Actor Kim Soo Hyun is currently starring in Queen of Tears. He plays the husband to chaebol heiress Hong Hae In (played by Kim Ji Won). The two rekindle their lost love after finding out that Hae In is terminally ill.
Kim Soo Hyun’s pay per episode has been revealed. He is currently receiving ₩800 million KRW (about $ 597,000 USD) per episode. With 16 episodes in total, he will receive a whopping ₩12.8 billion KRW (about $ 9.55 million USD) as payout. This amount is shocking as the known production budget for the drama is ₩40.0 billion KRW (about $ 29.9 million USD). Kim Soo Hyun’s pay alone is around 1/3 of the budget. With the remaining 2/3, they would have to pay the staff, the female lead Kim Ji Won, the supporting roles, and more.
It was made known that he was paid ₩500 million KRW (about $ 373,000 USD) per episode for One Ordinary Day in 2021. His pay increment over 3 years was ₩300 million KRW (about $ 224,000 USD) per episode, a 60% rise. Taking a look at the pay for other actors, media insiders stated that Kim Soo Hyun’s pay is on the higher side for locally produced works. Lee Jung Jae is slated to be paid ₩1.30 billion KRW (about $ 970,000 USD) to ₩1.50 billion KRW (about $ 1.12 million USD) per episode of Squid Game 2 as it is supported by global producer Netflix. He is also a key figure in the series, with season two almost impossible without him. On the other hand, Kim Soo Hyun’s pay is currently on the level of famous top level stars such as Song Hye Kyo and Jun Ji Hyun.
These numbers have been verified by the casting directors for Queen of Tears, with Korean media outlets calling more than one director to check.
Source: Newsen
