Hong Seok-cheon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hong Seok-cheon
Hong in March 2018
Born	(1971-02-03) 3 February 1971 (age 54) Cheongyang County, South Chungcheong Province, South Korea
Nationality	South Korean
Alma mater	Hanyang University – Theater and Film (1989)
Occupation	Actor, television personality, restaurateur
Years active	1994–present
Agent	Foresta Company
Children	2 (adopted)
Korean name
Hangul	홍석천
Hanja	洪錫天
Revised Romanization	Hong Seok-cheon
McCune–Reischauer	Hong Sŏkch'ŏn

Hong Seok-cheon was born on February 3, 1971, in Cheongyang County, South Korea. He is a famous South Korean actor, TV personality, and a successful restaurant owner. He was also a member of the Democratic Labor Party, a political group. Hong Seok-cheon became well-known for being the first celebrity in Korea to openly share a very personal part of his life in 2000. This was a big moment in his home country.

Hong Seok-cheon's Journey in Entertainment

Hong Seok-cheon started his career as a male model. He first appeared on screen in 1994 as a reporter for a TV show. In 1995, he won an award at the KBS Comedian Festival. Because he was very talented and funny, Hong became popular on South Korean television. He appeared in many different types of shows, including children's programs, fun variety shows, and even TV comedies called sitcoms and dramas.

Facing Challenges and Finding New Paths

In 2000, Hong Seok-cheon shared a personal part of his life with the public. This was a very new thing for a celebrity in Korea at that time. After he shared this, he faced many difficulties. He was let go from his TV shows and advertisements. He also found it hard to get new acting roles. People sometimes avoided him or spoke unkindly to him. He later said he felt a lot of stigma and discrimination.

Because of these challenges, Hong thought about leaving Korea to study in New York. However, he decided to stay. He wanted to show everyone that he could still be successful in his home country.

Becoming a Successful Restaurateur

In 2002, two years after facing public challenges, Hong Seok-cheon opened his first restaurant called Our Place. This was a new beginning for him. Today, he owns and manages nine popular restaurants in Itaewon, a lively area in Seoul. Many people from other countries live there.

All of Hong's restaurants have the word "My" in their names. Some examples are My Hong, My Thai, and My Chelsea.

Returning to Public Life and Activism

In 2004, Hong Seok-cheon joined the Democratic Labor Party. That same year, Time magazine recognized him as an "Asian Hero." He also started appearing on talk shows again, sharing his experiences.

Hong continued acting in films like Puzzle (2006) and stage plays like A Midsummer Night's Dream (2009). He also started an internet shopping mall called Ne2Nom in 2007. Later, he became a professor at Korea National University of Arts, teaching about TV production and fashion.

After his sister's divorce, Hong adopted her two children. He changed their last names to his own. In 2008, he hosted his own talk show called Coming Out, which talked about important social issues.

Even though Korean society was still quite traditional, Hong slowly gained more acceptance. Younger generations especially began to support him. This was partly because he actively worked to fight for the rights of people who face discrimination. From small roles, he now hosts shows on cable television and has many followers on social media.

In 2015, Hong announced that he wanted to run for a local government position in the Yongsan District. He had lived there for ten years. He hoped to create more cultural spaces for young artists and small businesses. He also wanted to help people who face discrimination. If he were elected, he would be the first openly recognized person to hold a public office in Korea. In 2016, he appeared in the TV program Law Of The Jungle.

In 2018, he shared that he is a distant cousin of Taeyong from the K-pop group NCT.

Hong Seok-cheon's TV Shows

Web Shows

Hong Seok-cheon's Acting Roles

Television Series

Web Series

Films

Theater Performances

Books Written by Hong Seok-cheon

Awards and Nominations

Images for kids

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  Hong in March 2018

See also

In Spanish: Hong Seok-cheon para niños