Wage gap? Korean stars reportedly paid 10 times more than Filipinos

MANILA, Philippines — In a recent press conference organized by Korea Tourism Organization, Korean filmmakers and insiders revealed that their superstars are paid 10 times more than Filipino and other Southeast Asian stars.

When asked why is there a “wage gap,” Korean filmmakers clarified that the pay is not determined by nationality, race or gender, but by the total sales the industry makes.

According to Korean Film Council’s annual report for 2016 to 2017, in 2017, the Korean film industry’s size is between 327.1 billion to two trillion Korean Republic Won (KRW), the highest in Korean film industry’s history.

“The industry size in 2016 to 2017 has increased to about 2.4 percent from 2015 to 2016,” the Korean Film Council said in a statement released to Philstar.com.

Korean film exports, meanwhile, have increased to 119 million KRW in 2017, a 17.5 percent jump from 2016.

“During the same period (2016 to 2017), Korea’s Gross Domestic Product has also grown up to 3.1 percent,” the report added.

Due to these increases, the talent fees of Korean stars have also skyrocketed, so the fees of Korean superstars like Gong Yoo are now 10 times than that of Filipino superstars like Anne Curtis-Smith.

Korean filmmakers, however, are not sure if Filipino stars’ talent fees will also increase if the Philippine economy or film industry flourishes, because what is done in Korea is not necessarily followed by other countries.

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