To understand the importance of South Korea’s gold medal in League of Legends at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, one must look not only at the team’s tournament history but also decades upon decades of the country’s history.
South Korea is one of many countries that have mandatory military service, written into the country’s constitution after World War II. While the service mainly acts as a protective measure against North Korea, it has also now become a cultural element of Korean society that heavily influences the lives of young men.
There are very few legitimate ways to get out of military service, but one way that is clearly outlined is to win a gold medal at either the Olympics or the Asian Games—which the players of South Korea’s League of Legends team have just done.
This is the first time that League, let alone esports in general, has been a medal event at a major international competition like the Asian Games. This marks a massive step in not only League’s global presence but also the potential for esports as a whole to share the stage with some of the world’s biggest sporting events.
At the Asian Games this year, which are officially titled the 2022 Asian Games despite being held in 2023 due to COVID, esports is classified in the subcategory of “Mind Sports,” which includes other games like Chess, Go, and Bridge. Winning competitors in these sports receive an Asian Games medal alongside a typical medal ceremony, just like traditional sports athletes.
The video game titles featured in the esports category this year are League, Dota 2, EA Sports FC Online, PUBG Mobile, Arena of Valor, Dream Three Kingdoms 2, and Street Fighter V: Champion Edition. Blizzard’s Hearthstone was originally also scheduled to be included as a medal event, but due to the shutdown of Blizzard services in mainland China, the event was removed.
The countries fielding a League team this year included South Korea, China, Chinese Taipei (Taiwan), Hong Kong, Japan, India, Kazakhstan, Palestine, United Arab Emirates, Maldives, Macau, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Team Korea’s roster included veteran League player Lee “Faker” Sanghyeok, alongside Park “Ruler” Jaehyeok, Seo “Kanavi” Jinhyeok, Jung “Chovy” Jihun, Ryu “Keria” Minseok and Choi “Zeus” Wooje. Most of the players on the roster have come off of momentous seasons and have their eyes set on Worlds 2023 after their big win at the Asian Games.
Zeus, Faker, and Keria all come from the 2023 LCK Summer Season runner-up team, T1, while teammate Chovy was a part of the winning Gen.G team. Both Ruler and Kanavi are currently the only Korean players on JD Gaming, a Chinese team.
Worlds this year is being held in South Korea, with venues in both Seoul and Busan, making the potential of an incredible season for Korean players even greater.
Though the victory at the Asian Games this year is significant in that Team Korea beat their biggest rivals in Team China—sending them to the bronze medal match—the reward of military service exemption is likely a larger prize. This is the first time in history that esports athletes will have earned an exemption for their video game prowess.
Military service in South Korea lasts around 18 to 21 months and must be completed before the age of 35. All men must undergo a physical examination at the age of 18 to determine their physical capabilities for performing service duties. After enlisting and completing a rigorous boot camp, men serve in their assigned positions until their discharge.
Every person assigned male at birth who holds Korean citizenship must be evaluated for their eligibility to perform their military service, and exceptions for physically fit people are generally very rare. Even global K-pop superstars BTS weren’t granted military service exemption, as questions of “fairness” came into play according to the defense minister, in a decision that would likely have been highly subjective.
But for the country’s League stars, there was a clear benchmark: win gold at the Asian Games. After besting Team China on Wednesday, Korea’s victory seemed inevitable.
Following their 2-0 win over Chinese Taipei, all six players will now earn their military exemption alongside a gold medal fit to stand among their other trophies in one of the esports titles that is truly making history.
