When we first see Sunja, played by Minha Kim, in season two of Pachinko, she is standing amidst the throngs of a bustling marketplace in Osaka. Her voice, as she calls out to potential customers to buy her kimchi, cuts through the noise. She eloquently praises the taste of her kimchi before ending her pitch with a heartfelt, “Come, get a taste of home.”
In 2021, when Minha Kim began filming for the first season of Pachinko, it marked only her second professional acting role and her first American production. The young actor took on the enormous challenge of bringing to life the central character of Min Jin Lee’s celebrated novel Pachinko, a sweeping narrative chronicling four generations of a family navigating love, loss, grief, and survival. Following her critically acclaimed performance in the initial season, Minha was nominated for a Gotham Award for Outstanding Performance in a New Series and was honored as Breakout in TV at the 2022 Asian American Award’s Unforgettable Gala. Earlier this year, she also appeared in the music video for ‘Come back to me,’ a song by RM of BTS.
Returning for the second season, Minha Kim spoke in an interview with The Hindu about her approach to reprising the character. “I approached the character the same way I did in the first season, except this time, the show takes a significant time leap, which I had to consider,” she explained. “The most important part for me is to feel genuinely and authentically. A time jump meant maintaining her personality while building my own stories of Sunja.”
In season two of Pachinko, the year is 1945. Within Osaka, beleaguered by the throes of war, Sunja is now much more mature both physically and emotionally. Her shoulders bear the weight of numerous burdens—her husband is missing, likely imprisoned, and she has two young sons to care for amidst financial constraints and scarce rations. Worry for her mother, who remains in Japanese-occupied Korea, adds to her troubles. The echoes of her ‘home,’ referenced in her first appearance, now linger in the kimchi she makes and the Korean language she shares with her sons.
Director Leanne Welham expressed admiration for Minha’s portrayal, calling her a ‘smart actor.’ She emphasized that it wasn’t easy to step into a second season and continue embodying a character like Sunja. Welham lauded Minha for her ability to convey all the character’s experiences without it feeling heavy, highlighting her intelligence and intuition. “She has this luminosity on camera that is unusual and amazing to work with,” she added. The second season credits Leanne Welham, Arvin Chen, and Sang-il Lee as directors, and it is presented in Japanese, Korean, and English.
Minha’s performance in the first season had already earned high praise from critics. Her portrayal of Sunja, a character faced with extraordinary circumstances, was notable for its depth and authenticity.
. “Every situation she faces is challenging. My goal as the character was to accept and acknowledge these challenges, something I believe Sunja excels at. She simply goes on,” Minha reflected.
Throughout the series, Sunja is continuously confronted with critical decisions impacting her and her family’s lives. “Even if she has moments of confusion, she is never lost for too long. She quickly realizes there’s no definitive right or wrong in the situation. Her primary responsibility is to protect her family and herself,” Minha elaborated. This sense of responsibility necessitated a portrayal that avoided being one-dimensional. “I wanted to bring some diversity to my emotions. It isn’t always the same, and I aimed to build this individual’s relationships with other characters as well,” she explained.
Following a seven-year time leap after season one, Sunja’s sons are now eight and thirteen years old. She finds a reliable support system in Kyunghee, her sister-in-law. Additionally, Koh Hansu (played by actor Lee Min-ho) re-enters her life, rekindling their shared, troubled past.
The ensemble cast, featuring Jung Eun-chae, Steve Sanghyun Noh, Jin Ha, Yuh-jung Youn, and others, has drawn Minha’s admiration. “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 characters. We believed in one another,” she said with a smile.
In the lead-up to Pachinko season 2’s premiere in New York, actor Lee Min-ho shared pictures on Instagram of him and Minha in the city, captioned cheekily as ‘hansu & sunja in newyork’. The post delighted fans of both the actors and the show.
“The entire cast had a great rapport off camera and spent time in Korea after shooting finished,” Minha shared, smiling. “I think this camaraderie greatly benefited us on set as well.”
Season 2 of Pachinko is set to premiere on Apple TV+ on August 23, promising to bring even more depth and resonance to Sunja’s compelling story.
