From Foreign Policy · Nina Li Coomes · · 2m
The Empty Classrooms of 'American Hagwon'
Korean American author Min Jin Lee's novel explores the hagwon education system's impact on diaspora families.
In brief
Korean American author Min Jin Lee's novel explores the hagwon education system's impact on diaspora families. Min Jin Lee's novel American Hagwon examines how Korean diaspora families navigate education in the U.S. and South Korea. Originally reported by Foreign Policy.
The Empty Classroom
An empty classroom filled with rows of wooden desks, each with chairs stacked upside-down on top, set against a shiny teal floor and large windows with blinds.
Author Background
Nina Li Coomes, a writer living in Chicago, reviews Min Jin Lee's third novel in Foreign Policy.
First Awareness of Race
The author realized her race was first understood in the classroom, where her white classmates were seen as naturally gifted while her academic aptitude was viewed through her ethnic background.
Parental Perspectives
Classmates' parents asked about standardized test scores, assuming the author's Japanese mother was a tiger mom, while her white father pushed her academically.
Book Details
American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee, published September 2026, has 656 pages and costs $36.
Diaspora Quartet
Lee's planned diaspora quartet includes Free Food for Millionaires and Pachinko, exploring Korean diaspora experiences.
Time Span
American Hagwon spans from 1992 to 2007, following the Koh family's struggles across South Korea, Australia, and the United States.
Hagwon Prevalence
As of 2022, 78.3 percent of South Korean elementary-aged students attended private hagwons.
Hagwon Role
Hagwons function as academic forges where students test their mettle against a stratified society's demands.
Character Development
Bo chooses to live near his hagwon after moving to the U.S., while Mido works at a hagwon under a maverick owner named Lion.
Mido's Journey
Mido puts her college education on hold to work at a hagwon, falls in love, grieves family tragedy, and begins to find herself.
Character Simplification
Danbi is presented as a conniving, promiscuous, liar, and cheat with no redeeming qualities.
Character Complexity
Mido is described as quiet, shy, determined, but becomes relentlessly good as an adult hagwon instructor.
Education System Impact
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that Asian Americans were being punished by affirmative action policies.
Affirmative Action Outcome
Data shows little change in Asian American college enrollment rates at Ivy League institutions since the 2023 ruling.
Author's Message
Lee's novel questions whether South Korean children benefit from the intense focus on schooling, even as characters find success teaching in hagwons.
What matters most
Min Jin Lee's novel American Hagwon examines how Korean diaspora families navigate education in the U.S. and South Korea.
