Koreans React To How Much “The World of The Married” Actress Kim Hee Ae Gets Paid… And It’s Not What You Expect

The latest episode of the Korean television program Rumor Has It revealed that the sensational K-Drama The World of The Married actress Kim Hee Ae gets paid…

… an average of $57,000 to $65,000 USD per episode! According to an entertainment media associate, Kim Hee Ae signed to portray the complicated role of Dr. Ji Sun Woo at 70,000,000 – 80,000,000 KRW every episode.

With 16 episodes to the series, plus the frequent number of re-runs of these episodes, Kim Hee Ae is expected to earn over a million dollars from her appearance in The World of The Married.

This is higher than the average pay that most actresses receive. Actresses Go Hyun Jung, Jun Ji Hyun, Son Ye Jin, and Song Hye Kyo are the only ones paid higher than Kim Hee Ae.

— Media Associate

With that said — while Korean netizens became shocked to hear big numbers, they argued that Kim Hee Ae “is underpaid.”

• “She deserves to be paid more… This show promoted using her name from the get go, so really. She needs to be paid more.”
• “That’s actually not enough… Like… Seriously, pay her more!”
• “I expected she’d be paid a lot more… To say that she’s a million-dollar earning actress, her pay per episode isn’t that great. It’s relative, or whatever… But I think she deserves more.”
• “It makes sense. Kim Hee Ae’s acting is what makes the show so great. The plot is a whole mess but she’s the one giving it life.”
• “That’s not a lot, actually. Even her hoobaes who are younger get paid more.”
• “I would have thought she gets paid a lot more than that… T_T I recently heard how much other actors make, so I thought someone as seasoned as Kim Hee Ae would be making good money.”
• “57K for Kim Hee Ae though??? She needs to be paid a lot more.”

Meanwhile, thanks to her breathtaking presence in The World of The Married, Kim Hee Ae has been nominated for the “Best Actress” award for the 56th Baeksang Arts Awards.

Here Is 2020’s Fiercest Line Up For The “Best Actress” Award At The 56th Baeksang Arts Awards