Hong Hyun-seok joins Midtjylland on loan, reunites with Cho Gue-sung

South Korea international midfielder Hong Hyun-seok, 27, has left the German league to join Danish club FC Midtjylland on loan, where he will team up with fellow national team player Cho Gue-sung.

Midtjylland announced Thursday (Korean Standard Time) that it had signed Hong on a one-year loan deal, with the South Korean assigned the No. 20 jersey.

Hong spent last season on back-to-back six-month loan stints — first at Nantes in France, then at KAA Gent in Belgium — and has once again moved on loan for the new campaign.

Hong made his European debut in 2021 with LASK in Austria before moving to Gent in Belgium and signing with Mainz in Germany in 2024.

In his first season at Mainz, Hong appeared in 23 competitive matches, but he subsequently lost his place in the starting lineup and has now gone out on loan for two consecutive seasons.

"Hong has a wealth of experience and can play in multiple positions — he will bring both energy and creativity to the team," Midtjylland said. "Through Cho Gue-sung and Lee Han-beom at Club Brugge, we can see that Hong is also a player who fits well in this environment. We believe he will be a valuable addition."

Hong said he was aware of Midtjylland's long-standing interest in him. "I also heard a lot of good things about the club from Gue-sung and Lee Han-beom," he said. "I firmly believe this loan move is the right choice for me."

He added that having played alongside Cho for the national team made him look forward to sharing the pitch again at Midtjylland. "It will be great to play together here as well. I'm excited," he said.

Midtjylland is the club where South Korea's standout striker Cho Gue-sung is a regular starter.

The Danish side signed both Cho and Lee Han-beom in 2023 and went on to win the Danish Superliga title in the 2023-24 season and the Danish Cup in the 2025-26 season.

The original Korean duo was broken up last summer when Lee departed for Belgian club Club Brugge, but Hong's arrival is expected to spark a new partnership with Cho.