ST would like to introduce the Apple original series, Pachinko, based on the novel of the same name that was selected as a New York Times bestseller. Pachinko is a drama about the lives and dreams of four generations of a Korean immigrant family who are stubbornly pursuing survival and prosperity away from their homeland. If you read this article and watch Pachinko, ST dares to expect that it will linger more deeply in your heads and hearts................................Ed
Pachinko is an Apple TV+ original series based on the novel of the same name by a Korean-American author, Lee Min- jin. It tells the story of four generations of a Korean immigrant family (Zainichi) who left their homeland during the Japanese colonial period, and survived difficult times. We can see the life of Zainichi trying to survive in another country, and the Korean history during the Japanese colonial era.
Looking at the characters, Youn Yuh-jung, who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, takes on the role of the elderly Sun-ja. She has now settled in Japan after leaving her home country. Teenaged Sun-ja, played by Kim Min-ha, falls in love with Han-su. But their love can’t keep going, and she marries Isak, a pastor, and leaves for Osaka, Japan. Han-su, a self-made businessman, was played by Lee Min-ho. Actor Jin-ha played the role of Solomon, the grandson of Sun-ja. The character tries to overcome adversities by extreme hardship in Japan and in America. The drama tells the story of a Zainichi family, who endured inequality and racism in Japan, where they were forced to live due to events outside of their control, and the parallels between the life of teenaged Sun-ja and her grandson Solomon.
The drama has gained positive reviews both at home and abroad. After the novel Pachinko was published in 2017, it was selected as one of the "Best Books of the Year" by The New York Times and the BBC and enjoyed widespread acclaim from media all over the world. The drama, Pachinko, ranked fourth in Twitter’s TV series trending chart for a week, and international entertainment media praised its artistry. However, the response in Japan is quite different. Far-right Japanese netizens claim that the drama distorted history, and even the Japanese media have been reluctant to report on Pachinko’s favorable reception. This is because of Pachinko’s unabashed portrayal of Japanese oppression of Koreans, the forced conscription and slave labor the Japanese inflicted on the colonial population, and the discrimination that continues even to the 1980s. The drama even starts its inaugural episode with the phrase “In 1910, Japan colonized Korea as part of its growing empire.”, setting the tone of what’s to come.
Because Pachinko was produced by Apple it has the potential to correct the minimization and denial of atrocities committed by the Japanese government, including the sexual enslavement of ‘military sexual slavery by Japan,’ as well as the mass enslavement of Korean laborers to aid the Japanese war effort. We hope that Pachinko can not only correct the distortion of history some countries have engaged in, but also shed light on these underreported facts and events to the international community.
Seo Min-ji (ST Cub-Reporter)
seomin2003@soongsil.ac.kr
