It was previously reported that actor Kim Soo Hyun was receiving a whopping ₩800 million KRW (about $ 597,000 USD) per episode. The report was published by Korean media outlet Newsen.
The Shocking Amount Of Money Actor Kim Soo Hyun Received Per Episode Of “Queen Of Tears”
Later, Queen of Tears‘ production company responded to the matter, claiming that it was untrue.
It is absolutely not true that he gets paid ₩800 million KRW (about $ 597,000 USD). He gets paid much less.
— Studio Dragon
In a more in-depth report, Sports Chosun reported that although Kim Soo Hyun’s worth and appearance fee as an actor has gone up significantly, he was paid below his market value for Queen of Tears. Insiders reported that he took a pay cut for the drama voluntarily. Korean news outlets reported that Queen of Tears had faced some struggles regarding their production budget, and Kim Soo Hyun personally took a lesser fee in order to reduce the burden on the production budget. It was said that he decided to take a pay that was even less than his previous 2021 drama, One Ordinary Day. He was said to have been paid ₩500 million KRW (about $ 373,000 USD) per episode for that drama.
Sports Chosun continued to report that Kim Soo Hyun made this decision due to both his loyalty to Queen of Tears‘ writer Park Ji Eun and a request she made. This is his third time working with Park Ji Eun. They previously worked together on My Love From The Stars and Producer.
Source: Sports Chosun
