Hong Gildong jeon
Korean-language novel by Heo Gyun about the folk-hero figure Hong Gildong, written in the late 16th or early 17th century
Hong Gildong jeon (Korean: 홍길동전; Hanja: 洪吉童傳) is a Korean novel, often translated as The Biography of Hong Gildong, written during the Joseon period. The novel is considered an iconic piece of Korean literature and culture. Its authorship has traditionally been attributed to Joseon statesman, Hŏ Kyun, though recent scholarship has called this into question.
Hong Gildong, an illegitimate son of a nobleman and his lowborn concubine, is the main character of the story. Gifted with supreme intelligence and supernatural abilities, he steals from rich and corrupt aristocrats. Historical sources point to the existence of a bandit named Hong Kiltong who was arrested in 1500, but the historical inspiration for the character was the Korean bandit and folk hero Im Kkeokjeong, who lived in the early 16th century.
"During the 15th year of King Sejong's reign in the nation of Joseon, there was only one prime minister outside of the doors of Hong Hee-mun; his surname was Hong and his given name was Mun..."
This is the first sentence of the novel, introducing the main character's (Hong Gil-dong's) father. It is the beginning of the complete 36-chapter edition of Hong Gildong-jeon. This opening sentence leads off the version most widely used in academia. The original version was written much earlier than this different version (이본/異本).
The public source identifies “Hong Gildong jeon” as korean-language novel by Heo Gyun about the folk-hero figure Hong Gildong, written in the late 16th or early 17th century. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Hong, Gildong and jeon.
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Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 29, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q14911972. VIAF identifies the subject as 182288080. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1500.
Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Hong Gildong jeon” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.