Kim Soo Hyun voluntarily cuts his pay, dispelling rumors of $615K fee per episode

Contrary to circulating rumors, actor Kim Soo-hyun has become a model of humility by voluntarily reducing his appearance fee, debunking the '800 million won (approximately 615,385 US dollars) per episode' rumor. 

An entertainment industry insider revealed to Sports Chosun on the 26th that, although Kim Soo-hyun has been known as a highly paid actor due to exaggerated reports, he has significantly cut his fee to a level far below that of his previous work. Another media outlet reported that Kim Soo-hyun was receiving 800 million won per episode for his role in tvN's 'Queen of Tears', but in reality, his fee is nowhere near that figure and has been substantially reduced.

This decision seems to be influenced by Kim Soo-hyun's concern over the growing burden of production costs. 'Queen of Tears' production team acknowledged the pressure of rising costs, and Kim Soo-hyun took the step of cutting his fee to help reduce expenses. While most actors feel uneasy about reducing their fees and salaries, Kim Soo-hyun contributed to 'Queen of Tears' with an amount even lower than what he received for his previous project, 'One Day'. This was done at the request of writer Park Ji-eun, out of loyalty.

On the same day, quoting several drama production company CEOs, a media outlet reported, "It is understood that Kim Soo-hyun received 800 million won per episode for appearing in 'Queen of Tears'." If true, his total fee for the 16-episode drama would amount to 12.8 billion won (about $9.85M USD), accounting for one-third of the 40 billion won production budget. However, this claim was refuted by 'Queen of Tears', and Studio Dragon also stated, "It is not true."

'Queen of Tears' has garnered significant attention as the latest work of Park Ji-eun, the writer behind the top-rated tvN drama 'Crash Landing on You', as well as 'My Love from the Star' and 'Producer', marking her third collaboration with Kim Soo-hyun. According to Nielsen Korea, the sixth episode of 'Queen of Tears' broadcast on the 24th achieved a record high rating of 14.1% (nationwide), setting a new personal best for the show.