Former DRX head coach Kim “Kim” Jeong-soo has won a lawsuit against the organization for unfair dismissal, Kukmin Ilbo reported yesterday.
The Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission’s initial ruling orders Kim to be reinstated immediately and be paid for the time he missed on the team.
Kim’s legal representatives told Kukmin Ilbo that they welcomed the decision. “We hope that it will serve as a touchstone to protect the rights and interests of coaching staff,” they said.
The ruling is still subject to a possible appeal.
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Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission rules in favor of former DRX head coach Kim
Kim was dismissed from DRX on February 4, after only joining in November. Shortly after, he said that he would be suing the organization for improper termination.
In a statement announcing Kim’s termination, DRX had cited “violation of the head coach’s obligations under [his] contract” as the reason for the decision.
The decision to remove Kim was apparently made entirely on the end of DRX’s Board of Directors and Disciplinary Committee. DRX bot laner Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu said during a post-match interview that there were no issues between the players and Kim, and that they would in fact prefer that he return to the team.
Before joining the organization this season, Kim served as head coach of numerous other teams, including Bilibili Gaming, T1, DAMWON, Invictus Gaming, and Longzhu Gaming.
Under his leadership, the latter three teams all qualified for the World Championship, with Invictus Gaming even winning Worlds in 2018.
With Kim “Ssong” Sang-soo as their new head coach, DRX finished the LCK Spring 2022 playoffs in fifth place, after losing 2-3 to Kwangdong Freecs in the quarterfinals. They placed fourth in the regular season with a 11-7 record.
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