Kim Hee-won meets viewers not as an ‘actor’, but as a ‘director’. Attention is focused on whether he will be able to properly demonstrate his capabilities and abilities as a director in his first attempt at directing through ‘The Lighting Store’, the most anticipated drama of the second half of the year confidently released by Disney+, as well as both inside and outside the industry.

‘The Lighting Store’, which will be released on the 4th, is based on a webtoon of the same name that was serialized in 2011 and tells the story of people who visit a store that sells lighting that connects the living and the dead. The drama has garnered much anticipation since its production stage with the original author, writer Kang Full, who created a global sensation with ‘Moving’ last year, writing the script. In addition, Kim Hee-won, who has been active as a ‘scene stealer’ in numerous works, has drawn attention by taking on the megaphone for the first time as a director.

In particular, unlike actors Yoo Ji-tae, Ha Jung-woo, Lee Jung-jae, and Jung Woo-sung who have previously challenged themselves as directors with movies, Kim Hee-won has drawn attention by taking on the difficult challenge of directing an 8-episode drama, which has a much longer duration than a movie.

At a production conference held at the COEX Convention Grand Ballroom in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 3rd, Kim Hee-won said, “Directing a drama was very burdensome,” but added, “(In the case of dramas), there is a rule that makes you want to watch the next episode, but I just focused on creating a happy and fun drama. When I act, I always worry about, ‘Did I move the audience’s heart?‘, and it was the same when I was directing,” he said.

He also expressed confidence in competing with OTT blockbusters that will be released in December, including Netflix’s global mega hit ‘Squid Game’ Season 2. “I am confident that ‘The Lighting Store’ contains emotions that move everyone‘s hearts. If that confidence works, I think we can win any competition,” he said, adding, “I hope ’The Lighting Store‘ becomes the most-watched series in the world.”

The lead actors expressed strong faith and trust in ’Director Kim Hee-won,‘ who showed strong confidence in the work. Joo Ji-hoon, who plays Won-young, the owner of the lighting store, said, “While filming, there are times when you can’t do what you should naturally do, but Director Kim Hee-won carried out what he promised and discussed in advance during the pre-production stage without any errors. He emphasized that it was a ‘textbook for directing’.


Reporter Lee Seung-mi smlee@donga.com