Making a living as an artist is very, very, very hard – I should know – so I find it incredibly disheartening and infuriating to discover that those working on various Kdrama aren’t actually paid for their work. It’s not just Hotel del Luna, either. From I Picked Up A Celebrity On The Street to Encounter and others no doubt, it’s become apparent that Hallyuwood is fraught with scammers.
It’s not easy to be an actor or an actress or a writer or a member of the staff. It doesn’t matter because work is work, and this is the chosen field of many such professionals. What isn’t professional, however, is getting scammed of one’s rightful payment. Hopefully, this issue will receive the attention it needs, so it can be properly tackled.
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Such a shame in this time and age some people get away with this thing. Here in US they would have the best lawyers representing them and getting 100 times their regular pay. Saddest part is, it seems everyone sells themselves for a few dollar and you can’t even trust Lawyers.
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Abuse is everywhere.
Did you hear about the people who work in Europe’s largest planting area for vegetables in Spain? They don’t even have houses or water, heating or sanitary equipment. The vegetables are sold to probably most or all European countries.
You don’t need to look that far to find inequity.
The question is what one could do, e.g. avoid watching these dramas? Not buying these vegetables?
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From the death of both her parents to the pain and humiliation she endured at the hands of her evil CEO (who was at least convicted) and finally to her decision to take her life, it’s true Jang Ja-yeon led a tragic life. I don’t want to remember her as a victim, though, but as a fallen heroine. I’ve been meaning to write about her, make a post on what an amazing person she really was in spite of her hardships.
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I live in Eastern Europe, from where most of those field workers come, so I can tell you those vegetables taste not sweet, but bitter from the blood and sweat poured to grow them.
Dramas featuring abused actors and staff don’t appeal to me, either.
Then again, everyone has different tastes.
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In that particular farming area they are not mostly from Eastern Europe, but in general it is true. There are many workers from Eastern Europe who work in other European countries and are also very bad paid, but should have at least a place to stay with water etc. and not that situation which the people in that Spanish area have.
That SK article link sounds that a person just ‘disappeared’ with the money that wasn’t his own. So it doesn’t seem like the usual situation there in the way of not paying the crew of a film set while the situation for the field workers is common…
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That would be so nice in her honor.
The CEO was convicted (6 months) but left to China and lived freely and happy until things died down, and came back to SK living a good life as far as what I read.
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Seriously? How could they not get paid? Now I don’t know if I can watch Hotel Del Luna the same way. I had a hard time getting into Arthdal Chronicles because of the background scandal with the insane working hours for the staff. Idk, I still want to watch Hotel Del Luna, but now it’s shaded over 
I didn’t know about the actress from Boys Over Flowers taking her life 
I haven’t seen Boys Over Flowers yet, but now I don’t think I’ll watch it without thinking of her
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Sadly, I know the feeling…
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Let him then. Good people must suffer briefly, so they may enjoy everlasting life and riches. The evil, however, should be allowed to enjoy their short time on Earth. They’ll never get a second chance.
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If people don’t watch Hotel Del Luna and I Picked Up A Celebrity On The Street, their hard work would be in vain, too! Yes, it’s a shame, that they don’t get their rightful payment. But to boycott those dramas is not the right way in my opinion.
We should be aware of those injustices, but as long as the actors are doing their best, we should honor their work and don’t stop watching.
#justmy2cents 
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If you know the region, where those products are coming from, yes, I would not buy them. I would not boycott all vegetables and fruits from Spain, there are many corporations and exporters in the commercial farming, who are cultivating high quality products and offer fair worker conditions.
I have family in Spain, they own orange plantations, are domestic producers and only employ experienced local workers under decent conditions.They export to Europe, too, but only “on demand” and don’t cooperate with those big food companies. A new and very trendy model is a kind of “crowdfarming” where people all over the world do a sponsorship and “buy” an orange tree. They own the rights to get their part of the harvest, but provide with this model the financial funding of the plantation.
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That’s an interesting concept. I like it. My parents… Well, my dad in particular doesn’t like to buy food from supermarkets. He would rather get vegetables and fruits from local producers. We grow our own too. My mother planted tomatoes. 
I planted a cherry tree. 
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Sure, but as consumer/viewer I’m just as upset. I’ve been a paid subscriber on Viki since 2015. But that money goes… Where? It doesn’t go to the actors/actresses and staff in Korea. That’s much is obvious. It doesn’t go the hard-working translators and editors on Viki, either. All the money goes into the pockets of greedy CEOs who then scam everyone. How is that right or fair or normal?
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Forgive me but I don’t agree with that bc evil people need to suffer every day of their life from the moment they do their evil deed, not enjoy life to the fullest, while the victim will never be able to enjoy hers.
I’m a firm believer that all evil doer needs to suffer when they are alive here on earth bc once dead, they are dead, and since I don’t know if hell and the devil is real, and all evil doers go there, I want to see the punishment now. In this evil CEO case years back. They show photos of him laughing with not even an ounce of remorse in his face.
The most painful thing for me was to read articles where many criticized her so much. and even made it look like she made all that up. I cried so much for this young girl and all the pain she had to go through that drove her to suicide. RIP
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From a few years ago:
There was a video a few years back from eatyourkimchi vloggers, I can’t find it anymore.
They explained in their video, near where they lived in Korea (I don’t know if they’re still in Korea), there were some dramas shootings so they could see how it was and in the shooting location, some actors used IV bags (it was not a medical drama).
[I don’t know about the veracity of their videos.]
From what I understood of the drama producing process:
Big broadcasters give a budget to an independant producer to pay leads, crew, dramas making expenses.
From what they say in the article:
A big part of the budget (in the article, half of it) goes to big actors. The article cites hard working conditions for main actors.
The remaining:
Is left to crew, etc.
Some producers couldn’t pay them, so they flee or suicide.
Or some producers flee with the money.
In the article, it is said that the budget was insufficient to pay everyone.
Found more articles on the internet if you’re interested:
I don’t know if the working conditions are different for preproduced dramas and live dramas or the proportion:
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Simon and Martina moved to Japan, you can find their channel now on:
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While checking your link out of curiosity, I find myself with the fire (arson) video, in a Japan anime studio set up by a 40 year old assumed disgruntled employee (not yet know why he did such a heinous act.).
33 innocent ppl died and the one who caused that tragedy was also burned but is alive, and was arrested. May they all rest in peace, and healing for the 36 also burned some in critical condition.
Here at Rakutenviki we have a wonderful Japanese drama that relates to the terrible situation some employess encounter. A spunky female go through hardship by her coworkers at a big corporation were everyone (except CEO), gets little to no respect. Hope you all check it out, too.
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this may not be in dramas, but to be sure you have heard of those"sweat" shops that are in different countries, making those designer clothes etc? well I take care of what I do buy here in America, now I don’t know about those veggies and all you mentioned, but maybe someone ought to take a stand,
and wasn’t that fire just the other day? wow. people get angry over such little things! I could rant on but I am not today. people hurting people and not just that, the children too are being victums too! what in the world is going on?
I tried my hand at planting some veggies, slowly coming up!
adrianmorales thats the way to do it! and I got a farmers market 5 miles from me!
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Here in California the farm workers had to fight for their wages and their working conditions. That’s what Cesar Chavez worked hard to change. The conditions and wages probably still aren’t what they could be for the farm workers and their children. There’s a movie about the struggles of some teenage boys who work as crop pickers trying to achieve their dreams called McFarland, USA. I’ve seen it a few times, and it was very enlightening in terms of what the Latino community and poor white community have to endure. Now when I get fruits and veggies from the supermarket, I can’t help but think of those who spent long hours under the California sun to pick them.
I had a sociology professor that did research about Armenian women who immigrated to LA for a better life, only to work in sweat shops and factories and barely get paid because of legality issues. Being Armenian myself, this was kind of a shock and a concern. These kinds of things happen hush-hush, since no company wants to be known to abuse their workers.
Even those in the medical field get abused. Hospitals try to cut down on employment and give their remaining doctors and nurses an inordinate amount of patients per day. This leads to nurse fatigue, and that leads to a lot of problems as well, including strikes. That’s what a union is for, but imagine the impact on the patients. Ugh, if only money wasn’t everything in life…
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