South Korean President Mentions Global Esports Star Faker In Speech
He spoke about esports GOAT Faker in his 17th policy discussion with citizens
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On the first week of March, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol addressed the citizens of the nation during the 17th public livelihood debate. This policy discussion was reportedly centered on youth policies, including support for college tuition, housing and child care. Yeol proposed several policies to reportedly address the concerns of the youth of South Korea during the town hall meeting held at Ivex Studio in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi, South Korea.
In his speech, Yeol touched upon some of the biggest global stars from South Korea including boy-band BTS, powerhouse K-pop group Blackpink, and esports athlete Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok.
South Korean President Talks About Stars Who Have Established Themselves on a Global Level, Mentions Faker
Among the many incentives and policies that the South Korean President laid out during the town hall meeting, he also mentioned that the government will help develop the global capabilities of young people. This includes opportunities through international student exchange programs and working holidays.
He also talked about some South Korean figures who have made a name for themselves on a global scale. According to one Twitter account, the President reportedly said, "KPOP's BTS & BLACKPINK, soccer's Son Heung-min, baseball’s Kim Ha-seong, as well as esports' “Faker” Lee Sang-hyeok are just a few of the youth who’ve risen to the top of the world."
While this was a huge moment of appreciation for Faker, the Western fans did make a few jokes out of the situation, comparing their government's stance on esports.
One Twitter user joked, "When is Joe biden speaking about how FlyQ is 1st place in the LCS huh?"
Notably, this is not the first time that the South Korean President has openly lauded esports on a public forum. In November 2023, the President of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, congratulated T1 on its historic fourth League of Legends Worlds victory. The President released a statement which read, "Dear T1 players, I wholeheartedly congratulate your first World Championship in seven years, your fourth World Championship."
The President also noted that in the Hangzhou Asian Games 2022, where esports was an official medal event for the first time, South Korea won four medals. The statement added, "In continuation of this success, [T1] has won Worlds and once again made South Korea renowned as the frontrunning country in esports."
Yeol also promised that the government will offer support to the South Korea video game industry to ensure that it is globally competitive and becomes a frontrunner in the industry internationally.
