When we first see Sunja, played by the talented Minha Kim, in the second season of ‘Pachinko,’ she is amidst the hustle and bustle of an Osaka market. We hear her vibrant calls before we catch sight of her; she’s advertising her savory kimchi to the bustling crowds, praising its taste, and inviting them with a heartfelt, “Come, get a taste of home.”
Minha Kim embarked on her journey with ‘Pachinko’ in 2021, marking her second professional acting role and her inaugural American production. The young actress faced the formidable task of bringing to life the central character of Min Jin Lee’s acclaimed novel, ‘Pachinko’—a sprawling epic spanning four generations of a family navigating love, loss, grief, and survival. Following her nuanced and critically lauded performance in the first season, Minha received a nomination for a Gotham Award for Outstanding Performance in a New Series and was celebrated as the Breakout in TV at the 2022 Asian American Awards’ Unforgettable Gala. Earlier this year, she also appeared in the music video “Come Back to Me,” a soulful track by RM of BTS.
As Minha Kim returns for the second season, she reveals in an interview with The Hindu that her approach to the character largely remained consistent with her method from the first season, with a keen awareness of the show’s time jump. “I think the most important part for me is to feel genuinely, and in an authentic way. A time jump meant that I had to maintain her personality and work on building my own stories of Sunja,” she shares.
In 1945, set in a wartime Osaka, Sunja appears more mature, both physically and emotionally, grappling with numerous burdens. Her husband is missing, possibly languishing in prison; she has to care for her two young sons amid severe economic constraints, with rations becoming scarcer. Her concerns extend to her mother, who remains in Japanese-occupied Korea—a homeland Sunja left many years ago with her husband. The remnants of her ‘home’ are now encapsulated in the kimchi she makes and the Korean language she lovingly speaks with her sons.
Director Leanne Welham, impressed by Minha’s portrayal, commended her as a ‘smart actor’. She acknowledged the challenge of stepping into a character’s shoes for a second season, particularly a character as complex as Sunja. Welham noted that Minha conveyed depth and experience without making the character feel weighed down, praising her natural intelligence and intuitive performance. “She has this luminance about her when she’s on camera, which is unusual and amazing to work with,” Welham adds. Leanne, alongside Arvin Chen and Sang-il Lee, takes the directorial helm for the new season, which unfolds in Japanese, Korean, and English.
The first season of ‘Pachinko’ saw Minha Kim being lauded for her compelling performance, a sentiment echoed by both audiences and critics. Reflecting on Sunja’s journey, Minha comments on the character’s resilience and love, which enable her to shoulder immense responsibilities without feeling burdened. She delves into Sunja’s emotional struggles and her ability to remain steadfast despite the extraordinary challenges she faces. “Every situation that she is facing is quite hard.
. What I tried to do as the character is to just accept it and admit it, something that I feel Sunja is very good at. She just… goes on,” Minha muses.
Throughout the series, Sunja is repeatedly confronted with decisions that significantly impact her family and herself. “Even if she has a moment where she is confused, she is never lost for too long and realizes there is no right or wrong in the situation. She is very fast. She has a responsibility to protect her family and protect herself as well,” explains Minha. This required Minha to ensure her portrayal of Sunja was rich and varied, avoiding a one-dimensional performance. “I wanted to bring some diversity in my emotions. It isn’t always the same, and I wanted to build this individual’s relationships with other characters as well,” she elaborates.
The second season embarks on a seven-year leap from the first, showcasing Sunja’s sons aged eight and thirteen. Her sister-in-law, Kyunghee, becomes an indispensable support system, while Koh Hansu (played by Lee Min-ho) reenters her life, reawakening their shared, troubled past. The ensemble cast, which includes Jung Eun-chae, Steve Sanghyun Noh, Jin Ha, and Oscar-winner Yuh-jung Youn, plays a pivotal role in bringing ‘Pachinko’ to life.
Min Ha’s face lights up when discussing the ensemble cast, expressing admiration and acknowledgment of their collective talent. “They are great actors, and we had many conversations about our characters and relationships,” she says, emphasizing their intuitive trust and collective faith in their portrayal of the series’ complex narratives. She adds, “We believed each other.”
In anticipation of ‘Pachinko’ Season 2’s premiere in New York, Lee Min-ho shared pictures on Instagram with Minha, captioned ‘hansu & sunja in newyork,’ much to the delight of fans eagerly awaiting the new season. Minha highlights the off-camera camaraderie of the cast, recounting their time spent together in Korea post-filming, which she believes fostered a stronger on-screen chemistry.
Season 2 of ‘Pachinko’ premieres on Apple TV+ on August 23, marking another chapter in what promises to be a compelling saga of resilience, love, and survival set against the backdrop of history’s sweeping tides.
