The earnings of top Korean actors per episode have become a hot topic online.

Recently, an online post titled The Male Actor Who Earns 500 Million KRW Per Episode revealed that Park Hyung Sik was paid 500 million KRW (~$375,000 USD) per episode for his role in JTBC’s Doctor Slump. Originally debuting as a member of ZE:A, Park Hyung Sik later became a successful actor.

He has starred in many dramas, including The Heirs, Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, Happiness, Our Blooming Youth, Doctor Slump, and his latest work, SBS’s Buried Hearts.

In Buried Hearts, he plays a genius with an extraordinary memory who seeks revenge after being betrayed. His intense performance has impressed many fans.

With the rise of OTT (over-the-top) streaming content, actors’ skyrocketing salaries have shocked netizens.

Kim Soo Hyun reportedly earned 500 million KRW per episode for Coupang Play’s One Ordinary Day and around 300 million KRW (~$225,000 USD) per episode for tvN’s Queen of Tears.

This means he likely made around 4 billion KRW (~$3 million USD) from One Ordinary Day and 5 billion KRW (~$3.75 million USD) from Queen of Tears.

Meanwhile, other big names also earn huge amounts per episode:

Park Bo Gum and IU – 500 million KRW for Netflix’s When Life Gives You Tangerines
Choi Min Sik – 350 million KRW (~$260,000 USD) for Disney+’s Big Bet
Song Joong Ki – 300 million KRW (~$225,000 USD) for JTBC’s Reborn Rich

At the top of the list, Lee Jung Jae secured the highest per-episode earnings in Korea, reportedly making 1 billion KRW (~$750,000 USD) per episode for Netflix’s Squid Game Season 2.

Netizens reacted with mixed feelings:

“This is why people dream of becoming celebrities.”

“Park Hyung Sik makes 500 million KRW per episode? Wow.”

“Lee Jung Jae’s earnings are insane.”

“No need to worry about celebrities’ financial struggles.”

“They must be working incredibly hard to earn that much.”

“I’m just jealous.”

What are your thoughts?

Source: [1]

Actor Park Hae Soo shared his thoughts on the long-running comparison between him and Son Suk Ku.

On March 17, a video featuring Park Hae Soo, Lee Hee Joon, and Kim Sung Kyun, the stars of Netflix’s A Killer Paradox, was uploaded to the YouTube channel ‘Jjanhan Hyung Shin Dong Yup’.

During the video, Jung Ho Chul brought up the topic, saying, “Was Son Suk Ku also on SNL? People must have really enjoyed Park Hae Soo’s appearance because some even got confused, thinking it was Son Suk Ku.”

Hearing this, Park Hae Soo laughed and responded, “Even now? Well, that’s nice.” He then shared a fun story, saying, “I’m actually close with Suk Ku. I first met him at a salon when I heard about these rumors."

He added, "I felt a little bad for him, but since Suk Ku is such a chill guy, he just came up to me and greeted me with, ‘Hyung!’ Then, he suddenly hugged me, saying, ‘When are you coming home?’ like we were real brothers.”

Despite their resemblance, Park Hae Soo admitted that they have never worked together on a project, adding, “To be honest, Suk Ku is actually closer to Lee Hee Joon and Kim Sung Kyun.”

Netizens continue to agree that the two actors look alike, keeping the fun rumor alive!

Source: [1]