These 5 Korean Dramas Have the Highest Production Costs, Making Viewers Amazed!

Kapanlagi.com - Written by: Inas Arwina Ramadhani

Korean dramas are indeed entertainment that is loved by almost everyone today. To make a Korean drama series, an interesting storyline and a significant production cost are required.

Top actors, detailed set designs, CGI effects, shooting locations, and fashionable clothing are also highly considered in the making of Korean dramas. Of course, this requires a large budget.

Curious about which Korean dramas have the highest production costs? Let's find out below.

1. Arthdal Chronicles

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Arthdal Chronicles is a historical fantasy drama with the highest production cost ever of 54 billion won or around Rp 653 billion. This drama is very expensive because it uses CGI effects, costumes for the actors, and set designs that were accused of plagiarizing Game of Thrones.

The main cast played by top actors, such as Song Joong Ki and Kim Ji Won, also increases the production cost. Some of the shooting was also done in Brunei and a special building set was built in Osan, Gyeonggi.

2. Mr. Sunshine

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Mr. Sunshine drama also cost a considerable amount. With 24 episodes, it is estimated that this drama cost 40 billion won Korea (Rp509 M).

Most of the production cost was spent on reviving historical elements, set designs, special effects, and of course, paying the actors and famous stars involved in this drama. Lee Byung-hun, the main cast of this drama, was reportedly paid 150 million won per episode or equivalent to Rp1.9 M.

3. Squid Game

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The first Korean drama with the highest production cost is Squid Game. This game-themed drama cost up to 20 billion Won or IDR 241 billion to produce nine episodes.

Despite the high budget, it is worth it considering the props and the main actors' salaries. Thus, Squid Game became the most popular Korean drama in 2021 and consistently topped Netflix's movie list worldwide.

4. Kingdom 1&2

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This drama cost up to 35 billion won or around IDR 423 billion. Reportedly, one episode could cost three billion won, causing this horror drama to have only six episodes.

Director Kim Seong Hun once revealed that Kingdom originally had eight episodes. However, they spent a lot of budget, so it was reduced to six episodes.

5. Vincenzo

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The latest Korean drama with the highest production cost is Vincenzo, which consists of 16 episodes and costs a total of 20 billion Won or Rp241 billion. Many effects with shooting backgrounds in Italy make the production cost investment there skyrocket.

This forced them to spend a large amount of money on CGI effects for scenes made in South Korea. In addition, they had to spend a lot of money to pay Song Joong Ki.

(kpl/mag)