The South Korean esports national team concluded the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with two gold, one silver, and two bronze medals. After claiming its first gold medal by defeating host nation Japan in fighting games, the 'League of Legends' team topped the podium in the final match of the tournament, completing a total harvest of five medals.
The final gold medal was delivered by 'League of Legends'. On October 2, South Korea defeated Chinese Taipei 3-0 in the final held at Aichi Sky Expo in Japan. This marks back-to-back gold medals following the Hangzhou Games. After placing first in Group B by defeating Chinese Taipei, India, and Hong Kong in the group stage, South Korea swept Saudi Arabia 2-0 in the semifinals and went on to win the final, concluding the tournament undefeated across all eight games.
Led by head coach Kang Dong-hoon, the roster featured Choi "Zeus" Woo-je, Kim "Canyon" Geon-bu, Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok, Kim "Zeka" Geon-woo, Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyeong, and Ryu "Keria" Min-seok. Hangzhou gold medalists 'Faker', 'Zeus', and 'Keria' claimed their second Asian Games gold medal, while 'Canyon', 'Zeka', and 'Gumayusi' reached the top of the podium in their Asian Games debut.
Earlier, the fighting game national team delivered South Korean esports' first gold medal. On September 26, Bae Jae-min, Lee Kwang-no, and Yeon Je-gil rallied from a 1-2 deficit to defeat Japan 5-2 in the final. In a team event combining 'Tekken 8', 'The King of Fighters XV', and 'Street Fighter 6', the three veterans chained their victories together.
Lee Kwang-no anchored South Korea with two match wins, while Bae Jae-min claimed two sets after losing his opening match. Yeon Je-gil also contributed to the comeback victory by avenging an earlier defeat against Kojiro Higuchi. Winning four consecutive sets, South Korea defeated host nation Japan to capture the inaugural gold medal in the newly established fighting game team event.
The silver medal came in 'Puyo Puyo Champions'. Kang Dong-shin advanced to the final on September 26 but lost 2-10 to Japan's Yuki Kurihara. Though he fell short of the title, reaching the final added a silver medal to South Korea's esports tally.
The athlete who kicked off South Korea's medal run was Kim Young-chan in 'Gran Turismo 7'. On September 23, Kim earned the bronze medal by finishing 3rd among eight participants in a final that combined points across three races. Having competed in both real-world motorsport and sim racing, Kim stood on the first podium for South Korea's esports delegation at these Games.
The 'Pokémon UNITE' national team also harvested a bronze medal. Composed of Kim Jae-young, Park Seong-soon, Lee Ji-hwan, Cho Min-hyuk, and Jin Soo-bin, South Korea reached the semifinals by defeating Singapore 2-1 in the quarterfinals on September 27. Although they lost 0-2 to Japan in the semifinals, they concluded the tournament in tied third place without a separate bronze medal match.
There was also disappointment in events that fell short of the podium. The 'PUBG Mobile' national team mounted a comeback by taking a chicken dinner in the first match of the final day, but ultimately finished 6th overall with 71 total points. 'Honor of Kings' and 'Identity V' were eliminated in the quarterfinals by the Philippines and China, respectively, while 'eFootball' failed to advance from the group stage. South Korea competed in nine esports events at this tournament and secured medals in five.
