Jaehwa Bernardo

South Korean actors Lee Dong-wook (left) and Kim Hye-jun pose for photos during a press conference for the second season of the action series 'A Shop for Killers' in Seoul, South Korea on July 20, 2026. Photos courtesy of Disney+

Article (news)

'A Shop for Killers' brings 'spectacle' of diverse action styles in season 2

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17845301367990000 3.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="South Korean actors Lee Dong-wook (left) and Kim Hye-jun pose for photos during a press conference for the second season of the action series &#x27;A Shop for Killers&#x27; in Seoul, South Korea on July 20, 2026. Photos courtesy of Disney+"/>South Korean actors Lee Dong-wook (left) and Kim Hye-jun pose for photos during a press conference for the second season of the action series &#x27;A Shop for Killers&#x27; in Seoul, South Korea on July 20, 2026. Photos courtesy of Disney+</div>Two years after its acclaimed debut, the South Korean action drama &quot;A Shop for Killers&quot; is returning for a second season, with its stars promising a &quot;spectacle&quot; of diverse action styles.&quot;All these characters have their own charms and they have their own style of action, and that is something that differentiates this show against other action-packed shows,&quot; lead actor Lee Dong-wook, who reprises his role as Jeong Jin-man, said Monday through an interpreter during an online press conference.&quot;And this [series] has a really well-built universe and that is going to be resonating so much with the viewers,&quot; Dong-wook said.The first season centered on Jung Ji-an, played by rising actress Kim Hye-jun, who discovers after her uncle Jin-man&#x27;s apparent death that he had been running an online shop for illegal weapons and supplies, making her the target of attacks by highly skilled assassins.In the new season, premiering July 22 on Disney+, Ji-an takes over the weapons shop as her uncle Jin-man reappears, with the pair facing a new wave of deadly assassins.<div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rU4L1D874c8?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></div>While the action sequences are something to look forward to, director Lee Kwon said the heart of the show remains Ji-an&#x27;s character development.&quot;The key storyline for our show is actually focused on how Ji-an grows. This character is maturing over the course of a journey of survival and learning. That journey is not so easy because it&#x27;s met with many villains. Action is there, for sure, but it&#x27;s built around the growth of the character Ji-an, really,&quot; Lee said.If Ji-an spent most of the first season being the subject of attacks from assassins, she realizes in the second season that &quot;if she doesn&#x27;t do anything, everyone around her will be hurt so she retaliates,&quot; Hye-jun said of her character.&quot;In season one, we see a lot of hand-to-hand combat and Muay Thai, but in season two, I will show some firearm action sequences,&quot; said the actress, also known for starring in the zombie horror &quot;Kingdom&quot; and <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/movies-series/2025/12/30/lee-jun-ho-loses-then-gains-weight-for-superhero-role-in-cashero-1506">superhero series &quot;Cashero.&quot;</a><div>&#x27;DIFFERENT ACTION ELEMENTS&#x27;</div>Returning cast members Geum Hannah and Kim Min also teased new action styles for the season.&quot;Because of the storyline in season two, a lot of the action scenes happened in many different locations. Taekwondo was part of it, wrestling was part of it, Muay Thai was part of it,&quot; said Min, who plays Ji-an&#x27;s Muay Thai teacher Pasin.&quot;So many different action elements are coming together in season two so you will have so much spectacles in season two,&quot; he added.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1784530304840킬러들의 쇼핑몰 시즌2 단체2 (1).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="(From left) Director Lee Kwon, Masaki Okada, Hyunri, Kim Min, Jung Yun-ha, Geum Hannah, Jo Han-sun, Kim Hye-jun and Lee Dong-wook"/>(From left) Director Lee Kwon, Masaki Okada, Hyunri, Kim Min, Jung Yun-ha, Geum Hannah, Jo Han-sun, Kim Hye-jun and Lee Dong-wook</div>Hannah, whose performance as the assassin So Min-hye earned her the Best Supporting Actress award at the Blue Dragon Series Awards, said she obtained a license &quot;to do motorbike action&quot; for the new season.She also performed wire stunts, unlike in the first season, when her action scenes mostly involved grappling.Beyond the expanded action, the new season also introduces a host of new villainous killers alongside the returning Bale, played by Jo Han-sun.They include Jung Yun-ha (from &quot;<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/movies-series/2024/12/1/contract-marriage-meets-mystery-in-gong-yoo-seo-hyun-jin-s-the-trunk-1149">The Trunk</a>&quot; and &quot;Exhuma&quot;) as the &quot;unpredictable&quot; Kusanagi, Hyunri (&quot;Alice in Borderland&quot; and &quot;Can This Love Be Translated?&quot;) as the &quot;cold&quot; and &quot;competent&quot; Q, and Masaki Okada (&quot;Drive My Car&quot;) as the &quot;childish&quot; and fearless J.In addition to the action, the second season also explores the relationship between Jin-man and an adult Ji-an, after the first season largely depicted their bond through flashbacks featuring a younger Ji-an.&quot;I have more interactions with the adult Jeong Ji-an emotionally. So Ji-an has now entered this world of assassins and now that that has happened, how will Jin-man make sure his niece survives?&quot; Dong-wook said, adding that the season features &quot;a lot of emotional conflicts&quot; between the uncle and niece.Hye-jun added: &quot;Ji-an, who wasn&#x27;t able to understand her uncle at all before, grows to become more like her uncle.&quot;&quot;She sees more sides of Jin-man within her, so she can now better relate to Jin-man. I think audiences will see that kind of transformation,&quot; she said.The second season of &quot;A Shop for Killers&quot; comprises eight episodes. Following its two-episode launch on July 22, two new episodes will be released every Wednesday until the finale on August 12.

Two years after its acclaimed debut, the South Korean action drama 'A Shop for Killers' is returning for a second season, with its stars promising a 'spectacle' of diverse action styles.

Two years after its acclaimed debut, the South Korean action drama 'A Shop for Killers' is returning for a second season, with its stars promising a 'spectacle' of diverse action styles.