South Korea esports team wins five medals at Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games
In short
South Korea’s esports national team won two gold, one silver and two bronze medals at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, the Korea Esports Association said on 6 October. League of Legends and the fighting-game squad both defended their titles from Hangzhou, with the LoL team beating Chinese Taipei 3-0 in the final. Esports events ran from 22 September to 2 October at the Aichi Sky Expo in Japan.
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South Korea’s esports national team won five medals at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games — two gold, one silver and two bronze — the Korea Esports Association said on 6 October. The esports competition ran from 22 September to 2 October at the Aichi Sky Expo in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. [ 1 , 3 ]
The League of Legends team took gold on 2 October without losing a set, beating Saudi Arabia 2-0 in the semi-final and Chinese Taipei 3-0 in the final, a second consecutive Asian Games title after Hangzhou. Dong-A Ilbo identified Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok as a member of that squad. [ 2 , 3 ]
The first gold came in the fighting-game event. Yeon Je-gil (Street Fighter 6), Bae Jae-min (Tekken 8) and Lee Kwang-no (The King of Fighters XV) topped their group, beat Chinese Taipei and Saudi Arabia, and then defeated Japan 5-2 in the final, according to Kyunghyang Games. Dong-A Ilbo said that gold was won on 26 September. [ 2 , 3 ]
In the remaining events, Kang Dong-shin took silver in Puyo Puyo Champions, while Kim Young-chan in Gran Turismo 7 and the Pokémon Unite team each added bronze. Kyunghyang Games reported that Honor of Kings and Identity V exited in the quarter-finals and that the PUBG Mobile team finished sixth overall. [ 1 , 3 ]
South Korea sent 41 athletes to nine esports medal events, Kyunghyang Games reported. The association held training camps by event in Busan and Seoul and set up two base camps in Japan, deploying specialists from the Korea Sports Science Institute and dedicated trainers for psychological and physical conditioning and injury prevention, with analysts assigned to the League of Legends and PUBG Mobile squads. [ 3 ]
Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Development Corporation, the maker of Jeju Samdasoo, said it signed a partnership with the Korea Esports Association in August to become the national team’s exclusive official drinking-water partner, supplying the squad during call-ups, joint training, the send-off event and the Games. Dong-A Ilbo, reporting the sponsor’s announcement, described the five medals as the “golden fruit” of that support. [ 2 ]
Esports was run as a demonstration sport at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games and has been an official medal event since the Hangzhou Games, according to Kyunghyang Games. [ 3 ]
Why it matters
The results extend South Korea’s record in esports at the Asian Games, where the discipline has been an official medal event since Hangzhou. The team’s preparation and the partnership with a bottled-water sponsor indicate the scale of institutional and commercial backing behind the national squad. The documents give no indication of consequences beyond the medal count.
Key facts
- South Korea won five esports medals at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games: two gold, one silver and two bronze. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Esports competition ran from 22 September to 2 October at the Aichi Sky Expo in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. [ 3 ]
- League of Legends and the fighting-game events both produced gold medals for South Korea, a second consecutive title in each after the Hangzhou Asian Games. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The League of Legends team beat Chinese Taipei 3-0 in the final on 2 October after defeating Saudi Arabia 2-0 in the semi-final. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Kang Dong-shin took silver in Puyo Puyo Champions; Kim Young-chan in Gran Turismo 7 and the Pokémon Unite team each took bronze. [ 1 , 3 ]
- South Korea sent 41 athletes across nine esports medal events, with the association running training camps in Busan and Seoul and two base camps in Japan. [ 3 ]
- The Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Development Corporation said it signed a partnership with the Korea Esports Association in August as the team’s exclusive official drinking-water partner. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- South Korea’s esports team won two gold, one silver and two bronze medals at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- League of Legends and the fighting-game events both delivered gold medals for South Korea, a second consecutive Asian Games title in each. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The League of Legends team defeated Chinese Taipei in the final. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Kang Dong-shin won silver in Puyo Puyo Champions, Kim Young-chan won bronze in Gran Turismo 7 and the Pokémon Unite team won bronze. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Esports events at the Games were held in Japan from 22 September to 2 October. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The Korea Esports Association supported the squad’s preparation and condition management. [ 1 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- The exact date of the fighting-game gold medal Dong-A Ilbo says the first gold came on 26 September, while Kyunghyang Games describes the win without a date; only one document gives the date.
- The individual members of the Pokémon Unite bronze-medal team The documents report the team medal but do not name the players.
- The effect of the Jeju Samdasoo sponsorship on the team’s results Dong-A Ilbo, reporting the sponsor’s announcement, links the medals to the partnership; the other documents do not, and no performance link is substantiated.
- Details of the fighting-game final, including the 5-2 score against Japan Only Kyunghyang Games reports the opponent and score.
- The size of the delegation and the number of medal events entered Only Kyunghyang Games reports 41 athletes across nine medal events.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Esports competition opens at the Aichi Sky Expo as part of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. [ 1 , 3 ]
- South Korea wins its first esports gold of the Games, in the fighting-game event. [ 2 ]
- The League of Legends team wins gold, defeating Chinese Taipei 3-0 in the final, and the esports programme closes. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Korean outlets report the final medal tally of two gold, one silver and two bronze on 6 October. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]