Hong Sung-chan was born in Seoul in 1929. As a first-generation illustrator in Korea, Hong made his debut in 1955, releasing his first illustration in the monthly magazine Hope. Hong has contributed to books, newspapers, and magazines continuously for about 60 years. Hong has drawn illustrations for magazines and newspapers from the 1950s as well as pictures for elementary school textbooks and the collected works of children’s literature in the 1970s. Hong began to work for children’s picture books from the 1990s. He has drawn pictures for numerous children’s books including The Myth of Dangun, Building a House, Thief Monsters Underground, Jaeminegol Village and Yeounangol Village People.