Lee Jung-jae's millionaire salary for 'Squid Game 2'

A priori, 'Squid Game' was not going to have a second season, but the series became such a global phenomenon that, three and a half years later, Netflix has released a second installment. And there will be a third.

Photo: Netflix

Obviously, renewing the most-watched series in Netflix history and bringing back the star of the first season has a price. A high price.

Photo: Netflix

Lee Jung-jae already earned a considerable amount for the first season, where he took home $245,000 per episode, for a total of $2.2 million for the 9 episodes it had.

Photo: Netflix

The actor had an advantage for the second installment, which was that he approached the negotiation of his contract from a position of power, the kind that comes with being a new star worldwide. And boy did he take advantage of it.

Photo: Netflix

The actor asked for a million dollars for each of the seven episodes of the second season, according to the South Korean media 'Dispatch'.

Photo: Netflix

That is, a total of seven million dollars, more than three times more than the first season, even though the second had fewer episodes.

Photo: Netflix

And the best thing for the actor is that a third installment is yet to be released, which, according to rumors, could arrive in the summer of 2025. A third installment in which, obviously, Lee Jung-jae would have maintained or increased that salary.

Photo: Netflix

The question is, what made Lee Jung-jae more money: his acting salary or the prize money his character earned after winning 45.6 billion won from Squid Game?

Photo: Netflix

The prize money for the series is around 31 million dollars, while Lee Jung-jae earned 9.2 million dollars for the first two seasons of the series. The series continues to win.

Photo: Netflix

That being said, it is clear that player 456 has brought Lee Jung-Jae joy, recognition, and, above all, a lot of money.

Photo: Netflix

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