South Korean star Lee Min-ho arrives in Vancouver to film Apple TV series Pachinko

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      The virtual screaming has begun.

      Fans of South Korean celebrity Lee Min-ho have been agog on social media about the arrival of the actor at Vancouver International Airport on February 25, as Richmond News first reported.

      Lee is here to appear in Season 1 of Apple TV’s multilingual limited series Pachinko, which is based on a novel by author Min Jin Lee and depicts four generations of a Korean immigrant family as they move from South Korea to Japan and the U.S. during Japanese colonization in the 20th century. Dialogue will be in Korean, Japanese, and English.

      Lee plays the lead role of Hansu, a merchant connected to organized crime who develops an intimate relationship that has consequences. 

      The eight-episode series also stars Jin Ha, Anna Sawai, and Minha Kim.

      Production on the series began on October 26 in several locations around the world. Filming in B.C. began on February 6 and is scheduled to continue until April 9.

      Due to Lee’s arrival date, he’s subject to new federal rules for travellers arriving in Canada.

      As of February 22, the federal government began requiring all international travellers to take mandatory tests after landing (which travellers must pay for), and spend three days in a government-approved hotel (at their own expense) while awaiting test results. That’s in addition to the previously required proof of negative test results from testing taken within 72 hours of the departure time.

      All non-essential travellers must also quarantine for 14 days upon arrival.

      Lee has previously starred in the TV series The King: Eternal Monarch, Legend of the Blue Sea, and Personal Taste, and the films Gangnam Blues and China-South Korea-Hong Kong coproduction Bounty Hunters.

      The 33-year-old Lee, who is also a singer and model, became the first South Korean star to have a wax figure made of him at Madame Tussauds.

      You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at @cinecraig or on Facebook.

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