The worldwide impact of Korean culture became particularly prominent with Parasite, the 2020 Academy Award-winning film that earned praise for its satirical exploration of social class in Korea. More recently, on the 10th of October 2024, Korean author Han Kang achieved a historic milestone as the first Korean woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. This achievement was especially symbolic, as it came just one day after Hangul Day (9th of October) — a national celebration in Korea commemorating the creation of the Korean alphabet, Hangul.
My name is Hami, a researcher trained in an interdisciplinary field encompassing psychology, sociology, bioinformatics and molecular psychiatry. In my research, I explore the complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors in development of psychiatric disorders, and particularly how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) contribute to these conditions. ACEs refer to potentially traumatic events that children may be exposed to or experience during their development; such experiences can affect our physical responses, mental health, or even genetic factors.
Trauma, in one form or another, is something we all encounter at various points in our lives, either directly or indirectly. From my research perspective, I find that Han Kang’s novels capture the essence of human emotions and behaviors shaped by trauma -especially historical trauma- with exceptional nuance.
While some may not have been familiar with Han Kang before her recent recognition, her literary journey spans decades. Han Kang did not suddenly burst onto the scene; she made a debut as a poet in 1993 and has since published numerous works. Notably, her novel The Vegetarian won the Man Booker International Prize for Fiction in 2016. In 2024, she achieved another historic milestone, winning the Nobel Prize in Literature for her novel Human Acts, praised "for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life."
From Personal Roots to Universal Reach – The Global Resonance of Han Kang’s Novels
Let me briefly walk you through her life and work. Born into a literary family, Han Kang grew up with the influence of her father, a well-known novelist. Alongside her writing, she has a deep appreciation for art and music which often finds its way into her novels—particularly in Your Cold Hands (2002). Many of her works explore themes of human struggles, historical traumas, and the fragile balance between body and soul. For instance, her novel Human Acts (2014) is based on the Gwangju Uprising of May 1980, a pro-democracy movement in Korea that was brutally suppressed by the military. The novel recounts this historical trauma through six interconnected voices, each offering a unique perspective on the impact of violence.
Her most recent novel, We Do Not Part (2025) delves into another event in Korean history: the Jeju Uprising of 1948–1949. Through the lens of ordinary people affected by the conflict, Han Kang once again delivers a poignant exploration of how historical tragedies shape personal lives and collective memory.
Han Kang’s novels, deeply rooted in Korea’s painful history, resonate globally by turning the deeply personal root into universal experiences. As the Parasite director Bong Joon-Ho said in his Academy Award acceptance speech, quoting Martin Scorsese, ‘The most personal is the most creative,’ which later has been adapted to ‘The most Korean is the most global,’ capturing how deeply personal and culturally specific narratives like Han Kang’s can have universal appeal.
Through evocative narratives, her novels explore the fragility and resilience of human experiences, showing how historical trauma shapes emotions and mental states while connecting readers through shared, universal reflections.
Historical Trauma in Han Kang’s Work
Historical trauma is a type of trauma that refers to collective traumatic experiences that occur over time and affect multiple generations. This “soul wound” can influence people even if they were not directly involved in the events.
According to Allan Young, a medical anthropologist, psychological trauma relies on two levels of narrative: an internal logic and memory. The internal logic establishes a cause-effect relationship between the past event and the present symptoms, while the memory is a constructed representation of the traumatic event. Historical trauma bridges past events with present realities, shaped by layers of narratives, socially endorsed memories, and logical connections between history and present. These narratives highlight how the echoes of collective suffering continue to shape lives across generations.
As Human Acts is based on the May 1980 Gwangju Democratic Uprising, one might expect the novel to focus on a political commentary or an expression of hatred toward the military regime. Instead, Han Kang explores a more profound and universal theme: the fear humans experience because of the actions of other humans.
Han Kang herself was 12 years old when she first saw photographs taken by foreign journalists during the Gwangju Uprising, and the fear she felt at the time stayed with her. In the novel, she introduces six characters — Dong-ho, Jeong-dae, Jeong-mi, Seon-ju, Eun-sook, and Jin-su — to portray the wounded souls affected by the human acts.
Through their stories, Han Kang captures the impact of historical trauma, offering readers a deep exploration of its emotional and psychological toll. In one passage, a character reflects on the lingering effects of the uprising:
This quote comes from a scene where Jin-su, a university student during the uprising, meet with another student leader after their release from prison. The inhumane acts they witnessed and endured are deeply embedded in their bodies and souls, leaving scars that refuse to fade.
Han Kang’s Human Acts illuminates the impact of historical trauma by weaving together stories of Gwangju Uprising. Her deeply empathetic narratives invite readers to understand and experience to heal their trauma from the past.
Modern approaches emphasize respecting personal coping styles and avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach to trauma recovery. Han Kang chose to share traumatic histories as a method of helping us heal from the past.
Her novel portrays trauma and traumatic responses as normal reactions that can help people confront their traumatic experiences.