은 자신이

… themselves (as the subject of a clause)

→ 은

phrase Rare #31,707

… themselves (as the subject of a clause) 은 marks the preceding noun as the topic, while 자신이 means “oneself” as the subject. The English pronoun depends on who the topic refers to.

KO: 톰은 자신이 원하는 것을 갖고 있다.

EN: Tom has what he wants.

"그때부터 타멀레인은 자신이 만회할 수 없는 실수는"

From then on, Tamerlane knew that some mistakes couldn’t be made up for...

— 데이 워치 (2006)

톰은 자신이 좋아하는 직업을 찾았다.

Tom found a job he loved.