Apple TV+ has announced that it has renewed “Pachinko” for second season as the drama wrapped up its eight-episode run on April 29.
“Pachinko” tells the story of a Korean immigrant family across four generations who leave South Korea to survive. The story starts in the early 1900s and is told through the eyes of Sunja (played by Youn Yuh-jung, Kim Minha and Jeon Yu-na), who triumphs against all odds.
The series also stars Lee Min-ho, Jin Ha, Soji Arai, Han Jun-woo, Steve Sanghyun Noh, Jung Eun-chae, Anna Sawai, In-ji Jeong, Kaho Minami, Jimmi Simpson.
“Pachinko” was created by Soo Hugh and based on the novel of the same name by Min Jin Lee.
“Words cannot express my joy in being able to continue telling the extraordinary story of this indomitable family,” said Hugh.
She added, ““I’m grateful to the amazing team at Apple and Media Res studio for believing and supporting this show, and to our passionate fans who have cheered us on. It’s an honor to be able to continue working with this amazing cast and crew.”
In “Pachinko,” Lee Minho plays the role of Hansu, Jin Ha as Solomon, Anna Sawai as Naomi, Eunchae Jung as young Kyunghee, Inji Jeong as Yangjin, Jimmi Simpson as Tom Andrews, Junwoo Han as Yoseb, Kaho Minami as Etsuko, Steve Sanghyun Noh as Isak and Soji Arai as Mozasu.
While “Pachinko” achieved critical acclaim, Jin Ha faced controversy in March over his Tumblr blog on which he uploaded photos of elderly Korean women that were taken without their consent.
In the blog, which he deleted after the controversy erupted in Korea, Jin Ha, a Korean-American, wrote descriptions that mocked and sexualized the Korean women.
A Korean netizen raised the issues of illegal photography and sexual harassment against Jin Ha over his Tumblr blog "Korean Flowers in Bloom.”
About 100 photos of elderly Korean women were uploaded to his blog from July 2010 to September 2011.
Almost all the photos were secretly taken in subways and streets in South Korea. Jin Ha described the Tumblr account as “a photography blog I created back in 2011 while I was living in South Korea. Please enjoy responsibly.”
In one post dated Aug. 16, 2010, Jin Ha uploaded a photo of a sleeping grandmother and wrote, “Working with such a provocative model, I found it hard to keep myself and my concupiscence under control.”
He also uploaded a photo of a Korean woman wearing a blouse with large floral prints on Aug. 9, 2010 and wrote, “Now we have an excuse to stare directly at her right nipple.”
Jin Ha deleted his Tumblr blog and issued an apology in Korean and English on his website on March 26. He also deleted his social media accounts.
“Hello. Thank you for this opportunity to address a failing in my past that was long overdue. You are absolutely right. My ‘Korean Flowers in Bloom’ Tumblr account from 2011 should not have been made at all. It was a breach of privacy for the elder women featured, and many of my captions were inappropriate. I deeply regret my actions. and apologize for them,” he said.
He added, “I was wrong to take these photos 11 years ago, and was wrong to post them online. I was negligent in allowing these photos and captions of people I did not know personally to stay online. We requested Tumblr to delete this account immediately- which they have done. ‘Korean Flowers in Bloom’ is no longer online,” he added.
“I sincerely apologize to the senior women whom I photographed. I apologize, as well, to the viewers whom I offended with this Tumblr account. My lack of judgement in 2011 has been pointed out by readers wiser than I have proved to be and for that I am grateful,” he said.
