Experiences of zainichi, brought over as labourers, highlights bitter historical legacy between South Korea and Japan that still lingers

It has charmed critics and attracted big audiences in the UK and the US, but the TV adaptation of Min Jin Lee’s bestselling novel Pachinko has barely merited a mention in one of the countries that inspired it.

The eight-part drama, currently streaming on Apple TV+, evokes the universal migrant experience, but it is also an uncomfortable reminder of the bitter historical legacy of Japan’s colonial rule over the Korean peninsula.