Byung-Hung Lee

Korean actor Byung-Hun Lee certainly is a force to reckon with in Asian cinema, but many South Korean news outlets were aghast upon learning the amount of the actor’s wage for the show IRIS. Lee is currently enjoying the success of the spy TV show and the hefty paycheck that comes with it. For each episode of his hit show, Lee is set to receive 100 million won (W100 million). In the US, that would be about $86,500, which is an amount I probably will never see in my life. He receives a W25 million performance fee per episode and was also awarded an advance of W1.5 billion so it’s not surprising that South Korea is reeling at the disclosure. While it’s not the highest salary reported, it is well over the W15 million guideline set by CODA (Corea Drama Production Association).

For the record, CODA head Shin Hyun-taik has not condemned the actor or the KBS network. He has simply stated “In Lee’s case, the amount includes a combination of things, such as proceeds from sales of domestic and overseas broadcast rights, so it’s not clear that his fee exceeds the guidelines.”

Lee’s co stars, Kim Seung-woo and Jung Jun-ho, both have salaries adhering to the industry guideline of W15 million. Both of these actors are established in Korean cinema and have a wide variety of credits to their name. Yet, the difference between their salary and Lee’s is obvious, especially considering the fat upfront Lee was given.

However, it’s not the first instance of an actor’s paycheck surpassing the industry recommendations. In 2007, beloved actor Bae Yong-Joon broke the record when he received W250 million for his role in “The Story of the First King’s Four gods”. Actor Park Shin-yang was also paid W100 million for participating in 4 extra episodes of his 2007 mini series “War of Money”. The situation is certainly not unheard of, but given the current financial climate it does pose the question: How much is too much? And does an actor deserve that much?

Source: Cho-sun