Lee Man-gang, the Slave with a 40-Year Double Life, Passes the State Examination in 6 Years and Becomes a Magistrate

37th HD-Time Traveler>

"The greatest fraud of Joseon that even deceived the King?" 'Status System Part 2 – Part 2: A Slave Becomes a Magistrate'

A genius slave of the Joseon Dynasty became a magistrate? Ji Seung-hyun tracks the legendary identity fraudster 'Lee Man-gang'!

Broadcast: September 13, 2026 (Sun) 9:30 PM KBS 1TV

A former magistrate, 'Eom Taek-ju', who had been ruling a district for nearly 20 years and nurturing future scholars. One day, a royal command arrives to arrest him. We trace the reason why King Yeongjo kept a close eye on him and the story of why Eom Taek-ju disappeared from the records.

In the 37th episode of KBS 1TV 'HD-Time Traveler' broadcasting on Sunday, September 13 at 9:30 PM, titled 'Joseon Status System Part 2 - Part 2: A Slave Becomes a Magistrate', we look into the aspirations of the common people that shook the rigid status order of Joseon through the turbulent life of Lee Man-gang, a man from a slave background who perfectly deceived the whole world and the King.

“Ox calf, rag”... Facing the reality of 'slaves' in the Joseon Dynasty

Slaves were an indispensable existence to maintain the Yangban status society. At that time, they were not considered people but private property. As seen in ancient documents, they were called by animal names like 'Soseokji (ox calf)', 'Doyaji (pig)', or 'Gangaji (puppy)', or named after their usage, such as 'Suridongi' for carrying liquor jars or 'Geolligae (rag)' for wiping floors. In HD, we illuminate the lives of slaves who existed on the periphery of history by searching for ancient documents and artifacts such as Joseon household registers, land sale documents, and slave identification tags.

From forging genealogies to passing the state examination... Lee Man-gang's fierce escape from his fate as a slave

Having been bright and exceptionally talented in writing during his childhood, he happened to learn writing from a Yangban, but as he studied more, the wall of social status felt even clearer.

After leaving his hometown, he completely erased the traces of the slave 'Lee Man-gang' and was perfectly reborn as 'Eom Taek-ju' of the Yeongwol Eom clan, a descendant of the loyalist 'Eom Heung-do' who collected the body of King Danjong. Afterward, while pretending to be a Yangban, he passed the state examination. Eom Taek-ju surpassed the threshold of the state examination, which usually took Yangbans an average of over 10 years, in just 6 years. A runaway slave passed the examination that descendants of prestigious noble families dedicated their entire lives to. It was an extraordinary tale of escaping the fate of a slave solely through skill.

The 40-year double life caught, the end of slave Lee Man-gang

40 years after leaving his hometown, including 20 years of serving in government positions such as Yeonil Hyeon-gam and Jeju Pan-gwan without being caught, it was the perfect double life of the Yangban 'Eom Taek-ju'. However, people who suspected his true identity began to appear. The broadcast will examine what the final moments of the genius slave who became a magistrate were like. In 'HD-Time Traveler', along with the tragic end of Lee Man-gang, we focus on the many runaway slaves who, like him, shook the status system in the late Joseon period. We examine the reality of slaves running away, which forced Joseon to abandon the slave system until the status system came to an end through the Gabo Reform in 1894.

The identity fraud of a slave who wanted to live like a human being by deceiving the whole world 300 years ago can be seen on September 13, Sunday at 9:30 PM on KBS 1TV 'HD-Time Traveler'.

(Photo provided = KBS 1TV 'HD-Time Traveler')

◆ At a Glance

· Publishing Institution: KBS

· Category: HD-Time Traveler

· Distribution: September 11, 14:58

Source: KBS Press Release

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