Lee Min Ho ♥ 이민호 ♥ ィミンホ ♥ 李敏鎬 Upcoming Drama 2024: Ask the Stars; Pachinko Season 2; Upcoming movie 2025: Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint

[nina_mitrokhina]

Lee Min Ho is expected to return in March.

 

LDO | March 1, 2022

 

 

Lee Min Ho had high hopes for a reappearance in the new film project Panchico. Photo: Xinhua

 

Korean actor Lee Min Ho had high hopes when he announced his return to the small screen in March with 'Panchinko'.
According to a survey conducted by entertainment website Kdrama Kisses, actor Lee Min Ho topped the list of "Korean actors who have high hopes for their return in March."

With over 35,000 votes (which is 64.5%), Lee Min Ho surpassed many competitors whose films will be released at the same time as Park Hyung Sik in Soundtrack No. 1, Hwang Gyun Min in King Pig…

According to experts, Lee Min Ho received an absolute average score due to his strong appeal not only in the Korean market, but also in Asia. The famous actor is said to have a large fan base when, on Instagram alone, people who clicked the button to follow him reached over 28.5 million times. On average, articles published by Lee Min Ho receive millions of interactions, comments, and shares.

 

 

Lee Min Ho promises a new look in "Panchico". Photo: Xinhua

 

Not to mention that in some Asian countries, many fandoms are ready to support idols in any Lee Min Ho project, and Pachinko is no exception. In particular, many of the Asian fandoms of the 34-year-old actor were planning to contribute to the cost of renting many movie poster signs in major malls such as Korea, Singapore, China...

Pachinko is a Korean-American drama about the collaboration of two talented directors, Kogonada and Justin Chon. The content, based on the novel of the same name by writer Min Jin Lee, revolves around a Korean family who immigrated to the United States with the hope of fulfilling a long-standing "dream" of a comfortable life at ease.

Although not much is known about Lee Min Ho's role, as soon as the producer announces the release date, "Panchico" promises to convey to the audience a true story that fully reflects the emotional development. The logic of the characters, from honest people to grumpy, designed for stalemate and arising in life difficulties.

Many predict that the film will be the highlight of this year's film festivals. As for the male lead, Lee Min Ho does not exclude the possibility of becoming an outstanding candidate for important categories of awards in the television industry.

"Panchico" consists of 8 episodes, which is expected to be released on March 25 on copyrighted movie platforms. The film features Korean actors who are very popular with viewers today, such as Lee Min Ho, Yoon Yoo Jung, and Jin Ha...

 

Translation from Vietnamese google
https://laodong.vn/giai-tri/lee-min-ho-nhan-duoc-su-ky-vong-khi-tai-xuat-vao-thang-3-1018758.ldo

[syntyche]

"Pachinko": 19 Reasons To Watch This Book-To-Screen Adaptation

 

There’s no doubt that Korea and its rich culture is becoming more enmeshed with the Western world.

There’s no denying that the Korean Wave is crashing in on shores all around the globe, so if you, like me, have been surfing its crest and looking for your next fix of all things Korean, you might want to add Apple TV+’s new historical drama, Pachinko, to your list. There’s already hundreds of TV shows you need to get through, you say? Well, I’m here to tell you why Pachinko deserves a spot on your watch list. 

Buckle in, because we’re going to explore everything we know so far about this new book-to-screen adaptation…

 

1. Pachinko is a totally epic story, sweeping across generations, countries, war, and peace.

 

 

Pachinko spans over a hundred years, from around 1883 to 1989. Made up of a cast of many characters with intriguing stories of their own, the tale is, at its heart, the story of Sunja. Sunja is a much-loved daughter of a crippled fisher, who falls for a wealthy fishbroker at the seashore near her home in Korea in the 1900s. Of course, the mysterious rich man who promises her the world isn’t quite what he seems, and Sunja refuses to live as his mistress when she finds out he’s married — oh, and has ties to the Japanese crime group, the Yakuza.

 

When the pair discover she is pregnant, Sunja refuses to be bought and instead chooses to marry a kindly yet frail minister passing through from Osaka, who believes he is to die soon and offers to give her child his name to spare him and Sunja shame when she refuses to reveal the child’s father. (Remember, it’s the 1900s — a woman with a child and no husband?! Scandalous!) Agreeing to the minister’s plan, Sunja travels to Japan with her new husband — but her decision to leave Korea and the powerful man who is the biological father of her child causes an impact that reverberates across countries, through generations, and everywhere from Japan’s finest universities to the criminal underworld.

 

Spoiler

2. Pachinko will be the first major trilingual US series to hit the small screen.

 

The story will be told in Korean, Japanese, and English, as it follows Sunja and her family across Korea, Japan, and the US. It will be the first major trilingual US series to hit the small screen! 

 

Executive producer Soo Hugh told Harper's Bazaar: “It was never a question that it would be in the languages; I don’t understand how else you could tell the story of colonization because language is part of that. I just don’t think you can possibly do this story without doing the three languages.”

 

3. Pachinko brings to life a lesser known, yet hugely important part of Korean history.

 

Japan occupied Korea from 1910 to 1945, and brought many Koreans to Japan to replace its citizens who were away at war. The Koreans in Japan, known as Zainichi Koreans, were not treated well, often experiencing discrimination, racism, and living in poor, cramped conditions with many others. 

 

They were also considered foreigners even if they had family members subsequently born in Japan, and as a result, were excluded from many types of employment and forced into cheap labour in dangerous jobs. They were also unable to vote so had no legal way to protest or make changes. Korean culture was slowly erased, and many second generation Koreans felt such shame that they would hide their heritage and say they were Japanese. The Guardian described Pachinko as a “rich tribute to a people history seems intent on erasing”.

 

4. Pachinko already has celebrity fans.

 

Writer and social commentator Roxane Gay told the Washington Post that Pachinko was her favorite book in 2017, and Emma Watson's book club Our Shared Shelf chose it as one of its picks back in 2019. Barack Obama describes it as “a captivating book...about resilience and compassion,” saying it “draws you in from the first line, 'History has failed us, but no matter.'” He also added it to his “Favorite Books of 2019” list.

Well, if it’s good enough for a presidential bookworm, it’s good enough for me!

 

5. Pachinko is more than just a game.

 

What exactly is pachinko, I hear you ask? Well, to quote Obama, “The book is named after a popular game in Japan that’s a bit like a pinball machine — a game of chance where the player can set the speed or direction, but once it’s in play, a maze of obstacles determines the outcome. Staying true to the nature of the game, Min Jin Lee’s novel takes us through four generations and each character’s search for identity and success”.

 

Not only is Pachinko a clever metaphor for the struggles Koreans in Japan faced using one of the nation’s most popular games of the time, it’s also reflective of the fact that Koreans in Japan struggled to find work due to the constraints the Japanese government placed on their employment, so many opened pachinko parlors after being rejected in other roles. It was looked down upon by Japanese citizens, and as a testament to how many Koreans were forced into the “undesirable” job, 80% of pachinko parlor owners in Japan were Zainichi Koreans.

 

6. The story really means something to the cast and crew.

 

Soji Arai, who will play Mozasu, is third generation Zainichi Korean. He told Rolling Stone: “I read the book when it was initially published and loved it. I thought it was my story, my family’s story. So, the second I read the article that said Apple was making a series based on Pachinko, I called my agent and manager! In the audition process, I had to learn the lines in Japanese, Korean, and English. I talked about my late first-generation grandmother, who is just like ‘Sunja’ in Pachinko, in my audition tape. I believe my grandmother in heaven helped bring this opportunity to my life.”

 

In the same interview, he talked about another personal connection to the story, explaining the feeling and experiences of being a minority in many countries. He said: “I was born as a minority in Japan. Being a minority in the US I have experienced some discrimination and racism in my life. I am against racism. No to racism. I want to help the word ‘Zainichi’ be introduced in American dictionaries.” 

 

7. The production team are also mega passionate about bringing the story to life and honoring the stories of the many people who lived through the experiences highlighted in Pachinko.

 

Soo Hugh, executive producer and main scriptwriter for Pachinko, describes reading a particular scene in the book where Sunja’s mother begs a rice merchant to sell her just one bag of white rice for her daughter’s wedding day. The merchant is hesitant, because in Japan-colonized Korea, white rice is only for the Japanese. 

 

Hugh said, “So I’m on this plane and I’m reading the scene, and all of a sudden I just started bawling. It’s a sad scene, but more than that, it was the shock of recognition. I did not live in 1930s Korea, and yet, when I read that scene about Yangjin going to the rice merchant, I felt like I experienced it in my bones.” It was then that she knew she had to bring the book to the screen.

 

She told Soompi, “Some productions can deeply change the innermost depths of a filmmaker and person. There is no doubt that Pachinko is a project that changed me. This is a story and tribute to my ancestors. It is also a story that is dedicated to all the ‘pioneers’ that exist in our family history. It is an honor to materialize this project with dedicated and talented actors and staff.” 

 

8. The show is based on a hugely popular book of the same name.

 

Based on a book of the same name, Pachinko has been creating buzz in the literary world since its release in 2017. Written by Min Jin Lee, Goodreads says the book is a national bestseller, a New York Times Editor’s Choice, and a National Book Award finalist. It’s also on the American Booksellers Association’s Indie Next Great Reads list, and the Best Fiction of 2016 lists from Esquire, Chicago Review of Books, Amazon.com, Entertainment Weekly, the BBC, The Guardian, and Book Riot. 

 

Apple won the rights to adapting the story in an intense bidding war against other studios back in 2018. If the show is anything like the book, we’re in for a treat when it hits our screens.

 

9. The book has been translated into 30 languages already.

 

It’s so popular that the original English story has been translated to hit markets all over the world. This on-screen adaptation could have the same global impact and appetite from viewers, so make sure you hop on this bandwagon right from day one — you can be that person saying, "I told you it was good ages ago!" when your friends pick it up months down the line!

 

10. It’s got a star-studded cast.

 

Let’s take a stroll down the cast list, shall we?

 

We’ve got:

 

Youn Yuh-jung as Sunja: Known for her role in Oscar-nominated Minari and for being the first Korean person to win the Best Supporting Actress category, Youn will play the older version of Sunja in this epic tale.

 

Lee Min-ho as Koh Hansu: Known as a top Hallyu (Korean Wave) star, he is the most followed South Korean actor on social media and the first Korean celeb to have a wax figure made in his image at Madame Tussaud’s. Probably best known for much-loved K-drama Boys Over Flowers, Lee was also in the recent Netflix success The King: Eternal Monarch.

 

Spoiler

Anna Sawai as Naomi: Known for her roles in Ninja Assassin, F9, and Giri/Haji, she is also a professional singer in the J-pop girl group FAKY.

 

Jin Ha: You might have spotted him in HBO Max’s Love Life opposite Anna Kendrick or maybe the FX show Devs, but this actor cut his teeth in theatre, starring in the Chicago production of Hamilton as well as in Troilus and Cressida in Shakespeare in the Park, and the Broadway revival of M. Butterfly. He also starred in the NBC production of Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert opposite John Legend and Sara Bareilles.

 

Jung Eun-chae as Kyunghee: A co-star of Lee Min-ho’s in The King: Eternal Monarch, Jung also has an impressive background in film, TV and music in South Korea.

 

Jimmi Simpson as Tom Andrews: Simpson is known for his work on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Westworld, House of Cards, The Twilight Zone, Black Mirror and more.

 

And that’s not even the whole cast. Led by veteran actors like these, it looks like the show has all the right foundations to become an international phenomenon.

 

11. The team behind the show made sure each and every actor was right for the role.

 

You might think that with such big names on their roster, there was bound to be a few shoo-ins for the main roles. However, leading man Lee Min-ho opened up to GQ Korea, saying he hadn’t had to audition for a role for over 10 years following the success of his show Boys Over Flowers back in 2009 — that is, until Pachinko came along. 

He said, “I was determined to get the role, so I worked really hard to prepare for it. I was very nervous and excited. I felt pressured about having to do well, and I was really happy when I got the part.” When talking about the role to Esquire Korea, he said that he wanted to reflect the “male image from that era” and explained: “I wanted to be true to the character, so I tried to focus on how desperate they were to survive in that period.”

 

Spoiler

12. Sure, it’s got big names in the cast list, but Pachinko may launch the careers of several budding actors, too.

 

Pachinko may be led by on-screen titans, but according to IMDB, half of the 8 actors who make up the characters appearing in every single episode are fresh faces getting their debut in the Apple TV drama.  

 

Producer Soo Hugh shared a picture of Kim Min-ha, who will play the younger Sunja in the show, saying: "Minha, my dream Sunja. Camera test. October 2020. Minha was an unknown when we saw her audition tape. It was a marvel. Innocence and wisdom in the same breath. Transformative. Thank you, my friend, for taking this journey with me."

 

13. It’s super authentic.

 

As well as Soji Arai, who was mentioned above, Kaho Minami, who will play Etsuko, is Japanese with Korean descent. The two will play characters with key storylines in Japan.

 

Arai said of working with Youn Yuh-jung, who plays the older Sunja: “When she speaks Japanese, her Korean accented Japanese was like my first-generation grandmother. That was killer. I think many Zainichi viewers will cry when they hear her in Pachinko.”

 

Author Min Jin Lee deeply researched the book that serves as the show’s source material, interviewing dozens of Zainichi women as she wrote it to ensure she captured their experiences accurately. Producer Soo Hugh used this research to track down the Zainichi women to hear their stories. She said: “These women range in age from 90 to 104, and we got their oral testimony, and it’s actually a part of the show. I really wanted to make sure that I learned the history from the actual mouths of the people who lived it.”

 

14. There will be stunning imagery from across the globe.

 

Pachinko is said to include filming locations across South Korea, Japan, North America, and Canada, specifically Busan and Vancouver. We can’t see too much in terms of locations in the five images Apple TV have released so far, but I bet there will be some stunning backdrops as the cast and crew bring the story to life in these locations.

 

15. It may have a budget of around $13 million per episode.

 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show “has a budget comparable to The Crown," which reportedly costs a hefty $13 million per episode. Apple previously produced the Jason Momoa drama See with a similar budget in Vancouver, where the Pachinko cast have been spotted. If the success and attention to detail of The Crown is anything to go by, Pachinko has the talent and funds to impress on screen.  

 

16. As with any adaptation, there does seem to be changes planned.

 

There’s always at least a few changes from book to screen, and Pachinko seems to be no different. Eagle-eyed fans of the book may have spotted that Noa, Sunja’s first born son, seems to be missing from the show’s cast. As well as that, Hana seems to appear in 5 of the 8 episodes, suggesting she has more of a presence on screen than she does in the book. Maybe the series will be set during the later events of the book, with stories of their family’s history being told by the elder characters in a more modern-day setting.  

 

17. It’s got a great captain at the helm.

 

Producer Soo Hugh has popped up a few times in this list, and you may have been wondering why her name sounded familiar. Well, she was involved with the critically acclaimed The Killing, as well as The Terror, See, The Whispers, and more. 

 

She read the book the show is based on, flew to speak to people who were alive during the time the story is set to ensure the stories were told authentically and respectfully, and even had the show writers take a cooking class with Banchan Story as, in her words, "food is such an important part of this show. It tells the story of our ancestors as well as who we are now."

 

With her talent and passion at the helm, the show is bound to pack a punch.  

 

18. Another of Min Jin Lee’s novels is in the pipeline for a Netflix adaptation.

 

Pachinko is probably the work Lee is most well-known for, but Free Food for Millionaires is also tremendously popular and is being adapted into a Netflix series. It is being developed by Emmy-winning screenwriter Alan Yang, who is best known for his work on Parks and Recreation, Master of None, and Tigertail. 

 

There’s no release date yet, but Netflix’s Head of Drama, Jinny Howe, said the show is “a premium Asian American family drama told primarily through a Korean American woman who is at this crossroads in her life, as she graduates from an Ivy League school and is kind of straddling two worlds. I’m very excited. I feel this is unlike anything else we have on the slate right now.”

 

It seems like Min Jin Lee’s got the golden touch when it comes to pioneering TV dramas!

 

19. It begins at the end of March and is set to have an eight-episode run.

 

So far, Apple have released five teaser images from the show to whet our appetites, and a trailer just dropped. The eight-episode series will land on Apple TV every Friday following the premiere of the first three episodes on March 25 2022, so it looks set to finish as April draws to a close.

 

https://www.buzzfeed.com/rhiannacampbell/pachinko-19-things-to-know

 

[syntyche]

All we know about Pachinko, the series inspired by Obama's beloved novel 

 

Spoiler

Korean-American production will start on March 25 on Apple TV +. On the occasion of the release of the Italian trailer, we make an overview (without spoilers) on the family saga set in Korea, Japan and the United States and taken from the best-seller by Min Jin Lee

 

The transposition into series of the best-selling novel by Min Jin Lee published in Italy by Piemme, Pachinko is one of the most anticipated productions for the small screen of the year. Pachinko debuts on March 25 on Apple TV + with the first three episodes and then follows a weekly program of a single episode - in total there are eight - until April 29. Initially referred to by some magazines as " Limited series ", in the unlikely prospect of condensing a story that spans almost the entire 20th century in a single season, more hopefully it will last four, as anticipated by producer Soo Hugh. Set in Korea, Japan and the United States and filmed in their respective languages with a cast of 637 members - including Korean superstar Lee Min-ho - 95% Asian, Pachinko presents itself as a majestic production. Here is everything you need to know (net of the omitted spoilers deriving from the vision of the show anticipated to the press).

 

What is it about

 

The novel praised by former US President Barack Obama is a vivid family saga that spans four generations, in an eventful historical period for the Korean people: from the occupation of Japan, which had annexed Korea at the turn of the century, to for the Second World War and up to the 1980s. The centerpiece of the narrative is Sunja, the beloved daughter of two very poor inn owners seduced by a powerful and charming man and forced to emigrate, to protect the reputation of her loved ones, in Japan. She will find the affection of a pious and faithful husband and of a sister-in-law who will become a sister, as well as the contempt and cruelty of the Japanese torturers, fighting against poverty and injustice and never freeing herself from the specter of her first love. Lee uses a dry style, devoid of romance and averse to fuss to tell the raw, anonymous yet extraordinary story of one of the many Koreans living in Japan who was never granted citizenship, Sunja, the stoic matriarch of a family that will succeed. to win fortune and prosperity by managing the lucrative Japanese Pachinko rooms

 

Behind this international production that counts an international staff, there is the Korean American Soo Hugh already responsible for The Terror and The Whispers . Hugh, due to her origins, cares a lot about the project she has been working on for four years, defined as "fundamental" in her career. Soo she surrounded herself with a handful of collaborators who helped her adapt and expand the material provided by the novel into the eight scripts that make up the first season. Min Jin Lee herself appears as executive producer. For the direction she has selected the Korean Americans Kogonada ( Columbus ), who directed the first half of the season, and Justin Chon ( Gook, Blue Bayou), director of the second. Admiring the grandeur of the production and its international breadth and quantifying the huge budget poured into the making of Pachinko , plus the fact that the show's filming dates back - according to sightings in Vancouver, Canada by the large fan following of actor Lee Min-ho - in February of last year, the suspicion arises that it was not with the science fiction Dr Brain that Apple wanted to debut in the panorama of Asian streaming platforms. In fact, Pachinko has all the credentials to attract the Eastern audience when the Western one thanks to what the producer claimed was a trilingual production. 

 

From novel to series

 

The novel's author makes no secret of her boundless passion for 19th-century British classics and Pachinko distinctly evokes the Dickensian style: Pachinko 's story is a contemporary version of it, but with a female heroine who seems to have sprung from the pen of Thomas Hardy. Hugh's version, who declared herself emotionally involved in the Sunja epic, offers a somewhat different interpretation: more than the chronicle of how an ordinary family has survived the lashes of fate by living on the margins of history, it is a real historical epic. To declare it is the same synopsis from Apple that describes Pachinko as "A parable of epic significance but with intimate tones, whose starting point is a forbidden love against the backdrop of an overwhelming journey between Korea, Japan and America to tell an unforgettable story of war and peace, love and loss, triumph and revenge ". The producer admitted to finding the adaptation of the novel difficult, so she decided to abandon the narrative in chronological order in favor of one that jumps back and forth in time, connecting events from Sunja's youth in the 1930s to those of her own grandson Solomon, an employee of an American investment company in Tokyo, in the 1980s.

 

Six months of auditions in various parts of the world were required to select the protagonists of Pachinko . This despite the resistance of the Korean talent agencies: in South Korea, established actors are not subject to the process of selection by audition and by some the prospect has been received with annoyance. Hugh explained: " I have never doubted the talent of the actors under consideration, but the chemistry between them is essential for the success of the series . " Emblematic is the case of Kim Min-ha , interpreter of the protagonist Sunja as a teenager, who got the role of her after watching hundreds of other auditions. The award -winning Youn Yuh-jung from Minari instead lends her features to the elderly Sunja. At the Los Angeles Time she revealed that she was very impressed with the novel and that she thought “ It's me, I can play this role very well ”. Statuesque model Steven Noh ( Sense8 ) won the part of the good shepherd Isak while Jung Eun-chae (formerly in The King: Eternal Monarchwith Lee Min-ho) will be Sunja's patient and loving sister-in-law, Kuynghee. Japanese Soji Arai will play Mozasu - Sunja's second son who grew up in Japan and manager of a pachinko parlor - while there is still no actor for Noa, his brother (who, however, is described in the novel as very similar. on Koh Hansu). He plays his grandson, the ambitious Japanese Korean Solomon, Jin Ha, seen in Hamilton 's version of Chicago . In the cast also the veteran Kim Young-ok (she was also in The King ) of which we will not detect the role, but it will be an unpredictable and moving surprise for those who have read the novel. 

 

 

Lee Min-ho/Koh Han-su

 

We had already talked about him on the occasion of the ranking of the Korean stars who we think will be most successful in 2022: Lee Min-ho plays the role of Koh Han-su, a key figure in Sunja's life that the novel describes as a man as fascinating as dangerous. A Korean who moved to Japan at an early age with his father, he is destined to integrate into the Japanese community by becoming powerful and fearsome. Forced into a marriage of convenience, he will find himself attracted to the very young, innocent and intelligent Sunja, disappearing and re-entering her life several times, an ineluctable and fundamental presence in the fate of the young woman and her loved ones. Lee Min-ho has agreed to audition for the part - which he hadn't done in at least a decade, he admitted. The actor, very much known by popular productions such as Boys Over Flowers , City Hunter and the aforementioned The King, admitted the discomfort but also accepted because, through the character of Koh Hansu, he wanted to " reflect the male image of the time."  With his angelic face (perhaps more suited to the good Isak) he makes the character even more inscrutable and elusive, and his statements to the Korean newspapers - " I wanted him to be a real character, so I focused on the despair resulting from the difficulties of surviving in that era”,“ I wanted to express the emotions of a character who survived out of desperation who has met a woman to love. I really want to show how one can love the other ” - indicate both that his Koh Hansu will be a less mysterious and cynical figure, and more human, and that an expanded and deeper background will be revealed than in the novel.

 

https://www.wired.it/article/pachinko-serie-apple-tv-libro-obama-trama-curiosita/

 

[willenette]

1 hour ago, syntyche said:

"Pachinko": 19 Reasons To Watch This Book-To-Screen Adaptation

 

There’s no doubt that Korea and its rich culture is becoming more enmeshed with the Western world.

There’s no denying that the Korean Wave is crashing in on shores all around the globe, so if you, like me, have been surfing its crest and looking for your next fix of all things Korean, you might want to add Apple TV+’s new historical drama, Pachinko, to your list. There’s already hundreds of TV shows you need to get through, you say? Well, I’m here to tell you why Pachinko deserves a spot on your watch list. 

Buckle in, because we’re going to explore everything we know so far about this new book-to-screen adaptation…

 

1. Pachinko is a totally epic story, sweeping across generations, countries, war, and peace.

 

Pachinko spans over a hundred years, from around 1883 to 1989. Made up of a cast of many characters with intriguing stories of their own, the tale is, at its heart, the story of Sunja. Sunja is a much-loved daughter of a crippled fisher, who falls for a wealthy fishbroker at the seashore near her home in Korea in the 1900s. Of course, the mysterious rich man who promises her the world isn’t quite what he seems, and Sunja refuses to live as his mistress when she finds out he’s married — oh, and has ties to the Japanese crime group, the Yakuza.

 

When the pair discover she is pregnant, Sunja refuses to be bought and instead chooses to marry a kindly yet frail minister passing through from Osaka, who believes he is to die soon and offers to give her child his name to spare him and Sunja shame when she refuses to reveal the child’s father. (Remember, it’s the 1900s — a woman with a child and no husband?! Scandalous!) Agreeing to the minister’s plan, Sunja travels to Japan with her new husband — but her decision to leave Korea and the powerful man who is the biological father of her child causes an impact that reverberates across countries, through generations, and everywhere from Japan’s finest universities to the criminal underworld.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

2. Pachinko will be the first major trilingual US series to hit the small screen.

 

The story will be told in Korean, Japanese, and English, as it follows Sunja and her family across Korea, Japan, and the US. It will be the first major trilingual US series to hit the small screen! 

 

Executive producer Soo Hugh told Harper's Bazaar: “It was never a question that it would be in the languages; I don’t understand how else you could tell the story of colonization because language is part of that. I just don’t think you can possibly do this story without doing the three languages.”

 

3. Pachinko brings to life a lesser known, yet hugely important part of Korean history.

 

Japan occupied Korea from 1910 to 1945, and brought many Koreans to Japan to replace its citizens who were away at war. The Koreans in Japan, known as Zainichi Koreans, were not treated well, often experiencing discrimination, racism, and living in poor, cramped conditions with many others. 

 

They were also considered foreigners even if they had family members subsequently born in Japan, and as a result, were excluded from many types of employment and forced into cheap labour in dangerous jobs. They were also unable to vote so had no legal way to protest or make changes. Korean culture was slowly erased, and many second generation Koreans felt such shame that they would hide their heritage and say they were Japanese. The Guardian described Pachinko as a “rich tribute to a people history seems intent on erasing”.

 

4. Pachinko already has celebrity fans.

 

Writer and social commentator Roxane Gay told the Washington Post that Pachinko was her favorite book in 2017, and Emma Watson's book club Our Shared Shelf chose it as one of its picks back in 2019. Barack Obama describes it as “a captivating book...about resilience and compassion,” saying it “draws you in from the first line, 'History has failed us, but no matter.'” He also added it to his “Favorite Books of 2019” list.

Well, if it’s good enough for a presidential bookworm, it’s good enough for me!

 

5. Pachinko is more than just a game.

 

What exactly is pachinko, I hear you ask? Well, to quote Obama, “The book is named after a popular game in Japan that’s a bit like a pinball machine — a game of chance where the player can set the speed or direction, but once it’s in play, a maze of obstacles determines the outcome. Staying true to the nature of the game, Min Jin Lee’s novel takes us through four generations and each character’s search for identity and success”.

 

Not only is Pachinko a clever metaphor for the struggles Koreans in Japan faced using one of the nation’s most popular games of the time, it’s also reflective of the fact that Koreans in Japan struggled to find work due to the constraints the Japanese government placed on their employment, so many opened pachinko parlors after being rejected in other roles. It was looked down upon by Japanese citizens, and as a testament to how many Koreans were forced into the “undesirable” job, 80% of pachinko parlor owners in Japan were Zainichi Koreans.

 

6. The story really means something to the cast and crew.

 

Soji Arai, who will play Mozasu, is third generation Zainichi Korean. He told Rolling Stone: “I read the book when it was initially published and loved it. I thought it was my story, my family’s story. So, the second I read the article that said Apple was making a series based on Pachinko, I called my agent and manager! In the audition process, I had to learn the lines in Japanese, Korean, and English. I talked about my late first-generation grandmother, who is just like ‘Sunja’ in Pachinko, in my audition tape. I believe my grandmother in heaven helped bring this opportunity to my life.”

 

In the same interview, he talked about another personal connection to the story, explaining the feeling and experiences of being a minority in many countries. He said: “I was born as a minority in Japan. Being a minority in the US I have experienced some discrimination and racism in my life. I am against racism. No to racism. I want to help the word ‘Zainichi’ be introduced in American dictionaries.” 

 

7. The production team are also mega passionate about bringing the story to life and honoring the stories of the many people who lived through the experiences highlighted in Pachinko.

 

Soo Hugh, executive producer and main scriptwriter for Pachinko, describes reading a particular scene in the book where Sunja’s mother begs a rice merchant to sell her just one bag of white rice for her daughter’s wedding day. The merchant is hesitant, because in Japan-colonized Korea, white rice is only for the Japanese. 

 

Hugh said, “So I’m on this plane and I’m reading the scene, and all of a sudden I just started bawling. It’s a sad scene, but more than that, it was the shock of recognition. I did not live in 1930s Korea, and yet, when I read that scene about Yangjin going to the rice merchant, I felt like I experienced it in my bones.” It was then that she knew she had to bring the book to the screen.

 

She told Soompi, “Some productions can deeply change the innermost depths of a filmmaker and person. There is no doubt that Pachinko is a project that changed me. This is a story and tribute to my ancestors. It is also a story that is dedicated to all the ‘pioneers’ that exist in our family history. It is an honor to materialize this project with dedicated and talented actors and staff.” 

 

8. The show is based on a hugely popular book of the same name.

 

Based on a book of the same name, Pachinko has been creating buzz in the literary world since its release in 2017. Written by Min Jin Lee, Goodreads says the book is a national bestseller, a New York Times Editor’s Choice, and a National Book Award finalist. It’s also on the American Booksellers Association’s Indie Next Great Reads list, and the Best Fiction of 2016 lists from Esquire, Chicago Review of Books, Amazon.com, Entertainment Weekly, the BBC, The Guardian, and Book Riot. 

 

Apple won the rights to adapting the story in an intense bidding war against other studios back in 2018. If the show is anything like the book, we’re in for a treat when it hits our screens.

 

9. The book has been translated into 30 languages already.

 

It’s so popular that the original English story has been translated to hit markets all over the world. This on-screen adaptation could have the same global impact and appetite from viewers, so make sure you hop on this bandwagon right from day one — you can be that person saying, "I told you it was good ages ago!" when your friends pick it up months down the line!

 

10. It’s got a star-studded cast.

 

Let’s take a stroll down the cast list, shall we?

 

We’ve got:

 

Youn Yuh-jung as Sunja: Known for her role in Oscar-nominated Minari and for being the first Korean person to win the Best Supporting Actress category, Youn will play the older version of Sunja in this epic tale.

 

Lee Min-ho as Koh Hansu: Known as a top Hallyu (Korean Wave) star, he is the most followed South Korean actor on social media and the first Korean celeb to have a wax figure made in his image at Madame Tussaud’s. Probably best known for much-loved K-drama Boys Over Flowers, Lee was also in the recent Netflix success The King: Eternal Monarch.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Anna Sawai as Naomi: Known for her roles in Ninja Assassin, F9, and Giri/Haji, she is also a professional singer in the J-pop girl group FAKY.

 

Jin Ha: You might have spotted him in HBO Max’s Love Life opposite Anna Kendrick or maybe the FX show Devs, but this actor cut his teeth in theatre, starring in the Chicago production of Hamilton as well as in Troilus and Cressida in Shakespeare in the Park, and the Broadway revival of M. Butterfly. He also starred in the NBC production of Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert opposite John Legend and Sara Bareilles.

 

Jung Eun-chae as Kyunghee: A co-star of Lee Min-ho’s in The King: Eternal Monarch, Jung also has an impressive background in film, TV and music in South Korea.

 

Jimmi Simpson as Tom Andrews: Simpson is known for his work on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Westworld, House of Cards, The Twilight Zone, Black Mirror and more.

 

And that’s not even the whole cast. Led by veteran actors like these, it looks like the show has all the right foundations to become an international phenomenon.

 

11. The team behind the show made sure each and every actor was right for the role.

 

You might think that with such big names on their roster, there was bound to be a few shoo-ins for the main roles. However, leading man Lee Min-ho opened up to GQ Korea, saying he hadn’t had to audition for a role for over 10 years following the success of his show Boys Over Flowers back in 2009 — that is, until Pachinko came along. 

He said, “I was determined to get the role, so I worked really hard to prepare for it. I was very nervous and excited. I felt pressured about having to do well, and I was really happy when I got the part.” When talking about the role to Esquire Korea, he said that he wanted to reflect the “male image from that era” and explained: “I wanted to be true to the character, so I tried to focus on how desperate they were to survive in that period.”

 

  Reveal hidden contents

12. Sure, it’s got big names in the cast list, but Pachinko may launch the careers of several budding actors, too.

 

Pachinko may be led by on-screen titans, but according to IMDB, half of the 8 actors who make up the characters appearing in every single episode are fresh faces getting their debut in the Apple TV drama.  

 

Producer Soo Hugh shared a picture of Kim Min-ha, who will play the younger Sunja in the show, saying: "Minha, my dream Sunja. Camera test. October 2020. Minha was an unknown when we saw her audition tape. It was a marvel. Innocence and wisdom in the same breath. Transformative. Thank you, my friend, for taking this journey with me."

 

13. It’s super authentic.

 

As well as Soji Arai, who was mentioned above, Kaho Minami, who will play Etsuko, is Japanese with Korean descent. The two will play characters with key storylines in Japan.

 

Arai said of working with Youn Yuh-jung, who plays the older Sunja: “When she speaks Japanese, her Korean accented Japanese was like my first-generation grandmother. That was killer. I think many Zainichi viewers will cry when they hear her in Pachinko.”

 

Author Min Jin Lee deeply researched the book that serves as the show’s source material, interviewing dozens of Zainichi women as she wrote it to ensure she captured their experiences accurately. Producer Soo Hugh used this research to track down the Zainichi women to hear their stories. She said: “These women range in age from 90 to 104, and we got their oral testimony, and it’s actually a part of the show. I really wanted to make sure that I learned the history from the actual mouths of the people who lived it.”

 

14. There will be stunning imagery from across the globe.

 

Pachinko is said to include filming locations across South Korea, Japan, North America, and Canada, specifically Busan and Vancouver. We can’t see too much in terms of locations in the five images Apple TV have released so far, but I bet there will be some stunning backdrops as the cast and crew bring the story to life in these locations.

 

15. It may have a budget of around $13 million per episode.

 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show “has a budget comparable to The Crown," which reportedly costs a hefty $13 million per episode. Apple previously produced the Jason Momoa drama See with a similar budget in Vancouver, where the Pachinko cast have been spotted. If the success and attention to detail of The Crown is anything to go by, Pachinko has the talent and funds to impress on screen.  

 

16. As with any adaptation, there does seem to be changes planned.

 

There’s always at least a few changes from book to screen, and Pachinko seems to be no different. Eagle-eyed fans of the book may have spotted that Noa, Sunja’s first born son, seems to be missing from the show’s cast. As well as that, Hana seems to appear in 5 of the 8 episodes, suggesting she has more of a presence on screen than she does in the book. Maybe the series will be set during the later events of the book, with stories of their family’s history being told by the elder characters in a more modern-day setting.  

 

17. It’s got a great captain at the helm.

 

Producer Soo Hugh has popped up a few times in this list, and you may have been wondering why her name sounded familiar. Well, she was involved with the critically acclaimed The Killing, as well as The Terror, See, The Whispers, and more. 

 

She read the book the show is based on, flew to speak to people who were alive during the time the story is set to ensure the stories were told authentically and respectfully, and even had the show writers take a cooking class with Banchan Story as, in her words, "food is such an important part of this show. It tells the story of our ancestors as well as who we are now."

 

With her talent and passion at the helm, the show is bound to pack a punch.  

 

18. Another of Min Jin Lee’s novels is in the pipeline for a Netflix adaptation.

 

Pachinko is probably the work Lee is most well-known for, but Free Food for Millionaires is also tremendously popular and is being adapted into a Netflix series. It is being developed by Emmy-winning screenwriter Alan Yang, who is best known for his work on Parks and Recreation, Master of None, and Tigertail. 

 

There’s no release date yet, but Netflix’s Head of Drama, Jinny Howe, said the show is “a premium Asian American family drama told primarily through a Korean American woman who is at this crossroads in her life, as she graduates from an Ivy League school and is kind of straddling two worlds. I’m very excited. I feel this is unlike anything else we have on the slate right now.”

 

It seems like Min Jin Lee’s got the golden touch when it comes to pioneering TV dramas!

 

19. It begins at the end of March and is set to have an eight-episode run.

 

So far, Apple have released five teaser images from the show to whet our appetites, and a trailer just dropped. The eight-episode series will land on Apple TV every Friday following the premiere of the first three episodes on March 25 2022, so it looks set to finish as April draws to a close.

 

https://www.buzzfeed.com/rhiannacampbell/pachinko-19-things-to-know

 

 

@syntyche  thanks for sharing this. This drama has been getting quite a bit of international press. I've said this before that it’s more of an international title than a K-drama. The drama was shot in multiple countries and all in all, it's a true global title. Apple TV+ has released an epic movie-like trailer and I enjoyed watching it. It’s beautiful! The trailer looks stunning! As far as I remember reading that novel before, playing as Koh Hansu will be refreshing to us since it's really far different from all his previous roles he played. Unlike most of LMH's characters (who start out as cold, arrogant jerks but evolved into likeable at the end. Koh Hansu remains cold and arrogant throughout. One thing similar is Ko Hansu is also the handsome, rich RickRoll'D type that he's used to playing. hahaha - Here, he is playing a character who's not designed to be a beloved hero. I’m not too worried. In Soo Hugh's interview with Vanity Fair, it's mentioned there that he is planning "Pachinko" for a total of 4 seasons. Koh Hansu doesn't play a very major role. Lee Minho's character is very much a secondary character in the novel. I am wondering how this will play out. I have so been waiting for "Pachinko" to air.  

[syntyche]

BOSS talks with Lee Min Ho

 

Who do you think is a Boss?

A boss for me is my mom. Through rough times and happy times, she remains a strong person no matter what. And that's the kind of boss that I want to learn from and to be someday.

  

 

What type of person do you think is a boss?

A boss is a person who shoulders the heaviest responsibilities, no matter what circumstances.  Someone with the mental toughness to lead others and a compassionate personality to be able to earn respect from those who follow.

 

 

Admiring our wise LMH

 

[willenette]

[PICK] New Korean Dramas Coming Out in March 2022

 

 

Various TV shows are slated to air in March, including tvN’s Kill Heel, which had postponed its premiere to the 9th due to COVID-19. So without further ado, let’s take a look at the upcoming drama series.

 

 

Apple TV+ Pachinko (3/25)

 

Pachinko drew attention from its start. Based on the novel of the same name written by Lee Min Jin, the show recounts the lives of a Korean immigrant family who travels back and forth between Korea, Japan, and the States. Kogonada, who helmed the production of Columbus, will direct four episodes, and Justin Chon behind Blue Bayou will direct the four episodes. The show features Oscar winner Youn Yuh Jeong (elder Sun Ja), Lee Min Ho (Hansu), Jung Eun Chae (younger Kyung Hee), Soji Arai (Mozasu), Jin Ha (Solomon), Anna Sawai (Naomi), and Jimmi Simpson (Tom Andrew). Su Hue, the director and scriptwriter of the series, explained the show as “The story of my ancestors, and a tribute to all ‘Sun Ja’s who have been part of our family history.”

 

 

(skipped unrelated.....)

 

 

source : Zapzee

https://zapzee.net/2022/03/01/pick-new-korean-dramas-coming-out-in-march-2022/

[willenette]

March 2022 K-Dramas: Lee Min Ho, Han So Hee, Park Hyung Sik, More To Make Small Screen Return This Month

 

Lee Min Ho, Han So Hee, Park Hyung Sik, and more are about to make their small screen return this March!  

 

Another month is packed with anticipated dramas, starring some of the biggest names in the industry. February gave us an array of good, unforgettable ones that tug at our heartstrings and made us laugh our hearts out. But the fun isn't over as March promises a slew of K-dramas that deserve to be on our watchlist!

 

 

 

'Pachinko'

Korean heartthrob Lee Min Ho is now ready to meet his fans with "Pachinko." The drama was filmed for more than a year not just in Korea but also overseas. 

 

 

"Pachinko" will premiere this March 25 on AppleTV+ Korea. This marks Lee Min Ho's drama comeback following "The King: Eternal Monarch" in 2020."

 

 

(skipped unrelated.....)

 

 

source : Kdramastars

https://www.kdramastars.com/articles/124071/20220301/march-2022-kdramas-lee-min-ho-han-so-hee-park-hyung-sik.htm

[CarolynH]

24 more days!  Does everyone have a way to watch Pachinko?  

*********

BOSS talk was much shorter than I expected, but I love how he always thinks about his omma.  

[syntyche]

 

soo hugh tw update

 

Oct 2020. Partial cast dinner a few days before start of principal photography in Korea. Love all these faces. #Pachinko #AppleTVPlus

 

 

 

[willenette]

15 minutes ago, CarolynH said:

24 more days!  Does everyone have a way to watch Pachinko?  

*********

BOSS talk was much shorter than I expected, but I love how he always thinks about his omma.  

 

@CarolynH I have an Apple device so, I guess I can be able to watch the drama, huh? If there will be a problem later on,

 

maybe I can also try Netflix????? 

 

 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

10 Korean Dramas You Need to Be Watching in March 2022

 

March is here, and with it comes thrills, melodrama, and romance in the world of kdramas. Let’s see what we have to look forward to in this March 2022 edition of “Korean Dramas You Need to Be Watching.”

This monthly series is meant to keep you updated on what’s happening in that amazing world of Korean dramas so that you don’t miss out on anything! Here are the kdramas you should keep an eye out for in March 2022:

 

 

2. Pachinko

 

 

Pachinko is an epic generational tale that chronicles the life of a woman (Kim Min Ha/YounYugJung) who fell in love during the Japanese occupation of Korea and eventually has to leave her homeland and try to survive.

 

Pachinko is scheduled to premiere March 25 on Apple TV+.

 

 

 

(skipped unrelated.....)

 

 

source : https://kdramakisses.com/2022/03/01/10-korean-dramas-you-need-to-be-watching-in-march-2022/

[syntyche]

sebastian_lee_em IG update

 

 

 

He's the producer of City Hunter and now executive producer of Pachinko

[backstreetboysfan]

Thanks for the all the updates everyone! .

[nina_mitrokhina]

Lee Min-ho Fans Cannot Hide Their Happiness As Unseen Pachinko Cast Pics Surface Online

 

 

Pachinko creator Soo Hugh shared pictures of the partial cast of the series. The actors had gathered for a dinner in October 2020.

 

DISHYA SHARMA| NEWS18.COM
Updated: March 02, 2022

 

Lee Min-ho fans were thrilled to see a never-before-seen picture of the actor with the cast of Pachinko surface online. On Wednesday, creator Soo Hugh took a trip down memory lane and shared a picture from one of the cast dinners that was hosted just a few days before the principal photography in South Korea began. In the picture, the actor was seen wearing an all-black ensemble and posing for the camera with his fellow cast and crew of the show.

Soo Hugh shared the pictures with the caption, “Partial cast dinner a few days before start of principal photography in Korea. Oct 2020.

 

Look at all these amazing faces!" Several fans took to the comments section and thanked her for sharing the pictures. “Thank you very much for your sharing. Oppa is here. Very happy to see this. HAPPY Gathering," a fan wrote.

 

“I spotted a very good looking man #leeminho," added another. “He is so cute #actorleeminho," a third fan wrote. “Superb cast! Happy to see Lee Min Ho oppa here. So excited to watch Pachinko. Thank you so much ma’am for sharing these pictures with us!" another comment on the post read.

 

Pachinko features a stellar star cast. These include Academy Award winner Youn Yuh-jung, Lee Min-ho, Jin Ha and Minha Kim. The international series is based on a book of the same name, penned by Min Jin Lee. The trailer was released last month and offered a glimpse of the stories that would be explored in the series. The story starts off with a forbidden love in question and follows the journeys of the characters through Korea, Japan and America.

 

The series will stream on Apple TV+ starting March 25. The series’ first three episodes will premiere on March 25. Following that, they would drop a new episode every Friday until the end of April.

 

https://www.news18.com/news/movies/lee-min-ho-fans-cannot-hide-their-happiness-as-unseen-pachinko-cast-pics-surface-online-4827374.html

[nina_mitrokhina]

5 Recommended Fantasy Dramas With Supernatural Elements You Won't Be Bored!

 

Elora Maulina
Wednesday, March 02, 2022

 

Fantasy is one of the most interesting genres of Korean dramas that has out-of-world elements such as magic, reincarnation, story come to life, or even transfer of characters to another world.

Occasionally, fantasy Korean drama series may branch into other genres at will, such as horror with the undead and ghosts.

If done right, fantasy can make a Korean drama series unique in its approach as it incorporates other elements like action and romance into the main plot and character development.

Here are some of the best fantasy Korean dramas with supernatural elements that all Korean drama fans should watch:

 

1. Legend of the blue sea

 

 

The Legend of the Blue Sea brings a unique twist to the timeline and mermaids. This is a story about a mermaid (played by Jun Ji Hyun) who falls in love with a man (played by Lee Min Ho), doing everything to be with him, even if it costs him her life.

The timeline loop involves a man and a mermaid who fell in love with each other during the Joseon era, and the current couple does the same. These two timelines are connected in some way.

"The Legend of the Blue Sea" explores the idea that history repeats itself and whether we can escape fate. There's a lot of comedy, action, adventure, romance and drama mixed into it all, making it really worth watching...

 

The King: Eternal Monarch

 

 

Do you like fantasy dramas about parallel worlds? Then you should definitely watch The King: Eternal Monarch on Netflix, which is about a character who simultaneously exists in two parallel worlds: the Kingdom of Korea and the Republic of Korea.

Due to a mystical portal connecting the two worlds, the tension between the characters from the two worlds builds up and leaves them confused in their destinies.

In addition to the romantic and gripping story, the series also makes for an interesting cast: Lee Min Ho as the King of Korea and Kim Go Eun as an inspector in Korea who is involved in a feud from a world she doesn't know.

 

Translation from indonesian google

https://yoursay.suara.com/ulasan/2022/03/02/075323/5-rekomendasi-drakor-fantasi-dengan-unsur-supernatural-nggak-bakal-bosan

[JoannaID]

On 3/1/2022 at 11:34 PM, syntyche said:

BOSS talks with Lee Min Ho

 

Who do you think is a Boss?

A boss for me is my mom. Through rough times and happy times, she remains a strong person no matter what. And that's the kind of boss that I want to learn from and to be someday.

 

What type of person do you think is a boss?

A boss is a person who shoulders the heaviest responsibilities, no matter what circumstances.  Someone with the mental toughness to lead others and a compassionate personality to be able to earn respect from those who follow.

 

Admiring our wise LMH

 

 

 

Is it possible to love an actor more every time they speak? It is possible with LMH. I am already a fan since 2020, but every time I saw him spoke about certain topics, I always find more reasons to love him more, he's that amazing.

 

His statement about being a boss really hit differently for me. I find it very deep and meaningful. He said his mom was a boss for him, this implied how he appreciates women around him, he indirectly empowered woman with this statement. As we all know, patriarchy is still very strong in SK and this statement coming from a very popular Korean actor is big, this is so sweet and considerate of him. 

 

When this interview came out, I was in a tough situation at work and as a leader myself, I needed to make a hard decision. LMH's statement about being a boss really hit me to the core as it was so relevant to my situation. Sometimes I feel like LMH and his fans have spiritual connections, lol. 

 

Grateful and proud to be fan of such inspiring man, hope LMH will always remain the same, the actor that I love and look up to!

[CarolynH]

Countdown 23 days!

********

@willenette I don't think it matters if you have an iPhone or Android.  Somehow you need a subscription to AppleTV+.  I think @syntyche posted that there is a 7 day free trial.  If you absolutely, don't want to pay, then perhaps using the trial period the last week Pachinko airs and binge watch all 8 episodes.  That's one way around paying.  I doubt Pachinko will come to Netflix for  a long time, if ever.  

*********

COMING MARCH 8--WATCH FOR THE EVENT HOSTED BY THE EOs.  Pachinko will be part of that event!  We had some people work very hard on the event, so it would be great if everyone that reads this thread can support the event either with a comment or a reaction--or better yet both!

[willenette]

*** Gosh.............this month is going to be jam-packed with K-dramas hitting both TV and streaming platforms including

 

the much-anticipated Apple original series, "Pachinko."   

 

 

 

[CarolynH]

22 days!  

**********

Thanks for clarifying who Sebastian Lee is @syntyche.  When I saw some IG posts, I thought, he (Sebastian Lee) was an actor in City Hunter?  I don't remember seeing him, although it has been a long time since I watched that drama

[nina_mitrokhina]

Dear Oppa: An Indian MINOZ writes about her dream to meet ‘Boys Over Flowers’ star Lee Min Ho

 

by Pinkvilla Desk   |  Published on Mar 04, 2022

 

 

South Korean actor Lee Min Ho has been the gateway for many into the world of K-dramas, through his iconic role of Gu Jun Pyo in the hit series, ‘Boys Over Flowers’ (2009). He went on to have a number of notable lead roles in dramas like ‘Personal Taste’ (2010), ‘City Hunter’ (2011), ‘The Heirs’ (2013), ‘The Legend of the Blue Sea’ (2016), and ‘The King: Eternal Monarch’ (2020).

 

Today's sweet letter in our Dear Oppa series has been penned by Harini Murugan from India to Lee Min Ho. Read their letter below.

 

To my Lee Min Ho,

 

In 2014, a beautiful drama named ‘Boys Over Flowers’ made me fall in love with you. From that day to today, every day and every moment is connected with you.

 

I can't tell how much I love you, being a MINOZ I feel like spending time with you. Your dimpled smile, your eyes and totally you are my world. My days start with you and end up with you. So many people may come into my life but you're irreplaceable.

 

My only dream is to meet you and say I’ve loved you for a very long time and will always love you.

 

https://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainment/dear-oppa-indian-minoz-writes-about-her-dream-meet-boys-over-flowers-star-lee-min-ho-1038514

 

*****

 

K-drama Flashback: Lee Minho Stands on The Forbidden ‘DMZ The Wild’

The Actor recounts a story of tension on the border uncovering an ironic world never seen before

 

Debashree Dutta Mar 04, 2022

 

 

The MBC special DMZ, The Wild introduces viewers to a restricted demilitarized zone (DMZ) that has been in place for decades. The area is fortified with thick barbed-wire barricades filled with land mines and closely patrolled by the North and South Korean military, ensuring there aren’t civilian disruptions while enabling nature to flourish. Through the narration of Hallyu superstar Lee Minho, who spent months filming in the DMZ, recording the unique survival tactics of its species, producer Kim Jinman’s documentary leads viewers to an untamed region presenting Korea’s natural beauty in its purest form.

 

Spoiler

[ENG] 'DMZ, The Wild' UHD documentary presented by Lee Min Ho

 

 

 

The four-part documentary series, depicts a lonely land, the forbidden land where human history makes a paradise of wildlife. This military line that separates the North and the South is the most important front in the Korean War, accounting for two-thirds of the conflict, as well as the DMZ, a military action zone that has been inaccessible for years since the truce. It is the world’s largest temperate virgin forest, where human experiences of sorrow correlate with the existence of wildlife

 

Spoiler

[MBC DMZ, THE WILD] - 이민호에게 DMZ란 '추억' 20170715

 

 

 

When you watch the episodes, you’ll see how Lee Minho camped out in sub-zero temperatures and survived harsh climate and natural adversities while close to the wild, like yellow snakes, wildcats, otters to name a few. From October 2015 to March 2017, Lee committed a year and a half to this project to raise awareness of the DMZ’s endangered biodiversity. Because no one is allowed inside the volatile border, this documentary is informative, entertaining, valuable and surely deserves to be included in our K-drama Flashback series.

 

Spoiler

[MBC DMZ, THE WILD] - 곳곳에 놓인 고라니의 흔적들 20170619

 

 

 

https://rollingstoneindia.com/k-drama-flashback-lee-minho-stands-on-the-forbidden-dmz-the-wild/

 

****

 

 

4 popular Korean actors who picked OTT dramas for their comebacks this year

 

March 4, 2022

 

Instead of TV dramas, these K-drama stars chose to star in series launched exclusively on OTT platforms.

 

With the development of the current digital world, broadcasters including both public and cable TV stations are no longer the only choice of producers in Korea. Online video platforms, or OTT, such as Netflix, TVING, Apple TV+ or Disney+ are getting more prevalent. Reasons such as more freedom, not having to act with sponsor’s products, having scripts that explore more profound aspects, or no pressure on TV ratings, are probably what convince many famous K-drama stars to take part in shows released exclusively on OTT streaming services. This year, we get to see these actors in OTT dramas instead of TV station dramas.

 

Lee Min Ho – Pachinko (Apple TV+)

 

Like Kim Hye Soo, it has been 2 years since Lee Min Ho’s drama appearance in SBS’s “The King: Eternal Monarch”. In the upcoming comeback, he plays a member of the Yakuza organization in “Pachinko“, produced and distributed by Apple TV+.

 

https://cdn.kbizoom.com/media/2022/03/03023947/lee-min-ho-pachinko-030322.jpg

 

Although he still has the image of a rich and powerful character like in his previous roles, Lee Min Ho’s character Koh Hansu in “Pachinko” is antagonistic, so viewers are looking forward to watching his portrayal of a villain for the first time. “Pachinko” also stars veteran actress Youn Yuh Jung, Lee Min Ho’s co-star from The King Jung Eun Chae, and Anna Sawai. Pachinko has 8 episodes in total and is set to come out on March 25.

 

 

https://kbizoom.com/4-popular-korean-actors-who-picked-ott-dramas-for-their-comebacks-this-year/

[CarolynH]

3 weeks until Pachinko!

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Counting down the week until we say good bye to GJP 

cr:  as tagged

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@nina_mitrokhina :  Thanks for the DMZ memories.  I enjoyed the documentary.  I hope that LMH will narrate another documentary.