When we first encounter Sunja, portrayed by Minha Kim, in the second season of Apple TV+’s ‘Pachinko,’ she is amidst the thronging marketplace of Osaka. Her voice, calling out to the bustling crowds to buy her kimchi, precedes her physical appearance. In her attempt to draw customers, she eloquently praises the taste of her kimchi, concluding her pitch with a poignant phrase, “Come, get a taste of home.”
Back in 2021, Minha Kim embarked on the monumental task of bringing to life Sunja, the central character in Min Jin Lee’s critically acclaimed novel. Remarkably, this was Kim’s second professional acting role and her first venture into American production. Her powerful portrayal of a woman navigating the complexities of love, loss, grief, and survival across four generations won her critical acclaim. This performance in the debut season of “Pachinko” earned her a nomination for the Gotham Award for Outstanding Performance in a New Series and the Breakout in TV honor at the 2022 Asian American Awards’ Unforgettable Gala. Additionally, earlier this year, fans spotted her in RM of BTS’s music video, ‘Come back to me’.
In an exclusive interview with The Hindu, Kim shared insights on revisiting Sunja for the show’s second season. She noted that despite maintaining the same approach to the character, the new season’s time jump required her to adapt and deepen her portrayal. “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 explained.
In season two, set in 1945, Osake grapples with the harsh realities of war. Here, Sunja has matured both physically and emotionally. The weight of her responsibilities is palpable—her husband is missing, likely imprisoned, she has two young sons to raise, and the scarcity of resources exacerbates her daily struggles. Moreover, her worry extends to her mother back in Japanese-occupied Korea, the homeland Sunja left behind to settle in Osaka with her husband. The only remnants of her ‘home’ now reside in the kimchi she sells and in the Korean language she speaks with her sons.
Director Leanne Welham praised Kim’s nuanced portrayal of Sunja, describing her as a ‘smart actor’. Welham acknowledged the challenge of stepping into an already established character in a sophomore season, yet Kim managed it with striking intelligence and intuition. “She has this luminance about her when she’s on camera, which is unusual, and amazing to work with,” the director added. The new season sees direction by Leanne Welham, Arvin Chen, and Sang-il Lee, and features dialogue in Japanese, Korean, and English.
Reflecting on her role, Kim emphasized that despite Sunja’s heavy burdens, the character never perceives them as such due to the love she carries. The emotional struggles and extraordinary circumstances Sunja endures became a central focus for Kim while filming.
. “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,” Kim stated.
Throughout “Pachinko,” Sunja continually faces decisions that significantly impact her and her family’s future. “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 said. This mindful approach extended to her performance, ensuring it was never monotonous. “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.
With a seven-year leap after season one, Sunja’s sons are now eight and thirteen, and she finds a steadfast ally in her sister-in-law, Kyunghee. The past also resurfaces as Koh Hansu, played by Lee Min-ho, re-enters her life, stirring memories of their troubled history.
Sharing experiences of working with the ensemble cast, which includes Jung Eun-chae, Lee Min-ho, Steve Sanghyun Noh, Jin Ha, and Yuh-jung Youn, Kim’s enthusiasm was evident. “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 recalled.
Ahead of ‘Pachinko’ season two’s New York premiere, Lee Min-ho delighted fans by sharing images on Instagram with Kim, captured in a playful element, captioned ‘hansu & sunja in newyork’.
Reflecting on their camaraderie, Kim said, “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,” she smiled.
Season 2 of ‘Pachinko’ is slated to premiere on Apple TV+ on August 23.
