Profile | Who is Lee Dong-wook, star of K-dramas A Shop for Killers and Tale of the Nine Tailed and a household name for the best part of 20 years?
- Lee Dong-wook is best known for playing the Grim Reaper in 2016’s Guardian: The Great and Lonely God, but the actor has been appearing in K-dramas since 1999
- Lee hit the big time in 2005 with a leading role in romantic comedy My Girl; he stars as a man with a secret, deadly identity in A Shop for Killers on Disney+

Given he could probably still pass for a 25-year-old, it is incredible to realise it has been 25 years since Lee Dong-wook made his screen acting debut.
That is a long time in the entertainment business but, after becoming a household name in South Korea in 2005, Lee is as popular as he has ever been. This month he takes on a new challenge, appearing in his first streaming series – A Shop for Killers on Disney+.
The series is an opportunity to see a different side of him. We have long been used to Lee taking on romantic roles or playing suave characters in popular fantasy dramas, but the gloves are off for this decidedly edgier series: his role, as a man who has kept his identity as an arms dealer a secret from his niece, seems a calculated move.
As Lee looks to the next stage of his career, he reminds us that perhaps there is more to him than meets the eye – that he is an actor possessing a range he has not always been given the chance to show.

Why we love him
Even among the ranks of handsome K-drama stars, Lee’s striking looks stand out.