▲ Actress Youn Yuh-jung answers questions during the production press conference for Apple TV+ original drama "Pachinko" Season 2, held at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas in Gangnam, Seoul, on Aug. 23, 2024. (Yonhap)

 

SEOUL, Aug. 23 (Yonhap) -- "I asked about the lives of the Zainichi (a term used for Koreans living in Japan). There was so much we didn't know. I was grateful to hear their stories, but it also made me realize how little we understood their lives." 

 

These were the reflections of veteran actress Youn Yuh-jung during a press conference in Gangnam, Seoul, as the second season of the Apple TV+ original series "Pachinko" was unveiled on the 23rd.

 

Youn, who plays the elderly version of the protagonist, Sunja, shared that participating in the series allowed her to learn things beyond what is taught in history classes. "I felt honored to portray a woman like Sunja—uneducated and poor, yet living with dignity and a strong spirit," she said.

 

During the production, Youn had the chance to learn from Soji Arai (Korean name Park So-hee), a third-generation Korean-Japanese actor who plays her son Mozasu. Arai shared with her his experiences of living as a Zainichi, which moved her deeply.

 

"Pachinko" is based on the best-selling novel by Korean-American author Min Jin Lee, chronicling the struggles and resilience of a Korean immigrant family across generations, from Korea to Japan and the United States. The first season, released in 2022, received critical acclaim, winning Best Foreign Language Series at the 28th Critics' Choice Awards and Best Long Form Series at the 32nd Gotham Awards.

 

The drama alternates between Sunja's younger years in the 1930s-1940s, portrayed by Kim Min-ha, and her later life in the late 1980s. Lee Min-ho plays Hansu, a wealthy businessman and Sunja's first love. While the first season focused on Sunja's migration to Japan, where she raises two sons amid harsh discrimination, the second season explores her life following Japan's defeat in World War II.

 

▲ From 2nd from left: Actors Youn Yuh-jung, Lee Min-ho, Kim Min-ha, Jung Eun-chae, and Kim Sung-kyu listen to questions from the press during the production press conference for Apple TV+ original drama "Pachinko" Season 2, held at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas in Gangnam, Seoul, on Aug. 23, 2024. (Yonhap)

 

Youn also humorously remarked on the challenges of speaking more Japanese in the second season, joking, "If there’s as much Japanese dialogue in season 3, I’m not doing it." She expressed admiration for her co-star Jin Ha, who plays her grandson Solomon, for mastering his Japanese lines despite not speaking the language, and added, "Unlike him, I’m an old woman. Just being able to walk is a feat—most of my friends are bedridden."

 

She further shared the difficulty of delivering her lines in Japanese, confessing, "I had to memorize them like multiplication tables, just reciting them without understanding, which was terrible."

 

The eight-part second season of "Pachinko" will be released every Friday at 4 p.m. from September 23 to October 11.

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]