# Min Jin Lee on Korean Education

> Author Min Jin Lee reveals how hagwons shape Korean immigrant dreams and family sacrifices.
- Title: Min Jin Lee on Korean Education · Mother Jones | Shortify
- Summary: Author Min Jin Lee reveals how hagwons shape Korean immigrant dreams and family sacrifices. Min Jin Lee’s novel American Hagwon explores the human cost of…
- Keywords: min jin lee, hagwon, american hagwon, korean diaspora, education, seoul, nfl, korean american, hagwon system, korean immigrant, education system, korean diaspora communities
- Source: Mother Jones — https://motherjones.com/media/2026/09/min-jin-lee-american-hagwon-education
- Author: Inae Oh
- Published: 2026-09-29T06:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: min jin lee, hagwon, american hagwon, korean diaspora, education, seoul, nfl, korean american, hagwon system, korean immigrant, education system, korean diaspora communities
## Min Jin Lee
Korean author Min Jin Lee is the bestselling writer of American Hagwon.
## Her name
Lee pronounces her name the way her family intended.
## Profanity
Lee uses profanity to condemn racial stereotypes about asian americans.

> I sat there in the press box, and I remember thinking, this whole idea that asian americans have shitty personalities, that’s really shitty
## American Hagwon
Lee’s third novel follows a korean family’s struggle with education.

> The cost doesn’t matter. We all know you have to pay up for the best coaching
## Hagwons
Korean hagwons are multibillion-dollar test prep academies.

> thriving on anxiety
## Education costs
Hagwons boost test scores but strain family finances.

> The more work I would do, the more work I would be given
## Family crisis
John loses job after betrayal, family moves to california.

> John takes up a physically demanding job at a fish-fry restaurant
## Mido’s sacrifice
Mido pauses college to work at hagwon for family.

> Mido, the youngest and only daughter, pauses her college education and works at an american hagwon
## Hagwon community
Hagwons provide korean kids with community and childcare.

> They can also function as de facto daycare centers
## AI anxiety
Lee links hagwons to ai-driven educational fears.

> There’s an anxiety that the modern person feels right now
## Korean immigrant
Lee’s parents owned a jewelry store in manhattan.

> My parents aren’t pushy
## Career shift
Lee quit law after diagnosis to write novels.

> I don’t want to die working this way
## Healthcare struggle
Lee and husband navigate coobra healthcare after job loss.

> Absolutely nobody would give me interviews
## Family love
Lee says love determines life purpose over wealth.

> The inability to live with your truthful self determines the tragedy of your own life
## Key takeaway

Min Jin Lee’s novel American Hagwon explores the human cost of educational ambition in Korean diaspora communities.