K-Drama “River Where The Moon Rises” Insider Says “The Financial Damage Suffered By The Reshoot Is Beyond Calculable”

When actor Ji Soo withdrew from his lead role in the K-Drama River Where The Moon Rises following his school bullying and sexual harassment allegations, the production company Victory Contents and the broadcasting station KBS decided to continue making and airing the series by reshooting with a new actor, Na In Woo.

Actor Na In Woo | @KBS_drama/Twitter

A River Where The Moon Rises insider claimed, “When the switch in actors happened, the production had been 18 episodes in already. That’s 95% complete.” While the cast volunteered to participate in the reshoot without pay to help minimize the damage, the production company still faced tremendous damages with at least 14 episodes to reshoot.

Number-wise, according to the Korean media Sports Today, River Where The Moon Rises estimated around ₩1.00 billion KRW (about $885,000 USD) per episode — with over ₩20.0 billion KRW (about $17.7 million USD) invested for the entire production. The insider claimed the financial damage suffered by the reshoot is simply beyond calculable at this point.

We don’t even know the exact numbers yet. We’re still paying the cast and the staff per episode. We can’t even keep track of how many episodes each cast member has done. It’s going to take us a long time to figure out how much we owe to whom.

— Insider

When another Korean media, NoCut News, reported that some of the actors cast in smaller roles for the River Where The Moon Rises are growing more concerned about their payment, Victory Contents reassured both the actors and the viewers claiming, “Because the reshoot had to be done on such short notice, it had been impossible to keep track of who is appearing in how many episodes, etc. But getting this organized is in the works and we will figure out the money matters shortly.”

Fortunately, after surviving the abrupt switch, River Where The Moon Rises continues to maintain the steady 8-10% viewer ratings — with plenty of room for growth, as the main characters develop an irresistible chemistry.

The insider thanked the show’s director Yoon Sang Ho for the absolute professionalism in handling the whole situation.

Things really pulled back together, thanks to Director Yoon. He made sure the atmosphere at the reshoot remained positive. The staff and cast both have found some stability with Director Yoon’s support. He has everyone’s undivided attention and trust now. The way he carried himself so calmly and professionally through this whole situation, it really helped us navigate out of trouble faster and smarter. I still remember Director Yoon telling himself and the rest of us, ‘It’s not a problem. It is only a reshoot.’

— Insider

According to the insider, the new male lead Na In Woo is also “playing a big part in keeping the reshoot successful.” With that said, River Where The Moon Rises viewers are rallying for the cast and staff of the series — with some humorous words of support.