Many K-Dramas have big budgets for their production. Dramas with fantasy and action and also historical dramas often require more budget for sets and special effects. Some production teams even film out of Korea. Of course, the casting of top Hallyu actors is also an important part of the budget. Dramas with a production cost of over 10 billion Korean won are considered big-budget K-Dramas. However, there are more and more dramas in recent years that go way over that number, especially with the foreign investment in Korean dramas. Here is a list of Korean dramas with the highest production costs. This article was first published in 2019 and was updated.
Estimated Cost: 54 billion Korean won - “Arthdal Chronicles”
“Arthdal Chronicles” (2019) is Korea’s first ancient times fantasy drama. The drama cast includes top Hallyu actors Song JoongKi and Jang DongGun. The drama is divided into three parts making it an 18 episodes drama. More seasons are yet to be confirmed. A part of the production was done in Brunei. Another part of the filming was also done in the city of Osan, located down in the South of Seoul in Gyeonggi Province. A huge set was specially built for the drama which cost a lot. The production was estimated to be 2.5/3 billion Korean won per episode.
Estimated Cost: 43 billion Korean won - “The Legend”
“The Legend” (2007) is a famous historical fantasy with Bae YongJoon, Lee JiAh, and Moon SoRi. It has 24 episodes. The main actors’ appearance fee was 250 million won and the production spends budget on the special effects. The total production cost was estimated at 43 billion Korean won. Your browser does not support the video tag.
Estimated Cost: 40 billion Korean won - “Bulgasal: Immortal Souls”
“Bulgasal: Immortal Souls” (2021-2022) is a fantasy, historical, and thriller drama starring Lee JinWook, Kwon Nara, and more. The series has 16 episodes filled with CGIs and other special effects for monsters and body transformation, historical and modern sets, and more. The total production cost was estimated at 40 billion Korean won.
Estimated Cost: 35 billion Korean won - “Kingdom 1 & 2”
“Kingdom” (2019-2020) is a Netflix drama. It is a historical period and thriller series with zombies that is set in Joseon. Actors such as Ju JiHoon, Ryu SeungRyong, and Bae DooNa are part of the cast. One episode was estimated at around 2/3 billion Korean won. So around 35 billion Korean won for the 12 episodes of the two seasons (six episodes each).
Estimated Cost: 32 billion Korean won - “Penthouse: War In Life 1 & 2 & 3”
The hit makjang drama “Penthouse” starring Lee JiAh, Kim SoYeon, and Eugene had three seasons. The production cost of all three seasons (a total of 48 episodes) (accumulated) was estimated at 32 billion Korean won (season 1: 14 billion, season 2: 8 billion, season 3: 9 billion).
Estimated Cost: 32 billion Korean won - “Snowdrop”
“Snowdrop” (2021-2022) is a romance drama set in the 1980’s starring popular stars Jung HaeIn, BLACKPINK’s JiSoo, Yoo InNa, Jang SeungJo, Kim HyeYoon, and more. The cast of all these stars and the historical set can explain the production cost estimated at around 32 billion Korean won.
Estimated Cost: 31 billion Korean won - “Immortal Admiral Yi SunSin”
“Immortal Admiral Yi SunSin” is a 104 episodes historical drama that aired between 2004 and 2005 with Kim MyungMin, Choi JaeSung, Lee JaeRyong, and more. KBS invested around 26 billion Korean won (516 million won per episode) and Buan county 5 billion Korean won. It has a lot of epic scenes. Your browser does not support the video tag.
Estimated Cost: 30 billion Korean won - “Jirisan”
“Jirisan” (2021) is a mystery, drama, and thriller starring top stars Jun JiHyun and Joo JiHoon. The drama was mostly filmed in the mountains with plenty of CGIs for the fantastic elements and natural disasters. The drama was estimated to have cost to 30 billion Korean won.
Estimated Cost: 30 billion Korean won - “The King: Eternal Monarch”
“The King: Eternal Monarch” (2020) is a drama with Lee MinHo and Kim GoEun. The drama used a lot of special effects for action scenes and fantasy elements, adding on the huge scale of the drama surroundings Lee MinHo with expensive cars, helicopters, ships, etc. The production team also spent much on the sets and the imaginary Busan’s city. Adding on all these and the salary of the two top Hallyu stars, the production cost could only be over 30 billion Korean won. Your browser does not support the video tag.
Estimated Cost: 30 billion Korean won - “Sweet Home”
The Netflix Original drama “Sweet Home” (2020) with Song Kang, Lee JinWook, Lee SiYoung, and Lee DoHyun is based on the popular thriller-horror webtoon of the same name. Director Lee EungBok (“Descendants of the Sun”, “Goblin”, “Mr. Sunshine”) was in charge. The production spent a lot of budgets on the monsters with an estimated cost of 3 billion Korean won per episode (the first season has 10 episodes).
Estimated Cost: 30 billion Korean won - “Mr. Sunshine”
“Mr. Sunshine” (2018) is a drama with Lee ByungHun and Kim TaeRi. With a historical background, special effects, and top actor Lee ByungHun, the production team spent more than 1.5 billion Korean won per episode (estimation). Many have praised the high quality of the drama.
Estimated Cost: 30 billion Korean won - “Dae JoYeong”
The 134-episode historical drama “Dae JoYeong” (2006-2007) with Choi SooJong, Hong SooHyun, and more is a famous drama in Korea. Viewers loved it for 15 months with nearly 30% of ratings. The total production cost was estimated at 30 billion Korean won.
Estimated Cost: 30 billion Korean won - “Six Flying Dragons”
The 50-episode historical drama “Six Flying Dragons” (2015-2016) with Yoo AhIn, Kim MyungMin, Shin SeKyung and more was also a pricy drama. The appearance fee of Yoo AhIn was of 70 million won per episode. The total estimated cost was 30 billion Korean won. Your browser does not support the video tag.
Estimated Cost: 25 billion Korean won - “Squid Game”
“Squid Game” (2021) is a worldwide popular Netflix original series starring Lee JungJae, Park HaeSoo, Heo SeongTae, and much more. The series had 9 episodes. The production was estimated at 25 billion Korean won.
Estimated Cost: 25 billion Korean won - “Vagabond”
“Vagabond” (2019) is an action drama with Lee SeungGi, Suzy, and Shin SungRok. A part of the production was done in Morocco and Portugal. The drama also has numerous action scenes of huge scales and has top actors. The drama cost a total of 25 billion Korean won (estimation).
Estimated Cost: 22 billion Korean won - “Legend of the Blue Sea”
“Legend of the Blue Sea” (2016-2017) is a fantasy romance drama starring Lee MinHo and Jun JiHyun. There is no doubt that these two top Hallyu stars appearance fees and the CGI of the mermaid must have cost a lot. The drama production fees were estimated at 22 billion Korean won. Your browser does not support the video tag.
Estimated Cost: 20 billion Korean won - “Hellbound”
The Netflix original series “Hellbound” (2021) is a dark fantasy and thriller of 6 episodes with Yoo AhIn, Kim HyunJoo, Park JeongMin, Won JinA, and Yang IkJune. Based on the webtoon of the same name, the drama is filled with monsters who required a big budget. The production was estimated at 20 billion Korean won.
Estimated Cost: 20 billion Korean won - “River Where The Moon Rises”
“River Where The Moon Rises” (2021) is a historical drama starring Kim SoHyun and Na InWoo of 20 episodes. Set in Goguryeo the drama had battle scenes and beautiful sets. The production was estimated at 20 billion Korean won.
Estimated Cost: 20 billion Korean won - “Sisyphus: The Myth”
The action fantasy mystery drama “Sisyphus: The Myth” (2021) with top actors Cho SeungWoo and Park ShinHye has a big budget too. It is a special drama for JTBC’s 10th anniversary. The production was estimated at 20 billion Korean won. Your browser does not support the video tag.
Estimated Cost: 20 billion Korean won - “Vincenzo”
The dark comedy-drama “Vincenzo” (2021) about the Italian mafia lawyer acted by top actor Song JoongKi also has a pricy production. Not only the casting of the top actor but also CGis such as explosions have cost a lot to the production team. The production was estimated at 20 billion Korean won. Your browser does not support the video tag.
Estimated Cost: 20 billion Korean won - “Hotel Del Luna”
“Hotel Del Luna” (2019) is a fantasy drama with IU and Yeo JinGoo. The drama had numerous fantasy elements that asked for special CGI from the production team. But that is not all, the drama also had a lot of different sets, guest casts, and pricy outfits. The production was estimated to between 16-20 billion Korean won. Your browser does not support the video tag.
Estimated Cost: 20 billion Korean won - “Criminal Minds”
“Criminal Minds” (2017) with Lee JoonGi and Moon ChaeWon is also part of the K-Dramas that are remakes from U.S. TV Series. Its production cost was high with around 1 billion Korean won per episode.
Estimated Cost: 20 billion Korean won - “Iris 2”
“Iris 2” is an espionage drama that starred Jang Hyuk, Lee DaHae, and Lee BeomSoo. It was aired following the huge success of “Iris” in 2009. The budget was estimated at 20 billion Korean won. Your browser does not support the video tag.
Estimated Cost: 20 billion Korean won - “Saimdang, Light’s Diary”
“Saimdang, Light’s Diary” gained much attention in 2017. It was the big return of actress Lee YoungAe. It is about a famous artist and calligrapher that lived during Joseon Dynasty. The drama takes place in the present and the past. A part of the filming was in Italy. The production cost was estimated at 20 billion Korean won.
Estimated Cost: 20 billion Korean won - “My Country”
“My Country” (2019) is a historical drama of the cable channel JTBC set in the late Goryeo Dynasty and early Joseon Dynasty with Yang SeJong, Woo DoHwan, AOA’s SeolHyun, and Jang Hyuk. The budget was estimated over 20 billion Korean won.
Estimated Cost: 20 billion Korean won - “Iris”
The two top actors Lee ByungHun and Kim TaeHee acted in this hit action drama “Iris” (2009). The production cost was estimated at 20 billion Korean won.
Estimated Cost: 20 billion Korean won - “Athena: Goddess of War”
“Athena: Goddess of War” (2010) was also a huge scale drama with Jung WooSung, Soo Ae, and Lee JiAh. The series was filmed partially such as in Italy, New Zealand, Japan, and the U.S. The production cost was estimated at 20 billion Korean won.
Estimated Cost: 20 billion Korean won - “Memories of the Alhambra”
“Memories of the Alhambra” (2018) reunites two top Hallyu actors Park ShinHye and Hyun Bin. Adding on the cost of the cast, the drama has a lot of high-quality CGIs for AR games. The drama was also longly filmed in Granada and Barcelona (Spain). The production cost was estimated at 20 billion Korean won. Your browser does not support the video tag.
Estimated Cost: 16 billion Korean won - “The Red Sleeve”
“The Red Sleeve” (2021-2022) is a historical romance drama starring 2PM’s JunHo and Lee SeYoung. The drama was so popular that viewers were gifted with one extra episode. The production cost was estimated at 16 billion Korean won.
Estimated Cost: 16 billion Korean won - “Chief of Staff”
“Chief of Staff” (2019) is a political drama starring Lee JungJae and Shin MinAh. The production cost was estimated at 16 billion Korean won. Each season had 10 episodes. Your browser does not support the video tag.
Estimated Cost: 15 billion Korean won - “The Veil”
The spy action drama “The Veil” (2021) starred NamKoong Min, Park HaSun, and Kim JiEun. The production cost was estimated at 15 billion Korean won.
Estimated Cost: 15 billion Korean won - “Goblin”
The popular drama “Goblin” (“or “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God”) (2016) with Gong Yoo and Kim GoEun had a big budget with special effects and top actors’ casting. The production cost was estimated at 15 billion Korean won. Your browser does not support the video tag.
Estimated Cost: 13 billion Korean won - “Descendants of the Sun”
“Descendants of the Sun” (2016) is a hit drama with Song JoongKi and Song HyeKyo. The cast of Hallyu stars (especially the first drama after Song JoongKi’s discharge) and the overseas filming required a lot of budgets. With more than 900 million won by episode, the production cost was estimated at 13 billion Korean won. Your browser does not support the video tag.
Estimated Cost: 10 billion Korean won - “Are You Human Too?”
“Are You Human Too?” (2018) is a drama with Seo KangJoon and Gong SeungYeon. The production crew spent much money on CGIs and special effects as the drama is related to robotic. Moreover, the drama was partially filmed in Czech Republic. The production cost was estimated at 10 billion Korean won.
Estimated Cost: 10 billion Korean won - “The Tale of NokDu”
The romantic comedy drama set in Joseon “The Tale of Nokdu” (2019) starred Kim SoHyun and Jang DongYoon. The drama is said to have cost around 10 billion Korean won. Your browser does not support the video tag.
Estimated Cost: 10 billion Korean won - “Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo”
“Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo” (2016) is a well-loved historical drama with Lee JoonGi, IU, Kang HaNeul, and more. The cost of the popular cast as well as the beautiful sets were an important part of the budget. The drama was estimated to have cost around 10 billion Korean won. Your browser does not support the video tag.
Upcoming big-budget dramas in 2022:
BTS universe inspired K-Drama “Youth” with Seo JiHoon, Noh JongHyun, Ahn JiHo, and more: 40 billion won (estimation) First space K-Drama “Ask the Stars” with Lee MinHo and Gong HyoJin: 40 billion won (estimation) “Moving” based on webtoon with Jo InSung, Han HyoJoo and Cha TaeHyun: 50 billion won (estimation) The Netflix series “Suriname” with Ha JungWoo, Hwang JungMin, Park HaeSoo, Jo WooJin, and Yoo YeonSeok: 40 billion won (estimation)
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