Gold Medalist, the entertainment agency co-founded by superstar actor Kim Soo Hyun, is facing intense scrutiny over its opaque corporate structure and shockingly low official payout figures to its artists, especially in the wake of the global success of the hit drama Queen of Tears.
The controversy centers on the agency’s financial reports. According to its audit reports, Gold Medalist listed a total of only 670 million won ($495,000 USD) in “payment fees”—a category that typically represents the artists’ share of earnings—over a five-year period from 2020 to 2024.
This figure has raised questions among industry insiders. In 2024 alone, Kim Soo Hyun starred in the megahit Queen of Tears and shot commercials for 16 different brands. His agency’s revenue surpassed 20 billion won ($14.8 million) for the first time in its history. Despite this massive success, the official artist payout listed for that year was just 270 million won ($200,000 USD).
“Typically, the split between an agency and a top actor is 2:8 or 1:9, meaning the actor takes home 80-90% of the revenue,” one industry insider commented. “I don’t know the internal details, but this is incomprehensible.”
The numbers become even more questionable when considering the agency’s full roster. Besides Kim Soo Hyun, Gold Medalist’s website lists nine other actors, including rising stars who have landed leading roles like Seol In Ah, Choi Hyun Wook, and Kim Su Gyeom. The list of projects from former artists like Lee Chae Min, Seo Ye Ji, and the late Kim Sae Ron would increase the total revenue even further. Despite this, the agency paid out less than 1% of its revenue to its artists over a four-year average. At one point, the company’s expenses for meetings and corporate entertainment reportedly exceeded the entire amount paid out to all of its artists combined.
Adding to the questions is the company’s confusing corporate structure. While Kim Soo Hyun is the face of the agency, its actual owner is an investment association whose listed address was a three-story building with a laundromat on the first floor. The association also controls another company that is reportedly under investigation for stock manipulation and tax evasion.
When questioned about the low payout figures, Gold Medalist stated that “artist settlement payments are personal information and do not need to be disclosed publicly.” A representative further explained that the numbers in the financial report are not a simple calculation of artist pay and that “the actual settlement fees are included in the cost of sales for services.”
However, this practice is in stark contrast to other major agencies. For comparison, IU’s agency paid her 33.6 billion won ($25 million USD) in 2024 following the success of her drama. NewJeans’ agency, ADOR, paid out 23.8 billion won ($17.6 million USD) to its members. Even Hook Entertainment, which was famously involved in a legal dispute with Lee Seung Gi over payment issues, gave out 79% of its revenue to its artists.
“Even a company like that paid out a huge portion of its revenue. That’s the reality of the industry,” the insider noted. “Usually, the agency is at the mercy of its top star, but Gold Medalist seems to be going in the opposite direction.”
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