Train To Busan Ending Explained

This article contains spoilers for Train to Busan.

Train to Busan has a bittersweet ending, one in which the vast majority of its cast doesn’t survive. Directed by Yeon Sang-ho and starring Gong Yoo in one of his best roles, Train to Busan follows the survival efforts of a group of people who are stuck on a train that becomes infested with zombies. Gong Yoo’s Seok-woo is a busy and absent father riddled with guilt about not spending enough time with his daughter, Su-an, so he decides to take her to see her mother in Busan.

Things quickly pick up as their journey begins, with one of the train’s attendants being attacked by a zombie. Most of the pᴀssengers in the train also turn into the unᴅᴇᴀᴅ creatures and the humans have to fight them off to reach their destination. Before they arrive in Busan, the train stops in Daejong, where more people have become zombies, but some of the pᴀssengers manage to return to the train before they are killed. In the horror movie’s final scenes, the pᴀssengers turn on each other, but the train’s driver finds a way for them to reach Busan.

What Happens To Su-An And Seong-Kyeong At The End Of Train To Busan

Su-An And Seong-Kyeong Arrive In Busan

Su-an, Seok-woo’s daughter, is determined to go to Busan, even if it means going there without her father. During her journey, Seok-woo and Su-an ally themselves with a pregnant woman, Seong-kyeong, and her husband, Sang-hwa. The group sticks together through most of the duration of the zombie movie, but is unfortunately forced to separate when Sang-hwa and Seok-woo try to stop a horde of zombies trying to attack them.

In Train to Busan’s final scenes, Su-an and Seong-kyeong manage to get Busan. However, the train stops on the outskirts of the city, and they are forced to make it through the tunnel by foot. The snipers positioned there almost shoot them but are stopped when they hear Su-an singing “Aloha ‘Oe,” which alerts the snipers that they are humans and not zombies. Although Su-an and Seong-kyeong reached the city safely, what happened to them following their arrival wasn’t shown in Train to Busan.

Does Sang-Hwa Make It To Busan In The End?

Sang-Hwa Sacrificed Himself


Sang-hwa stands centre frame, his arms wrapped in tape looking ahead in train to Busan

Sang-hwa was a force to be reckoned with as he played a huge role in helping the pᴀssengers survive the zombie attacks and provided some lighthearted moments in the film. Sang-hwa’s goal was making sure that Seong-kyeong and his baby arrived in Busan, and he died trying to protect them. However, before he met his end, he did manage to tell his wife what to name their daughter. Sang-hwa’s death in Train to Busan particularly hits hard because he did everything to protect his family, but he didn’t live long enough to meet his daughter.

What Happens To Seok-Woo At The End Of Train To Busan

Seok-Woo Didn’t Make It To Busan

When the remaining survivors arrive at East Daegu Station, they are hit by a train that’s on fire which separates the group. Seok-woo, Su-an, and Seong-kyeong survive after the homeless man sacrifices himself in order to buy him time. They make it to the other train where they meet Yong-suk, who has turned into a zombie. A fight breaks out between Soek-woo and Yong-suk, but Seok-woo wins and pushes the zombie onto the train tracks.

Train To Busan‘s Cast & Characters

Actor

Character

Gong Yoo

Seok-woo

Kim Su-an

Su-an

Jung Yu-mi

Seong-kyeong

Ma Dong-seok

Sang-hwa

Sohee

Kim Jin-hee

Choi Woo-shik

Min Yong-guk

Kim Eui-sung

Yon-suk

Park Myung-sin

Jong-il

Ye Soo-jung

In-gil

Unfortunately, Yong-suk bit Seok-woo, and he also became a zombie. But before he loses his sense of self, Seok-woo locks Su-an and Seong-kyeong in the train. In Seok-woo’s final moments, he reminisces about the day that his daughter was born before jumping off the moving train and dying.

What Caused The Zombie Outbreak In Train To Busan

The Zombie Outbreak Started At A Factory


Zombies chasing a train in Train to Busan

Unlike most movies about zombies, Train to Busan doesn’t spend a lot of time trying to explain what caused the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ to rise. However, the film does offer some clues about the origins of the virus that caused the zombie outbreak. In the opening scene of Train to Busan, a farmer accidentally hits a deer that rises as an unᴅᴇᴀᴅ creature. The deer becoming a zombie suggests that the virus leaked from the factory, but it’s not clear whether it was transmitted through air or water.

His decision led to the consequences seen in Train to Busan, because if he had instead taken the time to investigate the leakage, then maybe the zombie outbreak would have been prevented.

During a call with his ᴀssistant, Seok-woo discovers that one of the factories he manages was the origin of the virus. This information was devastating to him because he had asked his ᴀssistant earlier on in the movie to sell the factory’s shares where the leakage had started from. His decision led to the consequences seen in Train to Busan, because if he had instead taken the time to investigate the leakage, then maybe the zombie outbreak would have been prevented.

Every Character Who Died In Train To Busan

Most Of The Main Characters Died In Train To Busan

Train to Busan didn’t hold back when it came to killing off its characters and no one was safe in the zombie movie. Some characters died and were revived as zombies while some were killed after becoming part of the unᴅᴇᴀᴅ creatures. Min-ji, a train attendant who was mauled by a zombie was the first named person to die in the film. Following her death, more people met their end, including the entire baseball team on the train, Ki-chul, Joo-shil, Gwi-ha, In-gil, and Jong-il, and the driver of the train.

Every Character Who Died In Train To Busan And How They Died

Character

How They Died

Min-ji

Killed by a zombie.

Joo-shil

Killed off-screen by a zombie.

Sang-hwa

Eaten by zombies.

In-gil

Killed by a zombie.

Jong-il

Took her own life by letting zombies eat her.

Ki-chul

Killed by zombies.

Jin-hee

Killed by zombies.

Yong-guk

Killed by a zombified Jin-hee.

Gwi-ha

Crushed under the train rubble.

Yong-suk

Killed by zombies then Seok-woo.

Seok-woo

Jumped off a train.

One of the most heartbreaking deaths was that of Sang-hwa, who was killed by zombies while trying to protect his pregnant wife. Jin-hee, a cheerleader who found herself on the train, was bitten by a zombie, and she killed Yong-guk. Yong-suk, who had tried to prevent the other survivors on the train from entering their carriage, was bitten by a zombie and then later thrown off the train by Seok-woo. The last person who died in the Train to Busan was Gong Yoo’s Seok-woo, who ended his life after he turned into a zombie.

What Train To Busan’s Ending Really Means

Train To Busan Is About A Father’s Love For His Daughter


Actor Gong Yoo as Seok-woo in Train to Busan.

Train to Busan had a bittersweet conclusion with a deep meaning. Throughout the film’s duration, there was commentary about the true nature of human beings. When it came down to it, people made selfish decisions in order to save themselves as seen by how Yong-suk wanted to prevent the other survivors from killing and infecting them.

Ultimately, Seok-woo’a decision to end his life other than infect his daughter is the best character arc in Train to Busan because it proves that humans are capable of change. Su-an taught her father to be selfless, even when it meant that he had to die in order to show that he wasn’t the same person he was. Train to Busan’s ending doesn’t really solve a lot of mysteries, such as what happens to Su-an and Seong-kyeong after they arrive in Busan, but the fact that they survived against all odds is one of the best things about the film’s conclusion.

Did Train To Busan Ever Get A Sequel?

Train To Busan Has A Prequel And A Sequel


The poster for Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula as the heroes shoot at zombies

Although there are several questions that Train to Busan leaves unanswered, the film didn’t get a sequel that solves the mystery. Train to Busan does have an animated prequel, Seoul Station, which expands on the original movie’s story. There’s also a sequel to Train to Busan, Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula, which premiered in 2020 to mixed reviews.

Given Train to Busan‘s success, it’s not surprising that Hollywood wanted to make a remake of the film тιтled The Last Train to New York.

Given Train to Busan‘s success, it’s not surprising that Hollywood wanted to make a remake of the film тιтled The Last Train to New York. The film was supposed to be released on April 21, 2023, but was removed from Warner Bros.’s release schedule in 2022. Train to Busan is one of the best Korean horror movies ever made, so living up to the expectations of the original would be an extremely difficult task for any adaptation.

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