Hanwha Life Esports defeated Kiwoom DRX 2-0 in the 2026 LoL Champions Korea (LCK) regular season Round 1 match held at LoL PARK in Jongno on the 24th. Hanwha Life Esports will now face the undefeated first-place team, kt Rolster, in their final match of the first round. A 2-0 victory over kt Rolster would put them in a tie for first place and secure the No. 1 seed for the Road to EWC based on tiebreaker rules.

The following is the full interview with Seo 'Kanavi' Jin-hyeok.

Q. You've reached a 6-game winning streak with today's victory.

Kanavi = First of all, I'm happy we won 2-0 today.

Q. You won both sets, but it seems there might be some lingering regrets regarding your performance.

Kanavi = We had a strategy prepared for our picks in Game 1, but we didn't execute it well in-game, which made things messy early on. I think we need to go back and discuss that.

Q. Could you tell us what that strategic plan was.

Kanavi = We expected to have bot lane priority and planned to use that to dictate the game. However, various variables emerged as the game progressed, and we couldn't do that. I'm quite disappointed with our early game.

Q. How about the second set? There were moments where you were caught out or lost ground during counter-jungling.

Kanavi = In Game 2, we chose an aggressive early-game composition with Naafiri and Annie, but things didn't go as planned during the early skirmishes, which was a shame.

Q. You suffered a setback after counter-jungling in the second set. Could you explain that situation.

Kanavi = The opponent used their turn on Raptors, which gave us an opening to invade their jungle. We planned to secure a kill using Rell's ambush, but the opponent reacted well, and we ended up losing out instead.

Q. The opposing Mel grew to 3/0/0 and looked threatening. How did you plan to handle the game?

Kanavi = Rell is definitely a scary champion once she gets big, but our composition—with Annie, Naafiri, and Rell—was well-equipped to lock down their damage dealers, so I wasn't too worried. I played with the belief that we would perform better in the mid-to-late game.

Q. There was a moment during a top-side skirmish where you chased Mel and ended up getting turned on. It seemed you didn't expect them to be that strong.

Kanavi = I think we chased them thinking we could easily take down the Rell, but she was much stronger than we expected, which caught us off guard.

Q. Regardless, the team is on a roll. What do you think is the biggest change compared to the LCK Cup.

Kanavi = The biggest factor is that the individual skill levels of our players have improved significantly. Since we've been spending time together, the awkwardness from the Cup tournament has faded, and I think that's reflecting well in our match results.

Q. Your final opponent in Round 1 is KT, who is on an 8-game winning streak.

Kanavi = kt Rolster is on an 8-game winning streak right now; they have great momentum and are playing very well. We'll prepare thoroughly to make sure we're the ones to end their streak.

Q. Cuzz previously said, "Hanwha Life is currently the best team, and I'm wary of Kanavi." How do you feel about facing Cuzz.

Kanavi = I think Cuzz is just being modest (laughs). His recent performance has been so good that I'm definitely wary of him. He often comes up with creative pathing for important matches. I'll need to stay calm and respond well. I think it'll be an exciting match.

Q. If you win 2-0 against KT, you will move into first place. With the No. 1 seed for the Road to EWC on the line, your mindset must be different.

Kanavi = Rather than focusing on rankings or schedules, a 2-0 win is simply the cleanest and most satisfying result. I'll do my best to win 2-0. If we beat a strong team like KT, it means we've improved that much, so I'll keep that in mind as I prepare.

Q. Lastly, a word for the fans who always support you.

Kanavi = I'm not sure if we're performing as well as the fans expect, but since we're on a 6-game winning streak, I think we're at least paying them back to some extent. I'll keep working hard to show an even better performance. Thank you, always.