The last chapter of the book contains the answer to Yoo’s question during the interview: “What is one English phrase you always keep in mind?”
The answer is Min’s favorite quote by American architect Louis Kahn about the Sydney Opera House, “The sun did not know how beautiful its light was until it was reflected off this building.” True happiness comes from shining after making others shine, Min explained.
The book also introduces readers to everyday English phrases as they read about Min’s chance encounters.
All royalties from the book will be donated to the Sunfull Foundation, which was established by Min in 2007 to put an end to cyberbullying, hate speech and human rights violations online.
He recently launched a campaign for diversity in Korea dubbed K-Respect to promote inclusivity and understanding of multicultural families and all ethnic groups here.
Min, who is an endowed chair professor at Chung-Ang University's Business School, was a pioneer in Korea’s private English education industry, focusing on teaching real conversation skills.
In the 1980s, his “Practical English” book series introduced learners to “wanna” and “gonna” instead of “want to” and “going to," which were taught in local textbooks. An educational TV show bearing his name attracted millions of people who aspired to learn “real” English as spoken by Americans when it aired from 1981 to 1991.
The book will be available at both online and offline book stores across the country and on Amazon.