Han – the force that drives Koreans

From the start of Korea’s history up to 1945, the common people of Korea have lived under some type of authoritarian rule. Each one was designed to prevent Koreans from thinking and behaving as individuals, including limiting their choices in how and where they lived. Over time, these restrictions gradually became tighter and tighter. In fact, virtually all the emotions, spirit, intellect, and ambitions that are a natural part of being human were under strict control.

Societal Pressure Cooker

As a result, a tremendous amount of force known as “han”, or “unrequited resentments” had accumulated. These resentments could take numerous forms. Such as the han of political abuse, the han of sexual abuse, the han of poverty, or the han of class immobility. Whatever the case, the force that had been building up inside of Koreans for centuries needed an outlet.

Liberation with amazing results

That outlet came in 1953 when Koreans were finally liberated from living inside this societal pressure cooker. Since then, the results have been amazing. In slightly more than one generation, Korean’s have used their pent-up ambitions, creativity, and energy to build an economic superpower that’s one of the strongest in the world.

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