What do you see from the salary of Korean actors 300 times higher than that of Vietnamese?

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Kim Soo Hyun received 300 million won/episode when appearing in Queen of Tears

In recent days, Kim Soo Hyun's salary for his role in the series Queen of Tears has been a topic of discussion among the Korean public. The producer of the series denied that the actor was paid 12.8 billion won ( 9.5 million USD ) for completing 16 episodes.

According to Star News, in reality, Kim Soo Hyun receives 300 million won/episode. That is, the actor pockets 4.8 billion won ( 3.5 million USD ). The salary of the star born in 1988 is lower than the most recent project, One Ordinary Day. (500 million won/episode).

However, the above figure still surprises Vietnamese audiences. Because the salary difference between Korean and Vietnamese TV actors is up to hundreds of times.

Korean TV actors' salaries are sky-high.

Over the past two decades, the salaries of Korean actors have skyrocketed, directly proportional to the explosion of television in this country.

According to SCMP, in 2007, Bae Yong Joon was the first star to be paid up to 100 million won/episode, for his role in The Legend of the Condor Heroes.

Eleven years later, actor Lee Byung Hun set a new record when he received 150 million won/episode in the project Mr. Sunshine (2018). Other famous faces of Korean television also have sky-high salaries: Hyun Bin was paid 150-180 million won for each episode of Crash Landing on You (2019); Song Jong Ki received 200 million won/episode when acting in Vincenzo (2021).

The number of actors receiving salaries of around 100 million won per episode is quite large, including Lee Min Ho (The King: Eternal Monarch), Lee Jong Suk (While You Were Sleeping), Lee Seung Gi (Vagabond), Park Bo Gum (Encounter)...

As of now, Kim Soo Hyun is the highest paid actor in Korea. In 2021, for each episode of One Ordinary Day, Kim Soo Hyun received 500 million won ( 423,000 USD ). In total, after 8 episodes, the actor pocketed about 3.4 million USD .

Or in the project It's Okay to Not Be Okay, the actor was paid 165,000 USD /episode. Thanks to that, he had an additional 2.6 million USD after the series ended. Most recently, Kim Soo Hyun received 300 million won/episode when playing the Queen of Tears . That means he contributed an additional 4.8 billion won ( 3.5 million USD ) to his assets.

The salary of Korean stars has surprised many Vietnamese artists and audiences. If we do a simple calculation, the salary of Korean TV actors is about 300 times higher than that of Vietnamese stars.

Specifically, up to now, the salary of Vietnamese television actors ranges from 200-500 million VND. Depending on the popularity and influence, the remuneration paid by producers to stars is also different. In addition, the number of episodes for each domestic television project is quite large (average 30 episodes). The main actor can receive from 5-12 million VND/episode. For famous stars, the figure is up to 20 million VND/episode.

Reasons why Vietnamese actors' salaries are low

Talking to reporters, director Nham Minh Hien said that he had previously had the opportunity to work and meet with Korean television crews. According to his observations, a project from a neighboring country, from the time of casting actors to signing contracts, training, filming to broadcasting, the total time to complete is 10 times longer than a Vietnamese television series. In addition, Korean actors often have a year to prepare before entering the project.

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Vietnamese TV actors' salaries range from 200-500 million VND.

“The investment cost for a Korean TV series is also hundreds of times higher than in Vietnam. Prices, exchange rates and other costs in Korea are also higher. Therefore, it is completely reasonable for Korean actors to have such a high salary. In addition, Vietnamese television is mainly service-oriented rather than commercial. We have not yet reached the threshold of the television industry. The export of TV series is also limited and brings little profit. This leads to low remuneration for actors and crew members,” the male director shared.

According to Nham Minh Hien, the salaries of Vietnamese actors have improved over the past 5 years but not too high. Except for actors, the salaries of directors and many other departments in the film crew have hardly increased for many years.

The male director said domestic television faces many difficult problems, the most important reason being low investment in films.

“Many films require filming in remote locations, which is very expensive, so they cannot be made. Because the TV station’s investment is only that much, directors and producers have difficulty managing. We don’t know any other way. Vietnamese television is really struggling. Now the only way is to increase investment costs for films,” Nham Minh Hien shared.

Sharing the same view, director Do Phu Hai said that Southern television has released many films in recent years but the success rate is not high. Compared to VFC, the filmmaking and PR strategies of Southern television still have many shortcomings and limitations.

“The investment cost of TV dramas in the South is very low, just like 20 years ago. Meanwhile, prices are skyrocketing. With such a modest investment, how can we produce good films? We cannot blame the investors. When the return on investment is not high, no one dares to invest large amounts of capital,” he said.

TB (according to Znews)

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