[Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War]

The film Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War (2004) directed by Kang Je-gyu, shows a story about two brothers (Jintae and Jinsuk) who become drafted during the Korean War, and later end up fighting on opposite sides of Korea. Despite the fact that this film was a huge hit in Korea, I have not watched it until last Thursday. The film was PG 15, and I was in elementary school back then. When I was old enough to watch it, the movie seemed too “outdated” and I did not feel like watching a Korean War movie (I personally think the topic of Korean War is too depressing to watch). So I was pretty excited when I found this film listed as one of the screenings. 

While I was reading the article by Shin, there were many points that made me nod. For instance, how the World Cup in 2002 was such a big event in the country, and that it was not just about the sport itself, but “also about national pride, identity, and confidence” (Shin, 1). It was just like the way President Kim Dae Jung described; “Korea's happiest day since Dangun” (Shin, 2). The event was not only a celebration for Koreans living in the country, but also for Korean descendents outside of Korea (even if their nationalities weren’t necessarily Korean). Moreover, as the results are shown in the polls mentioned in the article, Koreans tend to relate a lot to the han race instead of the citizenship itself (There are many people who hold citizenships of other countries, but define themselves as being “Korean” instead). The reference that leaders of the two Koreas (Rhee Syngman, Park Chung Hee vs. Kim Il Sung) “did not dispute the ethnic homogeneity of the Korean nation, which they agreed spanned thousands of years and was based on single bloodline” (Shin, 5) shows how Koreans think about themselves as being all-related. Therefore, it is no wonder why North and South Korea are still described as “brothers” despite having been separated for decades.

                           However, from my perspective, it is sometimes hard to relate North Korea as being a dear brother. My grand-parents (and ancestors) always lived in the southern part of Korea (even before the separation), and I do not know anyone who has defected from the North, or is separated from their family in the North. So when I hear about North Korea provoking the South (and their constant “threats”), it’s hard for me to see them as a “brother”.

                           Throughout the movie, I was very touched by Jintae’s love towards his brother; he would do anything for Jinsuk. Although there were scenes where I identified more with Jinsuk and misunderstood Jintae as becoming somewhat obsessed with the war, Jintae’s letter showed that, from the bottom of his heart, he was never a different person. When the two were separated and fighting against each other, it was heart breaking to think that there would have been families and friends who had no choice but to point a gun at their loved ones. Moreover, when people were defined as a “ppalgaengyi” (pro-Communist) just because they signed their name on a rally to get some rice, or because they were drafted by communists from the North seemed so realistic – how many ordinary citizens of that time would have known about the ideology? It made me think about the Korean War tropes Prof. Cho mentioned; “Koreans being manipulated by super powers”. To this day, Koreans suffer from the division. I know that the actual war cannot be solely interpreted as it was described by director Kang, but it did make me relate more into thinking how some people are still separated from their families, not because of their ideologies but because of some greater power that could not be resisted by individuals.