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.
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