Jun Ji-hyun, born Wang Ji-hyun in 1981, has spent more than two decades building a career that sits at the intersection of blockbuster cinema, hit dramas, and high-fashion campaigns.
Her breakout came with My Sassy Girl in 2001, a film that became one of Korea’s most successful comedies, and she later cemented her pan-Asian fame with The Thieves and Assassination on the big screen.
On television, she turned My Love from the Star and Legend of the Blue Sea into global streaming staples, then returned in Kingdom: Ashin of the North and Jirisan, proving she can still anchor prestige projects well into the streaming era.
That long run has translated into substantial financial gains. Multiple recent rich lists rank her as the richest Korean actress, with estimates clustering around 110 million dollars in personal net worth as of 2025.
These figures combine earnings from dramas and films with advertising contracts and asset portfolios, including a reported $ 28.5 million commercial building in Gangnam and earlier purchases, such as a multi-story property in Nonhyeon-dong.
Other trackers that convert her annual income into Indian rupees estimate more than 1.2 billion rupees per year, or roughly 14–16 million dollars, reinforcing the idea that she is not just wealthy, but operating on an elite, business-mogul level.
Her base drama income is hefty even before endorsements and investments. Reports from South China Morning Post and other outlets have noted that she historically earned between 84,000 and 120,000 dollars per episode for premium dramas, placing her at or near the top of Korea’s pay scale for women.
More recent regional entertainment coverage suggests her current rate, post-My Love from the Star and Legend of the Blue Sea, hovers in the 83,500 to about 100,000 dollar range per episode, depending on the production and platform.
“Highest Paid” In 2026: Title Under Pressure?
The question that drives fan debates is not whether Jun Ji-hyun is rich, but whether she is still the highest-paid K-drama actress in 2026.
On net worth, most rankings are clear: she remains number one among actresses, ahead of Lee Young-ae, Song Hye-kyo, Kim Tae-hee, and IU, whose fortunes are generally cited in the 50–90 million dollar range.
When lists of the richest Korean actresses are updated for 2025, her name still appears at the top with that 110 million dollar estimate, while her closest female competitors trail by tens of millions.
Per-episode salary, however, is slightly more complicated. Several 2024–2025 breakdowns of the highest-paid Korean actors and actresses place her in an upper band where she is said to earn between roughly 83,500 and about 100,000 dollars per episode for big-budget projects.
That range often places her as the top-paid woman, since other widely reported female rates, like Song Hye-kyo’s 2021 peak of roughly 148,000 dollars per episode, have not been consistently repeated at that level across recent shows.
Jun Ji-hyun (Credit: BBC)
At the same time, the male side of the industry has inflated rapidly, with Kim Soo-hyun reportedly commanding up to around 423,000 dollars per episode for One Ordinary Day and over 231,000 dollars per episode for Queen of Tears, numbers that dwarf even Jun Ji-hyun’s premium quotes.
Recent entertainment write-ups and news features that list “top 8” or “top 10” highest-paid Korean actors often highlight Kim Soo-hyun, Lee Jung-jae, Hyun Bin, and others as salary leaders, with Jun Ji-hyun mentioned as one of the very few women holding her own in the same chart.
Most of those pieces still frame her as either “one of the highest-paid” or “the highest-paid actress,” but they also acknowledge that younger stars and OTT-driven contracts have blurred the hierarchy, especially when some platforms experiment with one-off mega deals that can briefly push another actress above her for a single project.
So, for 2026, the most accurate reading is this: Jun Ji-hyun still appears to be the richest Korean actress by net worth, and she remains at or very near the top of female per-episode fees, but isolated deals may occasionally give another actress a temporary edge in salary for a specific show.
Luxury Deals, Buildings, And A Quiet “CEO” Era
If drama pay has competitors, her side income tells a different story. Jun Ji-hyun’s endorsement history is stacked with luxury and mass brands, ranging from Gucci and Alexander McQueen to big tech and beauty names, which have used her image for campaigns across Asia.
Past analyses of her career have noted that, at one point, she was reportedly taking in around 852,000 dollars per commercial, a figure that easily surpasses a full episode fee in a single shoot and highlights how valuable her name is to advertisers.
Even if current commercial rates are not disclosed, her continued bookings with global fashion houses suggest she still commands top-tier endorsement money.
Real estate may be the most underrated pillar of her wealth. South China Morning Post and Korean entertainment media have detailed several high-value acquisitions, including the Gangnam building purchased in 2017 for roughly 28.5 million dollars and previous buys in central Seoul that were worth millions on their own.
These properties generate rental income and capital gains, giving her financial security that does not depend on constant shooting schedules, and they help explain why her net worth estimates sit far above those of younger actresses who might earn similar per-episode rates but have had less time to invest.
While she has taken fewer drama roles in recent years compared with her peak, the projects she chooses are almost always premium: star writer collaborations, Netflix-linked series, or prestige historical pieces such as Kingdom: Ashin of the North.
That selective approach keeps her brand exclusive, which is crucial when endorsement income and property returns matter as much, or more, than whether she is technically number one in per-episode rankings any given year.
Looking at 2026, the pattern is clear. Jun Ji-hyun may no longer have an uncontested grip on “highest per-episode paycheck” in an industry where streaming platforms occasionally throw extraordinary sums at trending names, but she remains the benchmark for financial success among Korean actresses.
Between a net worth commonly pegged near 110 million dollars, enduring luxury deals, and a portfolio of prime Seoul real estate, her position at the top of the K-drama money conversation is still secure, even as younger stars chase her shadow.
Makoto Shinkai started small in the early 2000s, crafting short animations on his own after leaving a video game company job.
Voices, drawings, editing, all handled solo in a tiny setup, titles like Voices of a Distant Star caught early buzz among fans for stunning visuals and heartfelt stories. That hands-on grind built skills that paid off later, as bigger budgets let his style shine wider.
By 2016, everything clicked with Your Name, a body-swap romance that pulled in $358 million across markets from Japan to China. Japan alone gave it over $233 million, while China added $84 million, numbers that crushed previous anime highs and even topped Studio Ghibli benchmarks for a time.
Box office trackers note this as his launchpad, proving emotional tales paired with photorealistic cityscapes and comet trails could pack theaters globally.
Those earnings marked Shinkai as a commercial force. Pre-Your Name works hovered under $200 million total as a director, but that one film flipped the script, drawing crowds who returned multiple times. His net worth estimates climbed into millions from there, fueled by upfront fees plus backend shares typical in anime hits.
Blockbuster Trifecta Stacks the Millions
Shinkai followed up fast. Weathering With You in 2019 mixed teen love with rain control, grossing $193 million worldwide, including $132 million from Japan.
China kicked in $41 million, and it topped Japan’s yearly chart, beating Hollywood imports that year. Strong North American runs added $8 million domestically, showing his appeal crossed oceans.
Then came Suzume in 2022, about a girl sealing doors to avert disasters, which opened bigger than ever at $13.5 million in three days in Japan.
It closed domestic theaters at 14.8 billion yen, about $109 million, with global totals hitting $320 million or more as China alone delivered $119 million. South Korea crowned it their top Japanese film ever at $42 million.
Career totals as a director top $864 million in worldwide box office from nine projects. Your Name remains the crown jewel at fourth among all anime films historically.
Suzume (Credit: Netflix)
These runs boosted anime’s market, valued at billions yearly, with Shinkai’s share reflecting director cuts often 5-10% on profits after studio recoups, per industry norms. Merch, streaming deals on platforms like Crunchyroll, and novelizations pile on extra revenue streams.
Royalties and Riches Beyond Theaters
Directors like Shinkai don’t stop at ticket sales. Home video releases, especially Blu-rays of his visually dense works, generate steady cash years later.
Your Name’ s enduring popularity means ongoing sales in Japan and abroad, where fans buy collector editions. Streaming rights to Netflix and others add licensing fees, renewed as viewership spikes.
International expansions amplify this. China re-releases pushed Your Name past $100 million there, joining elite Japanese films. Suzume topped charts on debut days in dozens of countries, selling 2 million overseas tickets fast. Such legs extend earnings via perpetual merch like posters and soundtracks, his comet motifs now iconic.
Net worth pegged between $1 million and $12 million in recent reports, likely higher by 2026 given post-Suzume deals and his steady output.
Forbes-like tallies factor salaries per film around $500,000 base plus percentages, stacking to eight figures over a decade. No flashy lifestyles publicized, he focuses on next projects from a Tokyo base, channeling funds back into CoMix Wave Films collaborations.
Legacy Cashing In on Anime Gold Rush
Shinkai reshaped expectations. Pre-him, anime films rarely cracked $100 million outside Ghibli; now his streak normalizes $200 million-plus hauls. Industry growth to $85 billion is projected by 2033, credited to such exports. His formula, blending disaster backdrops with young love, resonates post-2011 earthquake vibes without preaching.
Future films promise more. Whispers of new releases keep buzz alive, with theaters pre-selling based on his name alone. Royalties from past hits provide a safety net, letting creative risks thrive. Fan events and even an asteroid named after him nod to cultural weight.
This fortune underscores anime’s shift from niche to powerhouse. Shinkai’s path shows solo passion scaling to empire-building, one breathtaking frame at a time.
