All countries have their emotional foundation in cultural dimensions. In the West, there was enthousiasmos, or pathos, which are foundation of traditional artwork. The feature of this foundation is catharsis of emotional impact in life. Koreans also had their foundation, slightly different particular mode of emotion–恨(han) and 興(heung). These two emotional mode of Korean people are known as their main feature of cultural background.
Han, like jeong, was researched by many academic pros as a symbolic feature of Korean psychological phenomena. Han is defined as an unbearable, unresolvable resentment or emotional pain that are caused by other factors which is not by the sufferer but chronically internalized pain. The cause of han is for example, recognition of disability, death of family, loss of hometown, discrimination of mother-in-law, abusive treatment of someone in position of power. The sufferer of han cannot have power to remedy the situation, does not seek for revenge, but emotionally live with pain internalized in determination to live with it. Han is different from 怨(won, hatred) which is absence in han, so han sufferer is empathic sufferer and it is unique cultural feature in traditional Korean emotional foundation.
The historical example when Korean people say “한을 풀자” (Let’s resolve han) was the event where South Korean and North Korean families met in several episode of event, separation of families that came with the division of Korea. “고향에 못가본 한을 풀고 싶다” (I would like to resolve my han we lost way to meet families at North Korea) is symbolic heartfelt mentioning in traditional Koreans, which is empathic expression of han feeling.
The peculiarity in han emotion in Korean psyche is that the emotion is stored up and cherished manner. People deeply are empathic and sympathic to people who feel han, and say “한을 흥으로 풀자” (Let’s resolve han with pure joy of heung together) which is another form of woori culture. The deep strain of melancholy is expressed in modern songs and films, the film 서편제(Seopyeonje) 1993 produced by Im Kwon-taek is famous to depict han and heung cultures in traditional Korean cultures.
Han resolvement is often been characterized as hanpuri, (한풀이) which means “han needs to be resolved” with community and untying of han. The performances mocked the yangban, beggar’s soaring spirit was expressed in traditional performance so-called madangnori (마당놀이, play at large yard) and Korean traditional comedy and humors in mask play at street. Samulnori (사물놀이, musical play with four types of instrument) is also carried out, rough, noisy rhythms for continuation of catharsis of emotional inward perceptions to outward, it is known as”heung” kind of pure joy together with communions.
In modern day Korea, noraebang (Korean karaoke) culture is popular leisure play with friends. People at noraebang often do 고성방가(高聲放歌, noisy and high pitch singing) where no one interrupts and no one complaints but entertain the mood together. And 음주가무(飮酒歌舞, drinking, singing and dancing) culture is often carried out with noraebang culture, which is known as exemplification of heung in Korean way.
The heung culture appears in sports audience culture. In 2002 World Cup plays, Korean people’s shout “Daehan minguk!” (“Republic of Korea”) and everyone would feel the emotion together and started singing and dancing to celebrate the sports play. It is from heung culture, the symbolic feature of Korean collaboration.
Han is released by heung, which means jeong in Korea. Happiness tinged with bittersweet, as some british journalist wrote, sadness accented with hope. Korean people seem so raw and emotional. In political promotion at Gwanghwamoon, it is similarly play with heung. Han and heung make for volatile but celebration of resolvement of resentment.