Hong Jeong-un (Korean: 홍정운; born 29 November 1994)[1] is a South Korean footballer who plays as a centre-back and captain for K League 2 club, Paju Frontier.

Hong Jeong-un
Personal information
Full name Hong Jeong-un
Date of birth (1994-11-29) 29 November 1994 (age 31)
Place of birth South Korea
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 1+12 in)
Positions
Team information
Current team
Paju Frontier
Number 20
Youth career
Busan Jungang Middle School [ko]
Gaeseong High School [ko]
Busan IPark Youth
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Myongji University
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2023 Daegu FC 163 (8)
2024–2025 Daejeon Hana Citizen 6 (0)
2025Muangthong United (loan) 10 (0)
2025 Daegu FC 8 (0)
2026– Paju Frontier 6 (0)
International career
2015 South Korea U23 4 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 24 December 2025, 6:08 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 24 June 2025, 14:44 (UTC)

Youth career

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Hong graduated from Busan Jungang Middle School [ko] and Gaeseong High School [ko] where he played as a winger and striker.[2] He also played for Busan IPark's youth team.[3] At Myongji University, Hong switched positions to play as a central defender.[2] During Hong's third year in college in 2015, Hong was called up to South Korea's U23 national team in preparation for the 2016 Summer Olympics.[2]

Club career

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Daegu FC

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Hong joined K League 2 club Daegu FC as a free agent in 2015. Hong made his professional career debut in 2016 during an away match against FC Anyang when he was substituted on for Gam Han-sol [ko] in the 44th minute. Hong ended the 2016 season with 20 appearances.[4] Following Daegu FC's promotion to K League 1, Hong played a total of 57 games from 2017 to 2019, scoring five goals and two assists.[5] He also contributed to Daegu FC's first national cup win in 2018 where he made appearances as a starter in both rounds of the final and only allowed one goal.[2]

On 20 January 2020, Hong was named team captain.[5] On 29 May 2020, Hong injured his right knee during a home game against Sangju Sangmu and was subsequently diagnosed with a ruptured posterior cruciate ligament.[6] Hong only made four appearances in the 2020 season.[7]

During the 2021 season, Hong returned to make appearances in 24 matches. He was considered a crucial player for Daegu FC's defense as the club conceded 32 goals in 14 matches while only conceding 16 goals in the 24 matches where Hong made an appearance.[7] In the second round of the 2021 Korean FA Cup final on 11 December 2021, Hong received a red card and was sent off after elbowing another player in the face during a corner kick.[8] During his time at Daegu FC from 2016 to 2023, Hong played a total of 163 games.[2][4]

Daejeon Hana Citizen

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On 7 January 2024, Hong joined K League 1 club Daejeon Hana Citizen on a free transfer.[2] During the 2024 season, Hong made a total of six appearances for the club.[3]

Muangthong United

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On 6 January 2025, Thai League 1 club Muangthong United announced they had signed Hong for the second leg of the 2024–25 season.[9]

Return to Daegu FC

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Hong was returned to Daegu FC for mid 2025 season.

Paju Frontier

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On 24 December 2025, Hong was announcement official transfer to K League 2 promoted club, Paju Frontier from 2026 season. Hong was named captain the club for 2026 season.

Career statistics

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Club

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As of the start from 2026 season.[1]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Continental[b] Total
DivisionAppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals
Daegu FC2016K League 2200200
2017K League 16060
201835550405
20191601060230
20204040
20212413060331
20222522161334
202333010340
Total 163812118119310
Daejeon Hana Citizen2024K League 160107 0
Muangthong United2024–25Thai League 110020001 0
Daegu FC2025K League 18080
Paju Frontier2026K League 20000
Career total 187815118120910

Honours

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 "Hong Jeong-Un". Soccerway.com. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kim, Myeong-seok (7 January 2024). "'대구에서만 8년' 홍정운, 대전하나 이적…"ACL 진출 위해 최선" [오피셜]". Daily Sports (in Korean). Archived from the original on 7 January 2024. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  3. 1 2 Chang, Ha-joon (2 January 2025). "[단독] '169경기 출전' 베테랑 수비수 홍정운, 대전 떠나 태국 무앙통 이적 임박...명가 재건의 '핵심'으로 낙점". SPOTV (in Korean). Archived from the original on 17 January 2025. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  4. 1 2 Jeong, Seungwoo (31 December 2023). "'대구 수비 핵심' 홍정운, 대전서 새 도전 나선다 [단독]". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on 1 January 2024. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  5. 1 2 Bae, Jin Nam (20 January 2020). "프로축구 대구, 새 주장에 K리그 5년차 수비수 홍정운". Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Archived from the original on 17 January 2025. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  6. Choi, Song-ah (3 June 2020). "대구 '캡틴' 홍정운, 다시 무릎 부상으로 이탈…수술 가능성". Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Archived from the original on 17 January 2025. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  7. 1 2 Jo, Hyo-jong (17 February 2022). "[개막특집 키플레이어] 건강한 홍정운, 대구 우승 도전의 전제 조건". Footballist (in Korean). Archived from the original on 17 January 2025. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  8. Park, Ji-won (11 December 2021). "[대구 전남] 홍정운 퇴장→박찬용+고태원 골...전남 2-1 리드(전반 종료)". Interfootball (in Korean). Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  9. "เมืองทอง คว้า ฮง เชือง-อึน อดีตกำแพงทีมชาติเกาหลีใต้ U23 เสริมแกร่ง". Siam Sport (in Thai). 6 January 2025. Archived from the original on 17 January 2025. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
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