Even before season two of Netflix's hit Korean reality series "Physical: 100" was released, fans were talking about the return of Hong Bum-suk. Former firefighter and TV personality Hong Beom-suk was the only one of the Season 1 cast to return to the grueling survival series, and in his second entry, he exceeded fan expectations, joining actor Justin Harvey, rugby player Andre Jin, CrossFit YouTube star He was one of the final four finalists, along with actor Justin Harvey, rugby player Andre Zinn, and CrossFit YouTube star Amotti.

Fans of the Korean reality show know that Hong was a regular star of fitness competitions before his first appearance on the Netflix series; to learn more about the athlete, including why he decided to participate in "Physical:100" Season 2, please Read on.

According to his bio, Hong served in the South Korean Special Forces for more than 11 years; after being discharged as a sergeant in 2017, he was commissioned as a firefighter and rescue specialist. He became the first Korean to win the title of "Toughest Firefighter Alive" after defeating 150 firefighters in a four-day World Firefighter Competition in 2018. He ended his career as a firefighter in 2022 to focus on competition and content creation.

Hong first gained attention in the Korean entertainment industry when he appeared in the military survival series "The Soldiers" in 2021. He has also appeared in The League of Gentlemen, King of Wrestling, Mission CodeRed, Iron Squad Season 3, and Physical: 100. He also runs his own YouTube channel, Tiger Stone, which features fitness content, vlogs, collaborations with other YouTubers, and lifestyle content featuring his wife and two sons.

Hong's tenure on "Physical: 100" Season 1 was cut short when he was eliminated in a one-on-one "death match" with eventual Season 1 finalist Cho Jin-young. However, he did win first place out of 100 in the Season 2 PreQuest Treadmill Challenge and was named team captain. He eventually ended his streak with a first-place runner-up finish in the season.

In an interview with The Korea Times, Physical: 100 creator Jang Ho-ki revealed that he called Hong back for the fans. 'We didn't intend to call back any of the participants from Season 1. We already had a lot of applicants, but there were a lot of requests for Hong to come back," Chang said. ''Also, Hong is a great guy, so we wanted to showcase his performance. In terms of the entertainment aspect of the show, it's good to see his own story unfold. As a result, he made it to the finals."

Hong also said that rejoining the show was a "difficult decision." He said, "I seriously debated [whether to participate in Season 2]. In season one, they sent me home after losing without mercy. There was a possibility that the same situation would be repeated in Season 2, and I thought it would be too much of a mental burden if that happened."

"But I knew that if I did not compete, I might deeply regret it for the rest of my life. Being able to compete in Season 2 gave me memories I will never forget."

In November 2023, Hong shared an Instagram post from the hospital, revealing that he had received treatment for his knee. At the time, he did not explain the circumstances behind the injury, but later revealed in a YouTube video that he injured his knee during a pole-pushing challenge with Amotti when they competed in the final round of "Physical: 100 Season 2."

"This does not mean that the game was too dangerous. It was too much force and I tore my ligaments. Furthermore, Amotti began to cry when he saw Hong lying on the ground with the paramedics, and Hong said that he realized the seriousness of the situation. "I think I would have lost anyway if I hadn't been injured," Hong, the runner-up, added, "I was able to finish Season 2 of 'Physical: 100' feeling quite satisfied after losing to a respected junior," he recalled during his appearance on the show.

By the time "Physical: 100" aired, Hong appeared to be recovering quickly after treatment. He attended press events for the show and also filmed several YouTube videos of himself working out with fellow contestants.