Hong Gil Dong
About Hong Gil Dong:
Hong Gil Dong is an old korean novel, written in the Chosun Dynasty. The fictitious character of the story was authored by Heo Gyun and is believed to have been written in late 16th or early 17th century. Hong Gil Dong is famous for his robbing the rich to feed the poor, much like the English folk hero Robin Hood.
The author of the novel, Huh Gyun, is usually known in Korea as the writer of the first Korean novel, but was also a radical intellectual. He was born in a studious scholar family, as Korea at the time was a Confucianist state. His half-brother Huh Sung was at that time a famous poet, and his sister Huh Nanseolheon one of Korea's few famous female poets and artists. He had long dreamed to change Korea into a fair society with no pressures within a hierarchy.
Due to the strict Confucian laws of the Chosun Dynasty, he expressed his ideas in this novel, where Hong, born an illegitimate child, is not accepted by his father and family. His father, after hearing from a shaman that his son is cursed, attempts to kill him but fails. Shocked and appalled at his father's actions, he goes out into the world, where he becomes a bandit leader. He becomes a bandit for the people, and steals from the rich only to give to the poor. His popularity within the peasant society soars, and many commoners seeing in him a hero. Because of this, he is wanted by the government under Yeonsangun and is marked as a national traitor. With the order from the King, the government forces try to capture him many times, only to capture three hundred of his manifestations. Eventually, to control him, the government offers him the job of War Minister in which he accepts. For a while, he is satisfied with his occupation, but later, he realizes that the people still suffer. To find out the truth, he departs for Nanking to seek truth there. On his way, by chance he discovers the nation of Yul-do, which was oppressed by demons. He defeats the demons, and is elected as the king of Yul-do. However, he hears the news of his father’s death, and hurries back to Chosun (Joseon) to serve his father’s funeral for three years, according to tradition. After his service, he returns to Yul-do, where he lives happily as a king and hero.
Interestingly, Hong is shown as returning to serve his father's funeral for three years, whereas his father attempted to murder him years ago. This reveals Hong's heroic state of mind furnished by Heo Gyun.
The story was adapted into a South Korean animated feature film of the same name in 1967. A North Korean martial arts film, Hong Kil Dong, was released in 1986. The character Hong Gil Dong is also adapted in Shin Agyo Onshi manga as female bandit leader.
A South Korean TV series (see below) based on the same story, entitled Hong Gil Dong (a.k.a.: Sharp Blade Hong Gil Dong), began airing on KBS 2 from 02.01.2008 to March 2008.
Synopsis:
Hong Gil Dong is based on a fictional book about a kind of Robin Hood in Korea. This drama is very loosely based on that book and the time period it was set in.
Hong Gil Dong is the illegitimate son of a minister. He is very bright and smart, however was told that he could not accomplish anything in this world, due to his illegitimate status. Thus he grew up spending most of his time being lazy and causing trouble for the people around him. However, a local monk thinks he is destined to be much more, and has taught Gil Dong martial arts. As the series progresses, Gil Dong realizes the severity of the injustices of the ranked world, and starts to fight against these injustices, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor.
Heo Yi Nok is an upbeat, naive and carefree girl. At the beginning of the series, she arrives from China with her grandfather, who has raised her. She meets and befriends Gil Dong. Yi Nok has a past she is unaware of: she does not know her grandfather is not her blood-related grandfather, and that her real parents were murdered. She eventually develops feelings for Gil Dong, who reciprocates her feelings.
Lee Chang Hui also has arrived in Korea from China at the beginning of the series. He seems cold and calculating, as he also has a dark past in which his older brother, the current king of Joseon (Korea), tried to murder him. Chang Hui is planning a revolution, in which he tries to overthrow the king and takes his place as, he believes, the rightful king of Joseon. He coincidentally bumps into both Gil Dong and Yi Nok. Both Gil Dong and Yi Nok help Chang Hui realize what it takes to become a good king. He forges an alliance with Gil Dong and develops feelings for Yi Nok.
As the question of rightful succession comes into play, Hong Gil Dong and Yi Nok are forced to take sides, all the while having to deal with their own personal problems: their love, Gil Dong with his father issues, Yi Nok with her murdered parents and their revenge.
Hong Gil Dong jeon (Opening_Page)
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