American Hagwon

The novel covers a period of around twenty years and follows the Koh family across Seoul, Sydney, and Southern California, tracing their attempts to survive economic instability, social pressure, family sacrifice, and the relentless demands of education.

John and Helen Koh are a Korean couple who have recently returned to Seoul after several years in Australia for John’s work. John, a hardworking Christian man from a modest background, has a steady job at a major Korean trading company. He is careful, honest, and reflective, especially in contrast to his best friend and colleague Taehun Shin, a charismatic risk-taker who has long been a rising star at the company. Helen, who also came from a deprived background and was partly raised with the help of nuns and teachers, has built a good career selling luxury goods. Together, John and Helen have three children: Bo, serious and hardworking; DH, outgoing, sporty, and sociable; and Mido, quiet, observant, and more comfortable in English than Korean.

Helen worries particularly about Mido, who struggles to come out of her shell after the family’s return to Seoul. At school, however, Mido is quickly befriended by Yun Kim, a popular, athletic, and academically gifted girl who also attends the same church. Through Yun, Mido is introduced to Eagle Academy, an elite hagwon run by Tom Song, who was educated in the United States and specialises in preparing students for American universities. The hagwon is almost impossible to get into, but Tom sees potential in the Koh children, and Mido begins to flourish there, helped by the school’s unusually compassionate approach and by gifted teachers who help the children believe in themselves.