It has been confirmed that the South Korean national team competing in PUBG Mobile at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games experienced incidents where in-game settings on their tournament devices were reset. The team reported the situation to International Technical Officials (ITOs) and was granted additional time to restore their settings before competing.
According to the office of Lee Jae-jung, Chair of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee on the 14th, the Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA) stated in documents submitted to the National Assembly that "circumstances suspected of being in-game setting resets in PUBG Mobile were discovered." In PUBG Mobile, individual settings such as aim sensitivity and firing button layout directly impact player performance. If a player's customized values are reset, maintaining their usual feel and control becomes difficult.
Regarding how the issue was handled, KeSPA explained, "Immediately after the squad raised the issue, an official informed the International Technical Referees of the situation and secured additional time for players to restore their original settings, taking measures to ensure the match proceeded without hindrance." However, KeSPA did not specify the exact date or match when the incident occurred.
The competition environment itself was beyond South Korea's control. KeSPA responded that the provision of tournament accounts, mobile devices, and in-game settings for PUBG Mobile at the Hangzhou Games was "managed by the game publisher (Tencent) and the organizing committee," adding that "there are no official rule documents or verification records held by the South Korean side" regarding this matter.
At the time, Asian Games version accounts were provided to the national squad through Tencent, while the devices were independently purchased and supplied by KeSPA after determining the model via partners prior to official announcements. This means the South Korean side lacked a documentary or regulatory basis specifying how equipment and accounts provided by the organizers were to be inspected in advance.
KeSPA emphasized, "Just as we responded immediately in Hangzhou, squad officials will do their utmost to ensure players face no inconvenience during matches if similar situations occur."
KeSPA outlined a pre-inspection plan for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Games. First, it will review tournament rules in advance and send official inquiries to the organizing committee and AESF regarding any deficiencies. Additionally, it announced plans to secure the official designated model, the 'RedMagic Pro,' as training devices beforehand to support official practice, familiarize staff with objection procedures, and establish an immediate response system in case anomalies occur on site.
This shifts the approach from Hangzhou—where device models were identified through partners and purchased independently—to securing designated devices well in advance. The RedMagic Pro is manufactured by a Chinese company.
In the PUBG Mobile (Asian Games Version) event at the Hangzhou Asian Games, the South Korean national team finished second behind China in the final on October 1, 2023, earning a silver medal.
Meanwhile, the same document revealed that there was also a dispute in the FC Online event at the Hangzhou Games. On September 24, 2023, during Match 4 of Winner's Bracket Round 2, South Korean player Kwak Jun-hyouk raised an objection within the mandatory 5-minute deadline regarding a suspected in-game rule violation by a Bahraini player. International referees verified the violation and ordered a rematch.
Bahrain subsequently objected to the result of the rematch, but the complaint was dismissed because they failed to follow formal appeal procedures. On September 27, a four-party meeting was held hosted by the OCA. The tournament's highest decision-making body, the Jury of Appeal, ruled 2 to 1 that while ordering the rematch itself was an officiating error, there was no ground to accept Bahrain's appeal since proper procedures were not followed, confirming the original match result and medal standing.
The 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will open on the 19th and run through October 4. Esports remains an official medal sport, with PUBG Mobile included once again.
Chair Lee Jae-jung stated, "Esports is a discipline where a single setting or subtle hardware difference directly impacts performance," adding, "Ensuring a fair competition environment is a key pillar of national team support."
She continued, "We must not simply accept the environment provided by organizers just because it is an international tournament," adding, "Ahead of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, we will closely examine whether proper pre-inspections reflecting game-specific characteristics are being conducted beyond on-site response."
