A MODERN
BIOGRAPHY ARCHIVE
THE COLLECTION / Film & TVARCHIVE № 519
1996 —   ACTOR

HONGKYUNG

Feb 14, 1996South Korea

What happened at what age?
Where were they at your age?

The year he turned 21, he debuted in KBS2 School 2017. In 2018, he played Oh Young-soo in OCN Life on Mars. In 2019, he played Baek Seung-hoon in KBS2 My Lawyer, Mr. Jo 2: Crime and Punishment. In 2020, he made his screen debut in the film Innocence.

The breakthrough yearThe year he turned 25, he won best new actor in film at the Baeksang Arts Awards for Innocence. That year he also appeared in the Netflix series D.P.

In 2022, he played Oh Beom-seok in Wavve’s Weak Hero Class 1. In 2023, he played Hong-sae, Mun-chun’s partner, in SBS Revenant.

The year he turned 28, the films Troll Factory and Hear Me: Our Summer were released one after the other. In a Joynews24 survey, he came second among rising stars in film.

In 2025, the Netflix film Good News was released, and Concrete Market opened in December. In 2026, he was nominated for best actor in film at the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards for Good News.

Hong Kyung (born Feb 14, 1996) debuted in KBS2 School 2017 on Jul 17, 2017, the year he turned 21, and became known when he won best new actor in film at the Baeksang Arts Awards for Innocence on May 13, 2021, the year he turned 25. The Netflix film Good News was released in 2025, the year he turned 29.

Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.

Full timeline · 16 records2017 — 2026   ＋
AGE / YEAR

  1. 21 · 2017
    Debut

    Debuts in KBS2 School 2017

    Several outlets say he debuted in this drama.

    Source 01 · Hankook Ilbo (Korean) · Concrete Market opens in December · opens in a new tabSource 03 · TV Report (Korean) · Stars born on Valentine’s Day · opens in a new tabSource 04 · Insight (Korean) · Stars with a Feb. 14 birthday · opens in a new tabSource 05 · Korea Economic Daily (Korean) · School 2017 first episode · opens in a new tab The date is the drama’s first broadcast. His first episode was not confirmed. His Feb. 14 birthday is confirmed by the TV Report and Insight articles.
  2. 22 · 2018
  3. 23 · 2019
  4. 24 · 2020
  5. 25 · 2021
  6. 25 · 2021
  7. 26 · 2022
  8. 27 · 2023
  9. 28 · 2024
  10. 28 · 2024
  11. 28 · 2024
  12. 29 · 2025
  13. 29 · 2025
  14. 30 · 2026
  15. 30 · 2026

END OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 2017–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.

02 / QUICK ANSWERS

Q & AFrequently asked

How old was Hong Kyung when he debuted?
In 2017, the year he turned 21. Several outlets say he debuted in KBS2 School 2017 (Jul 17, 2017 is the drama’s first broadcast).
How old was Hong Kyung when he became famous?
On May 13, 2021, the year he turned 25, he won best new actor in film at the Baeksang Arts Awards for Innocence. Esquire Korea says he built wider recognition with D.P. and Weak Hero Class 1.
What was Hong Kyung’s screen debut?
The film Innocence, released in 2020, the year he turned 24.
Has Hong Kyung appeared in Netflix productions?
He appeared in the Netflix original D.P. in 2021 and the Netflix film Good News in 2025.
How old is Hong Kyung?
Born in 1996, he turns 30 in 2026 (30 as of Oct 6, 2026).
04 / ABOUT THE ARCHIVE

A LIFE,
IN CHAPTERS.

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.

COLLECTION519Hong Kyung / HONG KYUNG

Film & TV · South Korea
Feb 14, 1996 —

Sources and method27 SOURCES   ＋

Ages are counted from the birth year 1996: the year of the event minus 1996, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.

  1. Hankook Ilbo (Korean) · Concrete Market opens in December ↗Debuted in KBS2 School 2017 in 2017; won best new actor at the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards in 2021 for Innocence; Concrete Market due out Dec. 3
  2. Esquire Korea (Korean) · Hong Kyung interview ↗Drew attention in 2018 as Oh Young-soo in Life on Mars; gained wider recognition in 2021 with D.P.
  3. TV Report (Korean) · Stars born on Valentine’s Day ↗Hong Kyung, born in 1996, debuted in KBS2 School 2017 in 2017; birthday Feb. 14
  4. Insight (Korean) · Stars with a Feb. 14 birthday ↗Hong Kyung born Feb. 14, 1996
  5. Korea Economic Daily (Korean) · School 2017 first episode ↗KBS 2TV Monday-Tuesday drama first aired July 17, 2017
  6. OSEN (Korean) · Innocence press preview ↗Press preview at CGV Yongsan I’Park Mall on June 4, 2020
  7. Sports Seoul (Korean) · Good News Hong Kyung ↗Jung-soo in Innocence, his screen debut, with the 57th Baeksang best new actor in film; Seo Go-myung in Good News; age 29
  8. TenAsia (Korean) · Lead in A Distant Place ↗Feb. 24, 2021: after his screen debut in Innocence, lead in A Distant Place
  9. Star News (Korean) · A Distant Place at the Florence Korea Film Fest ↗June 4, 2021: released in March this year, with Kang Gil-woo and Hong Kyung
  10. Maeil Business (Korean) · Baeksang best new actor in film ↗May 13, 2021: acceptance remarks at the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards, KINTEX, Ilsan
  11. The Fact (Korean) · 57th Baeksang Arts Awards ↗Best new actor in film: Innocence, Hong Kyung
  12. Singlist (Korean) · D.P. review ↗Netflix original D.P. released Aug. 27, 2021, with Hong Kyung in the cast
  13. Maeil Business (Korean) · Weak Hero on Wavve, first day ↗All episodes released on Wavve on Nov. 18, 2022
  14. Edaily (Korean) · Weak Hero first meeting ↗Wavve original Weak Hero Class 1: Park Ji-hoon, Choi Hyun-wook, Hong Kyung
  15. Celeb Media (Korean) · Weak Hero cast update ↗Oh Beom-seok; Seo Go-myung in Good News
  16. Star News (Korean) · Revenant press conference ↗SBS Friday-Saturday drama Revenant first aired June 23, 2023
  17. Sports Dong-A (Korean) · Revenant preview ↗Hong Kyung as Hong-sae, Mun-chun’s partner
  18. The Fact (Korean) · Troll Factory box office ↗Released Mar. 27, 2024; No. 1 at the box office on its opening day
  19. Korea Lecturer News (Korean) · Film Troll Factory ↗Son Suk-ku, Kim Sung-cheol, Kim Dong-hwi and Hong Kyung star; released Mar. 27, 2024
  20. Ilgan Sports (Korean) · Hear Me Hong Kyung ↗Released Nov. 6, 2024; plays Yong-jun
  21. Joynews24 (Korean) · Rising star survey ↗Nov. 9, 2024: survey of 200 entertainment industry insiders, second in the film category with 22 votes
  22. Edaily (Korean) · Good News Hong Kyung interview ↗Released worldwide on Netflix on the 17th, with Sul Kyung-gu and Ryoo Seung-bum
  23. News1 (Korean) · Films opening Dec. 3 ↗Concrete Market, starring Lee Jae-in and Hong Kyung, opens Dec. 3, 2025
  24. Hankook Ilbo (Korean) · Market for young male actors ↗Feb. 1, 2026: industry attention on the work of Hong Kyung and Park Ji-hoon
  25. TV Report (Korean) · Life on Mars Hong Kyung ↗July 23, 2018: appeared as Oh Young-soo in episode 10, which aired on the 15th
  26. Xports News (Korean) · My Lawyer, Mr. Jo 2 episode 13 ↗Episode 13 aired Feb. 11, 2019; Baek Seung-hoon (Hong Kyung)
  27. Sports Kyunghyang (Korean) · 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards ↗May 8, 2026, COEX Hall D: Hong Kyung (Good News) a nominee for best actor in film

Fact-checked: 2026.10.06 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.