The Story of Hong Gildong

In the ancient kingdom of Joseon, during a time when social class determined every aspect of a person’s life, there lived a nobleman named Hong Taesa in the capital city of Hanyang. Hong Taesa was a man of great wealth and high position in the royal court, respected by his peers and feared by his servants. He lived in a grand mansion with beautiful gardens, surrounded by luxury and comfort that most people could only dream of.

Hong Taesa had a legitimate wife who had given him a son, ensuring the continuation of his noble lineage. However, he also had a concubine named Chunsom, a woman of great beauty and intelligence who had captured his heart despite her humble origins. The rigid social structure of the time meant that any children born to Chunsom would be considered illegitimate and would face a lifetime of discrimination and limited opportunities.

When Chunsom gave birth to a son, the child was given the name Hong Gildong. From the moment of his birth, it was clear that this baby was no ordinary child. The midwives whispered in amazement about the strange lights they had seen dancing around the birthing room, and some claimed they had heard celestial music during the delivery.

As Hong Gildong grew, it became evident that he possessed extraordinary abilities that set him apart from other children. He was incredibly intelligent, learning to read and write at an astonishingly young age. More remarkably, he seemed to possess magical powers that manifested in small but undeniable ways.

“Father,” young Gildong said one day when he was barely seven years old, “I can make myself invisible when I concentrate very hard. Watch!”

Before Hong Taesa’s amazed eyes, his young son seemed to fade from view like morning mist, only to reappear moments later with a mischievous smile.

“And I can make objects move without touching them,” Gildong continued, causing a heavy book to float across the room and land gently on a table.

Hong Taesa was both proud and troubled by his son’s extraordinary gifts. While he marveled at Gildong’s abilities, he also understood the dangerous position his illegitimate son occupied in their rigid society.

“My son,” Hong Taesa said seriously, “you must be very careful about displaying these powers. In our world, those who are different are often feared, and those who are feared are often destroyed. Your birth circumstances already make your life difficult. Do not make it more dangerous by revealing abilities that others cannot understand.”

But as Gildong grew older, he found it increasingly difficult to hide his true nature and increasingly painful to accept the limitations placed upon him by his illegitimate status. Despite being more intelligent and capable than his legitimate half-brother, Gildong was forbidden from taking the civil service examinations that would allow him to serve in government. He could not inherit his father’s title or properties, and he was expected to live his entire life in the shadows of respectability.

“Why, Father?” Gildong asked when he reached his eighteenth birthday, his voice filled with frustration and pain. “Why must my entire life be limited by the circumstances of my birth? I have done nothing wrong, yet I am treated as if I am less than human. Is this the justice that our society claims to uphold?”

Hong Taesa’s heart ached for his son, but he felt powerless to change the fundamental structures of their world. “My son, I know it seems unfair, but this is the way things have always been. Perhaps if you are patient and accept your circumstances with grace, you can still find a way to live a meaningful life within the constraints that society has placed upon you.”

But Gildong’s spirit was too strong and his sense of justice too keen to accept such limitations. That very night, he made a decision that would change the course of his life forever.

“If this society will not allow me to serve justice through legitimate means,” he declared to himself, “then I will find other ways to fight against injustice and help those who suffer under this unfair system.”

Using his extraordinary powers, Gildong left his father’s house under cover of darkness and began a new life as a champion of the oppressed and downtrodden. He gathered around him a band of like-minded individuals who had also been rejected or mistreated by the rigid social system – other illegitimate children, slaves who had escaped their masters, and common people who had suffered under the corruption of dishonest officials.

“My friends,” Gildong addressed his growing band of followers in their hidden mountain stronghold, “we may be outcasts in the eyes of the law, but we are not outlaws in the eyes of justice. We will use our freedom to do what the legitimate authorities refuse to do – protect the innocent, help the poor, and punish those who abuse their power.”

Gildong’s first major act of heroism came when he learned of a corrupt magistrate named Byeon Sato who had been extorting money from the farmers in his district. Magistrate Byeon had been demanding excessive taxes and keeping the extra money for himself, leaving many families on the brink of starvation.

“This cannot be allowed to continue,” Gildong declared. “We will teach this corrupt official that justice cannot be bought or sold.”

Using his power of invisibility, Gildong infiltrated Magistrate Byeon’s heavily guarded compound on a moonless night. He made his way to the official’s private treasury, where he found vast quantities of gold and silver that had been stolen from the poor farmers.

Instead of simply taking the money, Gildong decided to teach the magistrate a lesson he would never forget. He used his magical abilities to rearrange everything in the official’s house – furniture hung from the ceiling, paintings turned upside down, and in the treasury, he left behind a message written in golden letters that appeared to glow with their own inner light:

“The gold you have stolen from the poor has been returned to them. Continue your corrupt practices, and you will face consequences far worse than mere embarrassment. The spirits of justice are watching you. – Hong Gildong”

When Magistrate Byeon discovered what had happened, he was terrified. The supernatural nature of the event convinced him that he was dealing with forces beyond his understanding. From that day forward, he became an honest official, treating the people under his care with fairness and respect.

Meanwhile, Gildong had secretly distributed the stolen gold to the families who had been robbed by the corrupt magistrate. The poor farmers suddenly found mysterious gifts of money appearing in their homes, always accompanied by notes that said simply, “Justice has many forms. Use this wisely.”

Word of these miraculous events spread quickly throughout the kingdom. The common people began to whisper about a mysterious hero who fought for justice and helped the oppressed. They called him the “Shadow Warrior” or the “Spirit of Justice,” not knowing his true identity.

But Gildong’s activities eventually came to the attention of the royal court, where they caused great concern among the nobility and government officials. Many of these powerful men had been enriching themselves through corruption and abuse of their positions, and they feared that this mysterious champion of justice might target them next.

“We must find and capture this Hong Gildong,” declared the Chief Minister to the King. “His actions, while they may help some poor people, are fundamentally attacks on the established order. If we allow such behavior to continue, it could inspire rebellion among the lower classes.”

The King, influenced by his advisors’ fears, issued a royal decree placing a large bounty on Hong Gildong’s head and ordering all military forces to hunt him down. But Gildong’s magical abilities and the loyalty of the common people made him nearly impossible to capture.

For several years, Gildong continued his campaign of justice, becoming an increasingly legendary figure. He exposed corrupt officials, redistributed stolen wealth to the poor, and protected innocent people from those who would abuse their power. His band of followers grew larger and more skilled, and his reputation spread beyond the borders of Korea to other lands.

However, Gildong began to realize that his individual actions, while meaningful, were not enough to create the fundamental changes that society needed. The system itself was flawed, and no amount of heroic intervention could fix problems that were built into the very structure of their civilization.

“My friends,” he said to his followers one evening as they sat around their campfire in the mountains, “I have been thinking about our mission and our future. We have helped many people and punished many wrongdoers, but the basic injustices of our society remain unchanged. Perhaps it is time for us to try a different approach.”

“What do you mean, leader?” asked one of his most trusted companions.

“I mean that instead of fighting against an unjust system from within, perhaps we should create a new society based on different principles,” Gildong replied thoughtfully. “There are lands beyond our borders where we could establish a community built on equality and justice, where a person’s worth is measured by their character and actions rather than the circumstances of their birth.”

After much discussion and planning, Gildong and his followers decided to leave Korea and establish their own ideal society on a distant island. Using his magical powers to command the winds and waves, Gildong led his people across the ocean to a beautiful, uninhabited island where they could build a new kind of community.

On this island, which they named Yuldo (the Island of Ideals), Gildong established a society where all people were treated as equals regardless of their background. Former slaves worked alongside former nobles, and leadership positions were earned through merit and virtue rather than inherited through birth.

“Here,” Gildong proclaimed as they laid the foundation stones of their first buildings, “we will prove that a just society is not only possible but practical. We will show the world that when people are treated with dignity and given equal opportunities, they can achieve great things together.”

The community on Yuldo prospered beyond all expectations. Under Gildong’s wise leadership, they developed new farming techniques, created beautiful art and literature, and established systems of education and governance that served as models of fairness and effectiveness.

Meanwhile, back in Korea, the absence of Hong Gildong was deeply felt by the common people who had depended on his protection. Stories of his great deeds became legends passed down from generation to generation, inspiring others to fight for justice in their own ways.

Years later, when Gildong was an older man with silver in his hair, messengers arrived from Korea bringing news that the kingdom had undergone significant reforms. A new, wiser king had come to power and had begun implementing changes that reduced corruption and provided more opportunities for people of humble birth.

“Perhaps,” Gildong said to his companions as they read the messages, “our example has shown that change is possible after all. Sometimes the greatest victory is not in conquering one’s enemies, but in inspiring them to become better than they were.”

Hong Gildong spent the rest of his long life on Yuldo, serving as a wise and beloved leader to his people. When he finally passed away peacefully in his sleep, the entire island mourned the loss of their founder and guide.

But his legacy lived on, not only in the thriving society he had created on Yuldo, but in the countless stories told about him throughout Korea and beyond. Parents would tell their children about the illegitimate son who refused to accept injustice, who used his extraordinary gifts to help others, and who proved that one person with courage and determination could make a difference in the world.

The story of Hong Gildong became a symbol of hope for all those who faced discrimination and oppression. It reminded people that true nobility comes not from the circumstances of one’s birth, but from the choices one makes and the actions one takes in service of justice and equality.

And on clear nights, when the stars shine brightly over the island of Yuldo, the people there still tell stories of their legendary founder, the man who taught them that the most powerful magic of all is the magic of believing that a better world is possible, and having the courage to work toward making it real.