Hong Jeong-ho

Hong Jeong-ho (; or ; born 12 August 1989) is a South Korean footballer who plays for K League 2 club Suwon Samsung Bluewings as a centre-back. He also played for the South Korea national team at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup and the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The investigation discovered that gangs had deposited ₩4 million unsolicited into his bank account, and he had later returned the funds. He was declared eligible for league matches after being cleared of wrongdoing. The next year, he injured his cruciate ligament in a K League match, having to take a rest during the second half of the season. He was the captain of the South Korea Olympic team in 2011 and 2012, but was absent from the 2012 Summer Olympics.

FC Augsburg On 1 September 2013, Hong transferred to Bundesliga club FC Augsburg for a fee estimated around €2 million. He signed a four-year contract valid until 2017. On 5 April 2014, he helped the club keep a clean sheet in a 1–0 win over Bayern Munich, giving Bayern their first defeat at the 2013–14 Bundesliga. On 2 May 2015, he won 18 aerial duels in a 0–0 draw with 1. FC Köln, being selected for the weekly European XI by Whoscored.com. On 10 December, he scored his first goal for Augsburg in a 3–1 UEFA Europa League win over Partizan. In the next match on 13 December, he scored his first Bundesliga goal, contributing to a 2–1 win over Schalke 04.

Jiangsu Suning Hong was not a main player early in his career at Augsburg, but gradually enhanced his status at the club for three years. On 14 July 2016, however, he moved to Chinese Super League club Jiangsu Suning, and his decision to leave the big league caused a controversy in South Korea. He explained that the transfer to China would not influence his ability as a national team player. Unlike his expectation, his mistakes increased in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, and the controversy was intensified. To make matters worse, he was pushed to the bench at Jiangsu during the 2017 season.

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors On 13 January 2018, Hong was on loan to K League 1 club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. Although he failed to be called up for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, he won two consecutive K League 1 titles for the term of his loan deal. On 13 January 2020, Jeonbuk agreed to his permanent move to them. After the permanent switch, he added three league titles and three Korea Cup titles including two Doubles to his career. Especially, he received the K League Most Valuable Player Award when winning the league in 2021.

Personal life Hong's brother Hong Jeong-nam was also a footballer who played for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.

Career statistics Club

International Scores and results list South Korea's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Hong goal.

Honours Jiangsu Suning Chinese FA Cup runner-up: 2016

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors K League 1: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2025 Korea Cup: 2020, 2022, 2025

South Korea U23 Asian Games bronze medal: 2010 K League Player of the Month: November 2021 K League 1 Most Valuable Player: 2021