Hong Gildong jeon (The Story of Hong Gil-dong) is a classic regarded as the first Korean novel. The historical inspiration for the titular character was the early 16th-century Korean bandit and folk hero, Im Kkeokjeong. Im led a peasant rebellion and a band of hundreds of people that killed and stole from the rich and gave to the poor. Because the story originated well before the division of the Korean peninsula, it is important to both North and South Korean culture.
There are two main theories regarding the authorship of Hong Gildong jeon. The first, and most widely accepted, is that it was written in the late 17th or early 18th century, under the Joseon Dynasty, by Heo Gyun.
Heo Gyun was born into a normal family to Heo Yeop, mayor of Gangneung, and his second wife. His younger sister, Heo Nanseolheon, was a prominent poet, and his half-brother, Heo Pong, was a minister and political writer. Heo Gyun was tutored by Yi Dal, who influenced his radically progressive beliefs and visions for Korean society, including less strict social hierarchies and less discrimination based on birth--two concepts at odds with the strict Confucian order of the Joseon Dynasty. Under Yi Dal's tutelage, Heo Gyun also passed the Civil Service Exam and went on to serve as Minister of the Board of Punishment and State Councillor. However, he was exiled several times for involvement in political feuds and was executed in 1618 on charges of treason. Heo Gyun's former student, Yi Sik, was the first to attribute the story to Heo Gyun, but later turned against him due to court politics.
However, Korean historian Kang Min-soo has led a recent trend in scholarship that challenges the theory that Heo Gyun authored Hong Gildong jeon. According to Kang, "the extant version of the novel was written around the mid-19th century, or not long before that, 'by an anonymous writer of secondary or commoner status.'" He argues that increased social mobility and literacy of the 18th century led to the development of a market for popular fiction. People of different classes were reading and writing by the 19th century, so the ideas in Hong Gildong jeon could reach those with whom they would resonate the most.
There are more than 34 existing manuscripts of Hong Gildong jeon, and evidence suggests that among them, the pilsa 86 manuscript is the oldest. However, there is no evidence to suggest that the pilsa 86 manuscript is the original version of the story, so Kang's theory that the extant version of the novel was written more recently than the late 17th or early 18th century still holds water.
Whatever the case may be, Hong Gildong jeon is a widely influential text in Korean culture. "Hong Gildong" is often used as a placeholder name comparable to "John Doe" in America. The story has been the subject on numerous adaptations in pop culture, and there is a Hong Gildong theme park and annual festival in Jangseong County, said to be the birthplace of Hong Gildong himself.
