Hong Gildong

Hong Gildong is a fictitious character in an old Korean novel, Tale of Hong Gildong (Hangul: 홍길동전; Hanja: 洪吉童傳; RR: Hong Gildong-jeon), written in the Joseon Dynasty. The story was authored by Heo Gyun and is believed to have been written in the late 16th or early 17th century. Hong Gildong is famous for his robbing the rich to feed the poor, much like the English folk hero Robin Hood.

The author of the novel, Heo Gyun (허균), is usually known in Korea as the writer of the first Korean novel, but was also a radical intellectual. His half-brother Heo Seong was at that time a famous poet, and his sister Heo Nanseolheon one of Korea's few famous female poets and artists. Heo Gyun had long dreamed to change Korea into a fair society with no pressures within a hierarchy.

Hong Gildong is also a common placeholder name, similar to John Doe in the United States.

Read more about Hong Gildong:  The Story of Hong Gildong, Adaptations