Violence

Hyun-Jun (Byung-Hun Lee), the main character in "Iris"

Glamorization of Violence

The series is a high-tech spy drama, and it has been filmed in various locations including Hungary, Russia, Japan, U.S., and China. "Iris" is a spectacular crime drama that has been unforeseen in the Korean drama world. "Iris" has gained popularity from its audience for its thrilling storyline and the glamorization of violence that overall propel the narrative.

 A blockbuster scale Korean drama, "Iris"

As a blockbuster scale action drama, "Iris" tries to "Americanize" the traditional representation of violence that has long been depicted in Korean dramas. This drama is the first Korean drama ever to incorporate American scheme of violence. Typical genres of Korean dramas concentrate on love, romance, or family. Challenging the traditional drama genres of Korea, "Iris" is definitely a grand project beyond anyone's imagination finally put into action.

"Iris" : A new drama genre of Korea

On the "Iris Special" that was aired a week after the series' last episode (showing behind-the-scenes clips and footage spanning the drama's ten-month-long shoots), Lee, Byung-Hun (who played as Hyun-Jun), during an interview, states that the majority of the staff of "Iris" is from action/thriller movie production. Lee also says that they feel like creating an entire movie for each episode.

 Vick, one of the brutal assassins of "Iris" with a gun

Weapons and equipment used in actual espionage missions have been utilized in "Iris" for the greatest sense of authenticity. For example, some guns, such as M2, K2, and M4 that are usually used in real army have been put to use in the drama. Also, overseas shooting in Hungary, Japan, and China overall helps to realistically portray the international spy warfare going on in the world we live in. "Iris" is a television crime drama that deals with violence, justice, and crime as central themes.

Sa-Woo in one of the action scenes

"Iris" is also notable in that it is the first Korean drama ever to be filmed at Gwang-Hwa Moon Gwang Jang and Sejong Avenue, which are located right next to the Capitol in the heart of Seoul. The Gwang-Hwa Moon and Sejong Avenue are one of the busiest sites in Seoul, with its crazy traffic on the road. However, the Capitol decided to say yes to the filming due to the drama's popularity and tourism purposes, to let the foreign audience know more about Seoul.

A picture of Gwang-Hwa Moon Gwang-Jang in Seoul

On November 29, 2009, the Sejong Avenue was closed for twelve hours (7AM to 7PM) for filming, with no fatal accidents thankfully. Approximately a thousand of fans of the drama have gathered at Gwang-Hwa Moon despite in the rain to see world stars, Hyun-Jun (Lee, Byung-Hun) and Seung-Hee (Kim, Tae-Hee).

The entire avenue was closed for the filming of "Iris"

A car explosion filmed at Gwang-Hwa Moon on the same day

For the twelve hours of filming at Gwang-Hwa Moon, the entire traffic was closed, and a total of 3000 gunshots were used for filming. This filming at the Gwang-Hwa Moon greatly increased the tension of the story, and the audience applauded the exceptional episode. As a drama, "Iris" is the first ever to have shooting scenes at the Gwang-Hwa Moon.

     A preview of episode 16, which shows the filming at Gwang-Hwa Moon