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Articles for Sunja

Second season of ‘Pachinko’ explores challenges for ethnic Koreans in Japan
4 months ago

Second season of ‘Pachinko’ explores challenges for ethnic Koreans in Japan

Associated Press  

SEOUL, South Korea — The second season of “Pachinko,” opening Friday, delicately captures the plight of ethnic Koreans brought to Japan during colonial rule and their descendants, exploring themes of home and identity through several generations. In one episode, a Japanese worker at a wartime Nagasaki factory refers to his Korean colleagues as “roaches” that “keep multiplying.” Decades later, Sunja’s …

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‘Pachinko’ returns with Season 2, a more muted but necessary chapter in the series
4 months ago

‘Pachinko’ returns with Season 2, a more muted but necessary chapter in the series

LA Times  

“Pachinko,” a beautifully wrought historical melodrama, is back for its necessary second season, to fill in some holes, fiddle with loose ends and extend the story even farther beyond the borders of Min Jin Lee’s 2017 novel. Though historical events are acknowledged, what with World War II and the Korean War falling within the earlier timeline, and the Japanese asset …

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Minha Kim interview: On starring in the second season of ‘Pachinko’, the ensemble cast, and more
4 months, 1 week ago

Minha Kim interview: On starring in the second season of ‘Pachinko’, the ensemble cast, and more

The Hindu  

When we first see Sunja, played by Minha Kim, in season two of Pachinko, she is standing in a crowded market place in Osaka. In 2021, when Minha Kim began filming for season one of Pachinko, it was only her second professional acting role, and first american production. Earlier this year, she was Returning for a second season, Minha Kim, …

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How a sense of place and family link generations in ‘Pachinko’
2 years, 6 months ago

How a sense of place and family link generations in ‘Pachinko’

LA Times  

Turning Min Jin Lee’s expansive historical novel “Pachinko” into an eight-hour Apple TV+ series was a daunting proposition. Newcomer Minha Kim portrays the young heroine Sunja and South Korean national treasure and “Minari” Oscar winner Yuh-Jung Youn plays her in her 70s; Korean American Jin Ha is Solomon; and Hallyu superstar Lee Minho is Hansu, a Japan-born Korean who has …

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She charmed in ‘Minari,’ delighted on the Oscars. Now for Yuh-Jung Youn’s next act ...
2 years, 7 months ago

She charmed in ‘Minari,’ delighted on the Oscars. Now for Yuh-Jung Youn’s next act ...

LA Times  

Fresh off her Oscar win for “Minari,” Yuh-Jung Youn stars in “Pachinko,” Apple TV+’s adaptation of Min Jin Lee‘s 2017 novel. The 74-year-old actress whose career began more than 50 years ago video chatted with The Envelope about Sunja’s strength, the line that moved her the most and how the Oscar has or hasn’t changed her. The series depicts the …

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Pachinko on Apple TV+: Japan is still reckoning with the colonial history depicted in the series.
2 years, 8 months ago

Pachinko on Apple TV+: Japan is still reckoning with the colonial history depicted in the series.

Slate  

Pachinko, the Apple TV+ series adapted from Min Jin Lee’s novel, is the rare story tackling the impact of Japanese colonial policies on Korean identity. Yet, as the opening of Pachinko states, “the People endured.” Told through the lens of a single family over four generations across 70 years, this story, adapted by Soo Hugh, captures how Japanese imperial ambition …

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"Pachinko" told me what my grandparents couldn't about the life of colonized Koreans in Japan
2 years, 8 months ago

"Pachinko" told me what my grandparents couldn't about the life of colonized Koreans in Japan

Salon  

As a fan of "Pachinko," the internationally acclaimed novel by Min Jin Lee, I closely followed news of its adaptation and eagerly awaited to see how the main character, Sunja, would be brought to life on the screen. In the first few episodes of the show alone, we see three different versions of Sunja — Sunja as a precocious only …

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Pachinko on Apple TV: The series’s food has layers of meaning.
2 years, 8 months ago

Pachinko on Apple TV: The series’s food has layers of meaning.

Slate  

An ambitious young investment banker named Solomon has returned from New York and cooks with his grandmother, Sunja, in her Osaka kitchen. “That’s the most emotional scene I’ve ever been involved in.” — Pachinko food stylist Ellie Hyewon Lee Showrunner Hugh says, “When you think about real life, we’re always eating, but I never see that on TV … and …

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‘It’s a really important question of identity’: The history of a culturally significant Korean garment
2 years, 8 months ago

‘It’s a really important question of identity’: The history of a culturally significant Korean garment

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. As western attire is now everyday wear for Koreans, …

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Pachinko adaptation by Apple TV+ translates historical sweep of Min Jin Lee’s best-selling novel into high-budget K-drama
2 years, 8 months ago

Pachinko adaptation by Apple TV+ translates historical sweep of Min Jin Lee’s best-selling novel into high-budget K-drama

ABC  

When Min Jin Lee published her multi-generational saga Pachinko in 2017, it took the literary world by storm. But reviews so far bode well, with the series being described as a "sumptuous South Korean epic like nothing else on TV" and "an elating tale of familial resilience and female strength." Pachinko pivots around the life of Sunja, and takes us …

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The must-see "Pachinko" is a pure and flawless beauty about the unpredictability of living
2 years, 8 months ago

The must-see "Pachinko" is a pure and flawless beauty about the unpredictability of living

Salon  

As the "Pachinko" finale's end credits rolled, I frantically sifted through the press materials to make sure it wasn't a limited series. Operating like the game, "Pachinko" bounces between decades, mainly pre-World War II Korea and Japan, and the 1980s, when Sunja's American-educated grandson Solomon is focused on closing a career-changing deal at his bank. Pachinko Time and again through …

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Apple’s stunning ‘Pachinko’ is so good it makes the competition look unworthy
2 years, 9 months ago

Apple’s stunning ‘Pachinko’ is so good it makes the competition look unworthy

LA Times  

When at its best, which is the case through nearly all its eight-episode first season, “Pachinko” is a lesson in how to do melodrama right. Set among the population the Japanese call “Zainichi” — Koreans who came to Japan during colonial rule and their descendants, who were subject to legal restrictions and general discrimination — it’s a story of racism, …

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Why Korean epic ‘Pachinko’, starring Lee Min-ho and Kim Min-ha, is timely
2 years, 9 months ago

Why Korean epic ‘Pachinko’, starring Lee Min-ho and Kim Min-ha, is timely

The Hindu  

It’s not every day that you get to meet, albeit over Zoom, a multi-hyphenated superstar like Lee Min-ho. He is in Los Angeles for the première of Pachinko, the much-awaited Apple TV+ adaptation of Korean-American author Min Jin Lee’s evocative bestseller that premières March 25. What the creator says The ambitious screen adaptation by writer-producer Soo Hugh — known for …

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Pachinko review: A 'dazzling, heartfelt Korean epic'
2 years, 9 months ago

Pachinko review: A 'dazzling, heartfelt Korean epic'

BBC  

Pachinko review: A 'dazzling, heartfelt Korean epic' Apple TV+ The Korean TV family epic is 'unsurpassed among recent series', writes Caryn James. Key info Platform: Apple TV+ Number of episodes: Eight Creator: Soo Hugh Directed by: Kogonada and Justin Chon Starring: Min-ha Kim Yuh-jung Youn Soji Arai Jin Ha Lee Min-ho 25 March 2022 The entire cast is stunning and …

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‘Pachinko’ Showrunner Soo Hugh Wants To Bring More Asian Stories To Our TVs
2 years, 9 months ago

‘Pachinko’ Showrunner Soo Hugh Wants To Bring More Asian Stories To Our TVs

Huff Post  

Growing up, Soo Hugh loved watching epic tales, movies like “Lawrence of Arabia” and “The Godfather.” Today, as a TV writer, creator and showrunner, she’s still drawn to those kinds of ambitious stories, such as her stunning adaptation of Min Jin Lee’s historical epic novel “Pachinko.” Premiering on Apple TV+ this Friday, the eight-episode series spans nearly a century, features …

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All about ‘Pachinko’: Minha Kim and Lee Min-ho on being part of the epic saga
2 years, 9 months ago

All about ‘Pachinko’: Minha Kim and Lee Min-ho on being part of the epic saga

The Hindu  

It is no easy task to adapt a book as masterful, evocative, and immersive as Min Jin Lee’s 2017 bestseller Pachinko. As an Apple TV+ Series, the epic saga directed by Kogonada and Justin Chon is not just backed by a massive scale of production, but a prolific and diverse cast which includes Academy Award winner Yuh-Jung Youn, Minha Kim, …

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