Lee Minho Reveals Power as His Character’s Drive in ‘Pachinko’ Season 2

When the second season of Pachinko opens, Lee Minho’s character Koh Hansu remains deeply involved in the life of the woman he loves, despite Sunja not having seen or heard from him for over a decade. Koh Hansu watches over Sunja and her family from a distance. As a powerful gangster’s right-hand man, Hansu has amassed substantial influence and craves even more. He is kind to Sunja’s family, though they often don’t realize where the kindness originates. However, he is ruthless to others, using violence to achieve his goals.

Lee’s intuitive performance captures the dark turmoil within Koh Hansu’s soul, showcasing his struggle to amplify his power and his frustration at what he cannot possess. When creating the character, Lee focused on Hansu’s desires and what he would pursue at all costs.

“I was trying to focus on what he’s really desiring to do, his desire per se,” said Lee. “So from season one, his desire was really concentrated on his own survival. But for season two, I think he’s past that survival stage. Now he’s pursuing bigger, better things. It’s more power, more influence, and even politically, he’s pursuing some of the influence in that sector. So I was trying to focus and concentrate on that aspect of my character.”

Hansu’s love for Sunja and their son might be the most noble aspect of his life, yet his motives are still complex. When Hansu first meets Sunja in Korea, she is young and naive, easily swayed, and quick to fall in love. Hansu recognizes something familiar in her, possibly an innocence he once had to relinquish.

“When Hansu first met Sunja, from that very moment he realized that she’s the same type as he himself,” said Lee. “That’s how he sort of developed this feeling towards her. It was more than love.”

Although Sunja, played by Minha Kim, loved him, she refused to be his mistress. Instead, she married another man who took her to Tokyo and raised Hansu’s child as his own. Hansu never forgot he has a son, and the thought consumes him.

“For season two, I think it was more than that,” said Lee. “Because now they have a son together, and he really wanted to completely own those two people as his own bloodline. I think in that sense, Hansu grew and evolved. So emotions and feeling wise, there’s not too much difference between Hansu’s feelings from season one and season two. But when I portrayed Hansu for season two, I was thinking about what other feelings does he have more than just emotional love with Sunja. I was trying to focus on that aspect.”

Pachinko is based on the bestselling novel by Min Jin Lee. The first season of the TV adaptation aired in 2022, winning prestigious awards such as the Peabody Entertainment Award, a Critics’ Choice Television Award for best foreign language series, an Independent Spirit Award for best ensemble cast in a scripted series, and a Gotham Award for breakthrough series. The second season of the show more than lives up to the first, eloquently continuing the universal story of love and loss.

Lee’s initial reaction to reading Pachinko was that it depicted a story from another era. However, he soon realized that in many ways, not much has changed. This timeless quality may explain why the story resonates with such a wide audience.

“We’re all trying really hard in our own way to survive and make a living,” said Lee. “And everyone becomes parents at one point, and we have kids and our kids become parents and all that. And the generations continue because even though there’s a difference between the time period that we’re talking about in the show and currently, we still have this common theme about how we live, how we survive, how the generations continue. That’s the point that people really get drawn to and will resonate with in this show.”

Lee previously appeared in the films Bounty Hunters and Gangnam Blues, and he can be seen later this year in Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint. He’s also amassed a long list of TV dramas, including The King: Eternal Monarch, Legend of the Blue Sea, The Heirs, Faith, Personal Taste, and Boys Over Flowers. As Koh Hansu, he delivers one of his best performances.

Pachinko’s excellent ensemble cast also includes Youn Yuh-jung, Jin Ha, Jung Eun-chae, Noh Sang-hyun, and Anna Sawai, along with dozens of talented supporting characters. The second season of Pachinko airs on Aug. 23 on Apple TV.

Source: Apple, Apple TV