📖 Origin of the Hanja

Korean Ham descends from Ham Hyeok (咸赫), who settled in Yanggu, Gangwon, during the reign of Wang Geon, founder of Goryeo. Gangneung Ham is the largest seat. The hanja "咸" combines a halberd (戌) with a mouth (口) — originally an army uniformly obeying — extended to "all, together". The 31st hexagram of the I Ching (咸卦) shows a lake (澤) atop a mountain (山), teaching the principle of "resonance" (感應). The towering Korean thinker Ham Sok-hon (1901-1989), author of "Korean History from the Viewpoint of Meaning", remains one of Korea's great minds.

🏯 Main Clans (Bongwan)

※ Bongwan refers to the ancestral home where the founder settled. Same surname, different bongwan = different clan branch.

🌟 Famous Figures