The Occult That Embraces Deaths Society Has Ignored: 'Hae Won Sang Saeng'

The surprising success of the SBS drama 'Revenant,' breaking the 10% viewership mark, is a testament to its unique blend of Korean cultural elements and compelling storytelling, as analyzed by Hankyoreh. While some critics point to flaws in its legal accuracy and narrative speed, the drama resonates deeply with audiences by tapping into a distinctly Korean understanding of the supernatural and societal issues.

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Unlike Western occult works that borrow from Catholicism, which define evil spirits as 'evil' to be expelled and focus on 'exorcism,' 'Revenant' follows the Korean shamanistic principle of 'Hae Won Sang Saeng' (resolving grudges and coexisting).

At its heart, 'Revenant' diverges from Western occult narratives that often frame supernatural entities as purely evil to be vanquished through 'exorcism.' Instead, it embraces the Korean shamanistic concept of 'Hae Won Sang Saeng' – the resolution of grudges and the path to coexistence. This philosophy centers on healing, reconciliation, and helping both the living and the departed find their rightful place, rather than a Manichean battle between good and evil.

The drama's protagonist, Shin Byeong-ho (played by Yoo Yeon-seok), embodies this approach. He functions not just as a lawyer navigating legal complexities but also as a shaman, listening to the grievances of spirits and acting as their voice. This fusion of legal rationality and shamanistic intuition allows the drama to address the limitations of the legal system in uncovering truth and achieving justice, particularly for marginalized or silenced voices.

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The drama follows a narrative of 'healing' rather than 'judgment' that punishes evil. It soothes the grudges of the deceased, embraces the bereaved, and leads the community to reconciliation.

Hankyoreh highlights how 'Revenant' taps into a collective Korean consciousness marked by a profound sense of shared grief and responsibility for unresolved tragedies, such as the Sewol ferry disaster and the Itaewon crowd crush. The drama offers a form of 'digital mourning,' providing a space for societal catharsis and acknowledging the 'unprotected deaths' that official systems may overlook. This resonates powerfully in a society grappling with historical and contemporary injustices, offering a fictional space to process collective guilt and seek a form of communal healing that transcends the purely entertaining.

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The audience seeks to alleviate their guilt for those they could not save in reality within a fictional space. Shin Byeong-ho's process of resolving the grudges of spirits serves as a form of 'digital mourning' for the viewers.

The drama's exploration of 'horizontal violence' within a competitive 'performance society,' where individuals inflict harm on each other due to systemic pressures, further deepens its social commentary. This reflects a Korean societal critique where the roots of tragedy are often found not in grand, overarching evil, but in the everyday struggles and betrayals born from intense competition and a 'survival of the fittest' mentality. The audience's engagement, therefore, goes beyond mere entertainment; it's a response to a narrative that mirrors and processes their own societal anxieties and a yearning for closure and justice.

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The tragedy in Korean society is shifting to 'horizontal violence.' The perpetrators are all 'neighbors' pushed into an over-competitive system.