According to Osen, Netflix has lowered the remuneration for actors in Korean dramas from about 400 million won to 300 million won (about 5.7 billion VND) per episode.
Although 300 million won is still a big number, it has decreased significantly compared to last year, when the salary for each episode of a top star even skyrocketed to 1 billion won (about 19 billion VND).
Industry insiders say the change reflects Netflixs new strategy to limit the escalation of Korean film production budgets, which has already faced criticism from the entertainment industry in the country.
Rising star Byeon Woo Seok, who was once popular with the drama Lovely Runner, also received attention when he recently confirmed his participation in Netflixs series Solo Leveling. Industry observers speculate that the actor may be within the new remuneration limits of the platform.
However, the current ceiling of 300 million won does not apply to everyone and there will certainly be exceptions. Actor salaries vary depending on the scale of the project, and Netflix's seasonal dramas (most of the time) often increase the cost of actors by 40% compared to the previous part.
A Netflix official shared with Osen: "In terms of remuneration, it would be more reasonable to consider the duration and actual contributions of the creator and cast, rather than just relying on the number of episodes.
Netflix does not set a unified limit for appearance fees, instead, we are negotiating flexibly with partners by considering factors such as the nature of work, the role of characters, works, and production time.
For many years, Netflix has been hailed as the driving force behind the explosion of Korean content globally. However, the Korean film industry is also concerned because Netflix's abundant financial resources have increased production costs and actor salaries, putting pressure on the domestic market.
blockbusters like When Life Gives You Tangerines with a budget of 60 billion won, Squid Game with a budget of 100 billion won are proof of increased production costs.
This has led to a sharp decline in the production of Korean dramas, from 141 films in 2022 to about 80 films this year.
Previously, it was reported that Lee Jung Jae was paid $1 million (about more than 26 billion VND) for each episode of Squid Game 2. In an interview, the 52-year-old actor said that these rumors were " partly exaggerated", but he also admitted that his salary was significantly higher than before.
Even Netflix has expressed concern about unsustainable trends. In October 2024, Kim Tae Won - Director of content group at Netflix Korea - shared: "Although Korean content is developing strongly globally, increasing production budgets may be counterproductive.
We believe that setting a reasonable remuneration and budget not only benefits Netflix but also the actors and the projects themselves. We don't have any regulations but I think paying for work is the right thing to do."
