K-drama actors earning a decent salary for appearing in dramas, but that's not the only financial reason for landing a great role. Once you succeed in a k-drama, the commercial offers come rolling in and that's where a sizable chunk of an actor's income originates.
Stars of successful dramas have gone on to make fortunes based on commercial appearance.
After the success of "You Who Came From The Stars," Kim Soo Hyun and Jun Ji Hyun made a fortune in advertising endorsements. According to the Korean media outlet Korea Times, they each earned about $840,000 a year from the ads they shot. Lee Young Ae, soon to make her small screen comeback in "Saimdang: The Herstory," earns about $670,000 a year from advertisements.
Not surprisingly, miss A's Suzy Bae, Lee Min Ho, Hyun Bin and Won Bin are also top earners, raking in over $500,000 a year. Actresses who rule the world of advertising include Kim Hee Ae, Song Hye Kyo, Son Ye Jin and Shin Min Ah.
The spotlight does shift. Who's hot and who's not changes all the time, so after a successful drama or film many stars try to shoot as many commercials as they can.
At the moment some of the rising advertising stars include actor Yoo Ah In, AOA's Seolhyun and BtoB's Yook Sung Jae.
Yoo Ah In appears in two hit films this year, "Veteran" and "The Throne." And he can soon be seen in the drama "Six Flying Dragons."
Suzy Bae has been one of the top earners when it came to commercials, but AOA's Seolhyun is gaining on her. Seolhyun just landed a series of commercials for the SK Telecom Luna smartphone.
After BtoB's Yook Sung Jae charmed viewers in the drama "Who Are You - School 2015" and virtually married Red Velvet's Joy on "We Got Married," his became an even more coveted face. He scored advertising deals to represent a phone app, an online shopping website, a fashion accessories brand and an outdoor brand. The actor, who will soon be seen in "The Village: Achiara," modeled outdoor apparel with actor Jo In Sung.
And occasionally an actor who was once "the face of the moment" has a commercial comeback. That's what happened to Cha Seung Won after he appeared in "Splendid Politics" and "Three Meals A Day: Fishing Village." In the first six months of 2015 he landed 10 advertising contracts, including telecommunications, travel apps and outdoor clothing ads.
