Lee Min-ho and Kim Min-ha on filming intimate scenes for 'Pachinko'

Sunja (Kim Min-ha) finds herself falling deeply in love with Hansu (Lee Min-ho) in 'Pachinko'. Photo: Handout

Pachinko is obviously not your typical K-drama.

For one, it is a Hollywood production even if it features a majority of Asian cast including South Korean Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung (Minari) and K-idol Lee Min-ho (The King: Eternal Monarch).

For another, it’s not a fantasy – it plucks a chapter from Korean history when the country was under the Japanese rule (1910–1945).

It looks at sacrifices made by Koreans who moved to Japan, where they endured many challenges in the course of trying to find a better life for themselves and the next generation.

In other words, while the story is gripping and talks about hope, with characters that just draw you in, it has very few feel-good moments. One review describes Pachinko as “achingly sad..., tugging effectively at both head and heart”.

However, there is “a passionate but forbidden love story” that starts off this cross-generational tale of war, sacrifice, oppression and resilience.

And it is between the characters played by actor Lee and newcomer Kim Min-ha.

During an online interview session with the two South Korean stars, they spoke on filming their characters' intimate moments.

Lee, who has had his share of romantic scenes in K-dramas like Eternal Monarch and The Legend Of The Blue Sea, said that the scene in Pachinko is a little different than what he’s used to.

“Normally, when you have this type of scene, everything is perfectly preset so that it looks very beautiful and pretty on screen – you have the perfect angle, you have the perfect background, to make everything look very romantic.

“However, in this drama, we are kind of thrown in the middle of nature – we are up in the mountains or by the ocean.

“So, here (the scenes are) more spontaneous and impulsive compared to some of the other romantic scenes that audiences have seen in other content.”

Kim – who is making her acting debut with Pachinko – agreed with Lee.

She said: “This scene isn’t just about kissing. It's about love. And it’s about the relationship between the two characters. We were trying to convey how deeply in love these two people were with that scene.”

Kim also shared that Lee helped her a lot by putting her mind at ease and making her feel less nervous before the shoot.

Pachinko is available on Apple TV+ from March 25.