Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War - Characters & Cast

Initially, his motivation is purely to earn a Medal of Honor to secure his brother's discharge from the army. This later becomes corrupted by the trauma of war and a thirst for glory, before shifting to pure vengeance, and finally returning to selfless love for his brother.

Jin-tae begins as a selfless, protective older brother who works as a shoeshiner to support his family. His sole motivation for fighting is to get his younger brother discharged. This noble intention, however, leads him down a dark path. He becomes an incredibly effective but brutal soldier, and the line between protecting his brother and seeking glory blurs. After believing Jin-seok is dead and witnessing the execution of his fiancée, he is consumed by rage and defects to the North Korean army, becoming a commander for them. In the end, he rediscovers his love for his brother and sacrifices himself to save Jin-seok's life, completing his tragic arc.

His primary motivation is to survive the war and maintain his sense of morality. He wants to save his brother not from the enemy, but from the monster he has become. He is driven by a desire to understand what happened and to restore their broken bond.

Jin-seok starts as a bright, somewhat frail, and idealistic student. Forced into the war, he is initially protected by his older brother. His arc is one of disillusionment and horror as he witnesses Jin-tae's brutal transformation. He grows to resent and fear his brother, believing he has lost his humanity. After being separated and learning of Jin-tae's defection, Jin-seok chooses to rejoin the army to find and confront his brother. He ultimately understands the true depth of his brother's sacrifice. The film is framed through his perspective, opening and closing with him as an old man finally discovering his brother's remains.

Her motivation is simply to survive and care for her family during the war. Her actions are born of desperation, not political conviction.

Young-shin is Jin-tae's fiancée and a kind figure who helps the Lee family. She represents the home, peace, and normalcy that the brothers are fighting to return to. Her arc is short and tragic. During the shifting occupations of Seoul, she is forced to associate with communists to feed her family. When the South Koreans retake the city, she is accused of being a collaborator and is publicly executed by an anti-communist militia, despite the brothers' desperate attempts to save her.