South Korea is still the undisputed king of League of Legends on the international stage. On October 2, the Korean national team swept Chinese Taipei 3-0 in the final of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, defending the gold medal it first captured when esports became an official medal event at Hangzhou 2023.
The final at the Aichi Sky Expo was no walkover. Chinese Taipei grabbed early leads in both of the first two games, building a gold advantage of more than 5,000 in game two. But the Korean squad refused to fold. Choi “Zeus” Woo-je and mid laner Kim “Zeka” Geon-woo turned game one around in teamfights, and jungler Kim “Canyon” Geon-bu stole the elder dragon in game two to snatch the momentum. Game three was all Korea from the opening minutes — objectives, kills, and a nexus falling inside 30 minutes. The three games closed in roughly 34, 34, and 30 minutes, and Korea did not drop a single game the entire tournament, topping its group over Chinese Taipei, India, and Hong Kong before sweeping Saudi Arabia in the semifinal.
Notably absent from the starting five in the final was the most famous player on the roster. Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok gave way to Zeka in mid, taking what he described as a coaching role — he played only once in the group stage, against India. After the match, Faker said he had no regrets about sitting out, calling himself “happy, proud, and honored” that the team secured back-to-back titles. He even scouted the opposition himself: with two of Chinese Taipei’s key players competing for JD Gaming in China’s LPL, Faker reviewed their club matches and shared notes on item builds and champion matchups with Zeka ahead of the series.
The win carries a second gold medal for Faker, Zeus, and Ryu “Keria” Min-seok — all three were on the Hangzhou championship roster. For Canyon, Zeka, and Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyung, the title brings something no trophy can: exemption from South Korea’s mandatory two-year military service, a prize the country’s law grants every Asian Games gold medalist. The same exemption has reshaped careers across traditional sports — football star Son Heung-min famously earned his with the 2018 Asian Games football title.
Korea’s League of Legends triumph adds a second esports gold of these Games, following the fighting-game team title the country won on September 26 in Tekken 8, The King of Fighters XV, and Street Fighter 6.
Sources: Insider Gaming, Korea JoongAng Daily, Dot Esports