7 popular South Korean esports players everyone should know
Around the world, there are many players who are fascinated about exerting their best efforts on games. Whereas some people play for fun, some play competitively to qualify for prestigious tournaments. The esports scene thrived more as players were considered professionals in the gaming industry.
Several countries have produced a lot of amazing players across different game genres. By checking some of the world’s popular teams, players will find that there are countries that seem to dominate the world stage more than other countries. Among the countries that excel in the esports scene is South Korea.
South Korean players and teams are usually featured in online sportsbooks like Sportsbet where they can see the odds they can be on. By engaging in regular or Bitcoin sports betting, punters are in for a worthwhile experience as they root for their favourites. With the success of several South Korean teams, some players stood out from the rest. Here are some of them.
Faker – Lee Sang Hyeok (League of Legends)
Faker is perhaps the most popular South Korean esport player in the country. He is currently playing as a Mid laner for T1. He has won 3 World Championships (2013,2015, and 2016), 2 Mid-Season Invitationals (2016 and 2017), and 9 combined LCK and Champions Korea titles. He is also the first player to ever win 600 games in the LCK. With his impressive reputation, he is referred to as ‘The Unkillable Demon King’ by his Korean fans.
He started playing in 2013 when he was pulled out of solo queue by SK Telecom organizations so that a team can be formed around him in the mid lane. He has come a long way since then and is now known as Korea’s highest-earning esports player and the greatest player to ever compete in the League.
Duke – Lee Ho-seong (League of Legends)
Another impressive LoL player is Duke who became a top laner for the Invictus gaming team in 2016. He was previously known as Leopard during the 2014 season when he first joined the KT Rolster Bullets during the 3rd season. He changed his username to Duke a few months later.
He is no longer an active LoL player but he remains one of the most successful players to have played the game. Duke is the only player to have won 2 World Championships by working with two separate organizations and by playing from two different regions. Specifically, he won the Worlds 2015 with SK Telecom T1 and the Worlds 2018 with Invictus Gaming.
Loki – Park Jung-young (PUBG)
This South Korean PUBG is a starter player who previously played with Gen G. after playing with them for 3 years, he parted ways with them and transferred to DWG KIA team or Damwon team.
He holds the record for having earned the most prize money in PUBG. He has already secured multiple top-three finishes after having won the PUBG Global Invitational 2018. Aside from that, he has also dominated the MET Asia Series in 2019. So far, he has approximately earned a total of $957,023.
Gesture – Hong Jae-hee (Overwatch)
Gesture is the most-watched Overwatch player who was a main tank player who recently played for the Seoul Dynasty. He is best known for redefining how the heroes Winston, Orisa, and Roadhog are played in his nearly six-year professional career. He retired from the main playing scene just before the fifth season began in April.
He is most popular for his time on the first two seasons of the London Spitfire. There, he played as DPS’s main tank where he set the pace for his team. He also became a key part of his team’s victory during the inaugural season of the said league.
JJak – Shi Chang Hoon (Arena of Valor)
JJak is a former member of teams like KOG Diamond Cobra and Talon Esports. As an established Arena of Valor player, he has already bagged championships in three different leagues — Penta Storm Premier League (PSPL) Summer 2017, Garena Challenger Series (GCS) Summer 2018, and the RoV Pro League Season 3 2019. He also worked as a coach for Team 3 Stars at the Arena of Valor World Cup 2021 Group Stage.
Just recently, he already decided to switch to League of Legends: Wild Rift.
March – Park Tae Won (DOTA 2)
March is a South Korean-Canadian professional Dota 2 player who currently works as the coach of T1. Before he played Dota 2, he was a notable North American Dota player after having played from 2009 to 2010. A few years later, he stepped into the Dota 2 scene by signing with FXOpen e-Sports.
He became an active player again in 2021 by captaining TNC Predator’s roster to the Dota 2 Major win held at MDL Chengdu. However, it was by September that he was released from their roster since he wanted to pursue a different path. By October, he began his coaching stint with T1.
Moon – Jang Jae Ho (Warcraft III/Starcraft II)
Jang Jae Ho is a professional player who specializes in strategy games, especially Warcraft III. With his impressive skills, he is recognized as the best Night Elf player in the world. He is also a five-time world champion who has won three televised national Korean Warcraft III championships. He has played and won more televised Warcraft III games than any other player in the world. At some point, he stopped playing WarCraft but he returned to play professionally after he finished his mandatory military service in late 2015.
Aside from Warcraft III, he also specializes in StarCraft II, another Blizzard game. Back in 2012, he played StarCraft II full-time by playing with Fnatic. At the end of that year, he parted ways with the team. So far, his approximate total earnings are worth $26,000 for StarCraft II and more than $600,000 for WarCraft III.
These are just some of South Korea’s finest esports players that have been making waves on online bookmakers like Sportsbet. By learning more about these teams and rooting for them through Bitcoin sports betting, esports fans will discover how impressive these players are!
