama, IU's future salary may increase even more.

As in Lee Jung Jae's case, the actor born in 1972 is said to have increased his salary to 1 billion won/episode in Squid Game 2 thanks to the global success of Squid Game part 1.