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Descendants of the Sun (태양의 후예): Plot, Characters and Cast
Descendants of the Sun (태양의 후예, Taeyang-ui Huye) is a romantic melodrama with action and a military setting that KBS2 aired in 2016. Its 16 episodes were written by Kim Eun-sook and Kim Won-seok and directed by Lee Eung-bok and Baek Sang-hoon. It was the first Korean drama to air simultaneously in South Korea and China. Here you have the plot, the characters, the cast and a playful Saju for its two couples.
- Cast
- Song Joong-ki, Song Hye-kyo, Jin Goo, Kim Ji-won
- KBS2
- 2016 · 16 episodes
Official video
Official video by Viki Global TV on YouTube. It only loads if you press play.
Plot (no spoilers)
Special forces captain Yoo Si-jin and cardiothoracic surgeon Kang Mo-yeon meet by chance in Seoul, and the attraction is instant. The problem is that they see life and death in opposite ways: he is a soldier with a strong sense of duty; she is a doctor who puts saving lives above everything. That difference pulls them apart before the relationship can get going.
Months later they meet again in Uruk, a fictional war-torn country. Si-jin's unit is stationed there, and Mo-yeon arrives with a medical team. Earthquakes, epidemics and armed clashes force them to work side by side, and every emergency tests what they think of each other.
Alongside them, a second love story grows: that of Master Sergeant Seo Dae-young, Si-jin's right-hand man and very guarded about his feelings, and army doctor Yoon Myung-joo, a general's daughter. She is determined to be with him, but her father is against it. Between dangerous missions and difficult loves, the series asks a question with no easy answer: which weighs more, duty or the heart?
Characters and their Saju
Yoo Si-jin 유시진
Song Joong-ki · Yang Metal · The Sword
Si-jin is a self-assured special forces captain with a sense of duty he won't negotiate. At the same time, he has a playful charm that disarms anyone. Early on, his way of understanding risk clashes with Mo-yeon's and forces him to defend who he is.
If Si-jin had a Saju card, it would be Yang Metal · The Sword: an edge, discipline and a clear line between what you do and what you don't. But a good sword also knows how to gleam in the sun, and he does it with a smile.
Kang Mo-yeon 강모연
Song Hye-kyo · Yin Metal · The Jewel
Mo-yeon is a talented, outspoken cardiothoracic surgeon who says what she thinks without beating around the bush. For her, saving lives comes before anything else. At first, that conviction keeps her away from Si-jin, whose job makes him look at life and death from another angle.
If Mo-yeon had a Saju card, it would be Yin Metal · The Jewel: precise as a scalpel and valuable for what she withstands. Nobody gets to polish her; her shine comes from her own principles and a pair of hands that never shake.
Seo Dae-young 서대영
Jin Goo · Yang Earth · The Mountain
Dae-young is the loyal master sergeant who serves as Si-jin's right hand. At work he is solid and reliable, but with his feelings he is far more reserved. What he feels for Myung-joo doesn't come out of his mouth easily, and that silence weighs on his story.
If Dae-young had a Saju card, it would be Yang Earth · The Mountain: still, strong and always in place. Others lean on him without thinking. His challenge is to let someone climb to the top and see what he keeps there.
Yoon Myung-joo 윤명주
Kim Ji-won · Yang Fire · The Sun
Myung-joo is an army doctor and a general's daughter. She knows exactly who she wants: Sergeant Dae-young, even though her father doesn't approve. Her determination and energy give the show's second couple almost as much weight as the main one.
If Myung-joo had a Saju card, it would be Yang Fire · The Sun: direct, warm and unafraid to be seen. She doesn't wait to be chosen; she does the choosing. A sun like that doesn't ask permission to rise each morning, not even from a general.
And what would your Saju be? Find out free with your birth date.
Why so many people fell for it
Descendants of the Sun combines romance, action and humanitarian missions in an unusual setting for a K-drama. The two couples, the banter between soldiers and the contrast between duty and medicine hook you from the first episode. In Latin America it aired on ETC in Chile and on Panamericana and Willax in Peru, and in Brazil it launched RedeTV!'s "Sessão Dorama" block in September 2023. In Korea, its last episode reached a 38.8% nationwide rating.
Facts
- Written by Kim Eun-sook and Kim Won-seok; directed by Lee Eung-bok and Baek Sang-hoon, in 16 episodes.
- It was the first Korean drama to air simultaneously in South Korea and China (via iQIYI).
- It won the TV Grand Prize (Daesang) at the 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards.
Ending (spoilers)
Show the ending
Spoiler: both couples survive missions where their lives are in danger and manage to reunite. The series signs off with the team heading out on a new humanitarian mission. It's a hopeful ending, with no last-minute tragedies, that leaves everyone on the move.
If you liked it, watch next
- Crash Landing on You 2019 · tvN
- Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (Goblin) 2016 · tvN
- Queen of Tears 2024 · tvN
Frequently asked questions
What is Descendants of the Sun about?
It tells the romance between Captain Yoo Si-jin and surgeon Kang Mo-yeon, who meet again in Uruk, a fictional country at war, where earthquakes and epidemics force them to work together.
How many episodes does Descendants of the Sun have?
Descendants of the Sun has 16 episodes. KBS2 aired it in 2016, and its final episode reached a 38.8% nationwide rating in South Korea.
Who stars in Descendants of the Sun?
Song Joong-ki plays Captain Yoo Si-jin and Song Hye-kyo plays Dr. Kang Mo-yeon. The second couple is Jin Goo as Seo Dae-young and Kim Ji-won as Yoon Myung-joo.