On the issue of appearance fees and production costs, “Decided according to market conditions, operated responsibly” (Netflix 2025 Korea)

Netflix has revealed its thoughts on investing in production costs.

On the 4th at 10:30 am, the ‘Next on Netflix 2025 Korea’ event was held at the Grand Ballroom of Fairmont Ambassador Seoul in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul to reveal Netflix‘s representative Korean and global lineup for 2025.

The Q&A session that day was attended by Kang Dong-han, VP of Netflix Korean content, Kim Tae-won, Director of Film Division, Yoo Ki-hwan, Director of Nonfiction Division, Bae Jong-byeong, Senior Director of Series Division, and Ko Hyun-joo, Senior Director.

A question was raised that day about the actors’ appearance fees, which are estimated to be in the hundreds of millions per episode, and the resulting surge in production costs.

In response, Kang Dong-han, VP of Netflix Korean content, said, “We‘ve also seen many articles. When I met with producers, studios, and industry insiders, he said, “Production costs are always a hot topic,” and “There are several factors to consider, such as the size of the work’s ambitions and the period for the process, so I think that sufficient production costs must be invested in order to create a good work.” He expressed his thoughts, saying, “Competition in Korean content is fierce, and there are so many good works produced and outstanding actors and staff. So I think there are parts that are decided based on market conditions.”

He added, “Let me take this opportunity to say more. Our works are diverse, and the period that actors come and work is not much different from existing broadcasts. If you start talking about (the appearance fee) by episode, it can create the wrong picture. I think it’s important to invest production costs in areas where they can be sufficiently produced and to operate responsibly.” We are also working hard for this,” he explained.

Meanwhile, the 2025 Netflix lineup includes a variety of Korean works armed with genres such as ‘Fooled’, ‘Revelation’, ‘Witches’, ‘Crime Scene Zero’, ‘Melo Movie’, ‘The Price of Confession’, along with global works such as ‘Squid Game’ Season 3, ‘Stranger Things’ Season 5, ‘Wednesday’ Season 2, ‘Frankenstein’.

Jeong Hee-yeon, Donga.com Reporter shine2562@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.