Pachinko Official Poster (Image: Apple TV+)
As the newest Apple TV+ drama Pachinko streams with high reception, the attention toward the Korean history of the Japanese colonial period also increases. With this trend, VANK, the Korean cyber diplomatic organization, conducts a global campaign that aims to introduce the accurate Korean history and culture to the audiences of Pachinko.
History has failed us, but no matter.
Pachinko is the newest drama on Apple TV+, based on the award-winning bestseller novel by Min Jin Lee. It tells the story of a Korean family that immigrates to Japan. The plot spans four generations who fight to find their place against discrimination and alienation.
As the first sentence of the novel—”History has failed us, but no matter”—indicates, Pachinko portrays the harsh reality of Koreans during the Japanese occupation period. The story depicts the scene of exploitation, war crimes, and oppression through the lens of Zainichi Koreans. Brutal history does not always appear as the scene of direct violence. The character cannot buy rice due to the rice exploitation by Japan. An old woman reminisces about how she changed during the war likely due to the act of forced sexual slavery. The ‘failed’ history is conveyed in every part of the family’s life. However, they still struggle to live in the present.
A scene from the Pachinko trailer. (Image: Apple TV+)
Apple TV+ is currently streaming Season 1 with a new episode every week, and the reviews are already highly positive. The Guardian acclaims Pachinko as “a vast, sumptuous, dynastic political TV series of the kind scarcely made any more” and the audience score for Rotten Tomatoes is at 94%.
Pachinko campaign—how to participate
The popularity of Pachinko is also stirring attention toward Korean history and culture. The New York Times recently discussed Hanbok in depth relating to Pachinko’s costume design, stating that “Hanbok has reflected variations and styles over its more than 2,000-year history.”
With this growing interest, VANK is starting the Pachinko campaign that promotes Korean history and culture to the viewers of Pachinko. The campaign mainly targets people who became curious about Korean history during the Japanese colonial period after watching Pachinko.
Bring Korea to the World Classroom English website (http://usa.prkorea.com/)
Participating in the campaign is simple. Introduce the ‘Bring Korea to the World Classroom’ website with #Pachinko hashtag. In addition, if someone wants to learn more about Korean history or culture, direct them to the website.
VANK especially aims to actively promote the campaign toward American students and teachers. This is also an effort to correct the misrepresented Korean history in American history education.
The controversy of the victims and the perpetrators
For a long time, the Department of Education of the USA adopted the novel So Far from the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkins as the required reading in several middle school curricula. The book follows young Japanese girl Yoko during the end of World War II, highlighting the hardship of the war.
However, the novel depicts Koreans as the antagonists who raped and assaulted Japanese returning home after the defeat. The plot omits Japan’s war crimes fueled by Imperialism and illustrates them as oppressed victims of war. Moreover, the book cover claims itself as a true story, when in reality its content states the story is a fictionalized autobiography.
Protest campaigns led by Korean-Americans were able to remove So Far from the Bamboo Grove from California public school curriculum, but 8 other states still maintain the book on the required reading list. Nonetheless, it is evident that actively voicing truth is not a fruitless act.
The Pachinko campaign is a great opportunity to once again actively promote the truth and correct erroneous perceptions of Korean history. VANK encourages that ‘everyone can act as an ambassador that promotes Korea to the world.’
Bring Korea to the World Classroom website in 6 languages
English (USA) – http://usa.prkorea.com
Franch – http://france.prkorea.com
Chinese – http://china.prkorea.com
Italian – http://italy.prkorea.com
Spanish – http://spain.prkorea.com
Indonesian – http://indonesia.prkorea.com
Russian – http://russia.prkorea.com
Please promote the above websites with #Pachinko hashtag.
References:
– Stuart Jeffries, (2022), Pachinko review – a sumptuous South Korean epic like nothing else on TV, The Guardian
– Aileen Kwun, (2022), One Garment’s Journey Through History, The New York Times.
– 왕길환, (2022), 반크, 드라마 ‘파친코’ 인기 지렛대로 韓 역사 알린다, 연합뉴스.
– Vank, (2021), Dept. of Ed. of every state should stop using the novel, “So Far from the Bamboo Grove”., change.org.
Image References:
– Apple TV+, (2022), Twitter.
– Apple 대한민국, (2022), ‘파친코’ – Pachinko — 공식 예고편 | Apple TV+, YouTube.