This is not unusual and happens to a lot of candidates lately. I don't know your experience level but there seems to be a certain gap between the requirements for the freighter fleet and the numbers of hours the guys they hire actually have. You're probably more likely to go to freighters if you have some heavy jet time or at least A320, 737 experience. This is only what I have been told and so I stand to be corrected by freighter pilots.
In any case, if moving to HK isn't a problem for you, the SO way is probably a better career path in terms of salary and benefits.