BY MARIANNE ALVAREZ
The Kdrama craze is undeniably global. Thanks to wonderfully made drama series and movies, the Korean film and drama industry is robust and attracting money. Drama leads have become international celebrities, drawing fans from all over the world.
With this success, you can just imagine how much they earn. Let’s get a glimpse of the figures by naming a few of the richest Kdrama actors of 2021.
- Kim Soo-Hyun
Having an approximate total earnings of $25 million with a fee of $164,000 per episode, Kim Soo-Hyun now wears the crown of being the richest Kdrama actor! Starting off his road to fame in 2011 with the series Dream High as Song Sam-dong, he finished 2020 off with a bang for his phenomenal portrayal of Moon Gang-tae’s character in the series It’s Okay To Not Be Okay that won him a couple of awards. He also recently did an epic cameo as Bang Dong-gu on Crash Landing on You.
- So Ji-sub
An actor with a big heart for reportedly donating a big sum recently to less fortunate kids, So Ji-sub’s estimated total earnings is $24 million with a fee of $67,000 per episode. His total earnings were garnered from the many lead roles he had played since he started off in the drama series Model in 1997.
- Hyun Bin
This recently acclaimed actor has a current estimate earnings of $14 million with a fee of $84,000 per episode. He has been doing Kdramas since 2005 when he was recognized for his role in the TV series My Name is Kim Sam-soon. From then he has been doing other hit series like Memories of the Alhambra and Hyde, Jekyll, Me but his most remarkable portrayal of Captain Ri Jeong-hyeok in the 2019-2020 hit series Crash Landing on You became the highlight of his career, in which he starred back to back with his now real-life partner, Son Ye-jin.
- Lee Min-ho
My, my Lee Min-ho! This most popular veteran actor with the highest following on Instagram of a whopping 23.5 million has approximate total earnings of $13 million with a fee of $62,000 per episode. He became well known and well liked for his role Gu Jun-pyo in Boys Over Flowers that earned indisputably high ratings in South Korea and across Asia. His swoon-worthy acting as King Lee Gon in the 2020 fantasy series The King: Eternal Monarch has preserved his seat as one of best and richest Kdrama actors of all time.
- Ji Chang-wook
If there’s one actor who has played roles across many genres such as fantasy, crime thriller, romantic comedy and historical drama, it’s none other that Ji Chang-wook. He played the lead role as Dong-hae in the Kdrama series Smile Again that skyrocketed his career as an actor. His estimated total earnings of $12.5 million with a fee of $50,000 per episode have kept him as one of the top earners of the Kdrama world.
