Interview with Hyo-jin
Date of interview: November 29, 2019
Location: Over SNS
Names of interviewee(s): 효진 (Hyo-Jin)
Interviewee’s birth year and place: 2001, San Francisco
Their relation to you and the project: a close friend of mines
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| Jonghyun, Sulli, and Goo Hara |
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| Lowell High School |
My friend Hyojin, her Korean name, and I have been friends since freshman year of high school. We have had our ups and downs over the last few years which in the end brought us closer together. We actually only had one class together during our high school years, and it was a lab in that very class that we met. She actually came up and asked to work together. We ultimately bonded over K-pop, and the rest is basically history. She grew up pretty close with her family culture, Korean being her first and main language within her household. Up until recently, she retained her Korean citizenship that she received based off her mother’s status. With all this knowledge, let’s dig into my mini interview with my friend.
During the holidays I wasn’t lucky enough to conduct this interview in person, but I managed to get a moment of her time through SNS. It was rainy and cold, I wasn’t in the best of health, so I wasn’t able to conduct the interview for a long period of time. But I managed to get in 4 different questions that are closely connected with each other.
Q: What was your reaction to the news of the passing of Jonghyun, Sulli, and Goo Hara?
Note: All of the idols were found in their apartments and were suspected of passing away through suicidal means. We should also note that all three of the deaths occur less than 2 years apart.
A: “When Jonghyun passed away, I was initially in disbelief. I thought everything was an error and he was here with us. I became really sad because I love Jonghyun and I really did look up to him. He was my energy and inspiration and I got encouragement and comfort from his music. After Sulli passed away, my sadness turned into anger. When Jonghyun passed away it seemed like entertainment companies would do something to protect their artists and their mental health. When Goo Hara passed away, I felt empty and that there was something indeed wrong with our society. We needed to change. I will miss these angels and I wish we all could have something to prevent the losses of these amazing people.”
Q: What does ‘han’ mean to you?
Note: Originally, similar to my reaction, she didn’t really understand what the word ‘han’ meant, but we did manage to figure out the whole concept of it. The ‘Han’ concept is basically the culture’s emotional standpoint when it comes to different situations and how strong it is towards what they do everyday. It is mostly described as a form of grief or resentment among others. The origins of ‘Han’ mostly stems back to the Japanese occupation in Korea from the Japanese colonial stereotypes and characterizations of Korean art and culture as sorrowful. An example of ‘Han’ can be visualized at a traditional Korean funeral; a mourning family will continuously wail loudly for their loss family member for long periods of time.
A: “‘Han’ is like any emotional baggage that is in one’s heart and can’t really be released.”
Q: As a Korean American who is closely connected to her culture, how has Han affected you personally?
A: “It’s kinda hard to answer this question because I haven’t thought about this.”
Q: Do you think Han has anything to do with the artists who passed away?
A: “Even though, their deaths aren’t completely because of ‘han’ I believe it does play a role. Because they had emotional baggages that was hard for them to release, especially because they are celebrities, it would be harder for them to deal with them. It piles up to the point where they break down and can’t handle it anymore.”
During the holidays I wasn’t lucky enough to conduct this interview in person, but I managed to get a moment of her time through SNS. It was rainy and cold, I wasn’t in the best of health, so I wasn’t able to conduct the interview for a long period of time. But I managed to get in 4 different questions that are closely connected with each other.
Q: What was your reaction to the news of the passing of Jonghyun, Sulli, and Goo Hara?
Note: All of the idols were found in their apartments and were suspected of passing away through suicidal means. We should also note that all three of the deaths occur less than 2 years apart.
A: “When Jonghyun passed away, I was initially in disbelief. I thought everything was an error and he was here with us. I became really sad because I love Jonghyun and I really did look up to him. He was my energy and inspiration and I got encouragement and comfort from his music. After Sulli passed away, my sadness turned into anger. When Jonghyun passed away it seemed like entertainment companies would do something to protect their artists and their mental health. When Goo Hara passed away, I felt empty and that there was something indeed wrong with our society. We needed to change. I will miss these angels and I wish we all could have something to prevent the losses of these amazing people.”
Q: What does ‘han’ mean to you?
Note: Originally, similar to my reaction, she didn’t really understand what the word ‘han’ meant, but we did manage to figure out the whole concept of it. The ‘Han’ concept is basically the culture’s emotional standpoint when it comes to different situations and how strong it is towards what they do everyday. It is mostly described as a form of grief or resentment among others. The origins of ‘Han’ mostly stems back to the Japanese occupation in Korea from the Japanese colonial stereotypes and characterizations of Korean art and culture as sorrowful. An example of ‘Han’ can be visualized at a traditional Korean funeral; a mourning family will continuously wail loudly for their loss family member for long periods of time.
A: “‘Han’ is like any emotional baggage that is in one’s heart and can’t really be released.”
Q: As a Korean American who is closely connected to her culture, how has Han affected you personally?
A: “It’s kinda hard to answer this question because I haven’t thought about this.”
Q: Do you think Han has anything to do with the artists who passed away?
A: “Even though, their deaths aren’t completely because of ‘han’ I believe it does play a role. Because they had emotional baggages that was hard for them to release, especially because they are celebrities, it would be harder for them to deal with them. It piles up to the point where they break down and can’t handle it anymore.”
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