Song Hye Kyo And Jun Ji Hyun Break Records With Their ₩200 Million KRW Per Episode Appearance Fees
It’s safe to say that Song Hye Kyo and Jun Ji Hyun are two of South Korea’s top actresses, as every production they touch become instant gold. The two stunning women hold unending A-List power and high brand value within the nation, so they probably rake in some serious dough. According to new reports, however, their fees may have exceeded everyone’s imaginations—as they reportedly just broke a new salary record.
According to Chosun, both Song Hye Kyo and Jun Ji Hyun have reportedly broken a record with their high K-Drama appearance fees. The news site reported that the two actresses, who both play the female lead in their series, are being paid a whopping ₩200 million KRW (about $168,000 USD) per episode.
Since both of their respective K-Dramas have 16 episodes each, this means that the two actresses will be receiving approximately ₩3.20 billion KRW (about $2.69 million USD) for their productions.
Song Hye Kyo has been busy with her melodramatic SBS series, Now We Are Breaking Up. The series aired just a few weeks ago and has been highly anticipated as it marks the actress’s small screen comeback since her 2018 K-Drama, Encounter.
The actress reportedly received ₩100 million KRW (about $84,000 USD) per episode for her tvN series Encounter, which means her K-Drama appearance fee has gone up 50% in the last 3 years.
As for Jun Ji Hyun, she has been busy with her latest small screen comeback in Jirisan. The thrilling K-Drama aired just in October 2021 and was also highly anticipated due to the interesting plot, as well as the male lead casting of A-List actor, Ju Ji Hoon.
Jun Ji Hyun hasn’t been in a K-Drama since her appearance in The Legend of the Blue Sea, which premiered back in 2016. Like Song Hye Kyo, it’s been reported that Jun Ji Hyun’s appearance fee has also increased exponentially, as the actress also previously made ₩100 million KRW (about $84,000 USD) per episode for her feature as a mermaid in the SBS series.
And while the wage gap between male and female actors in South Korea is still apparent, with top actor Kim Soo Hyun receiving ₩500 million KRW (about $420,000 USD) per episode for his appearance in One Day, Song Hye Kyo and Jun Ji Hyun’s record breaking salaries are definitely on their way to closing that gap.
You can watch Song Hye Kyo’s series, Now We Are Breaking Up every Friday and Saturday on SBS, while you can watch Jun Ji Hyun’s Jirisan every Saturday and Sunday on tvN.
