She was noted for her exceptional beauty, charming quick wit, extraordinary intellect, and her assertive and independent nature.
The coffin was said to have carried the body of her lover who was born of a higher class, but due to her lower status the two could not wed and the man died of a broken heart.
[citation needed] Kisaengs were female entertainers in a male-oriented society whose history dates back to the Silla period.
Although kisaengs were more educated than most women, they were still considered the lowest social class called cheonmin in the Joseon Dynasty due to their occupations being close to a prostitutes'.
Kisaengs typically provided entertainment such as performances, including singing sijo poems and dancing, for the men in the highest social class, yangban.
Kisaengs in this period sought a way to express themselves and their emotions through musical instrument performances, writing sijo poems, and composing songs.
Her most famous written work was the "Jeomiligu Idubulchool" (점일이구 이두불출/點 一 二 口 牛 頭 不出).
This being one of her most famous written works shows her wit and intellect that most women during the time were not able to share with the rest of the world.
[citation needed] Only a handful of sijo (Korean verse form) and geomungo pieces exist today.
In the following poem, the term Hwang uses for her beloved (어론님) has two meanings, alluding to both her sweetheart and a person who has been frozen by the winter cold.
冬至 섯달 기나긴 밤을 한 허리를 잘라 내어 春風 이불 아래 서리서리 넣었다가 어론님 오신 날 밤이여든 구뷔구뷔 펴리라.
The poem was written to a man famed for his virtue, Byok Kye Su, whom Hwang infamously seduced.
They were more privileged than the regular women of society in the aspect of having the freedom to read or write poetry, learn music and dance performances.
Although this reality is a part of their job, this poem, Blue Stream, depicts the struggles of feelings and work that kisaengs went through.
In the late 20th century, Hwang Jini's story began to attract attention from both sides of the Korean divide and feature in a variety of novels, operas, films and television series.