Save the date for “Pachinko” season 2!
The award-winning series returns for a second season on August 23, Apple TV+ announced. “Pachinko” season 2 will have a total of eight episodes, just like the first season. One episode will air weekly every Friday until October 11.
‘Pachinko’ season 2 cast
If you’re wondering whether the original cast will return, Apple TV+ gave a sneak peek of the title sequence. The video clip shows the cast from the first season, Lee Min-ho, Kim Min-ha, Youn Yuh-jung, Jin Ha, Anna Sawai, Soji Arai, Han Joon-woo, and Jung Eun-chae, dancing in a pachinko parlor.
Kim Sung-kyu (“Kingdom”) also joins the cast of “Pachinko” season 2. Not much has been announced about his role in the series. However, Apple TV+ released some first look images of season 2. An image shows Kim Sung-kyu’s character interacting with Lee Min-ho’s Koh Hansu.
What is ‘Pachinko’ about
“Pachinko” is an epic tale of love and survival across four generations. Based on the best-selling novel of the same title by Min Jin Lee, it follows the story of a Korean family who immigrated to Japan. The story shows the desperate lives of Koreans living in Japan and the bitter history between the two countries.
Warning: spoilers ahead
The first season of the series goes back-and-forth from 1989 to 1920s and 1930s. In 1989, Solomon Baek (Jin Ha) tries to strike a major real estate transaction with a Korean woman living in Japan. He seeks the help of his Korean grandmother Kim Sunja (Youn Yuh-jung) in order to convince the woman to sell her property.
Meanwhile, in the 1920s, we are introduced to the main character of the story, the young Kim Sunja (Kim Minha). The innocent Sunja falls for the ambitious Koh Hansu, a Korean merchant who lives in Japan and regularly visits Busan for business. The two fall in love but Hansu reveals that he is married in Japan. Sunja becomes pregnant with Hansu’s baby. She accepts the proposal of the pastor Baek Isak (Noh Sang-hyun) in order to save her honor. The couple migrated to Japan, like many Koreans during the war. In the final scene, we see Sunja trying to make ends meet by selling kimchi in the market.
First look at ‘Pachinko’ season 2
Not much has been said about the plot of season 2. However, based on the novel and the images that have been released by Apple TV+, we see the continuation of Sunja’s story. The photos show Kim Minha, Jung Eun-chae, Kim Sung-kyu, and Lee Min-ho’s characters in a farm.
In an interview by Deadline, showrunner Soo Hugh teased that the second season will go through World War II. The story is also said to focus on the family’s second generation– Sunja and Isak’s sons, Mozasu and Noah. “It’s about the story of her, continued from Season 1… even heavier, but still, there’s joy,” she was quoted saying.
“Pachinko” returns for season 2 on Apple TV+ on August 23.