Revised Edition of 'Pachinko' on Zainichi Koreans to Be Published on the 27th

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] The revised edition of the novel Pachinko by Korean-American author Lee Min-jin will be published on the 27th, including a "Letter to Korean Readers."

This comes three months after it was out of print due to copyright issues. Pachinko is a novel that gained attention as it was adapted into a drama on Apple TV+. The revised edition awaits publication with corrections of mistranslations and a more faithful reflection of the original intent.

According to the publishing industry on the 5th, Influential Publishing will first release volume 1 of the revised edition of Pachinko on the 27th, with volume 2 scheduled for late August. Pre-orders will begin on the 11th. The translation is handled by translator Shin Seung-mi. It is reported that the finishing touches on volume 2 are currently underway.

Seo Geum-seon, head of Influential Publishing, explained, "There were many mistranslations in the first edition, so we comprehensively corrected these parts in the revised edition. There were inconsistent mixes of free and literal translations, but we smoothed these out to preserve the original intent as naturally as possible."

The revised edition will include a "Letter to Korean Readers" written by the author. It is expected to reflect the author's feelings after gaining more fans through the Pachinko drama. The original edition's cover, featuring a roulette background around a butterfly, has been changed to a pastel floral pattern. The final approval from the author is currently pending.

Meanwhile, Pachinko is a novel depicting the turbulent lives of Korean residents in Japan over four generations, who moved from Yeongdo, Busan during the Japanese colonial period to Osaka, Japan. It was published in the United States in 2017 and was a finalist for the National Book Award.

Earlier this year, it was adapted into a drama on Apple TV+. However, there were limitations in reaching readers through the book. The rights held by the previous publisher, Munhak Sasang, expired, leading to a temporary halt in book sales. Subsequently, Influential Publishing acquired the rights and is preparing for re-publication.

Influential Publishing is known for publishing works such as The Courage to Be Disliked by famous Japanese psychologist Ichiro Kishimi and the fantasy novel The Midnight Library by popular British novelist and children's author Matt Haig.