South Korean President Lee Jae Myung congratulated T1 on their 2025 League of Legends Worlds victory in the grand final against KT Rolster, marking their third consecutive title following wins in 2023 against Weibo Gaming and in 2024 against Bilibili Gaming.

In his message, the president thanked the organization for showcasing South Korea on the international stage, further affirming the country’s dominance in esports as one of the field’s pioneering nations. He also stated his continued support for the development of South Korean esports, enabling young players to keep pursuing their dreams. He finally congratulated KT Rolster, the tournament’s biggest surprise, who pushed T1 all the way to a fifth game in the final.

South Korea, a Fertile Ground for Esports

South Korea is undoubtedly the holy land of League of Legends. The LCK is the most competitive league in the world, and the Worlds have been largely dominated by the region, with ten of the 15 Worlds trophies going to LCK teams. Four of the ten MSI titles have also been claimed by Korea, the only major competition where China still leads, although the last two editions were won by Korean teams.

The country also exports a tremendous amount of talent. In the LCK, aside from the recent appearance of Trần "LazyFeel" Bảo Minh with DRX, no non-Korean player has ever competed in the league. By contrast, the LPL is full of Koreans, and no Chinese team has ever won Worlds without an LCK player on its roster. Europe and the Americas also import a significant amount of talent each year, the most recent example being Karmine Corp’s new midlaner, Kang "kyeahoo" Ye-hoo, as reported by Sheep Esports.