Would A Shop for Killers be any good without Kim Hye-jun? Kingdom actress on why she turned down the Disney+ show at first, and what changed her mind

Kingdom actress Kim Hye-jun explains why she turned down Disney+ show A Shop for Killers at first, and why co-star Lee Dong-wook’s casting changed her mind

She reveals what she chose to focus on while filming and what she and Lee decided to do so that viewers would root for their characters

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Kingdom actress Kim Hye-jun turned down Disney+ show A Shop for Killers, but Lee Dong-wook’s casting changed her mind. Photo: Disney+

Published: 7:15pm, 14 Feb 2024

By Lee Gyu-lee

Kim Hye-jun has, ever since she gained global recognition with the popular Netflix series Kingdom, established a career acting in dark thrillers. It is no different in the Disney+ original series A Shop for Killers, in which she portrays an ordinary college girl who becomes a killer.

Based on a novel of the same name, the eight-part series revolves around Ji-an (Kim), a girl who was raised by her uncle, Jin-man (Lee Dong-wook), after her parents died.

One day, Ji-an receives news of her uncle’s death, discovers that he had been operating an unusual shopping mall – and becomes the target of an unidentified group of killers who are after her uncle’s supplies.

A scene from A Shop for Killers. Photo: Walt Disney Company Korea

Ji-an has been named the co-owner of the mall and she uncovers new information about her uncle’s secret life as well as the circumstances surrounding his death.