Han (cultural)
Encyclopedia
Han is a concept in Korean culture attributed as a national cultural trait. Han denotes a collective feeling of oppression and isolation in the face of overwhelming odds. It connotes aspects of lament and unavenged injustice.
The minjung
theologian Suh Nam-dong describes han as a "feeling of unresolved resentment against injustices suffered, a sense of helplessness because of the overwhelming odds against one, a feeling of acute pain in one's guts and bowels, making the whole body writhe and squirm, and an obstinate urge to take revenge and to right the wrong—all these combined."
In some occasions, anthropologists have recognized han as a culture-specific medical condition
whose symptoms include dyspnea
, heart palpitation, and dizziness
. Someone who dies of han is said to have died of hwabyeong.
/Jurchens
, the Mongols
, and the Japan
ese. Others attribute han to class system strictures, such as the distinction between the elite Yangban
class and the peasants. Han permeates Korean cultural expression, for example, in Korean shamanism
and Pansori
.
Japanese scholar Kimura claims that modern history such as the liberation by the surrender of Japan
to the Allies
rather than to the Korean Liberation Army
, the Korean War
and the subsequent division of the nation also contribute to the culture as missing glorious history and unresolved han.
In Korean American
literary works (e.g., Dictee
by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha
, The Language of Blood by Jane Jeong Trenka, Notes from the Divided Country by Suji Kwock Kim
, Comfort Woman by Nora Okja Keller
) Americans of Korean descent are sometimes portrayed as experiencing "Americanized" or second-generational han.
Han is frequently translated as sorrow, spite, rancor, regret, resentment or grief, among many other attempts to explain a concept that has no English equivalent. Han is an inherent characteristic of the Korean character and as such finds expression, implied or explicit, in nearly every aspect of Korean life and culture.
Han is sorrow caused by heavy suffering, injustice or persecution, a dull lingering ache in the soul. It is a blend of lifelong sorrow and resentment, neither more powerful than the other. Han is imbued with resignation, bitter acceptance and a grim determination to wait until vengeance can at last be achieved.
Han is passive. It yearns for vengeance, but does not seek it. Han is held close to the heart, hoping and patient but never aggressive. It becomes part of the blood and breath of a person. There is a sense of lamentation and even of reproach toward the destiny that led to such misery.
Korean American
scholar Elaine Kim has written on han in relation to the 1992 Los Angeles riots
.
The television show The West Wing also made reference to the trait in Episode 5.4 (entitled "Han
"). The episode concludes with Bartlet
, the President of the United States
, realizing his own personal understanding of the esoteric concept; "There is no literal English translation. It's a state of mind. Of soul, really. A sadness. A sadness so deep no tears will come. And yet still there's hope."{The West Wing: 5.4}
: hèn) and Japanese 恨 (kon) or 恨み (urami) mean more simply hatred or animosity.
on han)
The minjung
Minjung
Minjung is a Korean word that is difficult to properly translate into other languages in a way that retains its historical and cultural connotations. Minjung is a combination of the two hanja characters min and jung...
theologian Suh Nam-dong describes han as a "feeling of unresolved resentment against injustices suffered, a sense of helplessness because of the overwhelming odds against one, a feeling of acute pain in one's guts and bowels, making the whole body writhe and squirm, and an obstinate urge to take revenge and to right the wrong—all these combined."
In some occasions, anthropologists have recognized han as a culture-specific medical condition
Culture-bound syndrome
In medicine and medical anthropology, a culture-bound syndrome, culture-specific syndrome or folk illness is a combination of psychiatric and somatic symptoms that are considered to be a recognizable disease only within a specific society or culture...
whose symptoms include dyspnea
Dyspnea
Dyspnea , shortness of breath , or air hunger, is the subjective symptom of breathlessness.It is a normal symptom of heavy exertion but becomes pathological if it occurs in unexpected situations...
, heart palpitation, and dizziness
Dizziness
Dizziness refers to an impairment in spatial perception and stability. The term is somewhat imprecise. It can be used to mean vertigo, presyncope, disequilibrium, or a non-specific feeling such as giddiness or foolishness....
. Someone who dies of han is said to have died of hwabyeong.
History
Some scholars theorize the concept of Han evolved from Korea's history of having been invaded by other neighboring nations, such as the Khitans, the ManchuManchu
The Manchu people or Man are an ethnic minority of China who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the 17th century, with the help of the Ming dynasty rebels , they came to power in China and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which...
/Jurchens
Jurchens
The Jurchens were a Tungusic people who inhabited the region of Manchuria until the 17th century, when they adopted the name Manchu...
, the Mongols
Mongols
Mongols ) are a Central-East Asian ethnic group that lives mainly in the countries of Mongolia, China, and Russia. In China, ethnic Mongols can be found mainly in the central north region of China such as Inner Mongolia...
, and the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese. Others attribute han to class system strictures, such as the distinction between the elite Yangban
Yangban
The yangban were part of the traditional ruling class or nobles of dynastic Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The yangban were either landed or unlanded aristocracy who comprised the Korean Confucian idea of a "scholarly official." In reality, they were basically administrators and bureaucrats who...
class and the peasants. Han permeates Korean cultural expression, for example, in Korean shamanism
Korean shamanism
Korean shamanism, today known as Muism or sometimes Sinism , encompasses a variety of indigenous religious beliefs and practices of the Korean people and the Korean area...
and Pansori
Pansori
Pansori is a genre of Korean traditional music. It is a vocal and percussional music performed by one sorikkun and one gosu . The term pansori is derived from pan , and sori .- Overview :...
.
Japanese scholar Kimura claims that modern history such as the liberation by the surrender of Japan
Surrender of Japan
The surrender of Japan in 1945 brought hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent...
to the Allies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
rather than to the Korean Liberation Army
Korean Liberation Army
The Korean Liberation Army, established on September 17, 1941 in Chongqing, China, was the armed force of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea...
, the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
and the subsequent division of the nation also contribute to the culture as missing glorious history and unresolved han.
In Korean American
Korean American
Korean Americans are Americans of Korean descent, mostly from South Korea, with a small minority from North Korea...
literary works (e.g., Dictee
Dictee
Dictee is the best known written work of the artist Theresa Hak Kyung Cha. The book focuses on several women, the Korean revolutionary Yu Guan Soon, Joan of Arc, Demeter and Persephone, Cha's mother Hyun Soon Huo, and Cha herself, who are linked by their struggles and the way that nations have...
by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha
Theresa Hak Kyung Cha
Theresa Hak Kyung Cha was an Korean American novelist and artist most famous for her 1982 work, Dictee....
, The Language of Blood by Jane Jeong Trenka, Notes from the Divided Country by Suji Kwock Kim
Suji Kwock Kim
-Life:She graduated from Yale College; the Iowa Writers' Workshop; Seoul National University, where she was a Fulbright Scholar; and Stanford University, where she was a Stegner Fellow....
, Comfort Woman by Nora Okja Keller
Nora Okja Keller
Nora Okja Keller is a Korean American author. Her 1997 breakthrough work of fiction, Comfort Woman, and the 2002 sequel, Fox Girl, focus on multigenerational trauma resulting from Korean women's experiences as sex slaves, euphemistically called comfort women, for Japanese troops during World War...
) Americans of Korean descent are sometimes portrayed as experiencing "Americanized" or second-generational han.
Context and Usage
Han is a difficult concept which requires an understanding of the context in which it is used.Han is frequently translated as sorrow, spite, rancor, regret, resentment or grief, among many other attempts to explain a concept that has no English equivalent. Han is an inherent characteristic of the Korean character and as such finds expression, implied or explicit, in nearly every aspect of Korean life and culture.
Han is sorrow caused by heavy suffering, injustice or persecution, a dull lingering ache in the soul. It is a blend of lifelong sorrow and resentment, neither more powerful than the other. Han is imbued with resignation, bitter acceptance and a grim determination to wait until vengeance can at last be achieved.
Han is passive. It yearns for vengeance, but does not seek it. Han is held close to the heart, hoping and patient but never aggressive. It becomes part of the blood and breath of a person. There is a sense of lamentation and even of reproach toward the destiny that led to such misery.
Han in popular culture
The Korean poet Ko Eun describes the trait as universal to the Korean experience: "We Koreans were born from the womb of Han and brought up in the womb of Han." Han connotes both despair at recognition of past injustice and acceptance of such matters as part of the Korean experience.Korean American
Korean American
Korean Americans are Americans of Korean descent, mostly from South Korea, with a small minority from North Korea...
scholar Elaine Kim has written on han in relation to the 1992 Los Angeles riots
1992 Los Angeles riots
The 1992 Los Angeles Riots or South Central Riots, also known as the 1992 Los Angeles Civil Unrest were sparked on April 29, 1992, when a jury acquitted three white and one hispanic Los Angeles Police Department officers accused in the videotaped beating of black motorist Rodney King following a...
.
The television show The West Wing also made reference to the trait in Episode 5.4 (entitled "Han
Han (The West Wing)
- Plot :A renowned North Korean pianist is greeted at the White House for a solo performance, but the formalities change when the musician slips a message to the President stating that he wants to defect. Despite C. J.'s passionate argument, others counsel Bartlet that granting the defection...
"). The episode concludes with Bartlet
Josiah Bartlet
Josiah Edward "Jed" Bartlet is a fictional character played by Martin Sheen on the television serial drama The West Wing. He is President of the United States for the entire series until the last episode, when his successor is inaugurated...
, the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, realizing his own personal understanding of the esoteric concept; "There is no literal English translation. It's a state of mind. Of soul, really. A sadness. A sadness so deep no tears will come. And yet still there's hope."{The West Wing: 5.4}
Cognates
The Chinese cognate 恨 (pinyinPinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
: hèn) and Japanese 恨 (kon) or 恨み (urami) mean more simply hatred or animosity.
Sources
(Director Im Kwon-taekIm Kwon-taek
Im Kwon-taek is one of South Korea's most renowned film directors. In an active and prolific career, his films have won many domestic and international film festival awards as well as considerable box-office success, and helped bring international attention to the Korean film industry.- Early life...
on han)
- 한 (恨) (Han) Dongseo Encyclopedia (in Korean)
- 한 (한국 문화) [恨] (Han: hanguk munwha) Korea Britannica Encyclopedia (in Korean) (includes author Park Kyong-ni's essay discussing han "The Feelings and Thoughts of the Korean People in Literature")