Lee Dong-wook Claims He Trained Like Special Forces For A Shop For Killers

South Korean sensation Lee Dong-wook, who rose to fame with his breakthrough role in the 1999 TV series School, achieved superstardom as Kang Ji Wook in the 2011 hit Scent of a Woman. Now, the actor is all set to impress audiences in his action packed return with the Disney Plus show, A Shop for Killers. The star studded cast, including Kim Hye-jun, Seo Hyun-woo, Jo Han-sun, Park Ji-bin, Geum Hae-na, and director Lee Kwon, joined Lee Dong-wook at the production presentation in Seoul’s Conrad Seoul Hotel. During a conversation, the actor highlighted the authenticity of the action in the series, which includes intense scenes with guns and fights.

Dong-wook shared, “In the drama, I play a former mercenary, so I tried to learn a lot of actions used by actual foreign special forces. As for being called an action genius, well, I’m certainly not a genius. The actions I did previously had a strong fantasy element. I used magic and swords. In contrast, this time I use guns and focus on close combat, which makes it feel more realistic. A shop for Killers features new kinds of actions, and practicing them was a bit bothersome.”

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In the upcoming series, A Shop for Killers, Lee Dong-wook plays the character of Jeong Jin-man, a retired mercenary operating a secret shop dealing in unusual weapons. The plot takes an unexpected turn as Jeong Jin-man’s niece, Jeong Ji-an (played by Kim Hye-jun), becomes the focal point of assassination attempts linked to her uncle’s dangerous legacy following his sudden demise. The story transitions between the past and present. In an interview with AsiaOne, Lee Dong-Wook shared that this unique storytelling was a key factor that drew him to the script.

He said, “While shifting timelines can often make a story feel too hectic or disorganised, this script was written in a way that made the transitions seamless. It was very impressive. Most of the action sequences I’ve performed on previous projects involved a significant amount of wirework due to the fantasy elements. I’ve also had quite a lot of experience with swords.”

Further sharing more insights about the series, Dong-wook highlights a scene where his character, Jin-man, had to fire a machine gun. Despite his initial concerns about handling the weapon and the noise it produced, the actor found it to be a surprisingly effective stress reliever during the shoot. Expressing that the experience was enjoyable, he shared that he ended up filming the scene more than three times, firing around 200 bullets.

A Shop for Killers, featuring Lee Dong-wook will feature 8 episodes and the series is scheduled to premiere on January 17.