After travelling to London for the West End run of the show he was motivated to be a leading actor, but was unable to land a role for years after returning from the military service.
With this experience he landed a role a year later as Haesoo, main character of the musical Cheotsarang (First Love), starring alongside Jo Jung-suk.
Hong became the center of attention in 2009 for his portrayal of the title characters in the musical Jekyll & Hyde, one of the best-selling shows in Korean theatre.
After Zhivago he played the main character (Miguel de Cervantes/Don Quixote) on The Man of La Mancha, and the male lead Bae Bijang on the show Saljjaki Opseoye (Sweet, Come to Me Stealthily).
In 2014, it was revealed that Cameron Mackintosh had chosen Hong to portray Thuy in the new West End revival of Miss Saigon.