Jung-hi Lee was born in Chonju, Korea. She received a B.Ed. in English Education from Chonbuk University, Korea in 1978, an MA in Mass Communication from University of Minnesota Twin Cities, in1990, and a PhD in communications from University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in 1998. She worked as a journalist and social worker in Chicago during 1990-1992 and is currently working as a freelancer translator in Worcester, MA, USA.