Korean Folk Hero Hong Gil-dong Inspires New Meme Coin $HGD

A new blockchain project has launched, merging Korea’s iconic literary classic, Hong Gil-dong Jeon, with meme coin culture, resulting in the creation of $HGD, the first traditional K-meme coin built on an original piece of Korean intellectual property. The project is centered around the legendary folk hero Hong Gil-dong, who is known for seizing wealth from corrupt officials and hiding a secret stash of 1,000 trillion yeopjeon (ancient coins), which now resurfaces on-chain. This initiative is more than just satire or parody; it is an experimental homage to decentralization, recast through Korea’s historical narrative.

The $HGD project aims to embody the core spirit of meme culture and even Bitcoin itself by functioning purely as a currency, devoid of any additional features. This approach reflects a pure memetic philosophy, closely aligned with the origins of Bitcoin. Charles, the COO of $HGD, stated, "A coin that does nothing but function as money—that’s the true essence of a meme." With this ethos, $HGD aims to position itself as “The Bitcoin of the East.”

The project introduces an NFT-based class system inspired by the original novel’s narrative. Users are assigned social ranks—Commoner, Guard, Master, or Secret Royal Inspector (Amhaeng-eosa)—based on the amount of $HGD they hold. This hierarchy serves not only as a collectible status but also as a functional community role within the future $HGD ecosystem.

Beyond the coin itself, $HGD is building a narrative-driven multimedia universe. The story of Hong Gil-dong is serialized on X (formerly Twitter), following his return from the Joseon era to dismantle corruption in the digital age. Additionally, a chase-style action game titled "CBDC Escape – Hong Gil-dong" is in development, where players escape a dystopian city ruled by central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). These projects are designed to expand the ecosystem’s cultural values and will likely incorporate NFT rewards and a community-based staking system in the future.

The team behind $HGD sees this project as a movement to create memes with Korean stories and spirit, moving away from the influence of foreign icons like Dogecoin and Shiba Inu. Hong Gil-dong is not just a familiar character; he is the symbolic embodiment of decentralization in premodern Korea—a figure who took power from the corrupt and returned it to the people.

More than a cryptocurrency, $HGD is a digital echo of folk currency, delivering its message through memes. Whether it will truly become the “Bitcoin of the East” remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the journey has only just begun. Hong Gil-dong Jeon ($HGD) is a traditional K-meme coin that reimagines Korea’s legendary outlaw as a symbol of decentralization. Built on the belief that “the sovereignty of money belongs to the people,” $HGD embraces pure memetic value, aiming to become the Bitcoin of the East through narrative, culture, and folk power.