Lee Joon-gi to Flog Phones for Performance-Related Pay

The actor Lee Joon-gi, who just hit the big time with his part in the hit movie "The King and the Clown", is to flog Samsung's Anycall mobile phones for an unprecedented performance-based reward. With the huge commercial success of the film, Lee joined a handful of stars deemed worthy of advertising the gadget, following Kwon Sang-woo, Eric Mun, Lee Hyori and Moon Geun-young.

Lee signed a one-year modeling contract with Samsung Electronics on Wednesday in a unique "blank check" deal that will make his remuneration dependent on the commercial's success rather that a flat fee based on his star status. Remarkably, it was Lee and his agency who proposed the deal.

Lee reportedly "dreamed" of being an Anycall model since he started out in the business, an idiosyncratic ambition prompting him to give Samsung carte blanche in deciding the terms. The advertising agency Cheil Communications responded by promising "exceptional" rewards if the commercial is successful.

Cheil executive Park Yong-jin explained the firm felt Lee would be rather undersold if his fee was based on his current standing as a relative newcomer rather than his star potential. He said Cheil would "guarantee surprising treatment" for Lee.

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