Hyup is not the only one!! Why popular Korean actors are appearing in Japanese dramas one after another[Articles read in 2024]| cinemacafe.net
A new year, 2025, has arrived. We hope to publish many articles on Korean Drama/Historical Drama.com this year as well, but what kind of articles will people read? Articles read last year in 2024 will be helpful in finding out.
A short-term intensive project that has continued since the end of last year. This time we will introduce the most read articles in July 2024.
In July, “Actress Choi Ji-woo’s youthful appearance taken in Ginza is a big hit! “Her aura is amazing”[PHOTO]“[The sad history of Joseon Dynasty ladies-in-waiting]The old age of the ladies-in-waiting who appears in “Janggeum” is miserable ?” were read.
This is the most read one. “That’s why popular Korean actors are appearing in dramas from Japan one after another. Is Japan a good value for money for Netflix?” The full text is reproduced below.
This is why popular Korean actors are appearing in Japanese dramas one after another. Is Japan “good value for money” for Netflix?
Actor Han Hyo Joo, who played the heroine in the Korean historical drama “Dong Yi”, is very popular in Japan.
In recent years, she has expanded her range with roles in the Disney+ series “Moving” and “Dominant Species,” as well as the Netflix movie “Believer 2.” She is currently in Japan. That’s because he’s currently filming a Netflix Japan series.
The film that is currently being filmed is being directed by Sho Tsukikawa, director of the movie “I Want to Eat Your Pancreas,” and will also star Shun Oguri, Han Hyo Joo, Yuri Nakamura, and Jin Akanishi.
The original story is the French film “Les Émotifs anonymes”. The film, which won the Audience Award at the French Film Festival in 2011 and is well known to those in the know, will be reconstructed into a series with investment from Netflix Japan.
The official news says it’s a “new series from Japan,” but it seems like it could actually be a Japan-Korea co-production.
This is because YONG FILM, a Korean production company that has worked on Netflix films such as “Poison War” and “20th Century Kimi,” is in charge of planning and production, and the visual design such as costumes and sets is based on the film “Parasite”. ‘s Lee Ha-joon, editor Yang Jin-mo who also worked on ‘Parasite’, and music by veteran Korean music director Dalparan.
Han Hyo Joo commented on her appearance in this film, which brings together the best cast and staff from Japan and Korea, “I’m happy to be able to appear in a collaborative work between South Korea and Japan.I went into filming with a new sense of nervousness as a newcomer. “I’m there,” he said, expressing his thoughts.
She is extremely challenging when it comes to acting, which is probably why she didn’t mind new environments and changes.
In addition to Han Hyo Joo, a certain leading Korean actor is also reportedly considering appearing in a Japanese Netflix production.
It’s not just the Korean entertainment industry. Global video distribution services such as Netflix are now turning their attention to the Japanese market.
The reason for this is the sharp rise in the performance fees of Korean actors and the production costs of Korean dramas, which were previously introduced in this series.
For example, actor Song Kang-ho, who appeared in the original series “Uncle Samsik” currently available on Disney+, was reportedly paid 700 million won (approximately 70 million yen) per episode.
Lee Jeong-jae, who became a global star with the Netflix series “Squid Game,” has received an increase in his appearance fee to 1 billion won (approximately 100 million yen) per episode for season 2, which is scheduled to be released in 2024.
Due to the rise in performance fees for leading actors, the overall production costs for dramas have increased by more than five times. It is becoming common for each episode to cost around 2 billion won (approximately 200 million yen).
In the case of “Queen of Tears”, which became a worldwide hit, with the final episode’s audience ratings in South Korea exceeding the record of “Crash Landing on You”, each episode cost 3.5 billion won (approximately 350 million yen). A total of 56 billion won (approximately 5.6 billion yen) was invested.
As a result of rising production costs, the Korean drama industry experienced a severe recession.
Terrestrial broadcasters are reducing their drama slots, and domestic video distribution services are also reducing investment in new dramas. Some companies have even canceled all production of new series scheduled for 2024.
In order to reduce the burden of production costs as much as possible, a new global video distribution service has set its sights on Japan.
According to Korean reports, production costs in Japan are half that of Korea. This is a “good value for money” market.
Moreover, Japan and Korea share the same oriental culture and are geographically close. In other words, for video distribution services, the best solution would be to combine Korean production know-how with Japanese actors and staff.
South Korea accounted for 9% of non-English content released on Netflix in the second half of 2023, and Japan accounted for 5%. The proportion of Japanese content is expected to increase further in the future. There is no doubt that a Japan-Korea collaboration or a Japanese drama will breathe new life into the Korean entertainment industry.
Written by Hana Lee
