In the Silla period, Hanam-eup was a bugok, or stipend-village, known as "Susan-bugok" (穿山部曲). In the Goryeo period, it was raised to the status of a hyeon, and later incorporated into Milseong-bu (now Miryang).
Noted local landmarks include Bronze Age dolmens in Namjeon-ri, and a monument to late Goryeo scholar-official Yi Sin, also in Namjeon-ri. The Susan-je, a dike believed to date to the Samhan period, is also located in Hanam.