Seok won Hong, Principal Guest Conductor of the Busan Philharmonic Orchestra, has established himself as a leading figure in the Korean music scene, praised as a ‘young master’ for his ability to encompass not only the traditional orchestral repertoire but also opera, ballet, and contemporary music. A_ter earning his bachelor’s degree in Composition(Conducting) from Seoul National University, Hong completed both the Diplom program in Conducting and the Konzertexamen at the Berlin University of the Arts. He was selected as one of the “Maestros of the Future” by the German Music Council, won 3rd prize at the Karajan Centenary Conducting Competition, and served as Kapellmeister at the Tyrolean State Theatre in Innsbruck, Austria. He made a successful stage debut by conducting Johann Strauss’s operetta Die Fledermaus, a work cherished by Austrians as both a national favorite and a source of cultural pride. Tiroler Tageszeitung, the leading newspaper of Tyrol, praised the performance, saying, “Fantastic music! Conductor Seokwon Hong made the entire audience dance,” while the European opera magazine Merker highly acclaimed him, stating, “Conductor Seokwon Hong brought the orchestra to the most ideal Strauss sound.” In Korea as well, he has worked steadily with the Korea National Opera, leading major productions such as the PyeongChang Olympic commemorative operas Lady Camellia and La Traviata; Manon, which drew attention in 2020 as the world’s 1st full-length opera production of the COVID era; Nabucco, presented to mark the reopening of the National Theater of Korea; and the Korean premiere of Verdi’s I vespri siciliani. In these productions, he fully demonstrated the artistry he had shown on the European stage. In 2023, he led the Korean National Symphony Orchestra in performances abroad, and in 2024, h successfully concluded “Tcheo Yong”, a commemorative performance marking the Paris 2024 Olympics by Korea’s national performing arts organizations—the Korea National Opera, Korean National Symphony Orchestra, and the National Chorus of Korea—earning high acclaim overseas as well. A_ter serving as Music Director of the Hankyung Arte Philharmonic, he went on to serve as an Artistic Director of the Gwangju Symphony Orchestra. During his tenure, he released the album 5 Beethoven, Isang Yun, Barber6 with pianist Yunchan Lim on the Deutsche Grammophon label, led the Korean premiere of Shostakovich’s Symphony No.13, Babi Yar, as well as an invited overseas performance in Texas, USA, and received much acclaim at the Symphony Festival. In particular, he was praised for having sparked a wave of enthusiasm for classical music in Gwangju, drawing a strong response from the city’s citizens. Since September 2025, Conductor Seokwon Hong has been serving as Professor of Conducting in the Department of Composition at the College of Music, Seoul National University.