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The Paper Trail to My Past: How I Found My Korean Ancestors. How knowing who you come from teaches you a lot about who you are. It’s early in the pandemic, when something that feels a lot like a whisper from the other world, comes to my sister through a phone call from the Korean Embassy. Probable scammer says: “Are you a relative of Lee Geon-se? He was known as Alfonso Lee in Mexico.” My sister: “Hey, Mom, I think this is a scam call! They’re asking if we’re related to Alfon

What if the pain of your ancestors lives inside you? A personal reflection on Korean Han, silence, and inherited wounds. I didn’t have a name for it when I was a child, but I felt it. It lived in the silences at home. In the way my father’s sadness could turn to rage without warning. In the whispered stories my aunt told when she thought we weren’t listening. Later, I learned there was a word. A word so complex, Koreans say it can’t be translated—only felt. That word is Han

“Do What You Love” Is Not an Asian Motto. It Should Be.

When a Dream Job Becomes a Detour: How I Found My Way Back to My Words

Scene from the movie PAST LIVES (2023) Some feelings can’t be neatly translated into other languages. They’re woven into the way a people live, love, and remember. One of these feelings is Inyeon (인연)  — a Korean word that carries the quiet power of unseen strings pulling us together. But as I’ve come to understand it, Inyeon isn’t only a Korean thing. It’s a human  thing.

I didn’t grow up knowing what Han was.But I felt it. A heaviness in my father’s silences. A sharpness in his sadness. Whispers between adults that ended when we walked into the room. I carried questions I didn’t know how to ask. It wasn’t until much later that I learned this feeling had a name.A Korean name.One that’s said to be impossible to translate—but unmistakable to those who’ve known it.

By Grace Hahn Great-granddaughter of Lee Geon-se and granddaughter of Han Jong-weon, patriots of Korea’s Independence Movement The Lee family, including patriarch Patriot Lee Geon-se or Alfonso Lee. Introduction: A Patriotic Whisper from the Past I grew up in a house that echoed with voices from the past. We lived “Korean style” in Mexico City — multiple generations under one roof, with grandmothers, great-aunts, and cousins all sharing the same narrow hallways and warm, bust

A Personal Journey Through Faith, Silence, and Ancestral Memory A Korean shaman performs a traditional gut ritual, adorned in vibrant and intricate attire, surrounded by symbolic decorations and musical accompaniment. By Graciela Hahn Villagrán Great-granddaughter of Lee Geon-se and granddaughter of Han Jong-weon, honored heroes of Korea’s Independence Movement. Why doesn't our family go to church, mommy? When I was a child, I didn’t understand why we didn’t go to church. I d

The word hanbok (한복) combines “han” (한), meaning “Korean,” and “bok” (복), meaning “clothing.” Although the term itself emerged in the 19th century, the tradition of distinctively Korean dress stretches back much further.

We Koreans Must Always Remember the Reasons We Became Gyopo. Statue outside Seodaemun represents the March 1st Movement (Samil Undong)  of 1919, a massive, peaceful protest led by civilians—including many students and young women—against Japanese colonial rule. A Visit on Korean Liberation Day: Remembering History at Seodaemun Prison A couple of months ago—on August 15th, Korean Liberation Day—we had the honor of visiting two deeply significant sites: the Seodaemun Prison His