Voices Heard, Hearts Unseen [Kim Tak-hwan Column]

The deceased, it is often said, have no voice. This presents a fundamental difficulty and limitation when portraying individuals who have already passed away. While one could seek answers from the living, hearing the vivid voices and engaging in dialogue with those who have departed this world remains impossible. We will never know why Hyecho ultimately chose not to return to Unified Silla after his journey to India, nor what General Yi Sun-sin ate for his last meal before embarking on the Battle of Noryang.

To overcome this frustration, various methods have been devised to hear the voices of the departed. Offerings are made, songs and dances are performed, and earnest prayers are uttered, all in anticipation of hearing the desired voice. But is the voice heard through a medium truly that of the deceased?

Voices that vanish with death are being revived through the advancement of digital technology. Recording and video allow us to preserve someone's voice for an extended period. Of course, this is limited to the voice recorded just before death. When the end of life is sudden and many issues remain unresolved, the voice of the deceased can serve as a stepping stone toward finding answers.

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The deceased, it is often said, have no voice.

The film 'Hind's Voice' emphasizes at its outset: 'This film is based on a true story, and the emergency calls were recorded on that day.' Therefore, the child's voice heard through the receiver is not a later reenactment by an actor. It is the actual voice of six-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, trapped in a taxi with all her relatives dead, awaiting rescue in the Gaza Strip on January 29, 2024.

Hind was not rescued. She was killed, a girl who carried no weapons and only wished to return to her mother's embrace, trembling with fear. The Israeli military knew the girl was alone in the car because negotiations were underway to rescue her. Yet, if we attribute the reason for her death to the phrase 'the dead have no voice,' would that be mere speculation? However, by continuously playing Hind's actual voice throughout the film, the movie compels the audience to imagine, recoil, and act.

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This film is based on a true story, and the emergency calls were recorded on that day.

While it is said that the dead have no voice, there are also many who, despite being alive, lack the opportunity to speak. This is why the oral history classes and resulting books compiled by the Roh Hoe-chan Foundation deserve attention. Assemblyman Roh Hoe-chan once highlighted the value of the lives of those who take the first bus at 6 AM, introducing them as characters in 'Our Drama.' The recently published 'Our Song,' following 'Our Drama,' continues to meet, carefully listen to, and meticulously record individuals who have worked diligently as members of society but have not been able to voice their own opinions. Among them, the voice of Jeong Gyeong-ae, who has run a boarding house for 30 years, felt welcome and deeply moving, as did the voices of sexual minorities and Asians living in Korea.

Jeong Gyeong-ae's children expressed their hope that their mother's story would offer comfort and pride to those who have spent their lives "exhausted from cooking and managing the household." For years, she cared for ten male students who gathered in the Noryangjin academy district aiming for university admission, managing their meals, laundry, and cleaning. She had never openly shared the hardships and pride of those years. Park Yeol-eum, who met Jeong Gyeong-ae five times from autumn to spring to record her life story, stated her intention to continue focusing on the invisible labor of women.

Are there other beings around us whose voices we have not heeded, despite them making sounds? Starting in August, I leave home at 6 AM. I walk for an hour to reach my writing room before the scorching heat sets in. When I seek shade and enter beneath a tree, birds chirp overhead. If I toss a handful of sunflower seeds, small birds like the Azure-winged Magpie, Varied Tit, and Coal Tit quickly gather.

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While it is said that the dead have no voice, there are also many who, despite being alive, lack the opportunity to speak.

It's a scene that could be described as 'a summer morning with birds singing cheerfully.' However, Japanese animal linguist Toshitaka Suzuki, in his book 'I Can Hear the Birds' Voices,' argues that the calls of the Varied Tit are not merely 'songs' expressing emotion but 'language' containing thought. 'Pee-tsu-pee' is the sound made when a crow appears, and 'Tsururururu' is the sound made when a snake is seen. When baby birds hear their parents' calls, they instinctively huddle deep in the nest to avoid the crow's beak or attempt to escape the nest if they hear the sound indicating a snake. If other birds also possess language like the Varied Tit, how many diverse thoughts have I been letting pass by unnoticed every dawn?

Despite warnings about heatstroke and advice to refrain from outdoor work, farmers stand in the rice paddies from morning. This is a sight rarely seen unless there is a drought. They are waiting for water to flow into the irrigation channels to fill the paddies. After a brief greeting, they say nothing. Their cracked hearts, like the parched earth, are contained in long sighs. It is a time to listen intently to the voices of silence.

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I Can Hear the Birds' Voices