Former national team midfielder Hong Hyun-seok (27) will wear the uniform of his former team, KAA Ghent (Belgium).
On the 15th (Korean time), Gent announced on the club’s website and other official social media (SNS), “Hong Hyun-seok is back. He transferred on loan from Mainz (Germany) for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.”
Hong Hyun-seok, a graduate of Ulsan Hyundai High School, joined Ulsan Hyundai (currently Ulsan HD) in 2018 and was immediately loaned to Unterhaching in the German third division to challenge himself on the European stage. Hong Hyun-seok, who was later re-leased to FC Unioz (Austria), moved to LASK in the Austrian first division in August 2020, and continued his European career by joining Ghent in August 2022.
Hong Hyun-seok attracted attention by scoring 18 goals and 20 assists in 104 official games during his two seasons at Ghent. His versatility, able to play in a variety of positions as well as central midfielder, shone.
Hong Hyun-seok transferred to Mainz in the German Bundesliga in August 2024 and succeeded in entering the big league for the first time in his life. Expectations were also high for the collaboration with ‘senior’ Lee Jae-seong.
However, Hong Hyun-seok only had 1 assist in 23 games for Mainz, and was loaned to Nantes in French Ligue 1 ahead of this season.
Hong Hyun-seok raised expectations by appearing as a substitute in the league opening match against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), but later, due to muscle injuries, the time spent sitting on the bench increased. He played only 284 minutes in 6 games for Nantes. In the end, he aims for revival in his hometown of Ghent.
Gent ranks 8th out of 16 teams in the Belgian first division this season with 26 points (7 wins, 5 draws, 8 losses).
After his loan from Gent, Hong Hyun-seok expressed his thoughts through the club, saying, “I’m really happy to return to Gent. I had a lot of great moments at the club and I want to bring back those memories.”
Reporter Kim Woo-jung ujkim50@edaily.co.kr
