Yang Hong-seok (
Korean: 양홍석; born April 17, 1994), better known by the mononym Hongseok, is a South Korean singer and actor. He debuted as a vocalist of the group
boy bandPentagon in October 2016. Aside from group activities as singer, he has debuted as an actor in the Korean movie, The Love That's Left.
In 2014, Hongseok joined
YG Entertainment and participated in the reality survival program Mix & Match as a member of TEAM B.[5] He was eliminated in final episode alongside Jung Jin-hyeong, failing to debut as a member of
iKON.[6] In March 2015, it was revealed that he left YG Entertainment.[7]
In July 2015, he joined
Cube Entertainment.[8] In February 2016, he modeled alongside
Hyuna for the fashion brand Clride.n.[9]
2016–present: Debut with Pentagon and solo activities
In late 2016, he participated in the
Mnet reality survival show Pentagon Maker, ultimately making it to the final lineup of
Pentagon.[10] He officially debuted with Pentagon on October 10, 2016, with the song "Gorilla" from their
self-titled EP.[11]
In July 2018, Hongseok joined the cast of Visiting Tutor, a variety program where celebrities seek out a student and become their tutor. He held
Chinese lessons for his student.[13] The show ran from August to October. In September, he was cast in the variety program Real Man 300, which featured celebrities experiencing life in the military.[14] The show end in late January 2019.[15]
In January 2019, he co-starred in the television drama Best Chicken as Bae Ki-Bum, a likeable troublemaker.[16] In March, he starred in his first web drama On The Campus.[17] In May, Hongseok starred in the
Naver V web drama Anniversary Anyway.[18] He was the cover model for the July 2019 issue of
Men's Health's Korea.[19] Later that month he was cast in the reality-documentary show Law of the Jungle in Myanmar.[20] In August, he was a contestant on King of Mask Singer, where he performed a cover of
Huh Gak's "Hello".[21]
In October 2020, he and bandmate
Kino made a cameo in the web drama Twenty-Twenty.[22] He made his second appearance on the cover of Men's Health Korea for the December 2020 issue.[23]
From January to March 2021, Hongseok starred as the supporting character Shin A-jun in the
SBS drama Phoenix 2020.[24][25] He portrayed a police officer in the
Netflix series Move to Heaven, released on May 14.[26] Hongseok played the lead in the web series Blue Birthday, which was released in the summer of 2021.[27]
In November 2023, Hongseok terminated his exclusive contract with Cube Entertainment.[28] Later that month, he signed with acting agency Andmarq.[29]
Hongseok is an avid fan of fitness. He regularly posts videos online detailing his workouts and diets in a series called Hongseok is Working Out Hong Hong Hong.[30]
Military service
On April 1, 2022, the agency announced that Hongseok would be enlisting for his
mandatory military service as an active duty soldier on May 3.[31] On December 26, 2022, it was confirmed by the agency that Hongseok would be discharged from
military service early due to depression and panic disorder with
public phobia.[32]
Philanthropy
Hongseok participated in the world's biggest
Ice Bucket Challenge, 2019 Miracle365 x Ice Bucket Challenge Run on June 29, 2019, in
Dongjak-gu, Seoul. The event was organized by Seungil Hope Foundation to raise awareness about
ALS. The event raised 42 million
won, and all proceeds went to build the first Lou Gehrig's Nursing Hospital in South Korea. The event started with a 3 km, 5 km, 7 km and 8 km group marathon with 1,130 participants who broke a total of 918 challenges the previous year.[33]
^Lee, Nam-kyung (November 6, 2023).
"펜타곤 홍석도 큐브와 결별 "합의 하에 계약종료"(전문)[공식]" [Pentagon Hong Seok Do Cube, separation from Cube "contract terminated by agreement" (full text) [Official]]. Maeil Broadcasting Network (in Korean).
Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023 – via Naver.
^Ko Seung-ah (April 1, 2022).
"펜타곤 홍석, 5월3일 육군 현역 입대…팀 내 세 번째" [Pentagon Hongseok enlists in the army on May 3rd... third on the team] (in Korean). News1.
Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022 – via Naver.
^Lee Ji-hyun (December 26, 2022).
"펜타곤 홍석, 입대 8개월만에 의병 전역 "공황장애 및 우울증 증세" [공식](전문)" [Pentagon Hong-seok, 8 months after enlistment, discharged from the righteous army "Symptoms of panic disorder and depression" [Official] (Full text)] (in Korean).
Sports Chosun.
Archived from the original on December 26, 2022. Retrieved December 26, 2022 – via Naver.
^Yoo Byung-cheol (January 19, 2022).
"김예림(레드벨벳 예리), 주연 드라마 '블루버스데이' 19일 개봉…김예림표 판타지 로맨스 '기대" [Kim Ye-rim (Red Velvet Yeri), the lead drama 'Blue Birthday' will be released on the 19th... Kim Ye-rim Fantasy Romance 'Expectation] (in Korean). Korea Economy TV.
Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2022 – via Naver.
^Kim Ji-hye (October 20, 2021).
"펜타곤 홍석, '그림자 미녀' 캐스팅..훈훈한 아이돌 연습생 변신(공식)" [Pentagon Hongseok, cast for 'Shadow Beauty'... A warm-hearted idol trainee transformation (official)]. Herald POP (in Korean). Naver.
Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
^Hong Se-young (December 9, 2021).
"[단독] 웹툰 '아쿠아맨' 드라마화, 펜타곤 홍석 출연확정" [[Exclusive] Webtoon ‘Aquaman’ dramatized, Pentagon Hong Seok confirmed] (in Korean). Sports Donga.
Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2021 – via Naver.
^Jeon Se-rin (May 12, 2022).
"홍석X정우진X이소희X신소현, 카카오TV 새 드라마 '아쿠아맨' 캐스팅 확정" [Hong Seok X Jung Woo Jin X Lee So Hee X Shin So Hyeon Confirmed to Cast in Kakao TV’s New Drama ‘Aquaman] (in Korean). Seoul Economic Daily.
Archived from the original on May 12, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2022 – via Naver.