''A Shop for Killers'' () is a 2024 South Korean

action drama The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...

television series co-created, co-written and co-directed by Lee Kwon, and starring

Lee Dong-wook Lee Dong-wook (; born 6 November 1981) is a South Korean actor and presenter. He is best known for his leading roles in the television dramas '' My Girl'' (2005), '' Scent of a Woman'' (2011), '' The Fugitive of Joseon'' (2013), ''Hotel King'' ...

and

Kim Hye-jun Kim Hye-jun (; born May 8, 1995) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her role in ''Kingdom'' (2019–2020) as Queen Consort Cho. She won Best New Actress at the 40th Blue Dragon Film Awards for her role in ''Another Child'' (2019) ...

. Based on a novel of the same Korean title by Kang Ji-young, the story is about a girl who lost her parents and grew up in the hands of her uncle who runs a suspicious online shop. The first season was released on

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

from January 17 to February 7, 2024. It is also available for

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in the United States. A second season has been confirmed in production.

Plot

The story revolves around Jeong Ji-an, a young woman whose seemingly ordinary life changes dramatically after her uncle, Jeong Jin-man, dies unexpectedly. Ji-an was raised by her uncle after her parents died when she was very young. He owned a seemingly ordinary shopping mall, but Ji-an soon discovers a dark secret: the mall was actually a front for a

clandestine operation A clandestine operation (op) is an intelligence or military operation carried out in such a way that the operation goes unnoticed by the general population or specific enemy forces. Until the 1970s, clandestine operations were primarily politic ...

that provided weapons and equipment to professional killers. With her uncle gone, Ji-an unwittingly inherits his dangerous legacy. She is pursued by a variety of individuals, including rival killers, powerful organizations, and even law enforcement, all of whom want to capitalize on her uncle's connections and the resources he left behind. Forced to confront the truth about her uncle's past, Ji-an must navigate this treacherous world. She struggles with the moral ramifications of her uncle's actions while also attempting to survive and protect herself from the deadly threats that now surround her.

Cast and characters

Main

as Jeong Jin-man : A man who secretly runs an unusual shopping mall called Murthehelp and has been raising his niece, Ji-an. *

as Jeong Ji-an ** Ahn Se-bin as child Jeong Ji-an ** Cho Si-yeon as 13-year-old Jeong Ji-an : A young lady who grew up with her unusual uncle after losing her parents.

Supporting

Seo Hyun-woo Seo Hyun-woo (born 20 November 1983) is a South Korean actor who began his career on stage and made his debut in a musical in 2010. In the same year, he won an acting award at The 9th Off Daehakro Festival. Seo faced a period of obscurity that ...

as Lee Seong-jo : A cold-blooded, top notch sniper. *

Jo Han-sun Jo Han-sun (; born June 17, 1981) is a South Korean actor. He made his debut in a beer commercial in 2001, then became a household name through the sitcom '' Nonstop 3'' (2002) and the television drama ''April Kiss'' (2004). He is best known for ...

as Bale : A notorious villain who is feared by other killers. *

Park Ji-bin Park Ji-bin (; born March 14, 1995) is a South Korean actor. He began his career as a child actor, notably in '' Hello, Brother'' (2005) and ''Boys Over Flowers is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoko Kamio. Th ...

as Bae Jeong-min ** Kim Ye-gyeom as child Jeong-min : Ji-an's classmate who uncovers the identity of the shopping mall with his excellent hacking skills. * as So Min-hye : An S-class killer who specializes in guns, knives and bare-knuckle fighting. * Lee Tae-young as Brother ** Kim Se-heon as child Brother : A suspicious part-timer who has been managing the shopping mall with full of secrets without anyone knowing. * as Pasin : Ji-an's Muay Thai teacher and Jin-man's longtime colleague. ;Others *

Ahn Gil-kang Ahn Gil-kang (; born August 24, 1966) is a South Korean actor. He frequently appears as a supporting actor in director Ryoo Seung-wan's films, such as '' Die Bad'' (2000), '' Crying Fist'' (2005), ''The City of Violence'' (2006), and ''Dachimawa ...

as Lee Yong-han : The leader of Babylon, a mercenary organization. * Park Jeong-woo as Honda : A mute who is Jin-man's colleague and Brother's older brother. * Jung Yi-hun as Jun-cheol : A member of the mercenary team who trusts and follows Jin-man. * as Mr. Kim : A killer who has been through many hardships. * Han Chul-woo as Ji-an's father * Song Ah-kyung as Ji-an's mother * as Kuma : A member of the mercenary team hired by Seong-jo. * Kang Hee-se and as the twin killers. * Park Sang-won as Kim Seong-hwan : A new mercenary for Babylon. * Hwang Dae-ki as Bongo

Special appearances

Cha Mi-kyung Cha Mi-kyung (; born 25 July 1965) is a South Korean actress. She made her acting debut in 2007, since then, she has appeared in number of films and television series. She is known for her roles in ''Itaewon Class'' (2020), ''Racket Boys'' and ...

as Ji-an's grandmother * Kim Han-jong as a taxi driver * Kim Yoon-sung as Detective Park * Cho Ji-an as Jun-myeon

Episodes

Season 1 (2024)

Production

Development

''A Shop for Killers'' was developed under the

working title A working title is a preliminary name for a product or project. The usage is especially common in film and TV, gaming, music and publishing. It is often styled in trade publications as (wt) and is synonymous with production title and tentative ...

''The Killers' Shopping Mall'', is co-directed by Lee Kwon and Noh Kyu-yeop, co-written by Ji Ho-jin and Lee, co-produced by Merrychristmas (a subsidiary of A2Z Entertainment) and Project Onion, and provided by . In February 2024, director Lee Kwon said in an interview that they were closely discussing the possibility to produce a second season. Ten months later,

confirmed the production of the series' second season.

Casting

In November 2022,

and

were reportedly cast for the series which will be released on a global OTT platform. Lee and Kim were announced in the lead roles in May 2023. In December 2023,

, Geum Hae-na, and were revealed to play various roles in the series. In April 2025, Lee and Kim were confirmed to return for the second season with most of the original cast members. New cast members Masaki Oda, Hyunri, and Jung Yun-ha were also announced to join the second season.

Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

for the first season took place between January and June 2023. The second season will begin filming in April 2025.

Original soundtrack

On January 26, 2024, it was announced that music director

Primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Work ...

participated for the scoring of ''A Shop for Killers''. In addition, Primary said that he used instruments that can highlight each character's unique charm in the right place. To express the rough and complete appearance of Jin-man, he used masculine guitar sounds, then for Ji-an, who is not yet fully mature, he used an analog synthesizer to bring out an unrefined feeling, and lastly for Bale, the villain of the series, emphasized the character's extremely evil appearance with the dull tone of the cello.

Album

The

soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ( ...

of ''A Shop for Killers'' was released on February 16, 2024; it contains all of the singles and background tracks from the series.

Track listing

Release

''A Shop for Killers'' was released worldwide on

on January 17, 2024. It was also released on

in the United States.

Reception

Critical response

Joel Keller of ''

Decider Decider is both a real word and a "Bushism". It may refer to: * ''Decider'' (website), a pop culture website operated by the ''New York Post'' * '' Bill Maher: The Decider'', a stand-up comedy special * Decider (Turing machine), a Turing machin ...

'' stated that the series "keeps things pretty straightforward to start, which leaves a lot of room for some good action scenes and some exploration of its two main characters". Sayantan Gayen of ''

Comic Book Resources ''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Book Resources'', is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publicat ...

'' wrote that it "still has miles to go" but "how things will line up, the first two episodes successfully make viewers anxious to get their hands on the next installment". Sarah Musnicky of ''But Why Tho?'' gave a score of 7.5 out of 10 and described the series as "action-packed, featuring characters that will sway you, piss you off, and lure you in". Writing for ''

South China Morning Post The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remaine ...

'', Pierce Conran gave the series a score of 3 out of 5 and stated that the series "seduced us with its stylish opening", but "after getting into and making it all the way to the end, some viewers may now be feeling buyer's remorse". Puah Ziwei of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' opined it "a thrilling K-drama set in a mysterious murder mystery", however, "the series has logical inconsistencies and plot holes, such as Ji-an's change of name and Jin-man's peculiar possessions and behaviors".

Viewership

announced that the series was the most viewed local original on the platform in the Asia Pacific region in 2024, until it was surpassed by ''

Light Shop ''Light Shop'' () is a 2024 South Korean mystery horror television series written by Kang Full and directed by Kim Hee-won. The series stars an ensemble cast led by Ju Ji-hoon and Park Bo-young along with Bae Seong-woo, Uhm Tae-goo, Lee Jung ...

'' in December.

Accolades

Awards and nominations

Listicles

Notes

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shop For Killers, A 2024 South Korean television seasons 2024 South Korean television series debuts Korean-language television shows South Korean action television series South Korean pre-produced television series Star (Disney+) original programming Television shows based on South Korean novels