A last-minute casting change has reshaped TVING's The Obedient Killer, with Jo Bo-ah stepping into the role of Lee Hwa-ra — an operative known by the code name "Miss Lee." Her agency, Billions, confirmed the casting in a statement and said she began filming that same day, joining a production that had lost its original lead mid-shoot.
The casting change was first reported by Newsis reporter Lee Jong-hee. Billions told the outlet, "Jo Bo-ah has joined the drama and will participate in filming starting from the 17th," adding, "As she has become part of a great drama, she will do her utmost to deliver a great performance."
Lee Chung-ah was originally cast as Lee Hwa-ra but stepped down partway through filming after injuring her back in a car accident. Newsis reports that the injury left her unable to handle the drama's many action scenes, forcing the production to recast one of its central roles.
The production now moves forward with Jo Bo-ah in the role as filming resumes. Set in the 1970s and 1980s, The Obedient Killer follows a woman whose only life goal was to become a devoted wife and mother — until her divorce forces her to take an unexpected job in order to make ends meet.
An Action-Heavy Role Recast Mid-Production
Losing a lead performer partway through filming is one of the most disruptive things that can happen to a drama, and the details behind this exit show why the production moved so quickly to find a replacement.
Lee Chung-ah had already begun filming when she stepped down from the role of Lee Hwa-ra.
A car accident injured her back, leaving her unable to perform the drama's many action scenes.
Jo Bo-ah joined the production and began filming the same day her casting was announced.
The swift replacement keeps the TVING original on track after the mid-shoot shake-up.
Jo Bo-ah's Return to the Small Screen After Motherhood
Beyond the production shuffle, the casting carries personal significance for Jo Bo-ah, who is returning to television after one of the biggest chapters of her life.
Jo Bo-ah married a non-celebrity in October 2024.
She gave birth to her son this past February.
The Obedient Killer marks her first television project since becoming a mother.
Billions says the actress is determined to deliver, promising she will "do her utmost to deliver a great performance."
A Devoted Wife Turned Unexpected Hire in 1970s–80s Korea
The TVING original centers on an ordinary woman whose carefully planned life comes undone, pulling her into a world she never expected to enter.
The story unfolds across the 1970s and 1980s.
It follows a woman whose only goal in life was to become a devoted wife and mother.
After her divorce, she takes an unexpected job in order to make ends meet.
Jo Bo-ah's character, Lee Hwa-ra, operates under the code name "Miss Lee."
With the recast complete, filming on The Obedient Killer continues as the TVING original pushes ahead on production.
