League of Legends Is So Big in Korea, Even Politicians Cosplay It

It all started with a promise. If Korean team SK Telecom T1 won this year’s League of Legends World Championship, Congressman Jun Byung-hun said he would cosplay as a LoL character and post the photo proof online.

Turns out, they won. And today, Rep. Jun was good to his word.

This past January, South Korean Congressman Jun Byung-hun became the chairman of the Korea eSports Association (aka KeSPA). He’s been working hard to ensure eSports have a good image. In a country where there’s a gaming “Shutdown Law” and some in the older generation don’t get gaming, Korean gamers need every friend they can get—and this politician seems like he’s in their court.

https://lastchance.cc/under-18-years-old-you-cannot-use-the-psn-in-south-kor-488840923%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

As tipster Sang explains, Rep. Jun is viewed as a politician who wants to keep the country’s game industry healthy and opposes legislation that could hinder that.

Earlier today via Twitter, Rep. Jun uploaded several photos of himself dressed as LoL character Gragas. He added that the older generation cannot forget that they were once young, too, and that if they didn’t understand the country’s youth, the gulf between them will worsen.

“On behalf of the older generation,” Rep. Jun added, “congratulations to SK Telecom T1 for winning the world championship.” On behalf of the younger generation, thanks for being so cool and understanding.

전병헌 [@BHJun Thanks, Sang!]

전병헌 KeSPA 협회장, ‘’SK텔레콤 우승 시 코스프레 약속!” [Fomos]

Photos: Photos: 전병헌/Twitter

To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft

Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.