When we first see Sunja, portrayed by the talented Minha Kim in the second season of Pachinko, she is enveloped in the vibrant hustle and bustle of Osaka’s crowded marketplace. Her voice reaches us before she does, calling out to the busy market-goers to buy her kimchi, extolling its flavors with such passion that she eventually invites everyone to “Come, get a taste of home.”
In 2021, Minha Kim embarked on the monumental task of embodying the character of Sunja for the first season of Pachinko in what was her second professional acting role and her first foray into American production. Stepping into the shoes of the central character from Min Jin Lee’s celebrated novel, Pachinko, was no small feat. The novel spans four generations of a family grappling with love, loss, grief, and survival. Her portrayal was so enthralling and nuanced that it garnered her a nomination for a Gotham Award for Outstanding Performance in a New Series. Additionally, she was honored as Breakout in TV at the 2022 Asian American Award’s Unforgettable Gala. Earlier this year, she also gained visibility as she appeared in RM of BTS’s music video, “Come Back to Me.”
Season two finds Minha returning to her role with a nuanced approach, mindful of the time jump within the story, yet intent on maintaining the authenticity of Sunja. Speaking with The Hindu, Minha explains, “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.”
Set in 1945 Osaka, the second season paints a picture of a city ravaged by war. Sunja, more mature both physically and emotionally, shoulders tremendous responsibilities. With her husband missing and possibly imprisoned, she has to care for her two young sons in a time when both money and rations are scarce. Moreover, she is haunted by thoughts of her mother, still in Japanese-occupied Korea. The remnants of the life and home she left behind now lie in the kimchi she makes and the Korean she speaks with her sons.
Director Leanne Welham praised Minha’s performance, describing her as a ‘smart actor.’ Welham acknowledged the challenge of stepping into the second season and taking on such a complex character but was impressed by how Minha brought a sense of experience to the role without making it feel burdensome. “She has this luminance about her when she’s on camera, which is unusual, and amazing to work with,” she added. This season sees Leanne directing alongside Arvin Chen and Sang-il Lee, with the show featuring dialogues in Japanese, Korean, and English.
Minha’s performance from the first season continues to receive acclaim. Capturing Sunja’s emotional turmoil and her ordinary yet extraordinary life circumstances remains a focal point for Minha. She shares, “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.”
Throughout the series, Sunja is required to make pivotal decisions impacting not only her life but also her family’s. “Even if she has a moment where she is confused, she is never lost for too long and realises 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,” Kim explains. This dynamic demanded that Minha infuse her portrayal of Sunja with a variety of emotions to avoid a one-note 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 elaborated.
The new season also introduces viewers to an older Sunja, now with her sons who are eight and thirteen years old, as well as her sister-in-law Kyunghee, who becomes a vital support system. Koh Hansu (played by Lee Min-ho) reappears, re-igniting elements of their shared, tumultuous past.
Minha glows with excitement when discussing the ensemble cast, which includes notable actors such as Jung Eun-chae, Steve Sanghyun Noh, Jin Ha, and Yuh-jung Youn. “They are great actors, and we had many conversations about our characters and relationships. But we mostly followed our own instincts, trusted each other and had faith in our own characters. We believed each other,” she says.
Actor Lee Min-ho further fueled fans’ anticipation by sharing pictures on Instagram from the Pachinko season 2 premiere in New York. The snapshots of him and Minha, captioned “hansu & sunja in newyork,” delighted followers eager for the series’ return.
As the cast reacquainted themselves in Korea, their off-camera bonding translated well on set, bringing added depth to their performances. Minha smiles as she recalls, “The entire cast had a great relationship off camera, and had some time to hang back in Korea after we finished filming. I think this really did help us on set as well.”
Fans of Pachinko eagerly await the second season’s premiere on Apple TV+ on August 23, with great expectations for Minha Kim and the ensemble cast’s continued exploration of this epic family saga.
