The Discourse of Korean Han: Background and Historical Landscape

Abstract:

This essay outlines current trends in the discourse on han in what is regarded as a Korean state of mind brought on by the specific nature of Korean history and political evolution: the Korean War, income inequality, mass migrations into the city, oppressive, modernization-minded governments, protest movements, difficult living conditions, colonialism, imperialism, and specific incidents in history that exacerbated the grief and trauma of han among the people. The essay sets out to show how han has been defined by scholars, mostly Korean thinkers but also non-Koreans, and how it has been treated in the modern era. There is a summary of some of the major historical events and conditions that reinforce the presence of han in Korean culture, and the renewal of an interest in the subject after the advent of Globalization. Finally, the essay makes a case for the universal nature of han and how many have begun to see it as not just a Korean phenomenon after all.