The movie Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War is recognized as being one of the most successful Korean blockbuster having gained international fame. The movie has evoked large fame in the Korean society because it clearly represents the current Korean sentiments towards the Korean War.
According to Gi-Wook Shin, the "strong sense of unity and national pride displayed by Koreans arises in part from an identity based on a common bloodline and shared ancestry." This is suggested to be the reason why Koreans feel strong attachments to Korean descendants living in foreign countries. And this is seen as a bond between the two Koreas. Even though tension and conflict between the two Koreas are prevailing, our blood-based notion of nation still keeps the North and South Koreans united.
However, in the movie Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War, many atrocities are shown where brothers would fight against each other because of different political ideologies. Villages slaughtered by the same Koreans seems to suggest that maybe the strong Korean ethnic nationalism is not that powerful after all. The mere difference in political ideologies have lead the Koreans to kill each other, even within one family line.
Yet, the movie focuses on the brotherhood of Jin-Tae and Jin-Seok, who are united in the ending of the movie. Even though Jin-Tae later becomes a North Korean mad-man, Jin-Seok and Jin-Tae promises to meet again. Jin-Seok searches for his brother for his entire life. This shifts the focus on the importance of family above nations or ideologies.
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