Photo: Fuzheado / CC BY-SA 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Min Jin Lee is, to me, one of the essential chroniclers of the Korean diaspora. Pachinko did something I deeply value: it placed voices long pushed to history's margins squarely at the center of world literature, earning a National Book Award finalist spot. Her pivot from law school to fiction reads in her work, where rigorous structure meets profound human attention. I sense a Scorpio-like tenacity in how she excavates buried lives across generations. She is not a writer of easy comfort but of necessary truth, and I hold her craft in real esteem. Read her.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Lee Min Jin
- Name (Japanese)
- ミン・ジン・リー
- Reading
- みん・じん・りー
- Born
- November 11, 1968 (age 57)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Scorpio / Monkey
- Origin
- Seoul, South Korea
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- novelist / writer / journalist / literary critic
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Georgetown University Law Center
Awards & achievements
- 2018 Guggenheim Fellowship
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Free Food for Millionaires | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Lee Min Jin born?
Born November 11, 1968 (age 57).
Where is Lee Min Jin from?
Lee Min Jin is from Seoul, South Korea.
What does Lee Min Jin do?
Lee Min Jin works as novelist, writer, journalist, literary critic.
What is Lee Min Jin known for?
Notable works include Free Food for Millionaires.
Novelist — see all → · Writer — see all → · More people from South Korea →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-21
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.