For many, Chuseok is the season of rage
Foreigners and Koreans in traditional clothing play yut, a traditional Korean board game, as they celebrate Chuseok. The holiday is meant to be a joyous reunion of family members and relatives, but it also harbors many risks of a rage-fuelled mental illness called “hwa byung.”/ Korea Times file By Ko Dong-hwan“Hwa byung,” a uniquely Korean cultural syndrome that translates roughly as “rage virus” affects more than 10,000 people each year, especially during or after Chuseok, the Thanksgiving holiday season.With this year’s extended holiday of almost 10 days now over, the number of people stricken with the heart-wrenching mental illness is expected to soar.Last year, among more than 13,200 people diagnosed with the illness at Oriental medicine clinics, more than 4,000 cases came after the holiday season throughout September and October, according to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service.Hwa byung, with “hwa” meaning fire and “byung” illness, affects people who no longer can endure emotional pressure, us
Oct 9, 2017
