Drama production company Number Three Pictures has pledged to reimburse actors for unpaid appearance fees.
Tthe Korea Broadcasting Actors’ Union (referred to as the Actors’ Union) recently stated, “Number Three Pictures finished filming two productions, ‘High School Return of a Gangster’ and ‘Spirit Fingers’ [working title], last year. However, even after a year, they have yet to pay appearance fees to 119 actors.”
Demanding immediate payment, the union spokesperson added, “Just for our union members, the unpaid fees total approximately 90 million won [approximately $65,025] for ‘”High School Return of a Gangster’ and about 220 million won [approximately $158,996] for ‘Spirit Fingers.’ If we include non-union actors and staff, the total unpaid amount is likely even higher.”
According to the Actors’ Union, a representative from Number Three Pictures responded by visited them on the morning of July 2, and they agreed to settle all outstanding appearance fees by the end of August. The company is also said to have assured the union that they will disclose the specific source of funds for the payment of the fees in question.
The union stated, “Despite the regrettable delay in payment, we recognize the challenges faced by the production company in producing the drama under difficult conditions. We have urged them to implement measures to prevent such issues from happening again in future productions.”
They also added, “We plan to see whether the issue of non-payment of appearance fees is resolved by the payment due date promised by Number Three Pictures and devise future response plans.”