When we first encounter Sunja, portrayed by Minha Kim, in the second season of Pachinko, she’s navigating a bustling marketplace in Osaka. Her voice reaches out to the crowd even before her face appears on the screen, as she passionately promotes her kimchi, offering potential customers “a taste of home”.
Back in 2021, Minha Kim embarked on her journey with Pachinko, marking only her second professional acting job and her first American production. The young actor faced the formidable task of embodying the central character from Min Jin Lee’s highly regarded novel Pachinko. The story provides a sweeping narrative of a family’s trials over four generations as they grapple with love, loss, and survival. Minha’s portrayal in the first season was met with critical acclaim, earning her a nomination for a Gotham Award for Outstanding Performance in a New Series, and a Breakout in TV honor at the 2022 Asian American Award’s Unforgettable Gala. Additionally, she featured in the music video for the song ‘Come back to me’ by RM of BTS earlier this year.
As she returns for the second season, Minha Kim discusses her approach to the character of Sunja in an interview with The Hindu. She mentions that while she addresses Sunja with the same authenticity as in the first season, this time there’s a notable time jump to consider. “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,” Kim explains thoughtfully.
In the second season, set in 1945, Sunja is depicted as considerably more mature, both physically and emotionally. The stakes are high: her husband is missing, presumably imprisoned, she must care for her two young sons, and resources like money and rations are increasingly scarce. Additionally, she harbors concern for her mother, who remains in Japanese-occupied Korea. The remnants of her home country are found in the kimchi she makes and the Korean language she speaks with her sons.
Director Leanne Welham praises Minha Kim for her exceptional portrayal of Sunja, describing her as a ‘smart actor’. Leanne points out that stepping into the complexity of a second season with a character like Sunja wasn’t easy, yet Minha managed to do so with intelligence and intuition. “She has this luminance about her when she’s on camera, which is unusual, and amazing to work with,” Welham commends. This new season, directed by Leanne Welham, Arvin Chen, and Sang-il Lee, incorporates Japanese, Korean, and English dialogues.
Minha Kim acknowledges that while Sunja holds significant responsibilities, the love she carries ensures that these burdens never overwhelm her. The actor reveals that Sunja’s navigation through emotional turmoil and her resilience in extraordinary circumstances were focal points during 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,” she shares insightfully.
Throughout the series, Sunja is frequently confronted with critical decisions affecting her and her family’s future. Kim emphasizes Sunja’s ability to quickly regain focus, highlighting her resolute sense of duty to protect 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,” Kim notes.
This complex character required Minha Kim to ensure her portrayal was multifaceted. She aimed to exhibit diverse emotions and develop Sunja’s relationships with other characters genuinely. “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 storyline advances seven years from the first season, with Sunja’s sons now aged eight and thirteen. Additionally, her sister-in-law, Kyunghee, emerges as a vital support system. The reappearance of Koh Hansu (played by Lee Min-ho) introduces layers to her already complicated life.
The ensemble cast features notable names such as Jung Eun-chae, Steve Sanghyun Noh, Jin Ha, and Yuh-jung Youn. Minha Kim speaks warmly of her co-stars, describing them as great actors with whom she shared meaningful conversations about their characters and relationships. Despite following their instincts, the cast had unwavering faith and trust in each other. “We believed each other,” she reflects.
In anticipation of the Pachinko season two premiere in New York, actor Lee Min-ho shared Instagram pictures with Minha Kim in the city, captioned cheekily as ‘hansu & sunja in newyork’, much to the delight of fans. Kim notes that the cast shared a strong off-camera bond which significantly benefited their on-screen performances.
The eagerly awaited second season of Pachinko is set to premiere on Apple TV+ on August 23.
