A Shop for Killers (Korean킬러들의 쇼핑몰) is a 2024 South Korean television series co-created, co-written and co-directed by Lee Kwon, and starring Lee Dong-wook and Kim Hye-jun. 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.[2] It was released worldwide on Disney+ from January 17 to February 7, 2024, and on Hulu in the United States.

A Shop for Killers
Promotional poster
Hangul
킬러들의 쇼핑몰
Literal meaningThe Killers' Shopping Mall
Revised RomanizationKilleodeul-ui syopingmol
McCune–ReischauerK'illŏdŭrŭi syop'ingmol
GenreAction drama
Created by
Based onThe Killer's Shopping Mall
by Kang Ji-young
Written by
  • Ji Ho-jin
  • Lee Kwon
Directed by
  • Lee Kwon
  • Noh Kyu-yeob
Starring
Music byPrimary
Country of originSouth Korea
Original languageKorean
No. of episodes8 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Jung Geun-wook[1]
  • Kang In[1]
  • Seo Kyung-joon[1]
  • Kim In-ae
  • Lee Sung-hoon (CP)[1]
Producers
  • Yoo Jung-hoon[1]
  • Cha Sang-min[1]
  • Kim Kyung-jae[1]
  • Lim Ra-kyung[1]
Cinematography
  • Lee Sung-jae[1]
  • Kim Gi-hyun[1]
EditorChoi Jae-geun[1]
Running time44–62 minutes
Production companies
  • Merrychristmas
  • Project Onion
Original release
NetworkDisney+
ReleaseJanuary 17 (2024-01-17) –
February 7, 2024 (2024-02-07)
Related
The Killer's Shopping List

Synopsis

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Jeong Ji-an becomes the target of highly-skilled killers due to the dangerous legacy left by her uncle Jeong Jin-man, who died unexpectedly. Trying to figure out what is going on, she then goes back to her early years to remember what her uncle taught her.[3][4]

Cast and characters

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Main

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A man who secretly runs an unusual shopping mall called Murthehelp and has been raising his niece, Ji-an.
  • Kim Hye-jun as Jeong Ji-an[5]
    • Ahn Se-bin as child Jeong Ji-an[6]
    • Cho Si-yeon as 13-year-old Jeong Ji-an[7]
A young lady who grew up with her unusual uncle after losing her parents.

Supporting

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A cold-blooded, top notch sniper.
A notorious villain who is feared by other killers.
Ji-an's classmate who uncovers the identity of the shopping mall with his excellent hacking skills.
An S-class killer who specializes in guns, knives and bare-knuckle fighting.
  • Lee Tae-young as Brother[10]
    • Kim Se-heon as child Brother[1]
A suspicious part-timer who has been managing the shopping mall with full of secrets without anyone knowing.
Ji-an's Muay Thai teacher and Jin-man's longtime colleague.
Others
The leader of Babylon, a mercenary organization.
  • Park Jeong-woo as Honda[12]
A mute who is Jin-man's colleague and Brother's older brother.
  • Jung Yi-hun as Jun-cheol[13]
A member of the mercenary team who trusts and follows Jin-man.
A killer who has been through many hardships.
A member of the mercenary team hired by Seong-jo.
A new mercenary for Babylon.
  • Hwang Dae-ki as Bongo[1]

Special appearances

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  • Cha Mi-kyung as Ji-an's grandmother[1]
  • Kim Han-jong as a taxi driver[1]
  • Kim Yoon-sung as Detective Park[1]
  • Cho Ji-an as Jun-myeon[7]

Episodes

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No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Murthehelp"
Transliteration: "Meodeohelpeu" (Korean: 머더헬프)
Lee Kwon & Noh Kyu-yeobJi Ho-jin & Lee KwonJanuary 17, 2024 (2024-01-17)
2"Jeong Jinman, Jeong Jinman, Jeong Jinman"
Transliteration: "Jeong Jin-man, Jeong Jin-man, Jeong Jin-man" (Korean: 정진만, 정진만, 정진만)
Lee Kwon & Noh Kyu-yeobJi Ho-jin & Lee KwonJanuary 17, 2024 (2024-01-17)
3"The Strong Don't Howl"
Transliteration: "Ganghamyeon jitji an-a" (Korean: 강하면 짖지 않아)
Lee Kwon & Noh Kyu-yeobJi Ho-jin & Lee KwonJanuary 24, 2024 (2024-01-24)
4"The Shopping Mall"
Transliteration: "Syopingmol" (Korean: 쇼핑몰)
Lee Kwon & Noh Kyu-yeobJi Ho-jin & Lee KwonJanuary 24, 2024 (2024-01-24)
5"Babylon"
Transliteration: "Babillon" (Korean: 바빌론)
Lee Kwon & Noh Kyu-yeobJi Ho-jin & Lee KwonJanuary 31, 2024 (2024-01-31)
6"Jeong Jinman"
Transliteration: "Jeong Jin-man" (Korean: 정진만)
Lee Kwon & Noh Kyu-yeobJi Ho-jin & Lee KwonJanuary 31, 2024 (2024-01-31)
7"Trap"
Transliteration: "Hamjeong" (Korean: 함정)
Lee Kwon & Noh Kyu-yeobJi Ho-jin & Lee KwonFebruary 7, 2024 (2024-02-07)
8"Listen Up, Jian"
Transliteration: "Jal deul-eo, Jeong Ji-an" (Korean: 잘 들어, 정지안)
Lee Kwon & Noh Kyu-yeobJi Ho-jin & Lee KwonFebruary 7, 2024 (2024-02-07)

Production

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Development

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A Shop for Killers was 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 The Walt Disney Company Korea [ko].[17]

Casting

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In November 2022, Lee Dong-wook and Kim Hye-jun were reportedly cast for the series which will be released on a global OTT platform.[2] Lee and Kim were announced in the lead roles in May 2023.[5] In December 2023, Seo Hyun-woo, Jo Han-sun, Park Ji-bin, Geum Hae-na, and Kim Min [ko] were revealed to play various roles in the series.[18]

Soundtrack

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On January 26, 2024, it was announced that music director Primary 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.[19]

Album

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A Shop For Killers (Original Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by
Various artist
ReleasedFebruary 16, 2024 (2024-02-16)
Length1:46:58
LanguageKorean
Label
Singles from A Shop For Killers (Original Soundtrack)
  1. "How Can I Be Late"
    Released: February 16, 2024

The soundtrack album of A Shop for Killers was released on February 16, 2024; it contains all of the singles and background tracks from the series.[20]

Track listing

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A Shop for Killers track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicArtistLength
1."How Can I Be Late"
  • Benzamin
  • Genesio
  • Benzamin
  • Genesio
4:17
2."Memory One" Primary 1:40
3."Blind Spot" Primary 2:31
4."Strangers" 
  • Primary
  • Genosio
 1:40
5."Funeral" 
  • Primary
  • 1of1
 0:52
6."Threat" 
  • Primary
  • Genesio
 1:29
7."Warm Memory" 
  • Primary
  • Idoo
 2:04
8."Child Memory" Primary 1:32
9."Who" Primary 3:06
10."Hyena" Primary 1:16
11."Run in Hospital" Primary 4:18
12."Young Jiahn" Primary 1:42
13."Dark Website" Primary 2:09
14."Drone Attack" Primary 4:24
15."Murthehelp" Primary 2:35
16."His Plan" 
  • Primary
  • Genesio
 1:01
17."Again Attack" Primary 1:22
18."Jiahn" Primary 2:36
19."Minhye in Warehouse" Primary 2:19
20."Try" 
  • Primary
  • Genesio
 1:01
21."He Is Bad Guy" Primary 1:18
22."Countdown" Primary 1:04
23."Trick" 
  • Primary
  • Genesio
 1:12
24."I Kill Jinman" Primary 2:36
25."Hide" Primary 1:22
26."Robot Dog" 
  • Primary
  • Genesio
 1:04
27."Close Murthehelp" Primary 1:00
28."Minhye Action" Primary 2:29
29."Bale" Primary 1:13
30."Kill Bale" Primary 2:25
31."Killers" Primary 3:48
32."Airplane" Primary 1:16
33."Laos" Primary 1:14
34."Run" 
  • Primary
  • Genesio
 1:02
35."Wrap Up" Primary 1:09
36."Battle" Primary 1:08
37."Jinman's Mother" 
  • Primary
  • Idoo
 1:28
38."First Mall" Primary 2:08
39."Family" Primary 4:16
40."Wait" Primary 2:56
41."No Mercy" Primary 3:44
42."Help" 
  • Primary
  • Genesio
 1:11
43."Build" Primary 3:39
44."Trap" 
  • Primary
  • Genesio
 1:01
45."End" Primary 1:27
46."Wanted" Primary 0:57
47."New Boss" Primary 1:32
48."Ruin" 
  • Primary
  • Genesio
 3:55
49."Bus" Primary 1:39
50."A Shop of Killers" Primary 2:30
51."Act" 
  • Primary
  • Genesio
 1:04
52."How Can I Be Late" (Inst.) 
  • Benzamin
  • Genesio
 4:17
Total length:1:46:58

Release

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A Shop for Killers was released worldwide on Disney+ on January 17, 2024.[5][21] It was also released on Hulu in the United States.[22]

Accolades

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Awards and nominations

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Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee(s) of the award, and the result of the nomination
Award ceremony Year Category Nominee / Work Result Ref.
Blue Dragon Series Awards 2024 Best Supporting Actor Seo Hyun-woo Nominated [23][24]
Best Supporting Actress Geum Hae-na Won
Best New Actress Kim Hye-jun Nominated

Listicles

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Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement
Publisher Year Listicle Placement Ref.
NME 2024 The 10 best K-dramas of 2024 – so far Included [25]
The 10 best Korean dramas of 2024 7th place [26]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u 머더헬프 [Murthehelp]. A Shop for Killers. Episode 1 (in Korean). January 17, 2024. Disney+.
  2. ^ a b Kim, No-eul (November 25, 2022). [단독]이동욱·김혜준, 삼촌-조카된다..'살인자의 쇼핑몰' 출연 [[Exclusive] Lee Dong-wook and Kim Hye-jun become uncle and nephew...Appearance in 'Murderer's Shopping Mall'] (in Korean). Star News. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved January 1, 2023 – via Naver.
  3. ^ Park, Soo-in (December 20, 2023). '킬러들의 쇼핑몰' 삼촌 이동욱 남긴 위험한 유산, 수상한 쇼핑몰 정체는 ['Killers' Shopping Mall' The dangerous legacy left behind by uncle Lee Dong-wook, the identity of the suspicious shopping mall is] (in Korean). Newsen. Archived from the original on January 1, 2024. Retrieved January 1, 2024 – via Naver.
  4. ^ Ziwei, Puah (May 3, 2023). "Lee Dong-wook to star in new Disney+ original K-drama 'A Shop For Killers'". NME. Archived from the original on January 4, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d Kim, Ji-woo (May 2, 2023). '살인자의 쇼핑몰' 이동욱·김혜준 캐스팅[공식] ['Murderer's Shopping Mall' Lee Dong-wook and Kim Hye-jun casting [Official]] (in Korean). Sports Kyunghyang. Archived from the original on January 1, 2024. Retrieved January 1, 2024 – via Naver.
  6. ^ Lee, Kyung-ho (January 18, 2024). '킬러들의 쇼핑몰' 이동욱, 기대를 확신으로 만든 흡입력 ['Killer's Shopping Mall' Lee Dong-wook's Suction Power Makes Expectations Confident] (in Korean). Star News. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Naver.
  7. ^ a b 쇼핑몰 [The Shopping Mall]. A Shop for Killers. Episode 4 (in Korean). January 24, 2024. Disney+.
  8. ^ Jang, Da-hee (January 4, 2024). '킬러들의 쇼핑몰' 서현우, 반박불가 연기력+압도하는 비주얼 ['Shopping Mall of Killers' Seo Hyun-woo, irrefutable acting skills + overwhelming visuals] (in Korean). MBC Entertainment. Archived from the original on January 4, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024 – via Naver.
  9. ^ Jang, Soo-jung (January 5, 2024). '킬러들의 쇼핑몰' 조한선, 악역 변신...이동욱과 팽팽한 긴장감 ['Shopping Mall of Killers' Jo Han-seon transforms into a villain...Tension with Lee Dong Wook] (in Korean). Dailian [ko]. Archived from the original on January 6, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2024 – via Naver.
  10. ^ a b c d Jang, Da-hee (January 9, 2024). '킬러들의 쇼핑몰' 감독 "박지빈→김민=원픽 배우들" 자부 ['Shopping Mall of Killers' Director "Park Ji-bin→Kim Min=One-Pick Actors" Proud] (in Korean). MBC Entertainment. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2024 – via Naver.
  11. ^ Kim, Young-sik (February 13, 2024). [인터뷰] 감독 이권, "정진만의 과거를 '시즌 2'에서 풀고 싶습니다" 디즈니+ '킬러들의 쇼핑몰' [[Interview] Director Lee Kwon, "I want to unravel Jeong Jin-man's past in 'Season 2'" Disney+ 'The Killers' Shopping Mall']. Within News. Archived from the original on February 17, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  12. ^ Ahn, Byung-gil (February 2, 2024). '킬러들의 쇼핑몰' 혼다 박정우가 다시 떴다 ['The Killers' Shopping Mall' Honda Park Jeong-woo is back again]. Sports Kyunghyang. Archived from the original on February 4, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024 – via Naver.
  13. ^ Park, Jung-sun (January 23, 2024). 신예 정이헌, 디즈니+ '킬러들의 쇼핑몰' 출연 [Newcomer Jung Yi-heon appear on Disney+'s 'Killer's Shopping Mall'] (in Korean). JTBC News. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Naver.
  14. ^ Kim, Sang-hwa (January 20, 2024). '킬러들의 쇼핑몰' 파격 전개...디즈니플러스 또 대박 날까 ['Killers' shopping mall' shocking development...Will Disney+ be a big hit again]. OhmyNews. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024 – via Naver.
  15. ^ a b Jang, Min-soo (February 9, 2024). 파신, 민혜→양말삼촌, 브라더...'킬러들의 쇼핑몰' 빛낸 새 얼굴들 [Passin, Minhye → Uncle Socks, Brother...New faces that shine in 'The Killers' Shopping Mall']. MHN Sports. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024 – via Naver.
  16. ^ Ahn, Byung-gil (February 5, 2024). '킬러들의 쇼핑몰' 박상원, 굵고 짧게 ['Killers' shopping mall' Park Sang-won, thick and short] (in Korean). Sports Kyunghyang. Archived from the original on February 5, 2024. Retrieved February 5, 2024 – via Naver.
  17. ^ Ha, Soo-jung (December 14, 2023). 이동욱 '킬러들의 쇼핑몰', 새해 디즈니+ 첫 포문 1월 17일 공개 [공식] [Lee Dong Wook's 'Shopping Mall of Killers' Premieres on New Year's Disney+ on January 17 [Official]] (in Korean). OSEN [ko]. Archived from the original on January 2, 2024. Retrieved January 1, 2023 – via Naver.
  18. ^ Jung, Hee-yeon (December 14, 2023). 이동욱X서현우 '킬러들의 쇼핑몰' 2024년 1월 17일 디즈니+ 공개 [공식] [Lee Dong-wook X Seo Hyun-woo 'Shopping Mall of Killers' Coming to Disney+ on January 17, 2024 [Official]] (in Korean). Sports Dong-a. Archived from the original on December 15, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023 – via Naver.
  19. ^ Ji, Seung-hun (January 26, 2024). "진만은 기타, 베일은 첼로"...프라이머리가 밝힌 '킬러들의 쇼핑몰' OST ["Jin-man is the guitar, Bale is the cello"...Primary reveals the OST of 'The Killers' Shopping Mall'] (in Korean). Maeil Gyeongje. Retrieved September 9, 2024 – via Naver.
  20. ^ Lee, Yoo-min (February 16, 2024). '킬러들의 쇼핑몰' 화룡점정 찍은 OST 발매 ['The Killers' Shopping Mall' Finishing Touch OST Released] (in Korean). Sports Kyunghyang. Retrieved September 9, 2024 – via Naver.
  21. ^ Park, Jung-sun (December 14, 2023). 이동욱·김혜준 '킬러들의 쇼핑몰', 1월 17일 디즈니+ 공개 [Lee Dong-wook and Kim Hye-jun's 'Killers' Shopping Mall' to be released on Disney+ on January 17th] (in Korean). JTBC News. Archived from the original on January 1, 2024. Retrieved January 1, 2023 – via Naver.
  22. ^ Ziwei, Puah (December 14, 2023). "Here's when 'A Shop For Killers' starring Lee Dong-wook premieres". NME. Archived from the original on January 2, 2024. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  23. ^ Moon, Ji-yeon (June 24, 2024). [공식] '무빙'·'SNL코리아' 최다 노미..제3회 청룡시리즈어워즈 후보 격돌 [[Official] 'Moving' and 'SNL Korea' most nominated..Candidates clash for the 3rd Blue Dragon Series Awards]. Sports Chosun (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 26, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024 – via Naver.
  24. ^ Park, Hyun-min (July 20, 2024). '무빙' 대상→신인상..3관왕! 임시완·박보영 남녀주연상 [제3회 청룡시리즈어워즈] | 하퍼스 바자 코리아 ['Moving' Grand Prize → Best Newcomer... Triple Crown! Im Si-wan and Park Bo-young Best Male and Female Leading Actor [3rd Blue Dragon Series Awards]]. Harper's Bazaar (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 22, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  25. ^ Anderson, Daniel (June 27, 2024). "The 10 best K-dramas of 2024 – so far". NME. Archived from the original on June 28, 2024. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  26. ^ Ziwei, Puah (December 10, 2024). "The 10 best Korean dramas of 2024". NME. Archived from the original on December 13, 2024. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
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