Kang Hye-jung Highest-Paid Actress in the World

By Carol Kearney
Seoul
Last updated on March 29, 2025

Kang Hye-jung led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid actresses” released on Friday.

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It's been a rough year for the actress, but at least she has her millions of dollars to ease the pain. 43-year-old Kang Hye-jung has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid actresses for 2025 with an estimated $46 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 29/03/2025 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Kang Hye-jung tops annual list of highest-paid actresses

In 2022 it looked like the actress’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, she was back on top. People With Money reports on Friday (March 28) that Kang is the highest-paid actress in the world, pulling in an astonishing $46 million between February 2024 and March 2025, a nearly $20 million lead over her closest competition.

People With Money’s factors

In compiling this yearly list, the magazine considers factors such as upfront pay, profit participation, residuals, endorsements and advertising work.

The Korean actress has an estimated net worth of $145 million. She owes her fortune to smart stock investments, substantial property holdings, lucrative endorsement deals with CoverGirl cosmetics. She also owns several restaurants (the “Fat Kang Burger” chain) in Seoul, a Football Team (the “Incheon Angels”), has launched her own brand of Vodka (Pure Wonderkang - South Korea), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Hye-jung) and a fashion line called “Kang Hye-jung Seduction”.

The ranking is significant for many Hye-jung fans, who have been waiting for her triumphant return to the glory days for what seems like a lifetime.