To Stand on This Land
The journey of a child forced to grow up too early, becoming truly grown-up
번역: 김미혜
Translated by Mihye Kim
이 땅에 서기 위하여: 박준수
Edited by Junesoo Park
I'm strong 비수가 내리던 날 72.7x60.6cm acrylic on korean cotton 2025
In 1997, the Republic of Korea was caught in an unprecedented economic maelstrom—the so-called IMF financial crisis. Chain bankruptcies of major companies, insolvencies of small and medium-sized companies, unemployment, private bankruptcies, and breadwinners forced to be into the streets. Amid this sudden collapse, our daily lives also faltered.
Yet, people usually remember those days as a time of romance in hardship. Se-ri Park, playing barefoot, won the LPGA Championship. In the public advertisement where Yang Hee-eun’s ‘Evergreen Tree(상록수)’ was playing, the lyrics echoed: “We will break through, move forward, and ultimately prevail.” Chan-ho Park threw pitches of hope on the Major League mound. The nationwide gold donation campaign helped restore a sense of solidarity among the people. We remember standing strong together and overcoming those hard times as one.
But on the other side of this collective triumph, some were left forgotten. They were fathers who crumbled helplessly with the social collapse, and also children who had to grow up too soon, bearing heavy burdens.
In the 2000s when the country embraced the hope of a new millennium after having overcome the financial crisis, the phrase “Be rich” became a new word of blessing in Korean society. At the end of 2001, Jung-eun Kim, the most popular actress at the time, stood in the snow in a red sweater, calling out in a commercial “Everyone, be rich!” The phrase resonated with people in the nation and changed the scene of New Year greetings that year. While this commercial offered a promise of everyone’s prosperity, the financial and insurance companies had presented a heavy message ahead. Samsung Life Insurance’s slogan, “Rich Dad” significantly presented the ideal of a financially capable and responsible father as a head of household. Under the unspoken pressure of the phrase ‘Poverty is inherited,’ many fathers felt frustrated. The notion that ‘a rich dad is a good dad’became a dominant social narrative.
All rich dads are not always good dads though. ‘Good dad’ is still a term containing broader directivities and deeper values. It meant same to the artist Choong-suk Han. Despite an unstable career as an artist, he chose to take care of his family with his sincerity and a steady commitment to responsibility.
The Girl 27.3x27.3cm(5S) acrylic on korean cotton 2025
On weekends, he brings his children to his studio and spends time together with them. He strives to let his work and his family life coexist in the same space. He reflects on his relationship with his children and makes an effort to be a good dad by himself. By ‘a good dad,’ he means someone who willingly shares time and emotions with his children, becoming an emotional safety net for them—rather than someone who simply ensures their material abundance. In his artwork, family members gaze silently at the world with long eyes. But their gaze carries warmth instead of anxiety. In such an environment, his children will grow slowly into adults with healthy, grounded selves.
The Boy _ The sound of mind 마음의 소리 90.9x72.7cm acrylic on korean cotton 2025
During his high school years, Han had a particular fondness for ethics class, in addition to art class. He sought direction for his life in the aphorisms of philosophers found in his textbook. For him, studying wasn’t just about learning—it was about survival, arming himself mentally and emotionally. The ideas he internalized in that way became a source of inner strength, later evolving into his outlook on the world and his artistic convictions.
For Han, ethics is more than just a norm; it is a minimal standard for maintaining balance. Like many other Korean fathers, we have all lived our adult lives under the pressure to set an example for others. This has also been shaped by the prevailing social atmosphere which prioritizes the group and relationships over self-fulfillment, and which also has regarded sacrifice as a virtue. Han has also made a conscious effort not to pass down to his family the emotional wounds he received from his own father in such a society. The ethical obligation he imposed on himself has permeated his arts. His work contains traces of the struggles of those who have borne heavy responsibilities simply to survive—people who try to read others’ minds, gauge emotional distance, and avoid being hurt in relationships, yet still strive to share warmth though. This reflects sentiments of the characters in his works.
He is now gradually freeing himself from the heavy constraints of being a so-called ‘good dad’ or ‘a decent person who sets an example for others.’ He speaks in his own voice, no longer trying to meet others’ expectations. He loves in his own way. He is in search of his true self. His current artworks are portraits of that journey—and also the mirrors, quietly prompting viewers to revisit the long-buried moments when they, too, had to grow up too soon.
Relationship Practice 관계연습 145.5x112.1cm acrylic on korean cotton 2025
Through this exhibition, he calmly shares his personal story, seeking to stand a bit more freely apart from the relationships and gazes of others.
Choong-suk Han has been drawing and painting for the past 20 years. He says that he spent two of those years agonizing over his identity, and the rest grappling with relationships. His work is filled with a deep exploration of the subtle nuances of human connections, the emotional distances between people, and the sensitivity required to pick up on social cues.
He cares what others think but is never swayed by them. Quietly, yet firmly and honestly, he continues to draw his own life. Life as an individual, as an artist, and as a human is naturally reflected in his work. Thus, his paintings are more than just paintings; they are his portraits.
After years of being deeply preoccupied with issues of ‘relationships,’ he uses this exhibition to articulate the insight he has gained: how to remain grounded—even while being swayed—within relationships that shift like ever-rolling waves.
In that way, Choong-suk Han is drawing his own stories, to stand on this land.
To stand on this land 이땅에 서기 위하여 193.9x130.3cm acrylic on korean cotton 2025
2025.09. ACK 발행. ACK (artcritickorea) 글의 저작권은 필자에게 있습니다. September. 2025. Published by ACK. The copyright of the article published by ACK is owned by its author.
To Stand on This Land
The journey of a child forced to grow up too early, becoming truly grown-up
번역: 김미혜
Translated by Mihye Kim
이 땅에 서기 위하여: 박준수
Edited by Junesoo Park
I'm strong 비수가 내리던 날 72.7x60.6cm acrylic on korean cotton 2025
In 1997, the Republic of Korea was caught in an unprecedented economic maelstrom—the so-called IMF financial crisis. Chain bankruptcies of major companies, insolvencies of small and medium-sized companies, unemployment, private bankruptcies, and breadwinners forced to be into the streets. Amid this sudden collapse, our daily lives also faltered.
Yet, people usually remember those days as a time of romance in hardship. Se-ri Park, playing barefoot, won the LPGA Championship. In the public advertisement where Yang Hee-eun’s ‘Evergreen Tree(상록수)’ was playing, the lyrics echoed: “We will break through, move forward, and ultimately prevail.” Chan-ho Park threw pitches of hope on the Major League mound. The nationwide gold donation campaign helped restore a sense of solidarity among the people. We remember standing strong together and overcoming those hard times as one.
But on the other side of this collective triumph, some were left forgotten. They were fathers who crumbled helplessly with the social collapse, and also children who had to grow up too soon, bearing heavy burdens.
In the 2000s when the country embraced the hope of a new millennium after having overcome the financial crisis, the phrase “Be rich” became a new word of blessing in Korean society. At the end of 2001, Jung-eun Kim, the most popular actress at the time, stood in the snow in a red sweater, calling out in a commercial “Everyone, be rich!” The phrase resonated with people in the nation and changed the scene of New Year greetings that year. While this commercial offered a promise of everyone’s prosperity, the financial and insurance companies had presented a heavy message ahead. Samsung Life Insurance’s slogan, “Rich Dad” significantly presented the ideal of a financially capable and responsible father as a head of household. Under the unspoken pressure of the phrase ‘Poverty is inherited,’ many fathers felt frustrated. The notion that ‘a rich dad is a good dad’became a dominant social narrative.
All rich dads are not always good dads though. ‘Good dad’ is still a term containing broader directivities and deeper values. It meant same to the artist Choong-suk Han. Despite an unstable career as an artist, he chose to take care of his family with his sincerity and a steady commitment to responsibility.
The Girl 27.3x27.3cm(5S) acrylic on korean cotton 2025
On weekends, he brings his children to his studio and spends time together with them. He strives to let his work and his family life coexist in the same space. He reflects on his relationship with his children and makes an effort to be a good dad by himself. By ‘a good dad,’ he means someone who willingly shares time and emotions with his children, becoming an emotional safety net for them—rather than someone who simply ensures their material abundance. In his artwork, family members gaze silently at the world with long eyes. But their gaze carries warmth instead of anxiety. In such an environment, his children will grow slowly into adults with healthy, grounded selves.
The Boy _ The sound of mind 마음의 소리 90.9x72.7cm acrylic on korean cotton 2025
During his high school years, Han had a particular fondness for ethics class, in addition to art class. He sought direction for his life in the aphorisms of philosophers found in his textbook. For him, studying wasn’t just about learning—it was about survival, arming himself mentally and emotionally. The ideas he internalized in that way became a source of inner strength, later evolving into his outlook on the world and his artistic convictions.
For Han, ethics is more than just a norm; it is a minimal standard for maintaining balance. Like many other Korean fathers, we have all lived our adult lives under the pressure to set an example for others. This has also been shaped by the prevailing social atmosphere which prioritizes the group and relationships over self-fulfillment, and which also has regarded sacrifice as a virtue. Han has also made a conscious effort not to pass down to his family the emotional wounds he received from his own father in such a society. The ethical obligation he imposed on himself has permeated his arts. His work contains traces of the struggles of those who have borne heavy responsibilities simply to survive—people who try to read others’ minds, gauge emotional distance, and avoid being hurt in relationships, yet still strive to share warmth though. This reflects sentiments of the characters in his works.
He is now gradually freeing himself from the heavy constraints of being a so-called ‘good dad’ or ‘a decent person who sets an example for others.’ He speaks in his own voice, no longer trying to meet others’ expectations. He loves in his own way. He is in search of his true self. His current artworks are portraits of that journey—and also the mirrors, quietly prompting viewers to revisit the long-buried moments when they, too, had to grow up too soon.
Relationship Practice 관계연습 145.5x112.1cm acrylic on korean cotton 2025
Through this exhibition, he calmly shares his personal story, seeking to stand a bit more freely apart from the relationships and gazes of others.
Choong-suk Han has been drawing and painting for the past 20 years. He says that he spent two of those years agonizing over his identity, and the rest grappling with relationships. His work is filled with a deep exploration of the subtle nuances of human connections, the emotional distances between people, and the sensitivity required to pick up on social cues.
He cares what others think but is never swayed by them. Quietly, yet firmly and honestly, he continues to draw his own life. Life as an individual, as an artist, and as a human is naturally reflected in his work. Thus, his paintings are more than just paintings; they are his portraits.
After years of being deeply preoccupied with issues of ‘relationships,’ he uses this exhibition to articulate the insight he has gained: how to remain grounded—even while being swayed—within relationships that shift like ever-rolling waves.
In that way, Choong-suk Han is drawing his own stories, to stand on this land.
To stand on this land 이땅에 서기 위하여 193.9x130.3cm acrylic on korean cotton 2025
2025.09. ACK 발행. ACK (artcritickorea) 글의 저작권은 필자에게 있습니다. September. 2025. Published by ACK. The copyright of the article published by ACK is owned by its author.