Updated on December 15, 12:47 p.m. (GMT+8): Added two more K-pop idols who love esports.
Other than K-pop (and possibly kimchi), Korea’s next biggest export is esports stars.
From Starcraft to League of Legends to Overwatch, Koreans everywhere are proud to celebrate these icons of the game for their clutch plays, insane mechanical skills, and championship-winning moments.
Celebrities are no exception to this rule, and you might even be shocked to find out that many K-pop idols are actually huge esports fans.
Here are five who can’t resist a good Ace.
K-pop idols who love esports as much as we do
- Sunmi
- Niel (Teen Top)
- Jae Park
- Eunha
- Daniel Kang
- Zion.T
- Heechul (Super Junior)
Sunmi
After flaunting her teal and white DWG KIA (formerly DAMWON Gaming) jersey, we’re convinced that K-pop artist and Wonder Girls’ former lead vocalist Sunmi (Lee Sunmi) is a genuine fan of League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK).
She seems to be particularly fond of DWG mid laner, Heo “ShowMaker” Su, as she revealed that she has a jersey with his name on the back.
With ShowMaker’s insane mid lane plays, who wouldn’t be?
Niel (Teen Top)
The group’s main vocalist and idol-turned-pro-player Niel (Ahn Daniel) claims the New York Excelsior (NYXL) is his favorite Overwatch League team.
He once had the opportunity to be coached by star players Jong-ryeol “Saebyeolbe” Park, Kim “Haksal” Hyojong, and Season 1 MVP Bang “Jjonak” Sunghyeon.
In between their lessons, Saebyeolbe and Haksal jokingly taught Niel how to flame enemies.
Niel is also an honorary DPS player for O2 Blast.
Jae Park
Everyone knows that former Day6 main vocalist Jae (Park Jaehyung) is a huge League of Legends enthusiast.
He’s had a couple of collaborations with Gen.G where he was mentored by some of the team’s previous members and Worlds champions Lee “Crown” Min-ho and Lee “CuVee” Seong-jin.
Jae’s former co-member and Day6’s drummer, Dowoon (Yoon Dowoon), shared a bit of his fanboy moment for Gen.G.
“I only saw the pros through media like YouTube. I was so honored to see them in real life. I’ll always support Gen.G!” exclaimed Dowoon.
Additionally, Jae, Crown, and CuVee all composed a beautiful song for their other collaborative project.
Jae has been into Valorant (another Riot Games title) lately and aspires to release a song dedicated to the game’s Vandal gun.
- Watch K-pop idol and Jett voice actress Shannon Williams get an Ace in Valorant
- LCK players reveal their backup jobs if they weren’t esports pros
Eunha
Former Gfriend lead vocalist Eunha (Jung Eunbi) loves Overwatch so much, she attended the viewing party for the 2019 Overwatch League Grand Final at Korea’s Lotte World cinema.
She cheered for the all-Korean Vancouver Titans team, who unfortunately lost to the San Francisco Shock led by Jay “Sinatraa” Won.
Daniel Kang
Former Wanna One member and Produce 101 winner Daniel Kang is a true fan of League of Legends. He has played a few matches with Worlds champions T1 and is good friends with bot laner Park “Teddy” Jinseong.
During one of their matches, Daniel addressed mid laner Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok as “hyung,” a Korean honorific title used to address someone who is good.
Zion. T
The Black Label’s hip hop and R&B talent, Zion.T, outed himself as a massive Faker fan through his Instagram story.
Zion.T posted a photo of Faker’s ice cream called Worldcones, with a caption that’s sweeter than the vanilla ice cream itself, with the text “A person I look up to.”
Heechul (Super Junior)
Another Faker fanboy on the list is Super Junior member Heechul, who has close ties with the League of Legends GOAT. The two once hung out and ate dinner together and discussed their favorite video games in between.
Heechul’s admiration for Faker runs deep. He thinks of him as the equivalent of BTS in the K-pop scene, he revealed in an exclusive interview with ONE Esports.
He is also friends with well-known professional players like Park “Reach” Jeong-seok, Kang “Nal_rA” Min, Hong “YellOw” Jin-ho, caster Chun Yong-jun, and more.
Find out what Faker thinks of Heechul, which MOBA game Girls’ Generation Yoona likes to play, and why Twice’s Jihyo loves playing League of Legends.
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READ MORE: How Super Junior’s Heechul became so passionate about League of Legends
