Actor Im Joo-hwan's work history at a Coupang logistics center has come to light, sparking even interest in the payment structure in the entertainment industry. Amid daily mentions of top stars' multi-million-won appearance fees, some actors' part-time jobs during gaps between projects drew attention for the contrast.
Recently, through an online community, reports spread saying "I saw Im Joo-hwan at the Icheon logistics center," and his agency Basecamp Company officially acknowledged to OSEN that "he worked there several times during past gaps between projects." He is currently preparing his next work, and his logistics center work has already ended.
Debuting in 2003 and having played leading roles in numerous dramas and films, the fact that he worked as a day laborer at a logistics center rather than acting came as quite a shock. However, considering the industry reality of fewer projects, there is also sympathy that it was a natural choice.
In fact, recent decreases in the number of drama and film productions and shrinking investment have reduced work for both actors and staff. There are also testimonies that some actors are juggling side jobs or part-time work. As the market is reorganized around large projects, the number of people who can participate is limited, and the remaining personnel face prolonged gaps, critics say.
This situation is also intertwined with controversy over pay disparities. Since the global OTT era, Korea's top actors' per-episode fees of hundreds of millions of won have been steadily mentioned, and foreign reports that Lee Jung-jae of Squid Game received $1 million (about 1.3 billion won) per episode for season 2 also became a major topic. Lee Jung-jae himself also said "it's true I received a lot," fueling the pay debate.
In addition, Japanese actor Yamada Takayuki once mentioned at a Netflix event that leading Japanese actors' per-episode fees are around 10 million yen (about 94 million won), and analyses highlighting that the gap with Korea can be up to 10 times have been revisited. This shows that Korean actors' fees are relatively high. OTT platforms, however, said there is no uniform cap and that fees are flexibly negotiated depending on the scale of the project, role and duration of involvement.
Ultimately, some interpret this as revealing a "polarized structure" in which a small number earn ultra-high fees while many actors endure gaps between jobs. Im Joo-hwan's case is seen not just as an individual's livelihood choice but as a reflection of the current imbalance in the content market.
[Photo] Netflix, OSEN DB
[OSEN]