T1's Chief Operating Officer (COO), Josh Woongki Ahn, issued an official apology on the evening of July 23, stating, "I now fully understand the pain and hardship that Choi Woo-je and his family have endured," and "I am here to offer my sincere apology."

Earlier, on June 21, T1 had shared its stance on Choi's transfer process during a T1 forum. Later, on June 25, COO Ahn and General Manager Jeong Hoi-yoon had an extended discussion with The Play's CEO Kang Beom-jun and a representative of Choi's family, arranged by YouTuber Kim Seong-hoi of 'G-Sik Baek-Gwa.'

COO Ahn acknowledged, "We fully understand that the first offer made to Choi Woo-je and The Play during the transfer negotiations could have been perceived as disrespectful from the player's perspective," and apologized for conveying incorrect information. He further added, "Even during the negotiation process, Choi Woo-je always prioritized his original team."

He also addressed the misunderstandings that occurred during the transfer process. "After the free agency period, there were proposals and counterproposals, and at one point, we believed we had reached an agreement," he explained. "At the time, we failed to confirm the existence of a deadline, which led to misunderstandings with The Play."

T1 emphasized that during Choi's contract period, there were no suspicions of "tampering" (unauthorized pre-contact), and they firmly believe no tampering occurred. "Due to poor internal communication, our inadequate handling led to many misunderstandings, and we take full responsibility for that," Ahn stated.

COO Ahn acknowledged that his comments about Choi Woo-je during the June forum caused additional distress to the player and his family and reiterated his apology.

He concluded, "During our meeting on June 25, I apologized sincerely, and I would like to apologize once again here. We have agreed to end our dispute with The Play and wish them all the best."

Finally, COO Ahn stated, "Choi Woo-je, known as 'Zeus,' has been a dedicated and outstanding player for our team over the past five years." He added, "Although this apology is delayed and insufficient, I hope our intentions are well understood, and I sincerely ask that everyone refrains from unjustly criticizing Choi Woo-je."

T1 COO Josh Woongki Ahn’s Full Apology

= Today, I am posting this video to express my apology to Choi "Zeus" Woo-je, his family, and The Play.

On June 21, during the T1 forum, we shared our stance on Choi Woo-je's transfer and expressed our apologies regarding the process.

After the forum, with the help of Kim Seong-hoi from ‘G-Sik Baek-Gwa,’ I met with Choi Woo-je’s family. On June 25, at a location in Seoul, I, General Manager Jeong Hoi-yoon, The Play’s CEO Kang Beom-jun, and a representative from Choi Woo-je’s family had a long meeting facilitated by Kim Seong-hoi.

At that meeting, we deeply understood the pain and hardship that Choi Woo-je and his family had been through over the past few months. We prepared this announcement to sincerely apologize and to ensure that Choi Woo-je and his family will no longer experience such pain. It is important for us to show that we are making changes, and for our previous forum to have meaning, we believe that demonstrating this change is crucial.

First of all, we fully empathize with the fact that the first offer made to Choi Woo-je and The Play during the transfer negotiations could have been perceived as disrespectful from the player's perspective. I apologize for the incorrect information that was conveyed regarding this matter. Even through this negotiation process, Choi Woo-je always prioritized his original team, which we confirmed.

Additionally, our response to the situations that occurred after Choi Woo-je’s transfer was insufficient, and we understand that this led to distorted information spreading about the transfer process. Based on communication with The Play, we aim to correct the facts.

Specifically, after the free agency period, there were proposals and counterproposals, and at one point, we thought we had reached an agreement around noon. At this time, The Play communicated that they had received a counteroffer with a deadline, and we later confirmed the existence of this deadline. However, during the confirmation process with Hanwha Life, we were under the impression that there was no deadline, which led to misunderstandings about The Play.

In fact, looking back now after quite some time, the most important aspect is how T1 perceived the situation at the time. T1 has never suspected any tampering during the contract period with Choi Woo-je, and we firmly believe that no tampering occurred.

However, the issues I mentioned earlier arose due to poor internal communication, and our inadequate handling caused many misunderstandings, for which we take full responsibility.

I also reconsidered the comments I made about Choi Woo-je during the forum. We realized that these remarks were used as a basis for unjust criticism and pain for Choi Woo-je and his family.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the forum, above all, we wanted to express our apology to Choi Woo-je and his family. Therefore, during the meeting on June 25, we sincerely apologized, and I would like to take this opportunity to apologize once again.

We also had a conversation with The Play. Despite the misunderstandings and dissatisfaction during the negotiation process, both sides confirmed that we did our best from our respective positions and came to a significant understanding. After this video ends, we will conclude our dispute with The Play and wish each other well and success.

Choi Woo-je, known as ‘Zeus,’ has been a dedicated and excellent player for our team over the past five years. Although he is now a competitor on another team, we will continue to support his journey, and I encourage all fans to keep supporting and encouraging him sincerely.

I acknowledge that this apology is delayed and insufficient, but I hope our intentions are well understood by Choi Woo-je, his family, The Play, and the fans. I sincerely ask that fans refrain from unjustly criticizing Choi Woo-je moving forward.