Abstract

Han is recognized as a distinctive cultural characteristic of Korea. Han is both a characteristic emotion and a defining trait of the Korean people. The formation and manifestation of han are predominantly shaped by Korea's socio-cultural context and cultural roots. Han is not an intrinsic emotion to Koreans. The divergence between han in the traditional period and in the modern era arises from transformations in the cultural foundations and changes within the broader social context. One of the most prominent differences between traditional and modern expressions of han is revealed through the lived experiences and emotional expressions of Korean women. The short story “Noodles” (국수) by the contemporary Korean writer Kim Sum vividly illustrates this distinction through the portrayal of two female characters from different generations: the stepmother symbolizing traditional Korean womanhood, and the stepdaughter representing the modern generation. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach and employing systematic–structural methods of analysis and synthesis, this study seeks to elucidate the transformation of han from the traditional to the modern period, drawing upon theoretical frameworks established by both Korean and Vietnamese scholars. On this basis, the paper examines the generational differences in the expression of han through the female figures depicted in the short story “Noodles” by Kim Sum.