Economics Major Turned Actor Wins Survival Reality Show

As of October 18th, 2025, rookie actor Hong Seung-beom has emerged as a rising star in the Korean entertainment industry. The 34-year-old, born in 1991, recently won the survival reality show 'Casting 1147km', beating out a six-contestant field under the watchful eyes of director-producer judges.

Hong's path to success reads like a drama pilot. An economics major, he blitzed through a U.S. degree, then interned at the tech giant Naver. However, the "what if" of acting became too strong to ignore, and Hong pivoted hard to pursue his passion. Leveraging his bilingual skills, honed through debate club immersion, no-Korean zones, and daily English drills, Hong has been steadily building his acting resume since 2016.

In the years leading up to his big win, Hong has appeared in a number of notable projects, including 'Revenge Returns', 'Kkondae Intern', 'Sacred Children', and 'Delightfully Deceitful'. His performance on '1147km' impressed the judges, who tested his range with line reads and self-expression missions. Hong's final turn on the show sparked whispers of him being "the next Byun Woo-seok", a rising star in the Korean entertainment scene.

With a father from a top theater program, Hong initially chose economics to keep his options open, but later added acting as a double major once the calling refused to dim. His personal vow to finish school in two years post-service and then go all in on acting continues to drive his early call times and last-one-out rehearsals. As he looks to the future, Hong hopes to act naturally in English on set, leveraging his bilingual abilities to take on roles that can cross borders without subtitles.