However, it presents more developed themes compared to other rather simplistic entertainment novels of the Joseon era, which mainly centered around characters trying to achieve success and fame.

Kang suggests that peace and prosperity in 18th century Korea under the rule of Yeongjo and Jeongjo allowed for increased social mobility and literacy.

Authorship of the novel is sometimes attributed to Heo Gyun, a radical intellectual who long dreamed of changing Korea into a fair society with fewer strict class hierarchies.

The first attribution to Heo Gyun is from the writings of 'Taek-dang'[8] Yi Sik (이식 李植 1584–1647), his former student,[7] in his art collection 'Taek-Dang-jip',[9] or 'The works of Taek-Dang', compiled by himself and the help of others.

[10] In the 15th kwon, or script, of the separate collection of Teak-Dang-jip, 「산록(散錄)」, It is written that Heo Gyun wrote Hong Gildong with homage to Water Margin.

[15] Furthermore, Heo Gyun is said to be the author because of his radical ideas of political revolution, which are projected in Hong Gildong's journey from secondary son to king.

[20] In a 2013 article in Azalea: Journal of Korean Literature & Culture, Minsoo Kang argues that the claim for Heo Gyun as author of the novel is based on flawed and biased scholarship.

He proposes instead that the extant version of the novel was written around the mid-19th century, or not long before that, "by an anonymous writer of secondary or commoner status".

[7] In addition to its reputation as a literary work, Hong Gildong jeon has become widely known in Korean culture through various adaptations across different mediums.

The story has inspired films, TV shows, comics, literary re-tellings, and video games, and continues to be frequently adapted.

[26] Professor Minsoo Kang writes in the foreword to his translation, "The Story of Hong Gildong is arguably the single most important work of classic (i.e., premodern) prose fiction of Korea, in terms of not only its literary achievement but also of its influence on the larger culture".