There's shocking news from the world of Korean dramas! The giant streaming platform, Netflix, is reportedly significantly reducing the salaries or fees of Korean actors. According to the latest report, Netflix has set a new cap on actor pay, which will now not exceed 300 million won per episode.
That's equivalent to around 300 million won. This salary adjustment has drawn attention, especially since top actors previously earned up to 1 billion won per episode. Let's delve deeper into the reasons behind this policy and its impact on the drama industry.
According to Kbizoom, this major adjustment to Korean artists' salaries comes as Netflix's direct response to soaring overall production costs. Over the past few years, Netflix has been known for its bold spending on original Korean content.
Blockbuster dramas like " When Life Gives You Tangerines" and "Squid Game" have been record-breaking successes, but they also set extremely high standards for production, driving up actor fees dramatically.
" When Life Gives You Tangerines " itself cost around 60 billion won, while " Squid Game" cost 100 billion won. News of the salary adjustment has become increasingly popular after actor Byeon Woo Seok's name was implicated.
An industry source revealed that it would be difficult for Byeon Woo Seok to earn more than 300 million won per episode for his latest Netflix series, Solo Leveling. This figure is down from his salary, which was said to have reached 1 billion won.
Nevertheless, Byeon Woo Seok's current popularity will undoubtedly remain one of the highest-paid actors. More than just one actor's fee, this decision has had a broader impact on the Korean drama industry as a whole.
Rapidly increasing production costs, largely driven by rising actor fees, have put a strain on the Korean production ecosystem. As a result, the number of dramas produced each year has seen a significant decline.
In 2022, 141 dramas were produced, dropping to 80 in 2025. Netflix's Chief Content Officer, Kim Tae-won, acknowledged the issue. He said that rising costs could "boomerang back" and emphasized that the platform aims to balance fair fees with a reasonable budget.
He also added that they hope to balance Korean artists' salaries with the size of their projects, although there are no strict rules. The goal is to continue producing high-quality content without burdening the industry financially.
Netflix's policy shift has become a hot topic in the Korean entertainment industry. On the one hand, this move is considered crucial for stabilizing production costs and ensuring the industry remains healthy.
However, this raises questions about how significant a role global platforms play in determining Korean artists' salary standards. Of course, every artist dreams of a fantastic salary. With this new policy, actors and their agencies may need to adjust their expectations to remain involved in Netflix's global productions.
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