Is “Pachinko” based on a true story?

When Pachinko When the first season of The 4000 debuted on AppleTV+ in 2022, audiences were quickly captivated by the gripping saga that follows the life of a Korean woman from childhood to old age. Sunja (played by Kim Minha as a young woman and by Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung in her later years) grows up in Japanese-occupied Korea until she moves to Japan to start a new life. The series also alternates between Sunja’s story and the perspective of her grandson Solomon Baek (Jin Ha), who struggles to fulfill his family’s expectations in 1980s Japan. Pachinko is a moving exploration of the themes of family and love and is a well-made piece of television that has become one of the most underrated series of recent times (not to mention that he was shockingly snubbed at the Emmys that same year).

There are so many different characters in Casino, plus fascinating historical settings in Korea and Japan. Due to the authenticity portrayed in the series, one could easily assume that the story is based on real people. However, the series, whose second season premieres on August 23, is based on a best-selling novel by Min Jin Leeand was a finalist for a National Book Award for Fiction. The book is not based on real peopleSo it is not the TV series either. However, Lee used many historical events that helped bring her characters to lifeand the writers of the series used the same locations as inspiration. The creator of the series, So, Hughtold Newsweek“This is obviously based on a work of fiction, it’s a fictional show. But I think it’s so, so important to remind audiences that these stories are based on people who have actually gone through these experiences.” But which elements of the show are actually true?

Pachinko

Based on the New York Times bestseller, this sweeping saga tells the story of the hopes and dreams of a Korean immigrant family across four generations as they leave their homeland in their relentless quest to survive and thrive.

Release date

March 25, 2022

Creator

So, Hugh

Pour

Jin Ha, Soji Arai, Jun-woo Han, In-ji Jeong

Main genre

drama

Seasons

2

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“Pachinko” is inspired by true historical events

Lee chose to set her book in an area that doesn’t get much attention: the Zainichi Korean population, the second-largest minority group in Japan. Zainichi means “living in Japan,” and the name is used for Koreans who came to Japan before 1945 (and also refers to their descendants). At that time, Korea was still occupied by Japan, which is one of the reasons why Sunja leaves Korea as a young woman in the 1930s. Koreans living in Japan during this time were treated like second-class citizenseven if their families had lived there for generations, and they faced massive discrimination and disrespect because of their ethnicity. But in addition to the prejudice they faced, hundreds of thousands of Koreans in Japan were recruited as forced laborers during Japan’s expansion efforts and received little to no pay for their work. Many Korean women were even forced into sexual slavery, also known as “comfort women,” to serve the Japanese military. Since Zainichi Koreans were not allowed to work in most “respectable” fields of business, many of them ran pachinko parlors, a type of gambling.

Apart from that Pachinko revolves around an ethnic group that existed in Japan at that time. So far, several real events have been depicted in the series. In episode 7, for example, the series shows through flashbacks to 1923 a real earthquake that shook Japan in which over 140,000 people were killed and over half of the buildings in the Kantō region were destroyed. But Pachinko does not shy away from the truly terrible consequences of the earthquake: the murder of over 6,000 Koreans who were used as scapegoats in the chaos that followed (which became known as the Kantō Massacre). These shocking events are used to show the tragic backstory of Hansu (Lee Minho), which once had a promising study perspective in America before it was destroyed by the earthquake. Season 2 of the series will, like the book, also address the Second World War, as Sunja and her family were greatly affected by Japan’s entry into the war in 1939.

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In “Pachinko” the story comes to life

There are so many fascinating moments in Japanese history that Pachinko can create. By using these historical events as a starting point, the series can create even more authentic and realistic characters and storylines.. Many of the Korean characters in the series are deeply affected by discrimination and powerful forces that want to keep them in their place. The reason these themes are so relatable is because every minority has experienced the struggle to rise up and succeed when oppressed. Executive Producer Michael Ellenberg said in the same Newsweek Interview: “We believed it was an important story that had never been told before, and if you told it authentically, it would speak to Koreans, Korean Americans, Zainichi, people who are most closely connected to the material. But if you also dealt with that specificity, it would also have a universal resonance.”

One of the most effective ways Pachinko honored the people who inspired their story by including several real people in documentary footage at the end of the season one finale. The eight women are all over 90 years old and have had very similar experiences to Sunja. Many said that participating in the series was almost a form of healing for them. Her inclusion reminds viewers that while Sunja is a fictional character, the hardships she endured were the same struggles many Koreans have experienced. in Japan during this period of history. Many Zainichi Koreans were able to fight for their rights in the 1970s and 1980s, and the most blatant discrimination against this group has since diminished in Japan. But events such as the Kantō Massacre still remain a dark stain on the country’s past.

There are many storylines that Pachinko has yet to cover (it is planned as a four-season series). But it is likely that the series will continue to draw on historical events to create compelling and relatable storylines. Executive Producer Theresa Kang-Lowe told Newsweek“I think ultimately, when you look at your own family, that intergenerational aspect, Soo always talks about how there is a Sunja in every family, and no matter where you come from, there is someone like him in the family.” And that’s why Pachinkostruck a chord with audiences and critics alike; there is something universal about these kinds of historical stories (even if the specific characters are fictional).

Season 1 of Pachinko can be streamed on AppleTV+. Season 2 will premiere on August 23rd.

Watch on AppleTV+