Top Korean actors are increasingly turning to the Japanese market. Following Chae Jong Hyeop’s rise following the success of Eye Love You, stars like Han Hyo Joo and Ok Taecyeon are now taking on roles in Japanese series. This trend of Korean stars appearing in Japanese or joint Korea-Japan productions is becoming more prevalent.
Han Hyo Joo is set to star in the Japanese Netflix series Chocolate Romance alongside renowned Japanese actor Shun Oguri. While the series is planned by South Korea’s Yong Film, it will be produced in Japan, marking Han Hyo Joo’s first venture into Japanese drama.
>> Chae Jong Hyeop Makes Stellar Debut in Japan: ‘Eye Love You’ Takes Netflix by Storm
Ok Taecyeon, who will meet Japanese audiences this winter with the film Le Grand Maison Paris, is also taking on the Japanese Netflix series Soul Mate. Directed and written by Shunki Hashizume, and starring alongside Hayato Isomura, this will be Ok Taecyeon’s debut in a Japanese Netflix series.
The surge of Korean actors moving towards Japan is influenced by their desire for broader horizons, but more prominently by the recent downturn in the Korean drama market. Rising production costs have led to a capital drain from the Korean drama industry. Even OTT platforms that expanded the market are shifting investments to Japan or Southeast Asia. As a result, securing funding and broadcasting slots has become challenging, prompting top stars to consider Japan’s offers.
An agency official commented, “Actors choose Japanese dramas for their roles and characters, but the economic slump in the Korean drama market also plays a significant role. Even top stars now find it harder to secure investments and broadcasting slots as smoothly as before.”
However, not everyone views this Korea-Japan collaboration trend positively. The production budgets for Japanese dramas are significantly lower than those for Korean dramas. Some doubt whether these collaborations can maintain the high quality that K-dramas are known for worldwide. A drama production insider noted, “It’s said that even Takuya Kimura, Japan’s highest-paid actor, earns only one-tenth of what Korean actors make. The production budget for Japanese dramas is much lower, which limits the scale of the projects. This often leads to the discontinuation of many planned Korea-Japan collaborations.”
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