Top Actor Gets Paid 2,000 Times More Than Extras In K-Drama

A report analyzing the appearance fees of actors in K-Dramas has highlighted concerns about the significant pay gap between lead actors and extras or minor roles.

This photo is for illustrative purposes only. | Canva

On October 24, Lee Sang Heon, the Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee chairman, presented a report submitted by the Korea Broadcasting Actors Union and the Korea Broadcasting Performers’ Rights Association. The report showed that the pay gap between lead actors and extra or minor role actors reached up to a 2,000-fold difference.

According to the report covering nine K-Dramas that aired over the past two years, the largest pay gap between lead and extra actors was found in the SBS show Payback from 2023. Actor Lee Sun Kyun, who played the lead role, received ₩200 million KRW (about $149,000 USD) per episode, while actors who played minor roles or extras got paid as little as ₩100,000 KRW (about $74.50 USD) per episode.

Actor Lee Sun Kyun in “Payback” | SBS

Similarly, in SBS’s K-Drama One Dollar Lawyer (2022), actor Nam Goong Min received ₩160 million KRW (about $119,000 USD) per episode, while the lowest supporting actor fee was stuck at ₩200,000 KRW (about $149 USD) per episode, resulting in an 800-fold difference.

Actor Nam Goong Min in “One Dollar Lawyer” | SBS

In JTBC‘s K-Drama Snowdrop from 2021, the lead actor received ₩110 million KRW (about $82,000 USD), and supporting actors received ₩150,000 KRW (about $112 USD), creating a 733-fold difference.

MBC‘s The Golden Spoon (2022) also had a 700-fold gap, with the lead actor receiving ₩70.0 million KRW (about $52,200 USD) and supporting actors receiving ₩100,000 KRW (about $74.50 USD).

“The Golden Spoon” poster | MBC

Additional information about K-Drama productions was included in the report. For example, the commonly used minimum appearance fee in the drama production field was ₩200,000 KRW (about $149 USD) to ₩300,000 KRW (about $224 USD) per episode. Also, it took 2.63 days to shoot one episode on average, and the average working hours for actors in a day, including standby time, were 9.99 hours.

Due to using contracts where only per-episode appearance fees are paid without specifying working hours or conditions, supporting actors with low appearance fees may receive amounts below the minimum wage, excluding expenses such as costume fees. While other countries base appearance fees on the time spent shooting, Korea determines fees based on the number of episodes, leading to concerns that labor and time are not fully reflected.

This photo is for illustrative purposes only. | Canva

Chairman Lee Sang Heon emphasized the need to establish a minimum threshold for appearance fees to provide actors with a basic standard and compensation. He called for institutional discussions to protect supporting actors’ labor and survival rights threatened by inadequate appearance fees.

Here is the full report of the nine K-Dramas.

• One Dollar Lawyer (SBS):
  • Highest appearance fee: ₩160 million KRW (about $119,000 USD) per episode / Lowest appearance fee: ₩200,000 KRW (about $149 USD) per episode
• The Golden Spoon (MBC):
  • Highest appearance fee: ₩70.0 million KRW (about $52,200 USD) per episode / Lowest appearance fee: ₩100,000 KRW (about $74.50 USD) per episode
• Why Her (SBS):
  • Highest appearance fee: ₩95.0 million KRW (about $70,800 USD) per episode / Lowest appearance fee: ₩300,000 KRW (about $224 USD) per episode
• The Secret Romantic Guesthouse (SBS):
  • Highest appearance fee: ₩32.0 million KRW (about $23,800 USD) per episode / Lowest appearance fee: ₩200,000 KRW (about $149 USD) per episode
• Payback (SBS):
  • Highest appearance fee: ₩200 million KRW (about $149,000 USD) per episode / Lowest appearance fee: ₩100,000 KRW (about $74.50 USD) per episode
• Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (tvN):
  • Highest appearance fee: ₩70.0 million KRW (about $52,200 USD) per episode / Lowest appearance fee: ₩250,000 KRW (about $186 USD) per episode
• Start-Up (tvN):
  • Highest appearance fee: ₩60.0 million KRW (about $44,700 USD) per episode/ Lowest appearance fee: ₩150,000 KRW (about $112 USD) per episode
• Snowdrop (JTBC):
  • Highest appearance fee: ₩110 million KRW (about $82,000 USD) per episode / Lowest appearance fee: ₩150,000 KRW (about $112 USD) per episode
• Forecasting Love and Weather (JTBC):
  • Highest appearance fee: ₩68.0 million KRW (about $50,700 USD) per episode / Lowest appearance fee: ₩200,000 KRW (about $149 USD) per episode