This book investigates how the pursuit of English proficiency functions as a mechanism for constructing neoliberal subjectivity among South Korean citizens. The author, Joseph Sung-yul Park, utilizes sociolinguistic analysis and ethnographic observation to examine the intersection of language ideology and economic policy. He argues that the intense societal pressure to master English is not merely a practical skill acquisition but a technology of the self that shapes individual identity, moral grounding, and social anxiety in a precarious economic landscape.

Scholars in the field of sociolinguistics recognize this work as a significant contribution to understanding the social and psychological costs of global English dominance. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which is well-suited for researchers and students of language policy and cultural studies.