Comedian and film director Shim Hyung-rae. [Herald Muse]
Comedian and film director Shim Hyung-rae. [Herald Muse]

Comedian and film director Shim Hyung-rae has revealed how much he earned during his heyday.

Shim appeared Tuesday on KBS 1TV's "Achim Madang," a morning talk show, and spoke about his peak years, when he was active across multiple fields.

Asked about the origins of his signature "Younggu" character, Shim said he had seen the character in a drama series he enjoyed as a child and wanted to bring it back to life.

"People around me told me to drop it — that it was a character from an old drama series that had already had its day," he recalled. "But I pleaded with a producer to let me shoot a pilot, and it became a huge hit."

Fellow comedian Lee Kyung-rae shared what a senior colleague had said about Shim. "Sunbae Jeon Yu-seong once told us over soju, when Hyung-rae wasn't around, 'We should be grateful to Shim Hyung-rae. He expanded the territory of comedy so much.' Hyung-rae really did broaden the field through Younggu."

When announcer Eom Ji-in asked how many commercials he had filmed at his busiest, Shim surprised everyone in the studio. "I shot more than 100 commercials," he said. "Back then I was paid 80 million won ($60,100) per spot." He added that he had bought an apartment in Apgujeong-dong for 78 million won and had filmed more than 100 of those commercials.

Kim Hak-rae recalled visiting Shim's home during a time when most people could not afford to run their air conditioners. "Whenever we went to his place, the air conditioning was blasting," he said.


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