By Yoon Hee Young 

"Pachinko," an original Korean series on Apple TV+ about four generations of a Korean family based in Japan, has received acclaim from major foreign media.

The French daily Liberation on March 26 said, "The success of the drama lies in the density and subjectivity of the realization of family memories," adding, "Another aspect of unresolved issues in Korea-Japan relations has touched viewers' hearts through other experiences of homesickness, loss of one's hometown and consolidation."

"It confirms the victory of Korea's soft power in pop culture."

The New York Times on March 25 said, "In Japan, millions of people are addicted to the pinball-like arcade game pachinko. Around the world, millions more may soon find themselves addicted to a soapy, bittersweet television series called 'Pachinko.'"

The BBC of the U.K. called the drama "a dazzling, heartfelt Korean epic" and "unsurpassed among recent series."

The U.S.-based pop culture media Rolling Stone on March 12 said, "Pachinko covers the subject with such artistry and grace that it would still feel special," adding, "It's a family saga that combines the denseness of prose fiction with the specific advantages of television."

Forbes said the drama is "a rare gem of a series about one woman's resilient spirit."

Based on the eponymous bestselling novel by Korean American writer Lee Min-jin, the series attracted high expectations thanks to the casting of Oscar-winning actor Youn Yuh-jung and Hallyu heartthrob Lee Min-ho.

Focusing mainly on the main character Sunja, a woman born in a seaside village of Busan's Yeongdo-gu District during Japanese occupation of the Korean Peninsula, "Pachinko" chronicles the four-generation saga of a Korean Japanese family in Korea, Japan and the U.S. It narrates Korea's tempestuous history through the family's story in the turbulent period of the 1910s to the 80s.

The drama has several Korean American production staff including producers Kogonada and Justin Chon, screenwriter and executive producer Soo Hugh, and executive producer Theresa Kang.

hyyoon@korea.kr