Competing in his first Asian Games, Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyeong finished the group stage undefeated. Although his condition was not optimal due to long wait times, he responded as prepared against Hong Kong's unpredictable strategy. His remaining goal was clear. He said, "I will return with the gold medal no matter what."
On September 30, South Korea defeated Chinese Taipei, India, and Hong Kong in succession in the League of Legends group stage of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at the Aichi Sky Expo in Japan. Taking first place in Group B with a 3-0 record, South Korea will face Saudi Arabia in the semifinals on October 1.
Speaking after the match, Gumayusi confessed he had felt nervous for his first Asian Games matches. "I'm glad we could finish undefeated, and I want to play even better in the next match," he said. He reflected that competing against unfamiliar players and building new chemistry on the national team were also enjoyable experiences.
He has also adapted to a daily routine aligned with the morning match schedule. Gumayusi explained, "Since there is no time difference, adjusting wasn't too difficult," adding, "An early-to-bed, early-to-rise lifestyle wasn't familiar at first, so I even slept in, but I've adapted well now."
However, he assessed his condition during the group stage at around 80%. He explained that long wait times between matches were somewhat tiring. "I think I'll be able to perform at 100% in the semifinals or finals," he said.
In the match against Hong Kong, the opponent swapped their top laner and bot laner positions to attempt a lane swap, but South Korea remained unfazed. Gumayusi revealed that prior experience discussing similar strategies with Choi "Zeus" Woo-je proved helpful. "Having prepared for it to some extent, I wasn't particularly surprised," he said. "Being able to predict the opponent's moves made it easy to respond." He added that he had previously researched whether the lane swaps popular in the past could still be utilized under the current quest system.
Regarding their upcoming match against Saudi Arabia, he said he would focus on analyzing the opponent while refining South Korea's overall performance. "I heard South Korea played against Saudi Arabia in 2023. I think we can prepare using the information from back then," Gumayusi said. "No matter who the opponent is, we will focus more on our team and prepare well."
Should they advance to the finals, he predicted Vietnam as their potential opponent. His reasoning was that Vietnam took a set off South Korea in a showcase match and has been putting on strong performances. When asked about his determination for the tournament, Gumayusi answered, "There are about two days left now, and I will definitely bring back the gold medal no matter what."
He also shared his thoughts regarding recent discussions about retaining esports as an official Asian Games sport. "It would be very disappointing if it were dropped," he said. "Players and industry officials need to work together so that esports can gain greater recognition."
