홍길동전
The Tale of Hong Gildong
Traditional Korean tale, attributed to Heo Gyun (1569–1618)
The Story
Tap a word to translate it. Select text to highlight it or add it to your study plan.
옛날 한양에 홍 판서라는 높은 벼슬아치가 살았는데, 그에게는 재주가 뛰어난 아들 길동이 있었어요.하지만 길동은 정실부인이 아닌 몸종 춘섬에게서 태어난 아들이어서, 세상은 그를 ‘서자’라 부르며 낮추어 보았어요.그 시대의 엄격한 신분 법도 때문에, 길동은 자신의 친아버지를 ‘아버지’라, 친형을 ‘형님’이라 부를 수조차 없었어요.
길동은 어릴 때부터 글도 잘 짓고 무예도 뛰어나, 마을 사람들 모두가 그의 재주에 감탄했어요.그러나 아무리 뛰어나도 서자라는 신분 때문에 과거를 볼 수도, 벼슬길에 나갈 수도 없다는 사실이 그를 몹시 괴롭혔어요.어느 늦은 밤, 길동은 마당에 홀로 서서 달을 바라보며 자신의 서러운 처지를 조용히 곱씹었어요.
마침 그곳을 지나던 아버지가 아들의 한숨 소리를 듣고 걸음을 멈추었어요.길동은 용기를 내어, 아버지를 아버지라 부르지 못하는 자신의 처지가 너무나 서럽다고 고백했어요.아버지는 그 말에 마음이 무너졌지만, 나라의 법도를 홀로 어길 수는 없어 그저 조용히 아들의 어깨를 다독여 줄 뿐이었어요.
그 뒤로도 집안 사람들 가운데 길동의 재주를 시기하고 그를 눈엣가시처럼 여기는 이들이 있었어요.집안 분위기가 점점 위태로워지자, 길동은 이 집에 더 머물다가는 자신에게 큰 화가 미칠지도 모른다고 느꼈어요.
길동은 마침내 집을 떠나 넓은 세상으로 나아가, 스스로 자신의 운명을 개척하기로 마음먹었어요.떠나기 전날 밤, 그는 자신을 키워 준 어머니 춘섬에게 큰절을 올리며 반드시 훌륭한 사람이 되어 돌아오겠다고 약속했어요.새벽이 밝아 오자, 길동은 무거우면서도 희망에 찬 마음으로 조용히 대문을 나섰어요.그날의 그 발걸음은 훗날 사람들의 입에서 입으로 전해지는 길동의 놀라운 모험들의 첫걸음이 되었답니다.
Full translationTry the story first — open this only to check your understanding.
Long ago in Hanyang, there lived a high official named Minister Hong, whose son Gildong had remarkable talent. But Gildong was born to Chunseom, a servant woman, not the minister's proper wife, so society looked down on him as a 'secondary son.' Because of that era's strict rules of social status, Gildong could not even call his own father 'Father' or his own brother 'Brother.'
From a young age, Gildong wrote well and excelled at martial arts, and everyone in the village admired his talents. Yet no matter how gifted he was, the fact that his status as a secondary son barred him from the state exams or any official career deeply tormented him. Late one night, Gildong stood alone in the courtyard, gazing at the moon, quietly turning over his sorrowful circumstances.
His father, who happened to be passing by, heard his son's sigh and stopped in his tracks. Gathering his courage, Gildong confessed how deeply sorrowful it was that he could not even call his own father 'Father.' The father's heart broke at these words, but unable to defy the kingdom's laws alone, he could only quietly pat his son's shoulder.
After that, there were still people within the household who envied Gildong's talents and regarded him as a thorn in their side. As the atmosphere in the household grew more dangerous, Gildong sensed that staying any longer might bring great misfortune upon him.
At last, Gildong resolved to leave home and step out into the wider world, determined to carve out his own destiny. The night before leaving, he bowed deeply to his mother Chunseom, who had raised him, promising he would surely return as a person of great accomplishment. As dawn broke, Gildong quietly walked out the front gate, his heart heavy yet full of hope. That single step became the very first of the astonishing adventures of Gildong that people would pass down from mouth to mouth for generations to come.
Comprehension Check
1. Why couldn't Gildong call his own father "Father"?
2. How did his father react when Gildong poured out his feelings?
3. What did Gildong decide when things at home became dangerous?
Vocabulary
noun
서자
seoja
secondary son (born to a concubine or servant, not the principal wife)
세상은 그를 '서자'라 부르며 낮추어 보았어요.
Society looked down on him as a 'secondary son.'
Your Summary
In 1–2 sentences, say why Gildong could not call his own father and brother by their proper names, and what he finally decided to do.
Source: Based on the opening of Hong Gildong-jeon (홍길동전), Korea's first vernacular novel, traditionally attributed to Heo Gyun and long in the public domain. This simplified retelling and its English translation are original text written for SeoJae Story; the source's later assassination plot against Gildong is kept only as a vague, offstage danger rather than depicted directly.
Read this with your book club
Share this chapter with your book club and discuss it together.