South Korea's League of Legends national team advanced to the Asian Games finals after defeating Saudi Arabia 2-0. Facing the final showdown against Chinese Taipei, head coach Kang Dong-hoon expressed his resolve, stating, "I will only think about the gold medal."
On the 1st, Korea defeated Saudi Arabia in the 'LoL' semifinals of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at the Aichi Sky Expo in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Kim 'Zeka' Geon-woo played in both sets, overcoming early resistance from the opponent to secure a place in the finals.
Speaking after the match, head coach Kang Dong-hoon focused on how the players handled the game rather than the early concessions. He evaluated, "Although there were a few early accidents, I believe the in-game communication and establishing direction themselves were still good."
Preparations for the match against Saudi Arabia began right after concluding the group stage matches the previous day. Coach Kang explained, "We had very little information on the opposing team, so we prepared our draft by referencing their matches from the preliminary round."
Regarding their finals opponent, Chinese Taipei, he brought up their prior victory against them in the group stage. Coach Kang noted that he had expected the semifinal between Chinese Taipei and Vietnam to be close, highlighting Chinese Taipei's baseline skill alongside Vietnam's recently improved performance. He added, "They are also an opponent we have already beaten. If we stick to what we need to do and perform to our potential, a good result will surely follow."
The starting lineup for the finals will be decided by taking into account both the draft strategy and player condition. Coach Kang stated, "Since the finals are a best-of-five series, we plan to go back, hold a draft meeting, and deliberate together. Player condition is also crucial, so we will factor that in as well."
When asked about the single most important thing for the finals, his answer was the gold medal. Coach Kang said, "I believe that if we think only of the gold medal and unite as one, a good result will come," adding, "We have prepared really hard. We will do our absolute best until the end so that everything we prepared shows on stage. Please give us a lot of support."
The final between Korea and Chinese Taipei will take place as a best-of-five series at noon on the 2nd at the same venue. Korea will be chasing its second consecutive Asian Games gold medal, following its victory at the Hangzhou Games.
