K-dramas are known for their stunning displays of emotions through charming actors, well-crafted storylines filled with surreal romances, and period pieces deeply rooted in Korean culture. So much rich content has been released over the years, but did you ever wonder just how much money went into making these masterpieces?
Streaming services like DisneyPlus, Netflix, and more continue to shell out amazing original content and have solidified their names globally as highly recognized leaders of production when creating K-Dramas we all know and love today. From leading international sensations like Squid Games, otherworldly thrillers in Moving, to chart-topping love stories mixed with tragedies in When Life Gives You Tangerines, here are some of the most expensive K-Dramas known thus far.
Squid Game Season 2 and 3 (100 billion won)
The Netflix phenomenon that took the globe by storm, Squid Game, had reportedly spent over 100 billion won (approximately $67 million) in order to produce a total of 13 episodes for seasons 2 and 3. Totaling 22 episodes overall, Netflix invested about 20 billion won ($13.4 million) in production for the 18th episode of Squid Game alone and it reportedly costs about 2.5 billion won ($1.7 million) to film each episode.
Bloomberg brief reports revealed that the production cost of Squid Game, in terms of efficiency, was one of the most expensive series compared to other chart-topping series like Stranger Things and The Crown, which cost roughly $8 million dollars each. Although it wasn’t originally set for more seasons, thanks to the international success of Squid Games season 1 and Lee Jung Jae, seasons 2 and 3 were produced in succession. Netflix is known to have invested billions of won in the production of seasons 2 and 3, which is a testament to the high expectations and responsibilities the show garnered over time. According to reports, the return of the long-awaited season 2, which was released last year, performed significantly well by Netflix’s standards, but there were clear likes and dislikes in the overall ending of the series.
Tantara (75.3 billion won)
Netflix seems to be the streaming service with the most budget to flaunt. Tantara, an upcoming drama starring Song Hye Kyo and Gong Yoo in over 20+ episodes, is believed to cost more than 75.3 billion won (around $51 million) to produce. The length original series was backed by Studio Dragon who announced the signing of a production supply contract on December 17, 2024 and filming began in January 2025. It was reported that the last shooting was filmed after a year-long journey, making it a lengthy process.
The production supply contract amount for Tantara is estimated to exceed 75.3 billion won for a few reasons. According to the disclosure rules, if the amount of a single sales contract is more than 10/100 of the sales in the recent business year, it is subject to disclosure. According to the electronic disclosure system, since Studio Dragon’s sales last year were 753.14 billion won ($511 million), and they signed a production supply contract in 2024, the production supply contract amount for this drama is estimated to exceed 75.3 billion won ($51 million). This is the first time in six years a drama of this caliber required such a budget since tvN’s drama Mr. Sunshine, which aired in 2018.
Gyeongseong Creature (70 billion won)
Another lengthy Netflix original series that cost a pretty penny was Gyeongseong Creature Part 1 and 2. Starring Park Seo Joon, the 10-episode series managed to spend roughly 70 billion won (about $47 million), which was invested in the series even before its release. Season 1 drew attention as it ranked No. 1 in Korea and was listed on the top 10 list of 69 countries around the world just three days after its release. The larger-than-life budget was mostly drained by promotions and CGI, as well as paying for the various actors appearing in the episodes. However, it wasn’t all met with success– some acclaimed the drama’s lack of appeal, and others criticized it for not meeting expectations in season 2.
Critics noted the series’ slow development, incomprehensible character setting and low-quality CG. After receiving harsh feedback, Season 2 went through an unprecedented and complete re-edit. Despite the setbacks, Gyeongseong Creature remained successful and required plenty of funds to produce, making it an unexpectedly expensive series on this list.
Made in Korea (70 billion won)
Media giant Disney Plus always dug deep into their wallets to produce their own original K-Drama series with Made In Korea. The 12 episodes made for both seasons 1 and 2 had a production cost worth 70 billion won (around $49 million). With the series directed by Woo Min Ho and featuring Hyun Bin and Jung Woo Sung, Made in Korea was cited as the most anticipated release of 2025, with various promotions backing it.
In an interview, Director Woo claimed, “I don’t know how the number 70 billion won came out, but it didn’t cost a lot of money,” in regard to production costs. “I think it should be considered as the production cost combined for seasons 1 and 2. It is true that we filmed overseas locations and it cost a lot of money to reproduce the historical events.” Scenes like burning down real Korean shrines and gazebos, filming across the nation, use of explosives and guns, and delicate replication of early 70s props and clothing all added to the expenses.
Moving (65 billion won)
Like Netflix, Disney Plus has quite a few large-scale productions that made a whole in their wallet. Hit fantasy sci-fi series Moving was expected to cost about 50 billion won (approximately $33.6 million) at the beginning of the project, but the cost for the latter part reportedly increased by more than 15 billion won (around $10 million). The production cost reached a grand total of 65 billion won (approximately $43,744,824) per episode of the 20 released.
While the cost of production continued to increase, Disney Korea disbanded its content team in June 2023, and there were rumors that it would stop producing new original content and K-Dramas altogether due to the taxing production costs. Walt Disney Company Korea CEO Soyeon Kim rehashed the matter and said, “We will not stop producing original series in Korea.” After becoming the most-watched Korean original series on the streaming service, the success of Moving played a significant role by leading the net inflow of Disney Plus users to around 140,000 (based on the mobile index) within a week. Now, a second season has been confirmed with plans to release in late 2026.
When Life Gives You Tangerines (60 billion won)
The drama that won over the nation in 2025 was none other than Netflix’s original drama When Life Gives You Tangerines. Set in the 1950’s and starring IU alongside Park Bo Gum, the production cost of this 16-episode time-traveling piece cost about 60 billion won ($40.3 million roughly), with the shocking numbers drawing great attention even before its release. According to the behind-the-scenes footage, much of the production cost was reportedly spent on CGI and large-scale sets. Many of the main scenes in the production, including the Jeju sea, the port, and the train station, were implemented with blue screen-based CGI, not actual filming locations.
To the surprise of fans, even the Jeju port village was filmed on a large set in Andong. In addition, the cost of implementing the video was high due to the nature of the story. However, the major costs don’t just come from the performance but for the actors as well– top stars IU and Park Bo Gum were rumored to be paid 500 million won (approximately $345 thousand) per episode and accounted for a large portion of the production cost.
Knock-Off (60 billion won)
Disney Plus suffered a loss when the series Knock-Off, starring Kim Soo Hyun, became embroiled in the aforementioned star’s controversy involving Kim Sae Ron. The suspense drama that was deemed a prestigious release for Disney Plus was canceled and claims of its possible future release were completely rejected by the company after cutting ties with Kim Soo Hyun. The highly anticipated show cost 60 billion won (approximately $40 million) to produce, with both seasons filmed simultaneously, with 18 episodes in total.
It had drawn much attention even before its release, but in March last year, despite official announcements regarding its premiere, Kim Soo Hyun’s legal representative shared an article that “Disney Plus is reviewing the timing of release for Knock-Off by reorganizing its major content lineup in the first half of 2026.” However, it seems unlikely that the series will air. Netflix almost shared a similar fate with Cha Eun Woo’s tax scandal affecting his appearance in The Wonderfools, but the series is fortunately airing this May.
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What did you think of the mind-boggling prices seen in this list of amazing K-Dramas? Did you expect some of your favorite K-Dramas to cost such exuberant amounts to make? Share your thoughts about which K-Dramas impressed you the most, and don’t forget to enjoy your next K-Drama for FREE on Amasian TV.
