All LoL Players Exempt from Korean Military Service

Since 2013, South Korea has dominated League of Legends esports, with only a few missteps throughout its history. Still, despite this dominance, one particular aspect has loomed over players' careers for years and ended many of them: mandatory military service.

Indeed, South Korea maintains mandatory military service due to the ongoing security threat from North Korea. Most able-bodied Korean men must serve, typically 18 months in the Army, before entering the reserve system. Certain exemptions and alternative forms of service exist under specific circumstances.

And while the future of sports exemptions appears to be increasingly uncertain, many League of Legends players have nonetheless avoided mandatory service for various reasons, with the most common being a gold medal at the Asian Games.

The most notable route to exemption for League of Legends players has come through the Asian Games. Esports were officially included in the competition in 2022, with the first League of Legends medal event taking place at the Hangzhou Games in 2023. South Korea took gold, with several of its players subsequently receiving an exemption from mandatory military service. South Korea repeated that feat in 2026, with another group of players securing gold and joining the list.

The future of these exemptions could very well be put into question, too. Following a recent controversy involving South Korean footballers, the government has indicated that it could review the current system and reconsider whether athletes should continue receiving military benefits for success at the Asian Games.

The stakes are particularly high for esports players. The Asian Games are held only once every four years, and an exemption requires South Korea to win gold in the relevant event. South Korea notably lost to China in the 2018 League of Legends final, meaning missed what could have been an opportunity to secure an exemption. He ultimately had to complete his military service and retired at the end of the 2025 season.

The future of esports at the Asian Games is also uncertain. The OCA initially approved its removal after the 2026 edition in favor of a dedicated Asian Esports and Mind Games event in 2027. However, the organization later denied that esports would be leaving the Asian Games, contradicting its own 2024 decision. As a result, it remains unclear whether future esports champions will continue to be eligible for South Korean military exemptions.

This could ultimately make the current generation one of the last waves of esports players to benefit from such exemptions. The other major potential avenue would be the Olympic Games, but esports has never been formally featured at the Olympics, and the planned Olympic Esports Games have since stalled, with the IOC suspending its Esports Commission and the project’s future now in serious doubt.

Park "Teddy" Jin-seong similarly received his exemption through the alternative-service system. Teddy said in 2021 that he already had health issues, but that he ultimately received his exemption after remaining on the waiting list for alternative service for the legally defined period. He was subsequently classified as wartime labor personnel, meaning he was no longer required to complete his military service.

Gwak "Bdd" Bo-seong also avoided mandatory military service, although his case had nothing to do with esports. His status as a student allowed him to postpone his enlistment while he was still in school, after which he was classified for alternative service. However, he remained on the waiting list without being called up for the required period and was eventually transferred to wartime labor status, meaning he was no longer required to complete his service.

Other cases include Kim "Doinb" Tae-sang, who has spent his entire professional career in China and married Chinese streamer Li “Umi” Youzi. Doinb has previously expressed his intention to obtain Chinese nationality, telling Chinese media in 2019 that he was preparing his green-card application and hoped to eventually become a Chinese citizen. However, there does not appear to be a reliable public source confirming that he has actually obtained Chinese nationality, meaning his current military status remains unclear.

Kang "TheShy" Seung-lok is another unusual case. The former World Champion suffered a serious right-arm injury in 2018 that required surgery, with the player later revealing that doctors had warned he might never be able to use his hand again. ONE Esports While current Korean sources list TheShy as being assigned wartime labor service, there does not appear to be a reliable public source explicitly confirming that his 2018 injury was the reason for this status.