A long time ago during the Joseon Dynasty, a boy named Hong Gil-dong was born as the son of a nobleman. Unfortunately, his mother was a concubine, which meant he was an illegitimate child. For that reason, Hong was rejected by his own father and brother and was also forced to call his father “master.” Moreover, under the strict hierarchal social structure at the time, illegitimate sons of concubines were prohibited from taking up any government posts. Hong was a gifted child who excelled in both scholarship and martial arts, but there was no way for the poor boy to showcase his abilities.

Frustrated with this harsh reality, Hong decided to leave home and go out into the wider world. He formed a group of rebels who had suffered unfair treatment in the strictly ranked society and called the group Hwalbingdang. That is to say, the group led by Hong consisted of bandits who vowed to fight for social justice. They stole money and goods from rich, corrupt officials and distributed them to poor people. The rumor of their righteous activities quickly spread all over the country and people began to praise Hong and view him as a hero.

His reputation grew and grew. Of course, the government was not happy about the emergence of a new hero, who could threaten social order. The government tried to arrest him many times, only to capture hundreds of bogus people who looked like Hong. In fact, Hong had already learned Taoist magical tricks, such as flying and disguising himself as other people. The government finally gave up on arresting the bandit leader and instead offered him the government post of Defense Minister. Hong accepted the job and he was pleased with his post.

Before long, however, Hong realized that his efforts were limited when seeking an improvement in society. Rather, he discovered that people were still poor under corrupt officials and inefficient state systems. Hong resigned from his post and left for Nanjing, China, to find out truth. On his way, he happened to discover a country named Yuldo. Unfortunately, the beautiful country had been suppressed by monsters. With his Hwalbindang members, Hong beat the demons and kicked them out of the country. Then, he became king himself and built an ideal world, where no one was treated poorly and every member of society lived equally and happily.

The Tale of Hong Gil-dong was written by prominent politician and writer Heo Gyun in the 17th century. It is known as the first-ever novel to be written with the Korean alphabet of Hangeul. Hong Gil-dong was a beloved character throughout history and the tale has been recreated in many different versions, such as movies, dramas, animated films, musicals and even video games. Hong Gil-dong is a household name in Korea, much like John Doe in the U.S.

Hong Gil-dong is a fictional character, but not in Jangseong County, South Jeolla Province. There, Hong Gil-dong is a true figure who was born in a village of the county in the 15th century. For years Jangseong has sought to make Hong Gil-dong a unique icon in order to represent and promote the region. The town is so proud of the hero that it holds an annual festival named after Hong Gil-dong and also has a culture center dedicated to this legendary man.