When a drama does not pull in ratings, actors sometimes don't get paid on time. This recently happened to Moon Geun Young, Kim Bum, and the rest of the cast for "Goddess of Fire: Jeonji." But it's not the first time that it happened, not even this year. According to industry insiders, this flaw in the way dramas are funded was at least partially responsible for the tragic death of director Kim Jong Hak.
Kim, the director of "Faith: The Great Doctor," starring Lee Min Ho and Kim Hee Sun, was found dead in July. He committed suicide after the drama's cast and crew filed a complaint against him and the production company because they were not paid for their work on the historical time travel drama. The actors' outstanding salaries totaled $500,00.
They were not paid because the director was deeply in debt. Producing a drama episode runs about $250,000. Because it is so expensive many broadcasters now purchase shows from independent production companies. When broadcast companies buy from independent companies, they only pay half the production costs. The independent companies must raise the rest by finding sponsors and placing products within the drama. Historical dramas such as "Faith: The Great Doctor" and "Goddess of Fire: Jeonji" offer few options for product placement. Without positive ratings, a historical drama can quickly spiral into debt. When "Faith: The Great Doctor" did not generate the best ratings, Kim Jong Hak could not pay the actors.
Some said he was the victim of a system that makes it riskier for independent companies to produce dramas. When he was charged with embezzlement, he became so despondent that he took his own life.
"I hope you apologize to the citizens who love dramas," wrote Kim Jong Hak in his suicide note to the prosecutor who charged him with embezzlement.
"Such tragedies will continue to happen unless the system that benefits only broadcasters is changed," said a representative of the Korea Broadcasting Actor's Union.
And actors waiting to get paid just happened again. Moon Geun Young is currently negotiating with the "Goddess of Fire: Jeonji" production company.
"It is true that Moon Geun Young did not get paid for her work yet," said a representative of her agency. "Currently she is negotiating the payment with K Fox, the production company. It is not that the production team failed to pay her, but that it is being postponed."
How long she will have to wait remains to be seen. To pay the cast and crew, the production company hopes to sell the drama to the international market, but those odds may also be affected by the show's low ratings.
