tvN's "You Quiz on the Block" stars Professor Lee Myeong-hak, a "Chinese character master."
The hotly debated article that stirred up the education section - 'A Letter to Parents of Middle School Students' - included in full!
The warm sympathy and enthusiastic praise conveyed by the pre-release review group who read the book first

Author Lee Myeong-hak, who gained attention as the 'Chinese Character Master Professor' at Sungkyunkwan University on 'You Quiz on the Block' and is currently the principal of Jungdong High School in Gangnam-gu, has published a new book, 'Parents, Comma'.
This book conveys the wisdom and insight we desperately need for life today through classic quotes.
Instead of feeling impatient and anxious, I lead readers with honesty and warmth, so that they can trust their children, learn the true value of learning, and keep their compass pointed in the right direction.


The book contains letters sent to parents every semester after taking office as principal of Jungdong High School in 2021, as well as occasional letters sent to students, centered around the columns that author Lee Myeong-hak has consistently written in daily newspapers.
In particular, we published the full text of a letter that evoked shocking and great sympathy in Korea's education magazine, with heartfelt appeals to parents such as, "School is a place to develop 'people', not entrance exam scores" and "Stop wondering how many students went to Seoul National University this year and ask more important questions."


The author offers clear advice, using classic quotes that resonate deeply with parents living in Korea and addressing the endless concerns they face.
When I let go of my greed, I begin to see the child's true feelings.
Isn't that the moment when parents and children face each other and share their true feelings?
As you read "Parents, Comma," even after you've finished, you'll find yourself reminded of the author's message: don't give up on the reality before your eyes, but instead, cultivate the mental muscle of trusting your child to see the possibilities of positivity.
I hope this book can provide a pause, a restful pause, in everyone's heart.

The sooner you let go of your child's hand, the sooner he or she will grow into an independent and self-directed adult who can lead his or her own life.
What parent wouldn't feel a pang of sadness when they first let go? But when you think about the long, lonely life your child will face, you must gently let go.
And as a senior who has experienced a lot of things in life, sometimes I give you harsh advice, and sometimes I give you warm encouragement.
You must watch over me and let me quietly go my own way.
You need to break free from the stereotypical idea that going to a prestigious university determines everything in life.
That's an unverified, one-sided claim, and if you look around you, you'll see that it's not necessarily true.
It is important to listen carefully to what makes your child happy and what his or her dreams are.
Because a child's future is a child's life.
--- p.18-19

It may seem frustrating to see people around you who are honest and unsophisticated, but their sincerity allows them to lead a smooth life.
How can anything ever be done right by someone who is punctual, breaks promises, and is perfunctory and careless?
This may be the reason why our ancestors emphasized sincerity as an important mindset in human life.
There is a phrase in the Mencius called “盈科後進”.
Yeong (盈) means 'to fill' and Gwa (科) means 'puddle'.
It means that water will always fill up even the smallest puddle before moving forward.
If you watch water flow, no matter how small the puddle is, it will always fill up completely before flowing away.
Mencius emphasized that everything should be done by filling in the missing parts one by one, just as water flows.
It's not just about studying.
It is like that in all human affairs.
Nothing can be accomplished by rushing around like a roller coaster.
Is slowness a good thing?
If you take the steps step by step, you will reach your destination.
--- p.24

There are no absolute standards in the world.
A long thing (尺) is short when measuring something longer, and a short thing (寸) is long when measuring something shorter.
The same goes for rich and poor, joy and sorrow, and superior and inferior.
Everything is relative.
Even the rich will be relatively poor in front of the richer, and the poor will be relatively rich in front of the poorer.
Being first in the class is not better than being first in the whole school, and being last in the class is better than being last in the whole school.
There is no need to brag about being good or to be discouraged about being bad.
There is no need to feel superior or intimidated by comparing yourself to others. Just work hard and do your own thing.
The famous saying we learned today is also used to mean, 'Even a wise person (尺) is sometimes worse than a foolish person (寸), and even a foolish person is sometimes better than a wise person.'
Everyone has their own strengths.

--- p.49-50

Have you ever felt embarrassed by your child's academic failure? Have you ever thought about why you felt that way? Perhaps it was because you felt it was damaging your own reputation? Have you ever wondered, "While my friends are excitedly bragging about their children's academic achievements, what's wrong with me?" But if you think about it, why should you feel intimidated by your child's academic failure? Is academics the only way to evaluate a person? There are countless other, more valuable values ​​besides those.
What could be better than having a child who is honest, considerate, and warmly empathetic? Such a child will always be more than capable of fulfilling his or her role.
No one knows who will become what in the distant future.
There is nothing certain in human history.
Are you going to continue down the wrong path just because you can't do it now?
--- p.66-67

“Hyangwon, Deokjijeokya” is a saying of Confucius recorded in the Analects.
According to Mencius's interpretation, a villager is 'a person who acts politely in a village while pretending to be polite and clean on the outside.'
The word 'jeok' means 'thief' and is used in words such as 'jeokbanhajang' (賊反荷杖) and 'sanjeok' (山賊). As a verb, it means 'to harm'.
That is, 'Hyangwon is someone who harms virtue.'
Hyangwon is a person who lives a moral life while appearing to be decent on the outside.
He may be widely praised for conforming to trends and public opinion in order to gain people's trust, but in reality, he is a hypocrite who deceives the world without considering right and wrong.
Confucius criticized such people as those who harm the morality of the country.
There are people like this everywhere.
This kind of person is called a 'boneless kind person'. He is a person who never says bad things to anyone, always laughs, and likes good things.
Could there be any such thing as fairness and justice for a person like this?

--- p.128-129

Water from afar cannot extinguish a nearby fire.
What good is it to have so much seawater in front of Gyeongpodae when there's a fire in Seoul? What good will it do to a swimmer living in Busan who's struggling in the Han River?
It means that when you are in a crisis, it is of no use if the essential thing that will help you overcome the crisis is far away.
The person who helps me when I am in trouble is the person who is by my side.
So, we must abandon the selfish attitude of only thinking about our own comfort and benefit, and live with a good heart that is always considerate of those around us and gives back even in just a little.
Even if you don't necessarily want help.
Sometimes we see people who are overly polite to those who can gain something from it while being rude to those close to them.
If you were to build relationships by thinking and calculating each one, I wonder how long such relationships could last.
If I let go of this hypocritical and selfish mindset, I will be able to treat those around me with sincerity and cherish them.
--- p.142-143

Please do not think that the next 60 to 70 years of your life will be determined by one grade you received before you turned 20.
If there is a Creator who created all things, he would not have designed humans to live this way.
After living, I realized that there is no such thing as a life like that, and that there are no constants in life.
You will now go out into society and meet many people.
The number of 'cases' that arise from relationships with those people is incalculable.
You will face many turning points in life, and as time passes, you will meet a spouse and have children.
The vicissitudes of human life are beyond our imagination.
Your current college entrance exam score is just a small, insignificant moment in your long life.
It is entirely up to each of you to decide what kind of life you will live from now on.

--- p.157-158