Disney+ series ‘The Lighting Store’ director Kim Hee-won spoke about casting actor Bae Sung-woo.

On the afternoon of the 20th, Disney+ series ‘The Lighting Store’ director Kim Hee-won met with Donga.com for an interview at a cafe in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and talked about the work.

When asked why he cast actor Bae Sung-woo, who has been embroiled in a drunk driving controversy, in an important role in ‘The Lighting Store,’ Kim Hee-won said, “It was my first time having a casting meeting. Most of the Korean actors were written on the blackboard. While everyone was expressing their opinions, I thought, ‘I would have been cast and received such great reviews,’” he said.

He continued, “There was a lot of talk about Bae Sung-woo back then too. The conclusion was to approach it objectively and only think about the work. That‘s the conclusion we ultimately reached. I’m close with Bae Sung-woo. I made that prediction. ‘Why did you do it?’’’’’‘Because we‘re close?’ I made all kinds of predictions. However, I thought about the project objectively and cast him,” he added.



Kim Hee-won said, “My personal opinion is that this friend regrets it a lot. I was so upset that I swore at him a lot. I even told him that if he did it again, I wouldn’t see him again. One time, I didn‘t drink, but I was driving home, and people filmed me. He said that he went to the police station himself and took a breathalyzer test. So I told him, ‘Good job. Live like that for the rest of your life.’

Kim Hee-won honestly confessed, ”I couldn’t say this during the meeting. I didn‘t say that this person regrets it because I’m close to him for such a big project. I think it‘s fortunate that he was cast. I personally think that he’s reflecting a lot.“

Meanwhile, ‘The Lighting Store’, which was first released on the 4th, tells the story of customers with suspicious secrets visiting the ‘The Lighting Store’, the only place that lights up the end of a dark alley. Four episodes were released on the 4th, and two episodes were released every week for two weeks after that, presenting all eight episodes.

It is the fifth work in writer Kang Full‘s ‘Mystery Psychological Slurp’ series and is based on the webtoon of the same name ‘The Lighting Store’, which has surpassed 150 million cumulative views.

Reporter Choi Yoon-na, Donga.com yyynnn@donga.com