Udręczona dusza koreańska. Nurt tragicznego niespełnienia Han

Among various ideological trends that shaped the emotional prototype of the Koreans, the concept of “tragic non-fulfilment han“ is of particular signifi cance. Its Korean notion, with all its nuances, is almost untranslatable in European languages. The term probably originates from Chinese and is believed to have meant ‘aversion’ or ‘irritation’. Step by step its semantic fi eld expanded to denote also: ‘regret’, ‘bitterness’, ‘insult’, ‘sorrow’, and the word itself came to function as one of the most important aesthetic categories, used in reference to Korean art, philosophy and literature. Later, han became a quasi-psychological notion signifying feelings of frustration, bitterness, disappointment and helplessness – emotions accumulated in the result of the prolonged suppression of one’s self, and of renouncing one’s needs and desires. It seems to be rooted in Confucianism, which legitimised the extremely hierarchical and patriarchal Korean state, and justifi ed in practice the discrimination of the weakest members of the society, in particular women. They faced highly demanding obligations, strict Confucian norms, and various restrictions in their social roles. The han experience could also result from the confl ict of values and ethical standards provoked by the syncretic combination of various traditional religious and philosophical systems. Such confl ict could cause an identity crisis manifested through fear, frustration and depression, interpreted as han. Another explanation focuses on the tragic history of Korea, especially of the 20th century. Its dramatic events provoked various fears and deep frustrations. There evolved even the concepts of the ‘national martyrdom’ and of the exceptional, but tragic mission of the Koreans. The enormous economic, technological, and cultural development of the Republic of Korea over the last decades changed mentality of the younger generations that do not understand the han experience and feelings. Hence today han became a symbol of the ancient times and of the Korean past.