More Than Half of Broadcast Actors Have Side Jobs for Livelihood... 80% Earn Less Than 10 Million Won Annually

Seoul City and Broadcast Actors Union Joint Survey... Institutional Improvements Planned
Only 1 in 2 Sign Written Contracts... Pay Cuts Citing Next Appearance
Child and Teen Actors Average 14.4 Days Absent, 4.7 Days Early Leave Annually

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Eight out of ten actors receive less than 10 million KRW annually in appearance fees, and only half of them sign written contracts, according to recent findings. Unfair treatment and poor conditions on broadcasting sets persist, including the practice of last-minute script distribution ("jjokdaebon"), unpaid outdoor shooting allowances or meal expenses, and long continuous shooting hours.

On the 28th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Korea Broadcasting Actors' Union released the results of a survey conducted among 560 actors and 4,968 union members to understand the practices surrounding actors' appearance contracts and payment transactions. Among the participating broadcast actors, 72.0% were actors, followed by voice actors (10.2%), comedians (9.6%), and stunt performers (8.2%). By age group, 92.0% were adult actors and 8.0% were child and adolescent actors. Regarding the medium of appearance, 85.9% were in broadcasting, and 14.1% were on internet platforms such as Over The Top (OTT) services.

More than Half of Broadcast Actors Have Side Jobs to Make Ends Meet

Analysis of appearance income for 4,968 union actors showed that the average appearance fee, which was 28,123,000 KRW in 2015, decreased annually to 26,238,000 KRW in 2016, 23,011,000 KRW in 2017, 20,943,000 KRW in 2018, and 19,882,000 KRW in 2019.

Breaking down by amount, 79.4% of actors earned less than 10 million KRW annually, while only 4.8% earned over 100 million KRW. Moreover, actors earning over 100 million KRW accounted for 70.1% of the total appearance fee payments, whereas those earning less than 10 million KRW received only 5%, indicating severe polarization.

In a survey targeting broadcast actors, 529 respondents reported an average annual appearance income of 19.97 million KRW, and 58.2% were engaged in other jobs alongside acting. The main reason for holding additional jobs was to cover living expenses (78.5%), followed by supplementary income (9.5%) and career changes (2.8%).

Unfair Treatment Including Last-Minute Script Distribution, Fee Cuts, and Over 18-Hour Continuous Shooting

Among these actors, only one in two signed written contracts. Of the 1,030 programs (with up to three responses per person) that 560 respondents appeared in last year and this year, 49.4% had written contracts, 29% had verbal contracts, and 21.6% used other documents such as grade confirmation letters (where broadcasters evaluate actors’ experience and grade from 1 to 18).

The current Popular Culture and Arts Industry Development Act mandates written contracts (Article 7, Paragraph 2), with fines up to 5 million KRW for violations, but written contracts were not properly implemented.

Online video service actors had only 42% written contracts, with 46.7% participating under verbal agreements. Additionally, 43.2% reported not receiving accurate settlement details for appearance fees such as outdoor allowances, meal expenses, or additional fees (paid based on differences in appearance or airing time for daily, mini, or weekend dramas) after filming.

Unfair treatment experienced on set included receiving scripts just before shooting, known as "jjokdaebon," by 33.4% of actors; fee cuts citing future appearances (27.1%); unpaid outdoor or meal allowances (21.8%); continuous shooting over 18 hours (17.9%); fee cuts due to editing or other reasons (12.5%); and coercion to perform activities different from contract terms (10.5%). These unfair practices remain prevalent.

Discrimination in Appearance Fees and Violation of Learning Rights for Child and Adolescent Actors

For child and adolescent actors, only 30.7% signed written contracts, significantly lower than the 50.9% of adult actors. Among respondents, 66.7% had experience with night shoots after 10 p.m., but only 43.3% said they were generally asked for consent before filming, 26.7% said consent was sometimes sought, and 30% said consent was never obtained.

Among these child and adolescent actors, 62.2% reported discrimination in appearance fees compared to adult actors. However, when faced with unfair treatment, discrimination, or human rights violations during contract signing or on set, the majority (60.5%) said they "just endure it," followed by 37.2% who "consult with their agency" and 30.2% who "consult with their guardians" to respond.

Meanwhile, 82.2% of child and adolescent actors who participated in the survey attended acting academies, and all respondents said a guardian accompanied them during broadcasts. However, learning rights for child and adolescent actors were insufficient, with an average of 14.4 days of absence and 4.7 days of early leave due to filming last year.

Many Cases of Non-Use of Standard Contracts and Unfair Terms

The Seoul Metropolitan Government obtained eight types of broadcast actors’ contracts and conducted legal reviews. The results revealed many suspicious unfair terms, including non-use of standard contracts, reduction and exemption of production company liability, comprehensive transfer of actors’ intellectual property rights, prohibition of lawsuits, and excessive penalties.

Based on the survey results, the city and the Korea Broadcasting Actors' Union plan to collaborate with relevant departments, the National Assembly, broadcasters, and external production companies to develop improvement measures for related laws and systems.

They will also expand support for broadcast actors through the "Cultural Arts Unfair Consultation Center," which provides free services such as prior contract review, relief for damages related to revenue distribution and copyright infringement, and preparation of legal documents (certified mail, complaints, etc.). The support scope will be extended from artists to small external production companies.

Seo Seong-man, Director of Labor and Livelihood Policy at Seoul City, stated, "The decline in actors’ creative motivation due to poor conditions and unfair practices could lead to contraction of the popular culture industry. We will work to develop improvement measures for sustainable growth of the cultural industry."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.