Faker earns Military Service Exemption for victory at Asian Games 2023
South Korea’s representatives have done it. The League of Legends team has finalized their run at the Asian Games 2023 with a Grand Finals victory over Chinese Taipei, subsequently earning a military service exemption for every one of their players. For a country where military service is mandatory for all males between ages 18 to 35, their victory ensures that their esports careers can carry on without pause.
The South Korean roster included:
- Choi “Zeus” Woo-je
- Seo “Kanavi” Jin-hyeok
- Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok
- Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon
- Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk
- Ryu “Keria” Min-seo
All six players will now be awarded exemption from military service as per the agreement for their participation and victory at the Asian Games 2023.
Read More: South Korea on the cusp of earning military service exemption at Asian Games 2023.
South Korea's League of Legends representative team. Gold Medal winner. Credit: KESPA
Sweeping Victory
After their victory over China the previous day, their run to the final prize was all but assured as they faced down a vastly less-experienced lineup. Despite having some notable names, such as Hung “Karsa” Hao-Hsuan and Hu “SwordArt” Shuo-Chieh on their team, the Chinese Taipei roster was no match for the star-studded South Korean one, who dominated the game from start to finish. ADC terror “Ruler” continued his reign of dominance with a 14/4/9 series against Taipei.
In fact, their victory at this event marks another clean sweep for the roster, with their roster wholly undefeated (2-0s across all series played). “Faker” himself did not even need to make an appearance as the team cleanly put away all their Asian oppositions.
No Pauses Necessary in Their Careers
For most South Korean esports players, military service marks a ticking clock above their heads. Many esports players begin their careers before they are even eligible for military service (before 18 years old), hence, for many of them, they have the loaded question to ask themselves: ‘How long to compete before stopping for service.’ For some, they attempt to play out their careers before attending, expecting a shorter-lived career. For others, they attempt to pause their careers midway through to attend military service, planning to perhaps return after the roughly 2-year span.
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However, for someone like “Faker” who is now 27 years old and has a career spanning over a decade, and three Worlds titles and numerous domestic accolades, retirement is already a consideration on the horizon. The same cannot be said for his younger teammates, such as “Keria” and “Zeus”, who are 20 and 19 years of age currently. Prime years for esports athletes and currently considered amongst the best in their field. A pause in the middle of their career, in a field where careers are sometimes measured in the span of a few years, could spell the end of it. Moreover, form in esports is a tricky and fleeting beast, with players rarely considered top prospects for more than a few years.
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Conclusion
With the end of the Asian Games 2023 League of Legends tournament now, South Korea has once more asserted their dominance in terms of regional talent depth. To be able to field a team where their most decorated player can be sidelined, and still win flawlessly, is a statement to the esports world that this is a region to be continuously respected.
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Credit: KESPA (Korean Esports Player Association)