The story of Hong Gildong is unique among the Korean fictions because it has been memorized virtually by every Korean by heart. To make it more viral and known to almost every Korean, even the growing children, it has been adapted into television shows, movies, comics and even novels have been written about it. It is interesting to see how the folk Hong Gildong mounts over everything he faces and comes out a winner. It also fascinates many to note how Hong’s attachment to the values and respect of his culture to his family, even after moving to open rebellion are upheld (Kang, 2016). The story is a hallmark of the Korean culture.
Hong is a clever, illegitimate son of a minister who is unable to ascend in the society because of his secondary status. It is for this reason that he decides to leave home, join and lead a gang of lawbreakers, who rob from the rich and give to the poor. In a bid to gain acceptance from his family, Hong battles out monsters. Conquers kingdoms and vanquishes assassins. This act of courage is limelight to most male figures in both South and North Korea. It has made them learn that a man is just not the head of the family by a word of mouth but by action. It takes a step ahead of the ordinary to be able to do what Hong does (Kang, 2016).
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A son of a concubine in a family setting of a high ranking government official, and eventually cast out of his home, Hong prefers to refer to his Father as Father and his Brother as Brother instead of using their government titles. By this, he portrays the attribute of humility and politeness to various groups in the society, especially the rich who admire being referred to by their subjects by bombastic words, words that express their supremacy.
He is an incredible intellect and has a good mastery of ancient texts, by caste rules, but despite all this, he can never hold a high ranking government office, or get an opportunity to serve his country because of his questionable character. Even though he robbed from the rich to feed the poor, all in all, that robbing is a criminal record which cannot allow him to hold any public office. This portrays the morals in the Korean culture.
Most Americans have also enjoyed reading and watching the story about Hong Gildong and have in many times contrasted him with Robin Hood. A group of them refer to the story as a Korean cultural institution for it reflects on popular Korean cultural concerns. By reading the story, these clique of folk has gotten to learn not only the Korean history but also their laws. They have been able to relate the culture with that of the Koreans during the Joseon period. For example, despite Hong being a son to the government minister, he cannot be allowed to get into politics because of his illegitimacy (Kang, 2016).
“When I think upon the world, I see that a human being is as insignificant as a single piece of grain on a vast ocean and that a lifetime can pass in the blink of an eye. ... He was then overcome by a sorrow so powerful that he could not stop grieving, and all of his officials wept at his sadness" (p. 230). Near the end of his life, Hong sees humanity as a humble state after achieving his dreams. He fails to see this whole context of his relationship with God. This also helps to square out the Koreans’ spiritual status. As much as they fought and pursued their dreams, back in the mind, like Hong Gildong, they believed in a supreme being (Gyun, 2013).
From the rumor that if born from a peasant family the Mighty Child might be killed, we see Hong becoming very concerned with his future after witnessing his uncontrollable behavior in oppressive situations. Due to this, he decides to conceal his .power for it could jeopardize the life all the family member. This shows the Koreans cultural beliefs in poverty. It can be noted from Hong’s thoughts of concern, that people with poor background were not expected to lead other as government officials.
In Hong’s epic story, as a “low birth” he is able to become a leader of gang of robbers and later on, he becomes a king of a far-off land. He acquires all this through the power of magic that he acquired from the wiles of his father’s primary wife. Culturally, we learn of the belief in magic in Korea. Even though Hong had established himself well, being a king, he still longed to be back to his family, a family that had cast him out. His mightiness did not make him forget his family. It’s a perfect paint out of humility and respect to the family despite one’s rankings in Korea. When Hong finally attained the status that he sought, even though in another land, he does something that stands out from what he experienced when he was young. He gets his own children and even with the concubines, but he treats all his children equally (Lee et al., 2016).
In conclusion, this might not be all the cultural values embodied in this epic story about Hong Gildong but as mentioned and discussed; they bring out the gravity of the moral values within the Korean communities. This literature undisputedly remains one of the most informative and historical materials for whoever wants to learn about the Korean culture.
References
Gyun, H. (2013).Tale of Hong Gildong (Hong Gil dong-jeon/홍길동전). Retrieved on 8th April 2018, from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=8uUoSoWax_g
Kang, M. (2016). The Story of Hong Gildong: Journal of Korean Literature & Culture , 6 (1), 229-322.
Lee, M., Kang, M. & Jin, M.L (2016). Hong GilDong with Minsoo Kang, Min Jin Lee, and Myung-Ok Lee.
Retrieved on 8th April 2018, from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7Fitba-La8
