If Jun Ji Hyun is the richest k-drama actress at the moment, it's only fitting that her two-time co-star Kim Soo Hyun is the richest actor.
Kim Soo Hyun attracted international attention due to his roles in "Dream High" and "The Moon Embracing The Sun." Before he appeared in "You Who Came From The Stars" his modeling price was almost $600,000 for an ad. But after his role as the 400-year-old alien, he commanded an even higher price, between $800,000 and $1 million for appearing in an ad.
And his appearance in films such as "Thieves" and "Secretly Greatly" continue to boost his international appeal.
"You Who Came From The Stars" was such a hit in China that Kim Soo Hyun was paid $500,000 for appearing on a popular Chinese TV show with the option of flying there in a private jet. Since his drama ended, he has filmed more than 30 ads in China, and there has been referred to as the "King of Commercials."
While his agency KeyEast, says the focus of his career will always be on acting roles rather than commercials, he has done a lot of them in the last year.
Even so, he will not quickly be forgotten as an actor. A recent Gallup poll voted Kim Soo Hyun the most memorable k-drama actor. He topped the list with 19.6 percent of the vote. After his last drama he had a series of fan meetings in Seoul and seven other Asian cities that were almost immediately sold out.
Kim Woo Bin also makes the list of rich k-drama actors as he is said to have earned $8.6 million this year. His popularity really took off after his role as the second lead in the drama "The Heirs," but he has become even more popular with his roles in the films "Friends 2" and "The Con Artists," also known as "The Technicians."
According to Newsen, Kim Woo Bin recently had a series of fan meetings in China with entrance fees ranging between $120 and $140. Even at that price, the series of seven fan meetings was sold out in five minutes. Almost 13,000 fans spent more than $1 million for the chance to see the model-turned actor.
Kim Woo Bin also received plenty of endorsement deals. In the last year he filmed more than 10 commercials, earning $400,000 per ad in Korea and more than $600,000 when he worked overseas. Those endorsement deals account for most of his income.
