Second season of epic drama 'Pachinko' to premiere on Apple TV+ in August

The second season of Apple TV+ series “Pachinko" is set to premiere on Aug. 23, the streaming platform announced Friday.

Youn Yuh-jung, left, dancing with Jin Ha, right, on the release date announcement YouTube video announcing the second season of ″Pachinko." [APPLE TV+]

The second season of Apple TV+ series “Pachinko" is set to premiere on Aug. 23, the streaming platform announced Friday.

“Pachinko” season 2 consists of eight episodes, which will be released weekly on Apple TV+ through Oct. 11.

The main cast members from the first season, including Youn Yuh-jung, Lee Min-ho, Jin Ha, Jung Eun-chae, Anna Sawai, Han Jun-woo, Soji Arai and Kim Min-ha, are expected to return in the new season. New to the cast is Kim Sung-kyu, known for his roles in films like “The Outlaws” (2017), “Hansan: Rising Dragon” (2022) and “Noryang: Deadly Sea” (2023). His role in "Pachinko" has not been revealed yet.

The first season of “Pachinko” depicted an epic narrative that spanned from early 1900s Korea to Japan and the United States. It alternated between the life of young Sunja, played by Kim Min-ha, who chose to become a stranger in a foreign land to live with dignity, and the life of the elderly Sunja, played by Youn, who firmly established her roots in an unfamiliar country.

The season concluded with Sunja seeking out her husband Isak, played by Noh Sang-hyun, who had been arrested by Japanese police.

Released footage from the upcoming season of ″Pachinko″ [APPLE TV+]

“Pachinko” received critical acclaim, winning the Best Foreign Language Series at the Critics Choice Awards and the Breakthrough Series – Long Format awards at the Gotham Independent Film Awards, in 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Executive producers for the second season of “Pachinko” include Soo Hugh, who also serves as the writer, Michael Ellenberg and Lindsey Springer from production company Media Res and Theresa Kang from studio Blue Marble Pictures. Directors for the season include Leanne Welham, Arvin Chen and Lee Sang-il. This season of “Pachinko” will be produced in Korean, Japanese and English, like the first one.

The first season of “Pachinko” is currently available on Apple TV+ . To find out more about them, visit Celeb Confirmed!

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]