When Life Gives You Tangerines’ Production Team Shuts Down All The Speculations Regarding IU’s Alleged 500 Million Won Per Episode Salary
Following IU’s speculated paycheck reports of When Life Gives You Tangerines, the production team came forward to dismiss those allegations. Details inside.
When Life Gives You Tangerines’ Production Team(Photo Credit –Instagram)
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IU after a long hiatus has finally returned to the world of K-dramas with Netflix’s When Life Gives You Tangerines. While the drama is earning great viewership ratings, reports were speculating about the actress’s sky-high salary per episode. However, the production team of the series has denied all the rumors and put the whole situation straight.
The actress can be seen sharing screen space with Park Bo-Gum for the first time. The audience has been loving their onscreen and offscreen chemistry. They have already become the new cute onscreen duo. The drama is getting so much attention because of its heartwarming storyline and the relevance of the characters. Even though the production team has already shut down those speculations, the Hotel del Luna actress deserves such a high pay scale for her performance.
Following a post on an online community, rumors started to circulate that IU and Park Bo-Gum took home around ₩500 million KRW (about $346,000 USD) per episode for When Life Gives You Tangerines. The post gained a lot of traction as it also suggested that the popular South Korean actor Park Hyung-Sik reportedly earned the same amount for his role in Doctor Slump. It also noted that the Squid Game actor Lee Jung-Jae received ₩1 billion KRW (about $693,000 USD) per episode of the series as his paycheck.
As it surfaced everywhere on the internet, a representative from When Life Gives You Tangerines’ production company Pan Entertainment came forward to shut down the speculations. The production team shared an official statement on March 18, 2025, to various media outlets. They said, “The reports of IU receiving 500 million KRW per episode are completely untrue.”
One of the highly anticipated dramas of 2025, When Life Gives You Tangeries is about the story of two people – Ae-Sun, a high-spirited rebellious girl, and Gwan-Shik, a kind-hearted, loving boy. How their lives get intertwined in terms of destiny and how they end up together is all about the period drama set in 1950s Jeju. The series saw a collaboration between the director Kim Won-Seok (known for My Mister) and screenwriter, Im Sang-Chun (who wore Fight For My Way).
The 16-episode series drops four episodes every Friday based on seasonal shifts, making it even more unique on its own. So far, it has already made it to the top 5 on the global list and ranked No. 1 in many countries, according to traffic measures.
We don’t know whether the online post claimed all the wrong paychecks or not for the rest of the celebrities, but thanks to When Life Gives You Tangerines’ production team for clearing the air for IU. What are your thoughts about this whole speculation? Also, have you started to watch the K-drama on Netflix? Let us know.
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