Hwa Records

Hwa Records was conceived after C. Ryu was diagnosed with hwa-byung (fire sickness) in 2020 by an acupuncturist in South Korea. Hwa-byung is a Korean folk syndrome attributed to the suppression of anger manifesting in the body. While the diagnosis in South Korea occurs primarily in middle-age to older women suffering under a patriarchal society, hwa-byung in the United States could also be caused by displacement stresses such as balancing two cultures — in this case Korean and American.

The mission of Hwa Records is to create community space for diasporic Koreans to alleviate these stresses. Composed of Korean diasporic artists, musicians, and healers Roger Kim, Saewon Oh, Kayla Tange, and C. Ryu, the Hwa Records team fulfills this mission mainly by facilitating workshops that gather members of the Korean diaspora, create space for us to connect, listen, and learn from one another, and transform our suppressed negative experiences and feelings into collective joy and catharsis.