[New Slang Dictionary] Himsumjin ? Don't Judge by Appearance Alone

In the Joseon Dynasty, the Amhaeng-eosa was an official who, under the king's secret orders, reported the corruption of local officials nationwide, serving as a professional "power hidden behind strength." Illustration by artist Oh Seong-su

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Dasan Jeong Yak-yong was appointed as a secret royal inspector in 1794, his fifth year in public office. Tasked with hearing the vivid voices of the people and rooting out corrupt or tyrannical local officials and exploitative bureaucrats, he sometimes disguised himself as a merchant or a farmer to carry out his duties. At that time, secret royal inspectors were temporary positions appointed by the king from among his trusted attendants with relatively low ranks. King Jeongjo had long taken notice of Jeong Yak-yong, who in turn devoted himself passionately to inspecting the northern Gyeonggi region to meet the king’s expectations. That autumn, a famine had devastated crops across Joseon, leaving the people impoverished. Kim Yang-jik, the county magistrate of Yeoncheon in Gyeonggi Province where Jeong Yak-yong was undercover, was lending out the government grain loans at will to the people and charging exorbitant interest to increase his own wealth. He was a geomancer who had overseen the tomb of Jeongjo’s father, Crown Prince Sado, and was favored by the king. Jeong Yak-yong submitted a memorial, insisting that the law must be enforced starting with officials close to the king, and immediately reported Kim’s misconduct. Soon after, he uncovered that Kang Myeong-gil, the magistrate of nearby Bupyeong, had imposed heavy taxes on poor farmers’ fallow fields and embezzled the proceeds. Jeong Yak-yong promptly filed a petition that led to Kang’s dismissal. Kang, a royal physician responsible for the king’s health, was also favored by Jeongjo but lost his position at once due to Jeong Yak-yong’s memorial.

The term ‘Himsumjin’ means a true protagonist who hides their power; it refers to a story structure or main character frequently appearing in movies, dramas, novels, and other popular culture. Secret royal inspector Jeong Yak-yong was a genuine Himsumjin who concealed his strength while traveling across regions and exposing numerous corrupt officials, leading to their dismissal. However, Seo Yong-bo, one of the officials he dismissed, later made a spectacular comeback and tormented Jeong Yak-yong throughout his life, driving him into dire straits. Representative Himsumjin characters beloved by the public include Elsa from Frozen, who had to hide her magical powers because they were uncontrollable, and Gu Ja-yoon from the movie Witch, who hid her abilities and feigned memory loss to survive but revealed her powers to save her mother.

Example

A: Hey, why are you coming up so late? The others all arrived safely and are eating.
B: Let’s take it slow. Going ahead doesn’t get you anything.
A: What’s with your walk? Is that a sandbag on your ankle?
B: To hide my agile moves, this is the only way... Actually, I’m wearing it to lose some weight.
A: Wow, what kind of Himsumjin are you? You have to arrive first even wearing that to be the real deal. Sigh... Let’s hurry up and go.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.