Veteran actor Lim Hyung Joon says the Korean drama industry is at risk of collapse due to challenges arising from skyrocketing salaries for top actors.
Number of films decreased due to high salary of main actors
Participating in a talk show on actress Lee Ji Hye's YouTube channel Gwanjong Un-ni, Lim Hyung Joon expressed his views on the challenges facing the industry. Korean drama (Kdrama) is facing rising costs stemming from the salaries of top actors.
When asked about his salary in the industry, the 50-year-old actor replied: “There’s a lot of talk about salaries these days. People seem to think that the decline in film production is due to high actor salaries. In fact, only the main actors are expensive, my salary is still the same as 20 years ago.”
Mr. Lim said that salary Top actors' salaries should be made public and transparent, just as they are for athletes. This allows audiences to judge whether the pay is commensurate with the actor's performance and value to the show they are on.
The actor added that some artists deserve to demand high salaries, but that should not become the industry standard.
“Some leading actors may not like to hear this, but I think their salaries should be made public. Look at athletes like Son Heung Min. Everyone knows his salary. Then people can judge whether they really play at that level, right? The public can judge them: ‘Can he only do that with that salary?’ If so, then maybe they don’t deserve that salary. I agree that those who can command a high salary should receive that number, but it shouldn’t become the norm just because of a few people,” the familiar supporting actor commented.
Lim Hyung Joon claims that the sudden increase in salary puts pressure on the budget, which in turn affects the number of shows produced each year.
Before Lim, Ryu Seung Soo also mentioned the decline in the number of TV dramas over the years. The actor April Snow It is pointed out that the land of kimchi used to produce about 120 TV dramas per year, but this number has dropped to about 50 at present due to budget constraints.
He shared the supporting actor struggling, some have to take on extra jobs to make ends meet, as their salaries are a fraction of what the main actors are paid.
Too big a gap between main and supporting actors
On October 24, 2023, Lee Sang Heon - Chairman of the Korean Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee - presented a report submitted by the Korea Broadcasting Actors Union and the Korea Broadcasting Performers' Rights Association. The report focuses on the current income levels and income gaps of actors in the land of kimchi.
Based on financial statistics of 9 Korean dramas aired in 2021-2023, the largest salary gap between the main actor and supporting actor is up to 2,000 times. That is the figure obtained from the drama Payback SBS's "The Last Love" in 2023. The late actor Lee Sun Kyun received 200 million won (about $149,000, at the time) per episode. Meanwhile, supporting actors were paid at least 100,000 won (74.50 USD) per episode.
This gap could increase significantly if the highest salary paid in 2024 is taken into account. In March, the Korean news agency Newsen Citing multiple private sources within the production company, the report said: Kim Soo Hyun paid 800 million won (about 596,000 USD) per episode in Queen of Tears . Because the drama is 16 episodes long, the actor born in 1988 pocketed a total of 12.8 billion won (about 9.54 million USD). This is a shocking salary for everyone because of the cost for the star alone. The moon embraces the sun accounted for one-third of the film's total budget of 40 billion won (about 29.8 million USD).
Although the crew later Queen of Tears declare with My Daily The number given is not true, Kim Soo Hyun was paid less, but certainly not a small amount. In the most recent movie before that, One Ordinary Day (2021), it was reported that the actor was paid 500 million won (about 373,000 USD) per episode.
Many people believe that the pay gap can be proportional to the number of hours worked as well as the brand value that each actor brings. However, what is truly alarming is that supporting actors are often paid disproportionately compared to the number of hours they put in.
The report notes that the typical minimum wage in the entertainment industry hovers around 20,000 won ($14.40) per episode. However, an average episode takes 2.63 days to film, and the average working hours per day, including waiting time, are 9.99 hours. Because Korean drama producers often employ per-episode contracts that do not specify working hours or conditions, it is likely that extras are paid below the minimum wage, without taking into account additional costs such as costumes.
Through the actual figures, Chairman Lee Sang Heon emphasized the need to set a minimum threshold for appearance fees to provide actors with a basic standard and remuneration. He called for institutional discussions to protect the labor rights and survival rights of supporting actors who are threatened by inadequate remuneration.
Source
Comment (0)