18 Blast from the Past
The Essence of Han (한)
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
March 2022
blast from the past
That Indescribable Emotion
Some words just don’t translate. If you’ve ever tried to translate from Korean the emotion of han (한, 恨) or just tried to explain it to someone, you’ll understand what I mean. Wikipedia’s attempt goes like this: “Han, or haan, is a concept of an emotion, variously described as some form of grief or resentment, among others, that is said to be an essential element of Korean identity by some, and a modern post-colonial identity by others.”1 As you see, they too are having difficulty with being concise. In this Blast from the Past, Adam Volle discusses whether han is distinctively Korean (“Is ‘Han’ Uniquely Korean?” March 2015), rather than a one-syllable word that has no one-word counterpart in English. This is followed by a piece by Jonathan Chiarella on expressing han in song by pansori singer Lee Im-rye (“The Voice of ‘Han,’” April 2016) for your reading enjoyment. — Ed.
IS “HAN” UNIQUELY KOREAN? One fact well established by the globalization of our age is that emotional experiences are universal among peoples, if not individuals. Nevertheless, many Koreans and students of their culture somehow continue to accept the existence of what the popular blog “Ask the Korean!” once satirically called “super special Korean emotions.”2 Much hay is particularly made of han – the emotionally burdensome sense of having been badly wronged and being helpless to ever rectify the injustice. No nonKorean should have trouble understanding that idea, yet in a 2009 article for The Korea Times, columnist Jon Huer wrote that han is a “uniquely Korean” concept that “explains much of ‘Korean-ness.’”3 John M. Glionna defined han for The Los Angeles Times as “the ineffable sadness of being Korean” and claimed, “For outsiders, grasping the notion is key to fathoming the Koreans themselves.”4 For all that such writers have attempted to weave an air of oriental mystery around the concept, people throughout the world would nod their head knowingly at its description. In fact, an entire genre of American music arguably coalesced around the notion: the Blues, sung by African-Americans in the Deep South. Ironically, even the word han comes from outside Korea. Han is actually the Korean pronunciation of the classic Chinese word hen, meaning “regret” or “unresolved revenge.” Mind, it’s understandable that Koreans believe themselves particularly cursed. Another universal tendency among all people is to self-centeredly assume
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one’s own troubles are unique or rare. Rather than fight this negative impulse, however, the concept of han indulges and elevates this mistaken feeling into a national virtue. Like other exaggerations promoted by Korean nationalism (for example, the idea that Koreans are pure-blooded or the supreme righteousness of Admiral Yi Sun-sin), Koreans’ overemphasis on their difficulties through han probably dates back to the Japanese colonial period. Prior to Japan’s annexation of Korea in 1910, there was little reason for Koreans to feel sorry for themselves. Until then, the history of the peninsula had been relatively peaceful. Only two truly devastating invasions had occurred in over a millennium. It’s of course impossible to begrudge the men and women who lived through the colonial period, war, and dictatorships the bitterness they defined as han. Like so much else in South Korea, however, han is fast becoming dated. South Koreans now live in a highincome, advanced economy frequently listed among the world’s top ten by various metrics. It’s now a privilege to be a South Korean. Regardless, han cannot be called a myth; how can a felt emotion be a myth? The feeling is real. Say instead that in the twenty-first century, the concept of han is in need of some reconceptualization. THE VOICE OF HAN While South Jeolla has produced baduk (aka go) legends seen in the news so much lately [in 2016], North and
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