Heo Gyun wrote Korea's first novel, said "all men are equal," and got executed for it

Heo Gyun was that friend who's brilliant but keeps getting into trouble. He wrote Hong Gildong-jeon (basically Korean Robin Hood), openly criticized the caste system, and may or may not have been involved in a treason plot. The Joseon establishment was NOT having it. He was accused of plotting rebellion and executed in 1618. Was he actually guilty? Scholars still argue about it. What we do know is that his novel about an illegitimate son fighting social injustice was way too on-the-nose for a society built on social hierarchy.