By Mark Peterson
My previous article, "End of han," generated one of the largest responses of any of my articles. "Han" is something everyone knows something about. The responses fell into four categories: 1. the expression of "han" in psychiatry, 2. the origin of "han" was not ancient but rather was in the Japanese period, 3. that "han" is overplayed, exaggerated and even trite as an explanation of Koreanness, and indeed, 4. "han" is dead, or close to a well-deserved death.
One of the first to respond was an old friend of mine, Dr. Choe, a psychiatrist. I was surprised at what he had to say ― that there is a serious malady in psychiatry called "hwabyeong" that is the personal internalization of "han" to the point of mental illness.
If I understand him correctly, the "angst" and "frustration" and "depression" that afflict all Koreans because of the injustices Korea has suffered in the 20th century are internalized at a personal level. Maybe it's a reinforcement of depression that can affect anyone. I'm not sure of the best way to explain it, but that it is a bona fide medical condition is the message Dr. Choe sent me.
That there is a medical condition associated with "han" was the most serious of the comments I received, but there were other comments that denigrated "han" and attacked its legitimacy and origin, on the one hand, and either declared it trite and meaningless, or pronounced it as passe, on the other hand.
In addition to a number of pop-culture levels of insubstantial writings about "han," there are some serious studies. The fluffy probably outnumber the serious by 10 to one or more, but there are some serious writings about "han." The serious looks at "han" argue that "han" does not pre-date the Japanese period, but is rather a product of it. And, in fact, the Japanese may have encouraged the formation of the idea to make resistance to their rule as an inward, not an outward, thing, thus forestalling another March 1st Movement.
That argument is interesting, and quite convincing to me, not just because it's another thing to blame the Japanese for, but that for me, it fits one of my other favorite hobby-horses, the idea that the multiple invasion concept that has become part of the Korean outlook on history is also an idea promoted by the Japanese. "Hey, you've been invaded so many times before, and we're here now; it's normal, so why complain?" And now, "it's part of your han, so live with it."
A serious article about "han" was written by Sandra So Hee Chi Kim who says that, indeed, "han" has its origin in colonialism, and in the post-colonial era it encapsulates the memory of the collective trauma of the colonial experience and becomes radicalized and "ethnicized."
Some of my friends wrote that they thought the "han-heung" presentation was faddish, overdrawn, overused, and is losing its meaning. Here the idea is that indeed, there was a "han" but it is dying now, and in the "soft power" K-pop age, where, dang it, everyone is happy, we now have "heung." And like "han" and "jeong" before, "heung" is "untranslatable" but means literally to lift-up, or rise, and extends to happiness and even exhilaration. It's that good feeling when you sing or dance.
Others argue that "han" is exaggerated and even trite. That, although it may be a representation of a valid collective memory, we need not carry that any longer. It's a new age now with a younger generation that does not have that memory and need not perpetuate it.
In that regards, Mike DS Park, whom I do not know, wrote me a long, long note saying among other things that the "han" of women, once suppressed by living in the same household as their mothers-in-law, are now living in apartments without mother-in-law, who in a non-"hyo" fashion, [I'm adding], are sent off to "silvertowns," thus ending that "han" for women. And the "han" of violent demonstrations has ended with the advent of the candlelit "county fair" [my addition] demonstrations, thus ending that "han."
Several of my friends and people I don't know agreed that we are seeing the end of "han." I was surprised. I thought I'd get more traditionalists telling me off and telling me the way "han" still is. But not so. It truly is dead or dying.
But a young woman graduate student colleague I know, counter to the majority of my correspondents, told me she performs a traditional dance that captures the feeling of "han." So, maybe it's not dead yet. And if it lives on a bit longer in dance and other arts, well, maybe that's not so bad.
Mark Peterson (markpeterson@byu.edu) is professor emeritus of Korean, Asian and Near Eastern languages at Brigham Young University in Utah.
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One of the first to respond was an old friend of mine, Dr. Choe, a psychiatrist. I was surprised at what he had to say ― that there is a serious malady in psychiatry called "hwabyeong" that is the personal internalization of "han" to the point of mental illness.
If I understand him correctly, the "angst" and "frustration" and "depression" that afflict all Koreans because of the injustices Korea has suffered in the 20th century are internalized at a personal level. Maybe it's a reinforcement of depression that can affect anyone. I'm not sure of the best way to explain it, but that it is a bona fide medical condition is the message Dr. Choe sent me.
That there is a medical condition associated with "han" was the most serious of the comments I received, but there were other comments that denigrated "han" and attacked its legitimacy and origin, on the one hand, and either declared it trite and meaningless, or pronounced it as passe, on the other hand.
In addition to a number of pop-culture levels of insubstantial writings about "han," there are some serious studies. The fluffy probably outnumber the serious by 10 to one or more, but there are some serious writings about "han." The serious looks at "han" argue that "han" does not pre-date the Japanese period, but is rather a product of it. And, in fact, the Japanese may have encouraged the formation of the idea to make resistance to their rule as an inward, not an outward, thing, thus forestalling another March 1st Movement.
That argument is interesting, and quite convincing to me, not just because it's another thing to blame the Japanese for, but that for me, it fits one of my other favorite hobby-horses, the idea that the multiple invasion concept that has become part of the Korean outlook on history is also an idea promoted by the Japanese. "Hey, you've been invaded so many times before, and we're here now; it's normal, so why complain?" And now, "it's part of your han, so live with it."
A serious article about "han" was written by Sandra So Hee Chi Kim who says that, indeed, "han" has its origin in colonialism, and in the post-colonial era it encapsulates the memory of the collective trauma of the colonial experience and becomes radicalized and "ethnicized."
Some of my friends wrote that they thought the "han-heung" presentation was faddish, overdrawn, overused, and is losing its meaning. Here the idea is that indeed, there was a "han" but it is dying now, and in the "soft power" K-pop age, where, dang it, everyone is happy, we now have "heung." And like "han" and "jeong" before, "heung" is "untranslatable" but means literally to lift-up, or rise, and extends to happiness and even exhilaration. It's that good feeling when you sing or dance.
Others argue that "han" is exaggerated and even trite. That, although it may be a representation of a valid collective memory, we need not carry that any longer. It's a new age now with a younger generation that does not have that memory and need not perpetuate it.
In that regards, Mike DS Park, whom I do not know, wrote me a long, long note saying among other things that the "han" of women, once suppressed by living in the same household as their mothers-in-law, are now living in apartments without mother-in-law, who in a non-"hyo" fashion, [I'm adding], are sent off to "silvertowns," thus ending that "han" for women. And the "han" of violent demonstrations has ended with the advent of the candlelit "county fair" [my addition] demonstrations, thus ending that "han."
Several of my friends and people I don't know agreed that we are seeing the end of "han." I was surprised. I thought I'd get more traditionalists telling me off and telling me the way "han" still is. But not so. It truly is dead or dying.
But a young woman graduate student colleague I know, counter to the majority of my correspondents, told me she performs a traditional dance that captures the feeling of "han." So, maybe it's not dead yet. And if it lives on a bit longer in dance and other arts, well, maybe that's not so bad.
Mark Peterson (markpeterson@byu.edu) is professor emeritus of Korean, Asian and Near Eastern languages at Brigham Young University in Utah.
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