When we first see Sunja, played by Minha Kim, in season two PachinkoShe is standing in a crowded market in Osaka. We hear her before we see her; she is calling out to the crowd in the market, asking them to buy her kimchi. She brags about how delicious it is and finally says, ‘Come, let’s have a taste of home’.
In 2021, when Minha Kim began filming for season one of Pachinko, it was his second professional acting role and first American production. The young actor took on the challenge of bringing to life the main character of author Min Jin Lee’s famous novel Pachinko – a sweeping, detailed history of four generations of a family as they grapple with love, loss, grief, and survival. Following her critically acclaimed performance in the show’s first season, Minha was nominated for a Gotham Award for Outstanding Performance in a New Series, and was honored as a breakout TV performer at the 2022 Asian American Awards Unforgettable ceremony. Earlier this year, she was also seen in the music video for ‘Come Back to Me’, a song by BTS’ RM.
Minha Kim, who is returning for the second season, said in an interview, the hindusays she approached the character the same way she did in the first season, except that the show has a time jump that she had to take into account. “I think the most important part for me was to really feel grounded and authentic. The time jump meant I had to keep her personality, and work on creating my own stories for Sunja,” she says.
Minha Kim and Lee Min-ho from the second season of Pachinko | Photo credit: Apple TV+
In the second season of Pachinko, the year is 1945. In Osaka, which is in the grip of war, Sunja is now much more mature, physically and emotionally, and has a lot on her shoulders – her husband is missing, possibly languishing in prison, she has to take care of two young sons, money is tight, and rations are even harder to come by. She worries about her mother, who is still in Japanese-occupied Korea, her home which she left years ago to move to Osaka with her husband. The remnants of her ‘home’, which she mentions in her first appearance on the show, are now the kimchi she makes and the Korean language in which she speaks to her sons.
Impressed with what Minha brought to the character, director Leanne Welham described her as a ‘smart actor’. Stating that it was not easy to come into the second season and play a character like Sunja, Leanne says Minaha handled the whole experience well without feeling overwhelmed because she is very intelligent and easy-going. She adds, “When she’s on camera, she has a different glow to her, which is unusual and it’s wonderful to work with her.” Leanne, Arvin Chen and Sang-il Lee are credited as directors for the new season, which is in Japanese, Korean and English.
Minha Kim’s performance in the show’s first season was well received by critics. In frame: Minha Kim and Steve Sanghyun Noh | Photo credit: Apple TV+
Minha says Sunja has huge responsibilities on her shoulders, but the love she has for her ensures that it never feels like a burden to her. While shooting for the show, Sunja’s emotional turmoil and how she deals with extraordinary circumstances being a normal woman was constantly on her mind.
“The situation she’s facing is so tough. What I’ve tried to do as a character is accept it and embrace it, which I think Sunja is really good at. She just… keeps moving forward,” Minha says.
Through the show, Sunja is constantly faced with the need to make decisions for herself and her family that affect their lives and move them forward. “Even though she has moments where she’s confused, she’s never lost for too long and she realizes there’s no right or wrong in a situation. She’s very sharp. She also has a responsibility to protect her family and herself,” adds the actor.
This also meant that Minha had to be conscious of making sure her portrayal of Sunja was never one-note. “I wanted to bring some variety to her emotions. It’s not always the same, and I also wanted to build on this person’s relationships with other characters,” she explains.
Following a seven-year time jump after season one, Sunja’s sons are now eight and thirteen, and in her sister-in-law Kyunghee, she has found a solid support. Koh Hansu (played by actor Lee Min-ho) also re-enters her life, bringing up their shared, troubled past.
The cast includes Jung Eun-chae, Steve Sanghyun Noh, Jin Ha, Yuh-jung Youn. Photo Credit: Apple TV+
Min Ha gushed when asked what it was like to be part of the ensemble cast – which includes Jung Eun-chae, Lee Min-ho, Steve Sanghyun Noh, Jin Ha and Yuh-jung Youn. “They are great actors and we discussed our characters and relationships many times. But we mostly followed our own instincts, trusted each other and trusted our characters. We trusted each other,” she says.
Ahead of Pachinko Season 2’s premiere in New York, actor Lee Min-ho took to Instagram to share photos of himself and Minha in the city, dressed in casual clothes, with the caption ‘Hansoo and Sunja in New York’, which delighted fans of the actors and the show.
“The whole cast had a great relationship behind the camera, and we also got to spend some time in Korea after filming finished. I think that helped us a lot on set as well,” she smiles.
Season 2 of Pachinko premieres on Apple TV+ on August 23.
