Highlights
- Popular League of Legends pro player Faker received death threats after a recent match, prompting police intervention and increased security measures.
- Faker, a household name in the esports scene, has achieved great success with SKT T1, winning multiple championships and being named MVP in various tournaments.
- The threats against Faker come amidst a spike in stabbing incidents in South Korea, leading authorities to investigate and track the source of the threats. Fans have expressed anger and called for player protection.
Popular League of Legends pro player Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok received death threats after one of his recent matches. Faker's team SKT T1 has been competing in this year's League of Legends Championship Korea (LCK) Summer League, where it reached the Playoffs stage.
Faker signed with SKT T1 (or T1 for short) back in 2013, where he took on the role of midlaner in League of Legends. Because of his technical skill and determination, he became a household name among fans who follow League of Legends' esports scene. SKT T1 has won 10 LCK championships, three world championships, and Faker was named the MVP in multiple tournaments. Notably, SKT T1's match against DRX during last year's League of Legends World Championship garnered over 5 million views.
On August 10, SKT T1 faced off against the number one seeded team KT Rolster in the upper bracket semi-finals. SKT T1 came out victorious, but amid its fans' celebratory posts, an anonymous netizen threatened to hurt Faker. In a post on the South Korean online forum DC Inside, the user said they would break in SKT T1's dormitory to "hurt him (Faker) with a scar." SKT T1 responded to the threats, assuring fans that it was investigating the matter. Shortly after, police cars were spotted outside its headquarters, and the LCK also said in a statement that it was tightening security for the duration of the tournament.
The threats against Faker came amid recent mass stabbing incidents being reported across South Korea. These have prompted the police to investigate even social media posts, where they managed to arrest many netizens who've posted threats online. As of writing, South Korean authorities have reportedly started tracking the post's IP address to identify and arrest the person who threatened Faker. Unfortunately, this isn't the first time this has happened as League of Legends personalities like Paulaeal also received threats in the past.
Over on Twitter, many League of Legends fans expressed their anger towards people who make unnecessary death threats toward pro players. Some have also called to protect Faker and his teammates from any danger, especially with the rise of stabbing incidents in South Korea. This could also include protection from stalkers, especially since Faker occasionally streams on Twitch.
SKT T1 and KT Rolster will have another match in the upcoming LCK lower bracket finals on August 19. The winner of this match will secure a spot in the grand finals against Gen.G. Since the initial death threat against Faker happened after their match versus KT Rolster, it's really important that all the players were protected before and after the tournament. League of Legends has had a reputation for being a toxic competitive game for years, but people shouldn't resort to sending threats to players, regardless if they're pros or not.
League of Legends is available on PC and Mac.
Source: Reuters