In 2007, he served in the 707th Special Mission Group, and he was discharged as a master sergeant in 2017. The year he turned 32, he won the Toughest Firefighter Alive event at the Chungju World Firefighters Games as a firefighter with the Gyeonggi Provincial Disaster and Safety Headquarters.
In 2019, he appeared as the master in the firefighter episode of Master in the House. In 2021, he took part in The Soldiers as a former 707th member, and in January 2022 he won with Alpha team.
The breakthrough yearThe year he turned 37, he became known when he appeared in Netflix’s Physical: 100. He was eliminated early in season 1, and that year he finished as runner-up on Steel Troops 3.
In 2024, he finished as runner-up in Physical: 100 season 2 and began entering Hyrox races. In 2025, he ran his first full marathon in 2 hours 56 minutes 34 seconds and entered Hyrox races in Incheon and Seoul.
In 2026, the year he turned 40, he became a PUMA global training ambassador and won the men’s relay at Hyrox Incheon in May.
Hong Beom-seok (born 1986) won the Toughest Firefighter Alive event at the World Firefighters Games on Sep 17, 2018, the year he turned 32, and became known on Jan 24, 2023, the year he turned 37, when he appeared in Netflix’s Physical: 100. He finished as runner-up in season 2 in 2024, the year he turned 38.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
After being commissioned as a special-forces noncommissioned officer, he served in the 707th Special Mission Group in 2007. He was discharged as a master sergeant in 2017.
Source 03 · GQ Korea (Korean) · Physical: 100 contestants · opens in a new tab The article gives no month or day. The discharge year, 2017, is in the same article.Competing as a firefighter with the Gyeonggi Provincial Disaster and Safety Headquarters, he finished first among about 150 competitors with a time of 4 minutes 48.29 seconds. He received the champion’s belt.
Source 01 · Newsis (Korean) · Chungju World Firefighters Games close · opens in a new tabSource 02 · STN Sports (Korean) · Toughest firefighter competition · opens in a new tabHe appeared as the master and competed with the cast in firefighter training. He finished the training in 5 minutes 6 seconds.
Source 04 · SBS Entertainment News (Korean) · Master in the House firefighter episode · opens in a new tabHe took part as a former member of the 707th Special Mission Group. Maeil Business writes that he drew attention as the first Korean champion of the world’s toughest firefighter competition.
Source 05 · Maeil Business (Korean) · The Soldiers first broadcast · opens in a new tabHe won with Alpha team, made up of Hong Beom-seok (707th), Kim Chang-wan (CCT), Kim Ho-jong (SSU) and Chu Bu-yeon (sea search). In the finale they went head to head with Bravo team.
Source 06 · Herald POP (Korean) · The Soldiers ends · opens in a new tabHe appeared in season 1 but was eliminated early. Hankook Ilbo writes that he made his name at home and abroad through the show.
He threw the ceremonial first pitch before the game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul.
Source 08 · Ilgan Sports (Korean) · First pitch · opens in a new tabHe appeared as a member of the 707th.
Source 09 · Hankook Ilbo (Korean) · Steel Troops 3 cast · opens in a new tabSource 10 · Newsen (Korean) · Steel Troops 3 first broadcast · opens in a new tabIn the final, HID led on bomb-disposal time and the 707th finished second.
Source 11 · Sports Hankook (Korean) · Steel Troops 3 runner-up · opens in a new tabHe entered with Song Byeong-seok, a runner-up on The Soldiers. Dailian writes that he later set an Asian record of 57 minutes 40 seconds at an event in Taiwan.
Source 14 · Dailian (Korean) · Hyrox Incheon · opens in a new tab The month follows Dailian’s “first event last February”; the day could not be confirmed.He survived to the final round of the final quest, but finished second after a close match with Amotti.
Source 12 · Energy Economics (Korean) · Physical: 100 season 2 runner-up · opens in a new tabSource 13 · OSEN (Korean) · Season 2 runner-up interview · opens in a new tabHe said on JTBC’s The Gentlemen’s League 3 that he finished first in Asia at the event held in France.
Source 15 · Singlist (Korean) · The Gentlemen’s League 3: first in Asia at Hyrox · opens in a new tab The date of the event could not be confirmed; the date of the broadcast article (July 21) is given.The Armed Forces Day planning team announced Steel Troops cast members Hong Beom-seok, Lee Dong-gyu and Kim Min-jun as supporters, alongside ambassadors such as Choi Young-jae and Agent H.
Source 16 · Newspim (Korean) · Armed Forces Day ambassadors · opens in a new tabHe could not compete because of an injury and promoted the event as an ambassador.
Source 14 · Dailian (Korean) · Hyrox Incheon · opens in a new tab The article was published Oct. 21, 2024; the date of the event could not be confirmed.He attended the premiere at Megabox COEX in Seoul with Song Byeong-seok and others.
Source 17 · Newsen (Korean) · VIP premiere of the film Firefighters · opens in a new tabHe appeared to talk about the film Firefighters. He says he worked as a rescue worker for five years.
Source 18 · YTN Radio (Korean) · Interview on the film Firefighters · opens in a new tabHe recorded 2 hours 56 minutes 34 seconds at the Seoul International Marathon and Dong-A Marathon.
Source 19 · Asia Today (Korean) · First full marathon · opens in a new tabHe entered as a PUMA ambassador and finished fourth.
Source 20 · Singlist (Korean) · PUMA Hyrox collection · opens in a new tab The Singlist article gives only “last May’s event,” so the day could not be confirmed.He entered four categories and, Sports Chosun writes, won with 58 minutes 35 seconds in men’s open single, 56 minutes 51 seconds in mixed doubles and 49 minutes 54 seconds in men’s relay.
Source 21 · Sports Chosun (Korean) · First Hyrox race in Seoul · opens in a new tab The event was held Nov. 8–9 at COEX in Seoul; the articles give no dates by category.He received it at the third ceremony, held at the Dong Seoul Convention Center in Seongnam.
Source 22 · Gukje News (Korean) · Korea Sports Culture and Arts Awards · opens in a new tabPUMA announced that it had chosen him as a global ambassador. He is the only Asian among PUMA’s global training ambassadors.
Source 23 · Public Times (Korean) · PUMA global ambassador · opens in a new tabAn apparel line PUMA released with the Hyrox market in mind. Dailian writes that he took part directly throughout product development.
Source 24 · Dailian (Korean) · Hong Beom Seok Collection · opens in a new tabHe won the men’s relay with three partners in 49 minutes 52 seconds.
Source 25 · The Public (Korean) · Hyrox Incheon · opens in a new tab The event was held May 15–17; the articles give no dates by category.END OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 2007–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.
What did they do, and at what age?
AgeTrail lines up the key moments of a life by age.
Debut and breakthrough are marked separately, and every record has a source.
Sports · South Korea
1986 —
Ages are counted from the birth year 1986: the year of the event minus 1986, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.
Fact-checked: 2026.09.30 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.