The Story of Hong Gildong

“When I gazed briefly upon the noble youth’s face, I saw not only the magnificent features of a grand personage without equal but also the spirit of rivers and mountains deep in his brow. […] Joseon is a small country, so what use is it for him to possess the qualities of a king? If he should grow up to harbor a great ambition that leads him to engage in outright rebellion, that could cause the destruction of your entire family. Your Lordship should take measures to prevent such a thing from happening.”

The physiognomist delivers this fortune for Gildong as part of Chorang’s plan to engineer his death. This view illustrates Joseon class standards—rather than praise Gildong’s magnificent potential, the physiognomist presents it as a warning. Her statements foreshadow Hong Gildong’s journey. The novel’s message is that Gildong’s good qualities are actually an asset to his family and his country, but because the nobility believes that people from the lower classes must stay in their place, they rob themselves of the opportunity to have a talented person like Gildong on their side.

“And so he used his magic to change all the directional orientation inside the cottage. He then summoned a supernatural spirit and ordered it to await his command in the middle of the room. Such were the marvelous powers Gildong possessed.”

The fantasy elements of the story are part of what makes The Story of Hong Gildong an enduring classic. Gildong’s ability to overcome his circumstances to the point that he develops supernatural powers elevates him to the status of a mythical figure. He is not only as good as the noble class that tries to suppress him, but he has also transcended human capabilities to achieve far more than they could.

“We will go forth across the eight provinces of Joseon and seize wealth that was ill-gotten, but we will also help the impoverished and the oppressed by giving them goods. And we will do so without ever revealing our identities. We will go after the powerful who obtained their riches by squeezing the common people and take away their unjustly gained possessions.”

While Gildong longs for a high-ranking status and the recognition of the noble class, he does not believe that the nobility have the right to oppress the common people. Gildong is a complex character because he embraces his identity as a commoner to fight for justice, but he also achieves the royal status he craves by becoming a king. Though Gildong could use his powers for selfish purposes, he chooses to help people in need. This sets him apart from the other members of the upper class.

“Once a person is born into this world, it is essential to abide by the five relationships. And at the center of the five relationships are the king and the father. To disobey a king or a father is an act of disloyalty and an abandonment of filial piety, for which there can be no forgiveness.”

Throughout the novel, characters make the connection between the father and the king. Joseon was a strictly patriarchal society, and the king was seen as the “father” of the people. Gildong’s central conflict is that he disagrees with his father’s decision to treat him as lowborn, but his father’s outlook is based on the king’s laws. Although Gildong defies societal norms, he maintains a sense of filial piety and shows respect by leaving Joseon to fulfill his destiny. By the end of the novel, Gildong has succeeded in changing the minds of both his father and the king.

“None throughout the ages could have matched Gildong’s powers. How did I think that we could capture such a person? […] He is not a man deserving of death, but a grand personage.”

The king’s first meeting with Gildong convinces him that Gildong is special. But even when the king agrees to make Gildong the minister of war, Gildong acknowledges that the other ministers and noblemen would mistreat him based on his class. The king’s admission that he was wrong about Gildong is a bigger triumph for Gildong than when he becomes a king in his own right.

“I possess the medical skills of Hwa Ta and Pyeon Jak, so a mere wound is nothing to me.”

The convention of comparing one’s skills to those of great men—mostly ancient Chinese philosophers and kings—is a common trope in the text. In this example, Gildong is trying to convince the uldongs to let him treat their king. Hwa Ta and Pyeon Jak are the Korean names for the ancient Chinese physicians Hua Tuo (c. 145-208) and Bian Que (c. 700 BCE), respectively. For more background on these historical figures, see Kang’s note on page 95.

“After I die, take special care of Gildong’s mother and make sure that she lives out her life in comfort. If Gildong should return, then lay aside the practice of separating legitimate children from the illegitimate, and act without discrimination toward him as if he were born of the same mother as you. I ask you to honor this last command from your father.”

Gildong’s father always had the power to go against tradition and have his household treat Gildong as an equal, but he chose not to because he thought it would reflect poorly on his family. On his deathbed, he realizes that he was wrong to discriminate against Gildong and his mother. His change of heart begs the question: Why were the minister and the rest of the family so afraid of treating Gildong and his mother with the respect reserved for high-ranking people?

“The gravesite that was built there was as magnificent as a royal tomb, […]. Gildong commanded his soldiers to finish preparing the site as he and his family went through the funeral rites until it was finally time to lower the coffin into the ground. The mourning son and Gildong wailed together as they offered up sacrifices. The majesty of the ceremony was without equal.”

“The gravesite that was built there was as magnificent as a royal tomb, […]. Gildong commanded his soldiers to finish preparing the site as he and his family went through the funeral rites until it was finally time to lower the coffin into the ground. The mourning son and Gildong wailed together as they offered up sacrifices. The majesty of the ceremony was without equal.”

“Older brother, do not grieve so. Our father is buried in a radiant place so our family will produce kings, lords, ministers, and generals from one generation to the next, and no harm will come to you from the false charges of others. So I bid you to return safely to the great wife and console her well. I also wish you a long and healthy life. I will make certain that proper rites are performed at our father’s grave with the utmost care, as I look forward to the day when mother, son, and brothers will meet again.”

Gildong reverses the family power dynamic by taking control of his father’s grave site and death rituals. Now, Gildong has the power to confer good fortune on his family, and Inhyeon and the minister’s wife must come to Gildong’s island to pay their respects. Gildong does not do this out of spite; he does not bear his family ill will nor does he want to make them suffer. He wants to wield the power that was withheld from him in Joseon by virtue of his being a second—and illegitimate—son.

“How can a true man find contentment in growing old while leading a leisurely and mediocre life?”

The concept of being a “true man” recurs in the novel. Gildong’s frustration comes from his stifled ambition, which in turn stifles his sense of manhood. In Joseon, limiting a man’s ambition is emasculating. Tradition aligns Gildong with his powerless mother’s status instead of his powerful father's, essentially cutting Gildong off from his manhood. His life’s journey is an attempt to regain his masculine power, which he does through conquering a country.

“I meet my doom from underestimating my enemy, so I have no one to blame but myself.”

The King of Yul speaks these words when he realizes that he cannot defeat Gildong’s army. His words reflect the regrets of many other characters in the story, all of whom face the consequences of looking down on Gildong. The King of Yul is one of the authority figures in the novel who underestimates Gildong, and he dies by suicide as a result.

“After his ascendance to the throne, the new king ruled with such benevolence that his subjects drummed their full stomachs and sang happy ballads. ‘A time of peace and prosperity has come, like in the days of Yo and Sun.’”

The author makes it clear that although Gildong seeks power, he is not a tyrant. Thus continues the idea that the world could have lost a great leader had Gildong’s ambition been wholly suppressed. Yo and Sun are the Korean names for the semi-mythical ancient Chinese rulers Yao (c. 24th-23rd centuries BCE) and Shun (c. 23rd-22nd centuries BCE), respectively. For more background on these rulers, see Kang’s note on page 98.

“Because of my lack of benevolence, I missed the opportunity of having a great hero like you in my service. I know that you would have shown me great loyalty. Even now, when you have become a person of great importance, you have not forgotten me. Instead, you thought of our relationship of old and sent an emissary across the vast blue ocean to ask after me. How can I not be moved by such fidelity?”

After Gildong becomes King of Annam, he gains the King of Joseon’s recognition. The king’s recognition is even more important than his father’s, and his response to Gildong’s letter provides closure for Gildong in his journey. With his father and his father’s wife buried on Jae Island, with Chunseom installed as the queen dowager of Annam, and with the king’s acknowledgment of his folly, Gildong has no more reason to associate with Joseon.