How much is Kim Soo-hyun getting paid per episode for his role in Queen of Tears? Details explored as production team dispels rumors

Kim Soo-hyun has been the talk of the town since his latest drama, Queen of Tears, aired on Netflix and tvN on March 9, 2024. The actor returned with his latest release after a brief hiatus of over three years.

Meanwhile, Kim Soo-hyun's episode-by-episode salary for his current K-drama on Netflix has been made public. On March 26, 2024, the South Korean media site Newsen reported that the actor's current pay from his ongoing drama is 800 million KRW, or around $597,000, for every episode.

In light of this, he will be compensated a whooping 12.8 billion KRW, or around $9.55 million, for a total of 16 episodes.

This sum is startling considering that Kim Soo-hyun's known production budget for the drama is over 40 billion KRW, or over $29.9 million.

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Kim Soo-hyun reportedly earning over $9.55 million from Queen of Tears, agency refutes claims

On March 26, Sports Chosun reported that Kim Soo-hyun has dispelled speculations by willingly lowering his appearance price in Queen of Tears, despite allegations circulating of him getting paid 800 million won (about $595,340) every episode.

South Korea media outlet Sports Chosun was informed by an insider in the entertainment business that, despite erroneous rumors portraying Kim Soo-hyun as a well-paid actor, the actor's fee has been drastically reduced to a level far lower than his prior work.

Kim Soo-hyun's decision to lower his fees for the ongoing Netflix drama starring Kim Ji-won was influenced by his concerns about the mounting weight of manufacturing expenditures.

The Queen of Tears production crew stated that the actor decided to lower his salary in an effort to help save money for the crew.

He contributed to Queen of Tears with a sum even smaller than what he was paid for his last film, One Ordinary Day, whereas other actors are uncomfortable with cutting their fees and salary. This was done out of loyalty at writer Park Ji-eun's request.

According to Newsen, the My Love from the Star actor's remuneration is on the higher side for domestically produced works when compared to the salaries of other performers since he is one of the top actors in South Korea.

For One Ordinary Day in 2021, it was reported that he received 500 million KRW (about $373,000) every episode. He received a 60% wage increase over three years, or 300 million KRW (about $224,000) per episode.

Meanwhile, the production firm behind Queen of Tears, Studio Dragon, stepped out to correct the record as the uproar around the actor's remuneration escalated.

The production crew remarked that the performer made much less than the reported amount. They said,

"It is absolutely not true that he gets paid 800 million KRW (about $597,000 USD). He gets paid much less." (as reported by Koreaboo)

Notably, Kim Soo-hyun presently earns the same as well-known top performers like Song Hye Kyo and Jun Ji Hyun.

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Nielsen Korea reported that the sixth episode of Queen of Tears broke previous records for the show with a countrywide rating of 14.1% with the release of episodes 5 and 6 on March 24, 2024.

In its fourth episode last week, the program concluded the week with an average countrywide rating of 13.%.

In Queen Of Tears, Kim Soo-hyun plays Baek Hyun-woo, the husband of the chaebol heiress of Queens Group, Hong Hae-in (Kim Ji-won).

The married couple is seen rekindling their long-lost love after learning that Hong Hae-in is dying of a brain tumor and only has three months to live.