Free Food for Millionaires 2

The anguish and pain of a young person who can be neither American nor Korean
A new way of life that embraces, heals, and realizes each other
The Present State of the Korean Diaspora, Speaking with Familiar Faces in a Strange Land

Author Lee Min-jin, who shed new light on the lives of the Korean people before and after liberation through *Pachinko*, a story about a Zainichi Korean family spanning four generations, presents her first novel, *Free Food for Millionaires*. This work is infused with autobiographical elements, dealing with the success, failure, love, and separation of young second-generation immigrants in the United States. The first generation of immigrants, having experienced the Korean War, succeeded in taking root in American society through the characteristic diligence and sincerity of Koreans. Casey's parents are no exception. Running a dry cleaner, they did their utmost to fulfill the desire for education they had sacrificed while dedicating their youth to work, and their efforts bore fruit. However, American society once again presents the talented and well-educated daughter of immigrants with solid walls of gender, skin color, and educational background. Bearing in her heart guilt for failing to meet her parents' expectations and anger over the prejudices faced by Korean-American women, Casey walks alone through a bleak tunnel of life with no end in sight.
The title, "Free Food for Millionaires," can be interpreted as both the world's favors provided for the privileged class and their attitude of unhesitatingly enjoying all manner of such privileges. To be recognized as dignified members of American society, Casey and her friends graduate from prestigious universities, work in respectable jobs, make friends, and date. However, the world is never kind to Casey and her friends, who constantly knock on doors. Just when they think they have achieved a small success, the world reveals an even colder side. They are not respected even when they prove their abilities, and at times, they experience the very discrimination that their parents' generation had to endure. In a 2021 interview, author Lee Min-jin stated, "When the book was published in 2007, people felt uncomfortable with the protagonist, Casey Han. But now, I feel that they have met their own era." The America of that time, which Casey—overflowing with curiosity and talent, yet rebellious and independent—faced, does not seem much different from Korea in 2022. The sight of a world endlessly kind to the privileged coldly turning its back on talent and effort, and the incomprehension of previous generations who fail to grasp the frustration at the threshold of success experienced by those who have relied solely on sincerity, are vividly real.

“I wanted to express my respect by speaking what I know as truthfully as possible, by bringing out their flaws and beauty without hiding them. I wanted the characters in this book to be imperfect yet talented, because I believe we are all such human beings.”_Lee Min-jin

However, the sons and daughters of immigrants in *Free Food for Millionaires* learn how to live in their own way. Unlike their parents' generation, who endured and sacrificed for their families, they make their presence known by passionately desiring and expressing themselves. They love and part more deeply, learning about the world on their own that no one else teaches them. While Casey’s life is filled with wounds as she repeats mistakes and failures, paradoxically, the more this happens, the clearer the meaning and value of the things that sustain her become. She, too, finds comfort in the process of clumsily embracing the pain of those she loves. What she gained by choosing to understand instead of fight was a sense of liberation and freedom.
Author Minjin Lee has previously introduced *Free Food for Millionaires*, *Pachinko*, and the currently-in-writing *American Academy* (working title) as a "Korean Diaspora" trilogy. Following *Pachinko*, a survival story of those who have lost their homeland, and *Free Food for Millionaires*, which depicts the establishment of a second-generation identity after wandering and frustration, one cannot help but pay attention to what kind of story about "Koreans" *American Academy* will unfold. Translator Soyoung Yoo, who brought Casey's New York to life with even greater vibrancy using contemporary language, wrote that *Free Food for Millionaires* could be a work that gives courage to the countless immigrants who have settled in South Korea and their children. She suggests that it is a work that provides an opportunity to reflect on the discrimination and barriers within our own society. Although Minjin Lee's books were written in English and introduced to American readers first, the resonance they convey to Korean readers holds special significance. Inspiring books that allow us to expand our concept of being Korean and make us contemplate the stories of the next generation of Koreans who will be with us. This is why we must read 'Korean Diaspora'.