Old man Go (고 노인): very conservative old man. He always takes care of Hyun, his grandson, but is primarily interested in ancestral graveyard and topography.
Yunho (연호): Communist, who unsuccessfully attempts to alter Hyun's ideology. Instead he takes hostage Hyun's Grandfather, Old man Go.
Hyun (현): Main character of the novel. Always shows passive action. He steals Communist element's gun and runs away to a cave. Once there, Hyun awakes the 'Flame of Life' (생명의 불꽃), and decides to live properly.
Hyun's Father (현의 아버지): When Hyun was young, he did Korean Independence Movement. However, he is killed by Japanese soldiers.
Hyun's Mother (현의 어머니): Sincere Christian. She subjugates her pain to take care of Hyun.
Aoyama (아오야마): Hyun's only Japanese friend. Later Day, Aoyama volunteer for Imperial away, he gave some potatoes to Hyun.
Teacher Cho (조 선생): She and her father run away from North Korea under Communist rule, because her father rejects the control of communist party. Later, she sees Communist elements kill her father.