On Thursday,
Hanwha Life Esports announced the identity of their new head coach for the 2026 season.
Seo "Kanavi" Jin-hyeok does not come alone from
Top Esports, and will not be the only one making the journey back to South Korea, as HLE revealed on their social channels that Korean coach Yoon "
Homme" Sung-young will join the organization for the upcoming
LCK season.
In addition to this appointment, the team confirmed the contract extension of Lee "Mowgli" Jae-ha, who has been part of the coaching staff since 2023. Together, they will attempt to elevate HLE to the summit of global competition with the ambition of claiming every title in 2026.
Despite being 40 years old with many years of experience, Homme has coached only one season in his home country since the beginning of his career—back in 2014 with Samsung White—before moving to the LPL. He now returns to the LCK with HLE after the organization parted ways with Choi "DanDy" In-kyu, who had led the team since LCK Summer 2022. As DanDy prepares to join Nongshim RedForce next season, Homme will step in as his successor.
With extensive experience in the
LPL, Homme is best known for his time as head coach of
JD Gaming from 2018 to 2023, with a single break in 2021. He claimed four LPL titles with the team and served as head coach during JDG’s near–golden road run in 2023, where they won both LPL splits and MSI, but ultimately fell to
T1 in the semifinals of Worlds. He and Kanavi thus spent four years together—years that ended three times with eliminations at the hands of the same opponent: T1.
Homme will be supported by Mowgli, who joined HLE’s coaching staff in 2023. A former professional player, Mowgli notably competed at Worlds with Afreeca Freecs as jungler before spending a year with Team Vitality in 2019. He transitioned into coaching in 2022 at only 23 years old. With this new coaching staff, HLE aims to build a roster capable of becoming truly dominant in 2026.
