On the Topic of Gender in Pachinko...

At a glance, gender does not play a significant role in the story of Pachinko when compared to culture, family, and other themes in the novel. That being said, Pachinko, being set in 20th century Korea and Japan, does display implicit commentary on gender norms through its characters.

First off, we have to talk about Yoseb. Yoseb is described by the novel and its characters as an upstanding individual, caring for his family with everything he has. Prior to Isak's death, Yoseb never raised his voice, and although he was a wary individual, he was still willing to take risks for those he cared for, evident by the loan he took for Sunja and Isak's wedding rice.

Despite these positive characteristics, Yoseb is ingrained with the contemporary gender norms, and truly embodies them unlike any other character seen thus far in Pachinko. Isak as a character acknowledged the presence of gender norms, based on his understanding of the misfortune that befell Sunja as a single mother, but he did not seem to buy into them. Hansu, on the other hand, seemed to be above gender norms as a result of his wealth and status, being that he was willing to take a mistress; he was a representation of power and corruption rather than masculinity. 

Compared to those two, Yoseb is very clearly meant to be the traditional male archetype. He works himself to the bone, refusing to let himself be financially supported by his wife or even sister-in-law. This is most apparent when he says his "balls are shriveling" when learning that Sunja paid off his debts, his extremities being a clear reference to his masculinity. Yoseb does not cry, nor does he really open up emotionally to anyone except Isak. He takes pride in his job title, though he detests his work due to his overbearing manager.

After Isak's death, Yoseb becomes the stereotypical abuser. He is a deadbeat, drinks excessively, and his emotional isolation is ramped up to an eleven. This is apparent through his wife's emotional estrangement to him, and they very rarely speak to one another. Hansu very easily berates Yoseb for his failure in this regard, and how he is unable to embody traditional masculine standards following his injuries.

Sunja is often cited as the strong, independent woman, and the novel seems to push this idea. She works for herself to support Yoseb while Isak is in prison, and she is successful enough in that expenditure that she gets a job that pays more than Yoseb's. When going to get that new job, she speaks with the restaurant owner while Kyunghee waits outside, attending to Mozasu. She worked for her mother in her boarding house from a young age, and tilled the fields in the Japanese countryside while waiting for WWII to conclude. As a character, Sunja goes against the grain of traditional femininity, and is all the better for it, but there are other female characters that are strong in different ways.

For instance, Yangjin plays into traditional gender roles while still being a strong character. Yangjin, when receiving an offer from Isak to marry Sunja, orders the latter to go with him on a walk and accept the offer. She does not consult Sunja on this, and states that there is nothing undesirable about Isak, and to devote her life to him. That being said, Yangjin did not estrange Sunja, and she was a widow that raised Sunja with only the earnings from the boarding house she ran. Even in the later years of WWII, Hansu found Yangjin making a living for herself. Yangjin is undoubtedly a strong female character, but she does believe in the correctness of traditional gender roles.

In the middle of this dichotomy is Kyunghee, who acknowledges said gender roles but obeys them rather than believing in them. She refrained from getting a job in order to avoid hurting Yoseb's pride. In arguments with Yoseb, Kyunghee rarely stood up for herself or Sunja, instead trying to defuse Yoseb's anger. As stated before, she stood outside the restaurant while Sunja was discussing the terms of their employment, and even when she was the one making Kimchi, it was Sunja who ultimately went outside with the stall and sold them. Of course, Kyunghee is still emotionally strong, supporting the cast throughout the turbulent events. 

Being that the story is only around halfway done, a definitive answer as to what Lee wanted to convey about gender is elusive. From what has been presented thus far, it seems like Lee is showing that gender roles aren't inherently detrimental, but are flawed in the sense that said roles can very easily be used to demean individuals' livelihoods.