'Pachinko' author Min Jin Lee says writing 'American Hagwon' transformed her

2026-10-05 · 11 min · 6 entities

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John and Helen Koh are a middle-class couple living in South Korea with. But when a financial crisis hits, they leave Seoul for Southern California and are faced with a new financial reality. There, they struggle to find a place for their children among the American Dream. American Hagwon is the newest novel from Min Jin Lee, author of Free Food for Millionaires and Pachinko . In today’s episode, she speaks with Weekend Edition ’s Scott Simon about the culture of hagwons, the Korean word for learning centers, and why Lee says writing this novel "transformed" her. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy