haloum

There was a scene after the Japanese dismantled the Joseon army that was full of oppressive brutality and people (soldiers and innocent civilians) dying on the streets. That scene affected me emotionally in a way that was really sudden and unexpected.

Not that long ago, I learned about the word Han 한, a feeling of collective and generational grief that is relevant exclusively to Korea and its people. I'm not Korean but I am from a country that experienced brutal occupation and colonization for more than a century, and when I was watching that scene (specifically that one, for some reason) I had this moment as if time went still and an overwhelming feeling of empathy and grief for my own ancestors went through me. I probably will never understand how Han feels but that was the closest I believe I'd ever get to truly comprehending it.