12 min read
Korean esports teams centre on the 10 clubs in the LCK (League of Legends Champions Korea), and most of them carry the name of a telecom, an insurer, a bank or a food company. T1 grew out of SK Telecom, Gen.G descends from Samsung’s old teams, and Hanwha Life Esports belongs to an insurer inside the Hanwha Group. Learn who owns a team and you can usually guess how it spends, how it behaves, and which rivalry it’s caught up in.
Key takeaways
- T1 began life as SK Telecom’s StarCraft team and became a joint venture of SK Telecom and US sports company Comcast Spectacor in 2019.
- Gen.G holds the old Samsung Galaxy lineage, which won the League of Legends World Championship in 2014 and 2017.
- From 2013 to 2017, Korean teams won five World Championships in a row. DAMWON (now Dplus KIA) won in 2020 and DRX in 2022.
- The LCK has been franchised with 10 fixed teams since 2021, so nobody gets relegated and the backers stick around.
Who are the main Korean esports teams?
When people abroad search for Korean esports teams, they almost always mean League of Legends. The LCK is Korea’s top league for the game. Riot Games, the developer, runs it, and since 2021 it has been a closed league of 10 franchise partners. A Korean organisation can also play Valorant, PUBG, mobile games or fighting games, but its LCK team is usually the flagship and the reason fans know its name.
The names change more often than in traditional sport. A team’s name usually belongs to whoever is paying, whether that’s the owner or a naming sponsor, so when the money changes the name does too. Below are the clubs foreign fans run into most, with the corporate history that explains each one.
| Team (Korean) | Who’s behind it | Roots | Best known for | Main games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 (티원) | SK Telecom and Comcast Spectacor joint venture | SK Telecom T1, StarCraft era | Most League of Legends world titles of any team, starting in 2013 | League of Legends, Valorant, others |
| Gen.G (젠지) | US-backed esports company with offices in Seoul and Los Angeles | Samsung Galaxy, bought in 2017 | Samsung lineage: world titles in 2014 and 2017 | League of Legends, Valorant, others |
| Hanwha Life Esports (한화생명e스포츠) | Hanwha Life Insurance (Hanwha Group) | ROX Tigers’ league slot, 2018 | Big budgets; a first LCK domestic title in 2024 | League of Legends |
| KT Rolster (KT 롤스터) | KT Corporation, the telecom | StarCraft-era KT team | The “Telecom War” rivalry with T1 | League of Legends, others |
| Dplus KIA (디플러스 기아) | Dplus organisation, Kia as naming partner | DAMWON Gaming | 2020 World Championship | League of Legends, others |
| DRX (디알엑스) | Independent esports company | Incredible Miracle, Longzhu, Kingzone DragonX | 2022 underdog World Championship | League of Legends, Valorant |
| Nongshim RedForce (농심 레드포스) | Nongshim, maker of Shin Ramyun | Team Dynamics’ slot, 2020 | A food brand putting money into esports | League of Legends |
The LCK’s other slots belong to clubs backed by financial groups and media companies, such as OKSavingsBank BRION and BNK FearX. The Freecs line comes from the streaming platform formerly called AfreecaTV, now SOOP. Sponsor names on these teams change most often, so check the LCK’s official site for the current lineup.
Why big Korean companies own esports teams
Esports in Korea began as a corporate sport, and that’s the short answer. Pro StarCraft took off in the late 1990s and early 2000s with matches on cable TV channels OnGameNet and MBCGame. Companies copied the model of Korea’s pro baseball league, where every club belongs to a big company, and put their logos on gaming teams. SK Telecom, KT, Samsung (with Samsung Khan), CJ (with CJ Entus) and Woongjin all ran StarCraft teams in Proleague, a team league overseen by KeSPA (the Korea e-Sports Association, founded in 1999). Our piece on how StarCraft became Korea’s national sport covers that era in full.
The logic still holds. A team gets a company’s name in front of young people who skip TV ads, and for telecoms the fit is obvious because they sell the networks players game on. Many backers are units of a chaebol, the family-run conglomerates that dominate Korean business (see what a chaebol is). Hanwha Life sits inside the Hanwha Group and T1’s Korean parent is part of SK, so the team becomes another arm of the group’s brand.
Corporate team vs investor team: what changes
Teams fall into two broad models. A corporate team is a marketing line for a parent company. Funding can be generous and steady, but it can also disappear when the board’s priorities change. An investor-backed team like Gen.G or DRX has to make money from merchandise, sponsorship, media and its own fan business, so it usually works harder on content and global branding. When you pick a team to follow, the model tells you what to expect: corporate teams tend to be stable and slow to change, while investor teams experiment more.
T1: from SK Telecom T1 to a global brand
T1 (티원) is the most famous Korean esports team outside Korea by a wide margin. It started in 2004 as SK Telecom’s StarCraft team and became SK Telecom T1. It added League of Legends in 2012, and in 2013 it signed a teenage mid laner, Lee Sang-hyeok, known as Faker, who became the player most closely tied to the club.
In 2019 the organisation was relaunched as T1 Entertainment & Sports, a joint venture between SK Telecom and Comcast Spectacor, the US company behind the Philadelphia Flyers. That’s when the name shrank from SKT T1 to just T1. The move also sent a signal: T1 wanted to be a global entertainment brand with merchandise, content and fans everywhere, not only a telecom’s marketing budget.
What T1 has won
T1 won the League of Legends World Championship in 2013, 2015 and 2016, then again in 2023 and 2024. That gives it more world titles than any other team. It has also won many LCK domestic titles, which makes it the benchmark every other Korean club gets measured against. For the current title count and roster, check T1’s official site or the LoL Esports site, because both change every season.
Gen.G and the Samsung Galaxy lineage
Gen.G (젠지) confuses new fans because it looks like a startup, yet it carries one of the oldest histories in the scene. Samsung’s League of Legends teams, Samsung White and Samsung Blue, ruled 2014, and Samsung White won the World Championship that year in Seoul. They later merged into Samsung Galaxy, which won Worlds again in 2017 in Beijing, beating SK Telecom T1 in the final.
Samsung sold the team in 2017 to KSV Esports, a US-backed company, and in 2018 it was renamed Gen.G. Its operations are split between Seoul and Los Angeles, and over the years it has fielded teams in several games. It ran the Seoul Dynasty in the now-defunct Overwatch League and later joined Riot’s partnered Valorant league for the Pacific region.
Why Gen.G matters to foreign fans
Gen.G was built to speak English from the start. It has long invested in content and programmes aimed at fans outside Korea, so if you want to follow a top LCK team in your own language, it’s one of the easiest to get into. In League of Legends it has been one of the most consistent winners of recent years, both in the LCK and at Riot’s mid-season international events.
Hanwha Life Esports: an insurer’s bet on League of Legends
Hanwha Life Esports (한화생명e스포츠, often shortened to HLE) is owned by Hanwha Life Insurance, part of the Hanwha Group conglomerate. In late 2018 it took over the league slot of the ROX Tigers, a fan-favourite team best remembered for its 2016 run and its rivalry with SK Telecom T1.
For years HLE had a reputation for spending heavily without winning much. That ended in 2024, when it won its first LCK domestic title. The story is a useful lesson for anyone reading Korean esports: a rich parent buys you top players, but a title also takes years of coaching, synergy and luck.
How to tell HLE apart in streams
In broadcasts and on the LCK schedule the team shows up as HLE, wearing orange (Hanwha’s corporate colour). If you see “Hanwha” in a different sport, it’s the same group. Hanwha also owns the Hanwha Eagles baseball club, which is exactly the corporate-team model described above.
KT Rolster and the Telecom War
KT Rolster (KT 롤스터) is owned by KT Corporation, Korea’s other big telecom. Its matches against T1 are called the Telecom War (통신사 더비, “telecom derby”), a rivalry that goes back to the StarCraft Proleague, when both companies’ teams fought over the same fans and the same broadcast slots.
KT has had shorter spells at the top than T1, but its peaks are memorable. Its 2018 lineup won the LCK and was one of the strongest teams that year. For foreign viewers, a KT vs T1 game is a good first match to watch: the crowd and casters treat it as a derby whatever the standings say.
DRX, Dplus KIA and Nongshim: the other names you’ll hear
Dplus KIA (formerly DAMWON Gaming)
DAMWON Gaming came up from Korea’s second division and won the 2020 World Championship in Shanghai with an aggressive style. The organisation now plays as Dplus KIA (디플러스 기아), with carmaker Kia as its naming partner. That’s a common Korean setup, where the sponsor’s name goes on the jersey but the sponsor doesn’t own the club.
DRX
DRX (디알엑스) has had more names than most teams. It started as Incredible Miracle, then became Longzhu Gaming, Kingzone DragonX and finally DRX. In 2022 it entered Worlds as Korea’s fourth seed, which meant playing in the opening play-in stage, and went on to beat T1 in the final in San Francisco. It’s still one of the great underdog runs in esports. DRX also plays in Riot’s Valorant Pacific league alongside Gen.G and T1.
Nongshim RedForce
Nongshim, the food company behind Shin Ramyun (see our guide to Korean instant ramen), took over the Team Dynamics slot in 2020 as the LCK moved to franchising. Nongshim RedForce (농심 레드포스) shows how far esports sponsorship now reaches beyond tech and telecoms into consumer brands chasing young customers.
Korean esports teams at Worlds: a short timeline
Korea’s reputation rests on the League of Legends World Championship, the game’s biggest annual tournament. From 2013 to 2017, Korean teams won five in a row. In 2018 China’s Invictus Gaming ended the run, and the two regions have traded the trophy since. If you want the structural reasons behind Korea’s success, read why Korea is good at League of Legends.
| Year | Event | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | KeSPA founded | Korea gets a national esports association to run StarCraft pro play |
| 2004 | SK Telecom team launched | The organisation that becomes T1 starts in StarCraft |
| 2013 | Worlds | SK Telecom T1 wins its first League of Legends world title |
| 2014 | Worlds | Samsung White wins in Seoul |
| 2015, 2016 | Worlds | SK Telecom T1 wins back to back |
| 2017 | Worlds | Samsung Galaxy wins; the team is later sold and becomes Gen.G |
| 2019 | Rebrand | SKT T1 becomes T1 under the SK Telecom and Comcast Spectacor venture |
| 2020 | Worlds | DAMWON Gaming (now Dplus KIA) wins in Shanghai |
| 2021 | LCK franchising | The league becomes a closed league of 10 partner teams |
| 2022 | Worlds | DRX wins as an underdog |
| 2023, 2024 | Worlds | T1 wins in Seoul, then in London |
Esports also became a medal event at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, and Korea won gold in League of Legends. Korean law can exempt Asian Games gold medallists from mandatory military service, so that result mattered a great deal to the players.
How to follow Korean esports teams from abroad
You don’t need to read Korean to follow the LCK. Riot streams the league with English commentary on its official channels, and the LoL Esports site (lolesports.com) lists schedules, results and standings by region. Most top teams also run English-language social accounts and post subtitled videos on YouTube.
- Pick a way in. T1 has the biggest global fanbase, Gen.G has the most English content, and the T1 vs KT derby is the easiest rivalry to get invested in.
- Learn the season structure. The LCK season leads into Riot’s international events, including the Mid-Season Invitational and Worlds in the autumn. The format changes from year to year, so check the official LCK page for the current one.
- Check the time zone. LCK matches are scheduled for Korean evenings, which means mornings in Europe and overnight in the Americas. Most fans abroad watch the VODs (video-on-demand replays).
- Buy merch from the team itself. Jerseys and merchandise are sold through each team’s official online shop. Shipping to your country and the prices vary, so check the store before you order.
Common mistakes foreign fans make
Assuming the name tells you the owner. Dplus KIA isn’t owned by Kia, and many LCK teams carry a sponsor’s name. Look up the operating company on the team’s own site.
Treating old results as current form. A team’s past titles say little about this season. Korean rosters get reshuffled hard in the off-season after Worlds, so check the current lineup on the official team page or the LoL Esports site before you make predictions.
Mixing up Gen.G and Samsung. Gen.G inherited the Samsung Galaxy history, but Samsung no longer owns it. The 2014 and 2017 world titles are usually counted under the Samsung name.
Forgetting the other games. T1, Gen.G and DRX all field Valorant teams in Riot’s Pacific league, so a Valorant fan can follow the same badges in a second game.
FAQ
What is the most successful Korean esports team?
T1 is the most successful by world titles in League of Legends, with Worlds wins in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2023 and 2024. It also has a long list of LCK domestic titles. For the current count, check T1’s official site or the LoL Esports site.
Who owns T1?
T1 is run by T1 Entertainment & Sports, a joint venture formed in 2019 by SK Telecom and Comcast Spectacor, the US sports and entertainment company. Before that the team was SK Telecom T1, owned directly by the Korean telecom.
Is Gen.G owned by Samsung?
No. Samsung sold its Samsung Galaxy team in 2017 to KSV Esports, a US-backed company, and the team became Gen.G in 2018. Gen.G keeps the Samsung lineage, including the 2014 and 2017 world titles, but it’s an independent esports organisation.
How many teams are in the LCK?
The LCK has 10 teams. Since 2021 it has been a franchised league, so teams hold permanent slots instead of facing relegation, and each partner also runs an academy team for developing players.
Why are Korean esports teams named after companies?
Korean esports copied the corporate model of Korean pro baseball during the StarCraft era. Companies like SK Telecom, KT and Samsung put their names on teams to reach young audiences. Today some teams are owned by the company in the name, and others only carry it as a naming sponsor.
Where can I watch Korean esports teams in English?
The LCK streams with English commentary on Riot’s official channels, and lolesports.com lists the schedule and links to the streams. What’s available in your country can differ, so check the LoL Esports site for official channels and co-streaming options.
What to watch next if you’re new to Korean esports
Start with one match from each era. A T1 vs KT Telecom War game shows you the rivalry, any DRX match from the 2022 Worlds run shows you the underdog story, and a Gen.G vs T1 series shows you the modern top level. Then follow one team’s official channels through a full split (one half of the LCK season), from the opening weeks to the playoffs, and you’ll see how rosters, rivalries and corporate money shape every season.
If you want the backstory, our guide to the best Korean video games covers the titles Korea builds itself. For anything time-sensitive, like rosters, schedules, ticket sales and the current format, the only reliable sources are the official LCK, LoL Esports and team websites.
Related reading
Sources k-korea.blog
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