Another Korean top actor made a buzz after the media mentioned that his appearance fee in his recent drama cost almost half a million USD per episode.
Want to know more about the news? Then read on!
Song Kang Ho Reportedly Earned Over 500k USD Per Episode in 'Uncle Samsik'
With the expanding market of Korean dramas, the appearance fees, especially the top stars and in-demand actors in the industry, are also affected.
In a media report on June 12, top actor Song Kang Ho created a buzz after reports claimed that his paycheck for the Disney Plus series "Uncle Samsik" has reportedly reached a whopping 520,000 USD (700 million KRW) per episode.
With the drama comprising 16 episodes, this brings Song Kang Ho a total earnings of approximately 8.3 million USD (11.2 billion KRW). It has been said that the amount exceeds a quarter of the series' 40 billion KRW production budget.
Media Insiders Share Thoughts on Song Kang Ho's Appearance Fee
In the added information in the report, a casting director who has a decade of experience working with global OTT platforms revealed on June 7, "Song Kang Ho, who made his small screen debut with 'Uncle Samsik,' received 700 million KRW per episode."
Even though it was lower than Lee Jung Jae's 970k USD (approximately 1.3 billion KRW) per episode for "Squid Game 2," it places Song Kang Ho alongside top-tier actors like Lee Byung Hun, Song Joong Ki, and Kang Dong Won.
After hearing the news, it received mixed reactions from the public. One film industry insider noted, "Song Kang Ho earned approximately 595K USD (800 million KRW) for 'Parasite,' so receiving 700 million KRW per episode for global OTT drama is surprising. The financial power of American OTT platforms seems overwhelming for local capital."
Adding a statement to this, a drama production CEO spilled that there are rumors that Netflix is moving its production base from Korea to Japan, reflecting cost efficiency issues.
The CEO added that following the lackluster performance of "Blood Free" starring Han Hyo Joo, Disney Plus is facing disappointing results with "Uncle Samsik," too.
Despite the high anticipation, "Uncle Samsik" has only released 11 episodes, with mixed reviews. While the performances of the actors were recognized, the series suffered from tedious direction, slow pacing, and overly ambitious storytelling.
Sublime Addresses Song Kang Ho's Appearance Fee Issue
Meanwhile, Song Kang Ho's label, Sublime, released a statement clarifying the actor's appearance fee.
"Song Kang Ho originally signed a contract with Slingshot Studio for a 10-episode series. However, the editing process extended it to 16 episodes, and his per-episode salary for the 16-episode format is below 400 million KRW (approx 297, 000 USD)."
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KDramaStars owns this article.
Shai San Miguel wrote this.
