[1] South Korea eventually claimed the silver medal two times in a row, and as a starting catcher he led the team attack alongside cleanup hitter Choi Hee-seop and Park Han-yi.

In November 1998, Hong was called up to the South Korean national team for the 1998 Asian Games, which included professional players for the first time ever.

In the tourney, he batted .240 with a home run and 3 RBI, sharing a starting position behind the plate with Park Kyung-Oan of the Hyundai Unicorns.

He was third in batting average (.329) and fifth in RBI (86), smacking 14 home runs and stealing 10 bases, and won his second Golden Glove Award as a catcher.

During the 2005 season, due to his hamstring injury and defensive deficiencies, Hong began to split his time between catching and designating hitting.

After the season, he announced that he would not give up his catching position in the Bears, and his intention came into conflict with the team's manager Kim Kyung-Moon.

In the beginning of the 2007 season, he was sidelined with hamstring injury, and the Bears' backup catcher Chae Sang-Byung filled Hong's void behind the plate.

Hong Sung-heun's frequent defensive errors at the time were also due to skills problems caused by suffering from Steven Blas syndrome.