KB News Desk
Faker returns for his 3rd Asian Games as Korea targets 5 esports golds
Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok is heading to his third Asian Games as South Korea makes its biggest push yet for esports medals, sending a record 44-member delegation to the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Games.
Faker, 29, remains one of the most recognizable figures in competitive gaming and will help lead South Korea’s bid for five gold medals across nine esports titles.
The country’s esports team includes 36 athletes, five coaches and three Korea e-Sports Association officials serving as support staff, Lee Seung-yeon, KeSPA’s managing director, said at an official send-off ceremony in Seoul on Tuesday. The ceremony was livestreamed exclusively on Disney+.
South Korea sent 19 representatives — 15 athletes and four coaches — across four esports disciplines to the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. Both the delegation and the number of disciplines have more than doubled this time.
Faker helped South Korea win the League of Legends gold medal in Hangzhou and has won six League of Legends World Championship titles, two Mid-Season Invitational titles and 10 LCK championships.
“I feel incredibly honored and grateful to be competing in the Asian Games for the third time,” Faker said.
He said the Asian Games hold special significance because they attract an audience far beyond esports fans.
“My goal is to always give my best at every international competition and do my part to the best of my ability,” he said. “Of course, every competition is important, but I think the Asian Games are particularly meaningful because they are watched not only by fans who love games and esports, but also by the general public.”
Faker said he sees the event as an opportunity to show a wider audience the pride of representing South Korea.
According to KeSPA, South Korea is targeting gold in League of Legends, fighting games including Street Fighter 5, PUBG Mobile, Gran Turismo 7 and Puyo Puyo Esports. It is also aiming for silver in eFootball and Pokemon Unite, and bronze in Honor of Kings and Identity V.
The delegation also includes Park So-yeon, the team’s only female athlete. The 23-year-old will compete in Identity V, a survival horror game developed and published by NetEase Games.
Park said she did not realize she was the first and only woman on South Korea’s esports roster until after she was selected.
“At first, I didn’t think much of it, but now I feel that, as the first, I have a responsibility to pave the way for more female players who love games and are good at them to follow in the future,” she said.
Esports made its Asian Games debut as a demonstration sport at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, where its results did not count toward the official medal standings. It became a medal sport at the Hangzhou Games, which were held in 2023 after a one-year postponement.
South Korea won four esports medals in Hangzhou: gold in League of Legends and Street Fighter V, silver in PUBG Mobile and bronze in FC Online.
The 2026 Games will feature the largest esports program in Asian Games history, with 11 gold medals at stake. The Aichi-Nagoya Games are scheduled for Sept. 19 to Oct. 4.
