Apple TV+'s 'Pachinko' to begin airing on March 25

Apple TV+’s second Korean-language series “Pachinko” will hit the small screen on March 25. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Apple TV+'s second Korean-language series "Pachinko" will hit the small screen on March 25, according to the video streaming platform on Thursday.

"Pachinko" follows "Dr. Brain," Apple TV+'s first original series in the Korean language, which aired late last year.

Based on Korean-American author Min Jin Lee's bestselling 2017 novel of the same name, the story of "Pachinko" follows four generations of ethnic Koreans in Japan, known as Zainichi Koreans. Ethnic Koreans have historically faced severe discrimination in Japanese society and were often only able to operate pachinko — vertical pinball machines mostly used for gambling games — parlors as one of their few options of livelihood. Approximately 80 percent of pachinko parlors in Japan are owned by ethnic Koreans.

The multigenerational story takes place in Korea, Japan and the United States.

Veteran actor Youn Yuh-jung, known to global audiences after winning an Academy Award for the 2020 film "Minari," will take on the role of the series' main protagonist Sunja in her later years. Sunja is a Korean woman born in Busan in the mid-1910s, when Korea was under Japanese colonial rule. She moves with her husband to a poverty-stricken slum of ethnic Koreans in Osaka, Japan. The story will show how the many turbulences of modern history — Japan's colonial rule of Korea, World War II and the division of the two Koreas — affect the characters' lives.

Korean actor Kim Min-ha will play Sunja in her younger days. The cast of "Pachinko" mainly consists of Korean and Japanese actors; a milestone for Asians in American entertainment. K-drama star Lee Min-ho, best known for his heartthrob role in "Boys over Flowers" (2009), will portray Koh Hansu, a wealthy fish broker and Sunja's love interest in her teenage years.

Zainichi Korean actors Soji Arai and Kaho Minami will respectively play Sunja's son Mozasu and Mozasu's Japanese love interest Etsuko. Korean-American actor Jin Ha appears as Mozasu's son Solomon and Korean actor Jung Eun-chae from "The King: Eternal Monarch" (2020) as Sunja's sister-in-law Kyunghee.

Filming began in October of 2020; Korean-American filmmakers Kogonada and Justin Chon took the megaphone. Korean-American television writer Soo Hugh wrote the script of the Apple TV+ adaptation with dialogue in Korean, Japanese and English. As a result, the series will be available in a mix of the three languages.

"Not only is this a story of my forebears, it's my tribute to them — to all of the 'Sunjas' buried deep in all of our family's history," said Hugh in a recent statement. "It's been an incredible honor to bring this series to life with this dedicated and gifted cast and crew."

Author Lee wrote "Pachinko" after living in Japan from 2007 to 2011 and interviewing numerous Zainichi Koreans. The novel was named one of the 10 Best Books of 2017 by the New York Times. The specific storyline of the screen adaptation has not been revealed yet.

Apple TV+ will premiere three episodes of "Pachinko" on March 25, then one episode will drop every Friday until April 29. The series consists of a total of eight episodes.

BY HALEY YANG [yang.hyunjoo@joongang.co.kr]