Jo Hyun Jae

The following article was published in the Chinese edition of the Chosun Daily on June 7, 2010.  We have translated it from the Korean because it is interesting and informative.

(Editor’s note: Figures are per episode.  1m KRW = US$810 approx.  [the Korean Won has depreciated since June 5 when we posted "A soldier's pay".] )

Those production companies which are responsible for the hottest TV dramas are all facing financial difficulties because production costs have skyrocketed.  A major portion of the escalating production cost is actors’ salaries.

Bae Yong Jun, perhaps the most representative actor of the Korean Wave, was paid a record-breaking 100m KRW per episode for his role in the 2007 drama “The Legend”.  In additon, his salary could be raised to 150m, depending on ratings and overseas sales, etc.  For his role in the 2002 drama “Winter Sonata”, he was only paid 4m KRW per episode.

Other stars’ salaries are not low either (figures are in KRW per episode): 
Park Shin Yang — 50m 
Lee Byung Hyun — 25m (100m inclusive of bonus) for his role in “Iris”
Son Yi Jin, Kim Tae Hee, Ko Hyun Jung — 20m -30m, not including bonus for drama rebroadcast and overseas sales.
PAN Entertainment Co. CEO Kim Jong Sik remarked: “Compared to 5 years ago, actors’ salaries have increased 5 – 6 times.”

Such is the “lopsided” situation that can be seen in the production of Korean dramas.  According to statistics from the Korean Cultural Information Promotion Dept., actors’ salaries account for 60% of total production cost of Korean dramas.  In Japan, actors’ salaries account for only 20% of total production cost.  Production companies indicate that TV stations exercise their authority to make excessive demands for star-actors.

A certain production company’s General Manager said: “If we don’t line up star-actors and just present our project and production plans to the TV stations, they will ask for certain stars and say: ‘You need at least these stars to begin production.’   In order to get the go-ahead as soon as possible, we can only do whatever the TV stations say since they have absolute authority.”

With regard to this, the Director of SBS responded: “Since viewers are partial to certain actors, as a TV station we have the right to ask for better actors.  This is because in the event the drama fails, the TV station has to be largely responsible.” 

For our readers who can’t read Chinese:

Photo 1 - Lee Byun Hyun
2009 TV drama “Iris” – 25m KRW per episode (including bonus approx. 100m)
Total: 20 episodes – basic income 500m KRW (including bonus 2,000m KRW)

Other star-actors’ salary per episode of Korean drama (2008) – all in KRW:

Bae Yong Jun – 250m                                       Lee Jung Jae – 50m
Song Seung Hun – 70m                                     Choi Ji Woo – 48m
Kwon Sang Woo – 50m                                      Song Il Gook – 40m
Park Shin Yang – 50m                                       Ko Hyun Jung – 35m

Well, these figures make me dizzy.  I can’t guarantee I didn’t misplace a zero or two*.  As I was translating, I kept thinking about Jo Hyun-Jae.  I hope he gets a BIG pay raise for his comeback drama — he’s so worth it!

* The discrepancy in the Bae Yong-Jun figures are in the original piece.  In the article, 100m per episode is mentioned, but in the photo (as you can see) it says 250m.

Hmmm……How much am I worth?

(Credit: http://chn.chosun.com; www.johyunjae.hk.  JHJ photo courtesy of www.epg.co.kr.  Thanks! 

(Credit: Countdown 10 by prissymom of wulijohyunjae; others by ahiru of CarpeDiemJAPAN.  Thanks!)

Just like love

On the edge of weariness
I will come again
I will smile again.

You use your sad eyes
To answer me silently
But I cannot hear.

All the long years of roaming on my behalf
I can’t just let you go from my heart like this.

Your slowly drawing near takes my breath away.
I cannot be like you
We are both so full of hurt.

To save ourselves from loneliness and desolation
We begin to learn to cherish ourselves.

Even if you now come to find me
We cannot love each other forever.
Even if there is more pain
We can only love each other.

Fate and chance do not wait for us
Even if we do not love each other
All the long years of roaming on my behalf
I can’t just let you go from my heart like this.

(Lyrics translated into English by wulijohyunjae.)

Quality of video not so good, sorry!  but great song, great drama, and, of course, great actor!

Photos below are from KBS magazine introducing “Forbidden Love”.

Latest news — Japan’s KBS World will be showing “Forbidden Love” starting July 13, 2010.  It is remarkable that JHJ’s 2004 drama will be featured again in 2010.

(Credit:  We thank Param of CarpeDiemJAPAN for these photos which are from her private collection.  Don’t ask us why some are in Korean and some in Japanese because we don’t know.  It’s all Greek to us!)  

Has our post title got your attention?  HRS stands for “His Royal Stinginess” and HSH stands for “Han Soo-Hyun”, so the full title is: His Royal Stinginess Han Soo-Hyun.  This is our Contributing Editor prissymom’s tongue-in-cheek take on some wardrobe issues in “3 Dads/1 Mom”.

 

 

Have you ever wondered how we came up with our daily posts (in spite of the dearth of news)?  We’re almost at our wits’ end.  Fortunately, Jo Hyun-Jae is also nearing the end of his military service.

So today we’re asking YOU – JHJ fans – to write this post titled “Dear JHJ”. 

Just write what you want to say to him — imagine you’re greeting him as he walks out of that camp in Pocheon on June 19.  All your pent-up feelings, longings, yearnings, etc. in these two years, or longer — just let them all hang out.

We’ll start.

Dear JHJ,

All this time you’ve been away, our days are filled with hope and our nights are spent in prayers.  We pray that God will keep you safe and sound, and we hope our efforts to keep you in the public eye will contribute a little to ensure your triumphant return to the entertainment world.  Unfortunately, waiting is a sedentary and straining activity, so during these two years we have grown sideways by a kilo or two and sprouted some white hair.  You, however, still look as fit and smashing as ever! (from the rare glimpses we have of you.)  Good for you!  Now go spread your dream in the sky!

wulijohyunjae

If the response is “overwhelming”, we may print out this post and give it to JHJ on June 19 – when we get to shake his hand.  Feel free to write as much as you want, and in whatever language you choose.

(Credit: Photo is of same series as 2008 “Memories” photo album, but honest-to-God, we can’t remember where we got this.  Thanks anyway!)

The following article was published in the Korean newspaper Joong Ang Daily on June 3, 2010.  We have translated from their Chinese version on http://cn.joins.com/big5.  The statistics are quite startling (to us, anyway) and are provided here for your information.  100,000 Korean won = US$84 (approx. – at today’s exchange rate.)   You can do the math yourself.

Although it is normal to spend within your income, it seems this is not the case with Korean soldiers.  They spend more than they earn.  They have to pay for even the caps they wear.

According to “Statistical Office and Civil Service pay provisions” released on June 2, the monthly salaries for Korean soldiers this year are: Sergeant – 97,500 won, Corporal – 88,000 won, Private First Class – 79,500 won, Private Second Class – 73,500 won.  From 2000 to 2003 soldiers’ salaries were upgraded to “civil servants improved” level, and then were raised again to protect the military under the long-term plan of minimum cost of living.  The improvement rate in 2004 was 47%. After that, a significant upgrade of 30% in 2005, 40% in 2006, 23% in 2007, and so on.

But compared to salaries, soldiers are spending more.  According to Defense Department statistics, a soldier’s average monthly expenditure amounts to 110,998 won.  The Air Force’s expenses rank among the highest - up to 124,017 won, the Navy – 120,223, the Army – 106,801 won, the Marine Corps – 100,815 won.  From the point of rank, Sergeant spends most – up to 126,097 won, Corporal – 125,214 won, Private First Class – 104,403 won, Private Second Class – 84,478 won.

From the point of use, going out on leave costs 43,762 won, snacks – 19,351 won, daily necessities – 6,658 won, laundry – 2,890 won, training fees – 2,111 won.

(Credit: http://cn.joins.com/big5; JHJ cartoon from www.johyunjae.hk.  Thanks!)

(Credit: Countdown 15 by prissymom of wulijohyunjae; others by ahiru of carpediemJAPAN. Thanks!)

Below are two messages (original in Japanese) left on the Japanese Official JHJ Fan Club on June 1 – the first one under INFORMATION by the Administrator and the second is a diary entry by its Japanese staff.   

ONE – Administrator in INFORMATION           2010.006.01         19:12

Regarding Jo Hyun-Jae’s Japan Fan Meetings, in a recent diary entry our Administrator announced that “schedule has been confirmed”, but now the dates may have to be revised.  (Editor’s note: That is, no longer August 20 in Osaka or Kobe and August 22 in Tokyo.)

As soon as the dates have been finalized, we will announce them here.

Re Japan fan meeting ticket sales and seating arrangements — priority will be given to fan club members.

1.  Only Fan Club members are allowed.

2.  In the event there are too many people, seat arrangements will be determined by drawing lots.  So not everyone will be allotted seats in the front.

TWO – Japanese staff’s diary (punctuation as in original)          2010.06.01         20:17

Hello, everyone.  June is here at last!
JHJ will finally be discharged this month ^^

These are two long years > <
No, certainly not ~ not short at all…..

While JHJ is preparing for his first work after discharge, we are planning to invite him to Japan.

Of course there are many offers of work for JHJ, but our management company says: “Please wait for the official announcement.”
What kind of work will it be ^^

Coming to Japan is for the long-awaited fan meeting and also to see his fans who have been waiting for two years.

Because the original dates [August 20 & 22] clash with the shooting schedule, the fan meeting dates have to be changed.  All I can reveal is: it will be between the second half of August and the first half of September.  When the dates have been finalized, I will report to you here.

Of course, fan club members enjoy priority in application for tickets and seating arrangement ^^

Please pay attention to the following:

If you apply for multiple tickets and your companions are not fan club members, they cannot enjoy priority seating.  Only fan club members are entitled to this privilege.

Seating arrangement is not first come, first served, but by drawing lots.

Buying tickets is first come, first served ^^

As soon as dates have been fixed, I will report here.  Please be patient ^^

(Credit: Text translated from Japanese in http://jo-hyunjae.com; photo from http://hyunjaelove.jp.  Thanks!)

“Rye Seung-Bum [who plays Kim Min Ho] talks non-stop; I could hardly get a word in.”

That was what Jo Hyun-Jae said about the situation on set of the 2004 SBS drama “Sunshine”.

Why is JHJ so quiet?  If the interviewer is an impatient person, he/she will be so frustrated.

“Yes?…..And then…..Why?…..So what’s it like?…..”  After trying many different ways of prompting, I finally got him to open his mouth to speak.

The actor JHJ is a person who answers questions very seriously, including responding to jokes and pranks.

Judging from his appearance, JHJ’s style is obviously different from today’s young people.  What makes him decide to join the cast of  “Sunshine”?

“As soon as I received the script, I immediately read it.  I found it very interesting, so I finished the whole script in one breath.  Song Hye-Kyo, Rye Seung-Bum, and I make a threesome whose relationship is both stable and variable — that’s what makes it interesting.”

JHJ’s role in this drama is a pastry chef who is trained in France before returning to Korea.

In the drama we see the hands handling the knife very skilfully, so we praise him: “Looks very professional.”  JHJ immediately shatters our illusion: “As a matter of fact, those are not my hands”, said with a curious expression on his face.

JHJ did not know how to cook before, but he underwent a lot of practice for this role.  In spite of that, many scenes use a stand-in.  Even then, JHJ finally drew blood last week.*

He was wounded three times in one week, and each time he bled.  First he cut his finger, then his palm was slit by a [broken] wine glass, and finally his knee was hurt when he was riding a motorcycle.

“If you see blood oozing out, you can’t deny you’re bleeding, right?  There’s not much blood; it just happened too often.  Maybe that’s how it became a big deal?” JHJ laughingly said.

Jo Hyun-Jae and Rye Seung-Bum are the same age, and Song Hye-Kyo is a year younger, so the atmosphere on set is very pleasant and agreeable.

Finally, JHJ said very modestly: “Every time I see myself on TV, I still feel I could have done better.”
 

* “Sunshine” was shown from Feb.11 to Apr. 1, 2004, so judging from this, this interview must have taken place around that time.

(Credit: Interview originally appeared on http://blog.k-plaza.com; this English translation is based on the Chinese translation by Bigcat on www.johyunjae.hk.  Photos from SBS and http://blog.naver.com. Thanks!)

This “First Love” MV is set to a familiar tune — “Moon River”.  Jo Hyun-Jae is a dreammaker and certainly no heartbreaker, not even in his dramas.  Oh, maybe in that scene in “Only You” — the morning after their one-night stand when Han Yee-Jun leaves Eun-Jae under the misunderstanding that she already has a boyfriend.  And maybe again in the same drama when he leaves his fiancee stranded at their engagement reception. What is it about Han Yee-Jun that makes so many women swoon over him?  Han Young-Woo in “First Love” is so sweet and yet the women walk all over him.

(Credit: hiro of EVERjohyunjae.co.kr. Thanks!)