The Story of Hong Gildong
by Heo Gyun · 2026-08-25
“Yes, no matter how disloyal and unfilial a wretch he may be, above him is His Majesty himself, and below him is his father.”
“To mock the King and his father in the presence of the throne, so close by, his sin is even greater.”
“Quickly go forth to face punishment and obey the will of Heaven.”
“Otherwise, I will die before your eyes first, to lessen His Majesty’s wrath by one ten-thousandth.”
Then he reported to the King.
“Your humble servant’s lowly son, Gil-dong, has seven red spots on his left leg.”
“Please use this as proof to identify him.”
However, the eight Gil-dongs simultaneously rolled up their trousers.
Each of them proudly displayed seven spots.
The Prime Minister ultimately failed to distinguish the genuine one and, overcome with anxiety, fainted on the spot.
The King, startled, quickly ordered his attendants to revive him, but there was no sign of him waking up.
At that moment, each of the eight Gil-dongs took out two jujube-sized pills from their pockets.
They vied with each other to put them into the Prime Minister’s mouth, and before long, the Prime Minister awoke.
The eight Gil-dongs wept and reported.
“Our fate is unfortunate; we were born by borrowing the womb of a lowly servant of the Hong clan.”
“Therefore, we could not freely call our father ‘father’ or our brother ‘brother’.”
“Furthermore, there were envious people in the household, so we could not preserve our lives.”
“So we sought refuge in the mountains, intending to grow old with the plants, but Heaven detested us and we fell in with a band of thieves.”
“However, we have never touched even a single hair of the common people’s property.”
“We only took the bribes of officials and the wealth of the unrighteous.”
"Occasionally, they would bring the nation's grain, but the king and a father are one and the same."
"How can a child be called a thief for eating what belongs to their father?"
“It is like a young child feeding on its mother’s milk.”
“These are all the machinations of petty officials in the court who obscured Your Majesty’s wisdom and fabricated crimes that do not exist; they are not my sins.”
The King was furious and rebuked him.
“You said you did not take wealth without cause.”
“If so, what about deceiving the monks of Hapcheon-sa Temple to steal their wealth, and then setting fire to the royal tomb and stealing weapons?”
“Where is there a greater sin than this?”
The Gil-dongs prostrated themselves and reported.
“Buddhism, as it is called, deceives the world and deludes the people.”
“They take the people’s grain without plowing fields, and obtain the people’s clothes by deceit without weaving.”
“They harm the body and hair inherited from their parents, revering the appearance of barbarians,”
“They abandon their King and father, and flee to avoid taxes; there is no greater injustice than this.”
“As for taking weapons, it was because we, while staying in the mountains and practicing military strategy,”
“intended to brave arrows and stones to assist Your Majesty in achieving peace, should we encounter a time of turmoil.”
“We set fire, but ensured it did not spread to the royal tomb itself.”
“My father is a man who, having received the nation’s stipend for generations and devoted himself to loyalty, worries he might not repay even one ten-thousandth of Your Majesty’s grace.”
“How could such a servant presumptuously harbor thoughts beyond his station?”
“Even if the crime is judged, it is not a matter that warrants death.”
“However, since Your Majesty has heard the baseless words of your subjects and is so enraged,”
“I shall not await punishment but will first take my own life to alleviate your anger.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the eight Gil-dongs intertwined, collapsed, and died.
Those on either side found it strange and examined them closely.
The real Gil-dong was nowhere to be found; there were only seven scarecrows made of straw.
The King, even more enraged by Gil-dong's deception, sent an edict to the Gyeongsang Governor, urging him to hasten Gil-dong's capture.
Meanwhile, the Gyeongsang Governor had been restless since sending Gil-dong up.
He had put aside all official duties and was just waiting for news from Seoul when suddenly an imperial decree arrived.
After bowing four times towards the northern palace, he opened the seal, and it read:
'You did not capture Gil-dong but sent scarecrows, thus disturbing the Ministry of Punishments. You shall not escape the crime of deceiving the King.'
'I will not discuss your crime yet, but capture Gil-dong within ten days.'
The words were extremely stern.
The Governor, overcome with fear, didn't know what to do and issued orders in all directions to find Gil-dong.
Then one day.
On a bright moonlit night, as the Governor leaned against the railing, a young boy descended from the beam of Seonhwadang.
He prostrated himself and bowed twice, and upon closer inspection, it was indeed Gil-dong.
The Governor rebuked him.