Whether you’re a fan or not, the global popularity of K-drama icon Lee Min-ho and his consequently growing net worth isn’t “crash landing” anytime soon. With multiple critically acclaimed movies and TV shows to his credit, Lee Min-ho remains one of the most important faces in the Korean entertainment industry. Here’s a closer look at the actor’s career, fortune and life beyond the camera.
During his two-decade-long career in showbiz, Lee has been a part of multiple success stories. Some of the highest-grossing movies and TV shows starring Lee Min-ho include Boys Over Flowers (2009), The Heirs (2013), Gangnam Blues (2015), The Legend of the Blue Sea (2016), The King: Eternal Monarch (2020) and Pachinko season 1 (2022).
Talking about his character Hansu in Pachinko season 2, Lee shared in a 2024 interview with The Korea Herald, “Looking at Hansu, I have to admit that there are some similar aspects between him and myself. Starting a career early, life was focused more on survival, and also ambitious with desires at one point. While I, as an actor, was able to express such feelings in a healthy way through many people’s love, Hansu wasn’t able to express that well. That has allowed me to feel gratitude toward my life, and appreciate and respect people around me.”
Lee Min-ho’s net worth, career, brand deals and more
Lee Min-ho’s net worth
According to multiple K-media outlets, Lee Min-ho has an estimated net worth of USD 26 million, as of 2023.
While it is difficult to quote an exact figure in 2024, Lee Min-ho, being one of the richest actors in South Korea, earns quite handsomely from his movies and TV shows. A substantial portion of Lee’s earnings also stems from his advertisements and luxury brand deals and the actor has further diversified his financial portfolio by delving into multiple other sectors. These include real estate and social media.
Career and filmography
Early years
Lee started his career in the Korean entertainment industry with multiple minor roles in TV shows. These include hits like Nonstop (2000), Romance (2002) and Recipe of Love (2005). The K-drama heartthrob made his official debut in the 2006 EBS series Secret Campus and later landed his first leading role in the 2007 high-school drama Mackerel Run.
The following year, Lee Min-ho landed roles in various highest-rated K-dramas and movies, including Get Up, I Am Sam, Public Enemy Returns and Our School’s E.T. However, it was only after the classic 2009 romantic KBS2 K-drama Boys Over Flowers that Lee became a household name overnight.
One of the flag bearers of the Hallyu wave, Lee’s Gu Jun-pyo won millions of hearts globally after the release of Boys Over Flowers. He also won Best New Actor at the 45th Baeksang Arts Awards that year. A Korean adaptation of the popular shōjo manga of the same name, Boys Over Flowers became a cultural phenomenon and recorded a solid 25.7 per cent average viewership rating, according to Nielsen Korea.
While Lee continued to be the romantic hero in his 2010 drama Personal Taste, co-starring Son Ye-jin, he showcased his versatility in the 2011 action drama City Hunter. An instant commercial success, the series had earned USD 10.45 million from television advertising in South Korea by the end of its run in 2011. Meanwhile, Lee’s impressive performance as protagonist Lee Yoon-sung, whose only goal is to avenge his father, netted him Best Actor at the 4th Korea Drama Awards.
In 2013, Lee landed one of his career bests, the college romance Korean drama The Heirs. Written by Kim Eun-sook, the Korean TV series enjoyed immense popularity with a peak viewership rating of 28.6 per cent, according to Nielsen Korea. It was also a commercial hit across Asia and garnered over one billion hits on the Chinese streaming service IQIYI.
The same year, Lee unveiled his wax statue at the Madame Tussauds Shanghai. Another feather to his cap during his early years in the industry was a second wax figure unveiled at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong in 2014.
Rise in fame, awards and Pachinko
Lee Min-ho bagged his first big-screen leading role with the 2015 hit neo-noir Korean action movie Gangnam Blues. Directed by Yoo Ha, the story focuses on the real estate development of the Gangnam region of Seoul as well as the socio-political turmoil and terrorism in the 1970s. One of the highest-grossing Lee Min-ho movies, Gangnam Blues recorded over USD 20 million at the box office against a budget of USD 9 million.
Over the years, the K-drama sensation has been a part of various successes. These include hits like the action comedy film Bounty Hunters and the fantasy romances The Legend of the Blue Sea and The King: Eternal Monarch. Bounty Hunters, co-starring Wallace Chung and Tiffany Tang, topped commercial charts upon its release and went on to gross USD 31,918,573 worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.
On the other hand, The Legend of the Blue Sea and The King: Eternal Monarch became two of the most-watched K-dramas of all time. While the former enjoyed peak viewership ratings of 17.6 per cent, the latter topped the Netflix Top 10 Global list (Non-English) in multiple countries, including India, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore.
In 2022, Lee Min-ho made his much-awaited OTT comeback with the Apple TV original Pachinko season 1 — a drama adaptation of Lee Min-jin’s acclaimed Korean historical novel of the same name. One of the highest-paid Korean actors, Lee reportedly charged a fee of USD 80,000 per episode for his drama appearances before Pachinko’s release. While it is difficult to quote the exact salary of the Pachinko cast, according to multiple K-media sources, Lee earned quite handsomely for his brilliant portrayal of Zainichi-Korean merchant Koh Hansu in season 1. Not just that. The actor also received global critical acclaim for his role. So much so that the standalone episode 7 of the series, which gave viewers a deeper look into Lee’s character, was included in the list of Best TV Episodes of 2022 by outlets such as Rolling Stone and The New York Times.
The Korean star reprises the role of Hansu in his latest project, the second instalment of Pachinko.
His upcoming endeavours include the sci-fi Korean drama Ask the Stars, co-starring Gong Hyo-jin. According to Soompi, the tvN original series is under production and is all set to hit your screens in 2025.
Luxury brand endorsements like Fendi, Berluti and more
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Besides movies and dramas, Lee Min-ho has massive luxury brand endorsement earnings adding to his net worth. The actor, who led a total of 13 brands in China in 2014 alone, reportedly earned a total of over USD 15 million from the endorsements.
An icon of luxury, Lee has been the face of multiple high-end brands over the years. These include Fendi, Azarine Cosmetic, BOSS, Ferrero Rocher, Lazada, Berluti and Cuckoo.
Additionally, the actor served as a brand ambassador for various foundations. These include UNICEF Anti-malaria Campaign “Love Net” (2009), Asia Song Festival (2010), Patagonia: New Life to the Forest Project (2012), Visit Korea Year (2015), Pyeongchang Winter Olympics (2015) and King Sejong Institute Foundation (2019).
In 2023, Lee became the new brand ambassador for SM Development Corporation (SMDC). Following this, he was featured in the Philippines premier real estate developer’s “Step Into Luxury” campaign. Meanwhile, Fendi welcomed the South Korean superstar as its new brand ambassador in 2022. As the brand’s face, Lee has headlined various Fendi campaigns, including its Spring/Summer 2024 collection for men. He also attended the opening of a Fendi boutique at Siam Paragon in Thailand in February 2024.
Lest we forget, his fashion stints, including editorials for popular magazines like Harper’s Bazaar, ELLE, W Korea, Esquire, Marie Claire, GQ, Vogue, Dazed, Arena and Cosmopolitan.
One of the most-followed Korean actors on Instagram, Lee enjoys a following of over 35.1 million as of 11 September 2024. He reportedly earns USD 211,000 per post on the platform.
Expensive things owned by Lee Min-ho that add to his net worth
Lee is known for spending most of his wealth on prime real estate investments. According to K-media reports, he owns a home with a spectacular view of the Seoul skyline in the 21-story high-rise Mark Hills. Additionally, the actor owns two villas worth USD 4.3 million in the luxurious Seongbuk-dong, Seoul.
In October 2020, The Pachinko actor launched his YouTube channel “leeminho film“, where he serves as the creative director and executive producer.
Lee is also a proud celebrity pet parent of an expensive mini pinscher, Choco.
Personal life
Born on 22 June 1987 in Heukseok-dong, Seoul, Lee Min-ho aspired to become a football player during his childhood. However, he had to put an end to his aspiration after an injury during his fifth grade. Later, as a high schooler at Danggok, Lee started getting involved in acting and modelling. Following this, The Heirs actor posed for a few magazines and later had a chance encounter with the president of a Korean entertainment agency. Lee eventually went on to sign with the agency in 2005.
In 2006, Lee enrolled at Konkuk University’s College of Art and Design, where he pursued a bachelor’s degree as a Film Arts major. He further strengthened his skills by obtaining his master’s degree in film studies at Kookmin University Graduate School in South Korea.
The Korean star began his mandatory military service as a public service officer on 12 May 2017 at the Suseo Social Welfare Centre in Gangnam District Office. While Lee was unable to serve as an active duty soldier due to his injuries from two major car accidents, in 2018, he started his basic drills at the Korea Army Training Centre in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province. The actor was discharged on 25 April 2019.
On the relationship front, Lee Min-ho is officially single, as of September 2024. However, he is rumoured to have dated multiple popular K-actors, including Yeonwoo and Kim Go-eun.
(Hero and Featured image credit: Lee Min-ho/Instagram)
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Written by
Sushmita Mahanta
Digital Writer (Growth) - Entertainment
Sushmita is a writer with a passion for crafting engaging and informative stories. An avid fan of K-pop and K-dramas, Sushmita mostly writes about Korean culture and entertainment. When not writing, you can find Sushmita dancing, reading, collecting books, learning about fashion, art, motion pictures, and appreciating BTS.
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