K-Rom-Com King’ Lee says he met ‘Pachinko’ just when he needed a breakthrough in his career

Lee Min-ho (left) and Kim Min-ha pose for a photo during a press conference for “Pachinko” held at Intercontinental Grand Parnas, Seoul, Aug. 23. (Apple TV+) 

Apple TV+’s Korean original series “Pachinko” aired its first episode of season two on Aug. 23. The show’s main protagonists Lee Min-ho and Kim Min-ha, who played a fish broker tied to Yakuza Hansu and a sturdy, hard-working young woman from a small town Sunja, respectively, said they assimilated to their characters.

The second season of the period drama chronicles the life of a Korean family spanning four generations, who moved to Japan in the early 1900s. Over the eight-episode series, the life of Sunja, a Korean woman born to a poor family in Busan, shows her struggles to settle in Osaka, Japan, following World War II.

“Looking at Hansu, I have to admit that there are some similar aspects between him and myself. Starting a career early, life was focused more on survival, and also ambitious with desires at one point. While I, as an actor, was able to express such feelings in a healthy way through many people’s love, Hansu wasn’t able to express that well. That has allowed me to feel gratitude toward my life, appreciate and respect people around me,” Lee said in an interview on Aug. 23.