The three generations of Zainichi Koreans are back on Apple TV+. Here’s the full list of the new and returning Pachinko cast.
Akhil Arora, a Film Critics Guild member and a Rotten Tomatoes-certified TV critic, who has watched all eight episodes of Pachinko season 2. He has been reviewing movies and TV series since 2015 and has written for NDTV and SlashFilm.
The best Apple TV+ series—Pachinko—has returned. (Severance and Ted Lasso fans, feel free to sound off in the comments. I welcome this discussion.) The sweeping generational portrait of Koreans in Japan, based on Min Jin Lee’s 2017 novel of the same name, finds itself in uncharted and grander territory in the second season. Kim Sunja and her young boys are struggling through World War II in 1945 in Osaka, Japan, while in 1989 Tokyo, Solomon’s story has exceeded the page, forcing creator Soo Hugh to come up with new material à la Game of Thrones. And as the world of Pachinko expands, so does its cast. “We added so many more characters in season 2 because that’s how families grow,” Hugh told Reuters.
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“We always said the heartbeat has to be the same, no matter what, but I think the biggest difference is just how much bigger the world has become for our characters,” Hugh added. Forget new additions, given Pachinko has been away from screens for nearly two-and-a-half years, you might be a little hazy on the Apple series’ existing ensemble. That’s why I figured I would write up a little refresher to clue you in. There are no spoilers here, except in the final sentence. (If you do wish to be spoiled, just pick up the book the show is based on.) All I’m here to do is remind you of the many characters, how they are related to each other, and what you can expect from them in season 2. With that, here’s the full cast of Pachinko 2.
Before we dive in, a little note on Korean and Japanese names. In contrast to other parts of the world, the usual practice is to write the family name followed by the person’s given name. For example, the Oscar-winning director of Parasite is frequently called Bong Joon-ho. Bong is his family name while Joon-ho is his given name. But Pachinko doesn’t follow that convention in its credits, choosing to write the given name followed by the family name. As such, I’ve chosen to honour that in the titles that follow. You’ll still spot the other practice in the paragraphs within.
Hansu Koh (Lee Minho)
Lee Minho returns as Koh Hansu, Sunja’s one-time lover who is usually the best-dressed guy on Pachinko thanks to the wealth of his yakuza Japanese father-in-law. He is Noa’s father and has three daughters with his estranged wife, Mrs. Koh. In season 2, he tries to play a more active role in Noa’s life.
Sunja Kim (Minha Kim and Yuh-jung Youn)
Minha Kim and Yuh-jung Youn are back as Kim Sunja, the protagonist of Pachinko whose indomitable spirit has carried the family. She is Isak’s wife, Noa and Mozasu’s mother, and Solomon’s grandmother. Minha plays a thirtysomething Sunja in the ‘40s and ‘50s, while Yuh-jung plays Sunja in her 70s in 1989.
Isak Baek (Steve Sang-hyun Noh)
Steve Sang-hyun Noh returns as Baek Isak, a former sickly pastor who was jailed in season 1 on frivolous charges. He is Sunja’s husband, Mozasu’s father, and Solomon’s grandfather. Isak appears in just two episodes in Pachinko season 2.
Mozasu Baek (Soji Arai, Eunseong Kwon and Mansaku Takada)
Soji Arai is back as Baek Mozasu, the owner of several pachinko parlours in eighties Tokyo. He is Sunja’s second son and Solomon’s father.
In addition to Arai, two new actors—part of the Pachinko season 2 cast—also play Mozasu. Eunseong Kwon plays eight-year-old Mozasu while Mansaku Takada portrays 13-year-old Mozasu.
Solomon Baek (Jin Ha)
Jin Ha returns as Solomon Baek, a banking associate who was fired from his job at Shiffley’s in season 1 after he sabotaged a hotel deal at the last minute. He is Mozasu’s son and Sunja’s grandson. In Pachinko season 2, Solomon devises a new plan to get back at the big Japanese businessman who’s pushing him out of town.
Kyunghee Baek (Eunchae Jung)
Eunchae Jung is back as Baek Kyunghee, a major support system in the Baek household. She is Yoseb’s wife and Sunja’s sister-in-law. In Pachinko season 2, with her husband off working at a munitions factory in Nagasaki, Kyunghee worries over him and finds herself being pulled elsewhere.
Yoseb Baek (Junwoo Han)
Junwoo Han is back as Baek Yoseb, Kyunghee’s husband who takes a new job in Nagasaki to help them survive through the challenging times of World War II. He is Isak’s brother and Sunja’s brother-in-law.
Yangjin Kim (Inji Jeong)
Inji Jeong returns as Kim Yangjin, Sunja’s mother who instilled the sense of work ethic her daughter carries. Even in her old age, she’s always ready to sacrifice herself for the sake of the family’s future.
Chang-ho Kim (Sungkyu Kim)
The only new entrant in the Pachinko season 2 main cast, Sungkyu Kim plays Kim Chang-ho, a guy who works for Koh Hansu. As the Baeks move to a farm to be safe from the WWII bombings of Japan, Hansu assigns Chang-ho to live with them and assist with their needs.
Naomi Ichizaki (Anna Sawai)
Anna Sawai is back as Naomi Ichizaki, Solomon’s former co-worker at Shiffley’s. In Pachinko season 2, she and Solomon resume their friendship while she tries to establish herself at the bank.
Tom Andrews (Jimmi Simpson)
Jimmi Simpson returns as Tom Andrews, Solomon’s former boss at Shiffley’s. In Pachinko season 2, Solomon approaches him with a new offer in the hopes of reigniting his career.
Pachinko 2 recurring cast
Mr. Kato (Jun Kunimura)
Jun Kunimura joins the Pachinko season 2 cast as Mr. Kato, a new friend of Sunja’s in 1989. He loves feeding pigeons at the park and trying out new restaurants.
Noa Baek (Kang Hoon Kim and Tae Ju Kang)
With the start of Pachinko season 2 jumping seven years ahead to 1945, Kang Hoon Kim and Tae Ju Kang take over the role of Baek Noa, Sunja’s first son whose biological father is Koh Hansu. While Kang Hoon steps in as 14-year-old school-going Mozasu, Tae Ju takes over as 19-year-old Mozasu.
Despite having significant screen time across season 2, neither is listed as part of the main cast.
Mrs. Koh (Yoriko Haraguchi)
Yoriko Haraguchi briefly returns as Mrs. Koh, Hansu’s wife and mother to his three daughters. Her father is the head of a yakuza crime family.
Katsu Abe (Yoshio Maki)
Yoshio Maki is back as Katsu Abe, the Shiffley’s client who holds a grudge against Solomon for tanking the hotel deal. In Pachinko season 2, Abe tries to push Solomon out of the finance world by scaring away all his potential investors.
Mamoru Yoshii (Louis Ozawa)
Louis Ozawa returns as Mamoru Yoshii, a Shiffley’s client who is approached by Solomon for a new deal. Yoshii is the only one who’s willing to take on Abe given the massive potential financial windfall.
Geum-ja Han (Hye Jin Park)
Hye Jin Park is back as Han Geum-ja, the woman whose dilapidated home stands in the way of the proposed hotel. In Pachinko season 2, a desperate Solomon reaches out to her again, which helps him figure out a new strategy to get back at Katsu Abe.
Akiko Nakazono (Kilala Inori)
Kilala Inori joins the Pachinko season 2 cast as Akiko Nakazono, a student at Waseda University and the daughter of Japan’s foreign undersecretary Hitoshi Nakazono. Spoilers for those who haven’t read the book—Akiko is Noa’s future girlfriend.
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