Hanwha Life Esports triumphs as winner of 2025 LCK Cup
Gen. G ranks second in the first-ever LCK Cup
Hanwha Life Esports, a relative newcomer to e-sports, triumphed over League of Legends powerhouse Gen.G after a match lasting nearly four hours, claiming victory as the champions of the inaugural LoL Champions Korea Cup on Sunday.
The LCK Cup started Jan. 15, with the final match hosted at the LCK Arena in Jongno-gu, central Seoul.
In a best-of-five series, Hanwha Life Esports defeated Gen.G 3-2.
Highlights of the game included Hanwha Life Esports outplaying Gen.G's Kim "Kiin" Ki-in through strategic middle and jungle plays, alongside Park "Viper" Do-hyeon's performance during a late-game team fight in the first match.
The fifth and final match was particularly tense, with both teams adopting a cautious approach; only one kill was recorded by the 28-minute mark. However, at the 33-minute mark, a massive team fight erupted, with Hanwha Life Esports taking down both Kiin and Jung "Chovy" Ji-hun, pivotal players of Gen.G.
Hanwha Life Esports ultimately secured victory by taking over Gen.G's Nexus on the 38-minute mark.
While the results of the LCK Cup do not directly affect a team's record for the 2025 season, Hanwha Life Esports, as the 2025 LCK Cup winners, will represent the LCK in the inaugural First Stand Tournament -- an international event by Riot Games set to debut in March. Additionally, the LCK Cup rankings will influence the distribution of support funds provided to LCK teams.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
5 days ago
- Korea Herald
Super subs lift S. Korea to early World Cup berth
After the starters couldn't get anything going, super subs stepped up for South Korea and helped the country grab an early berth for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. South Korea blanked Iraq 2-0 for their latest Group B victory in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualifiers at Basra International Stadium in Basra, Iraq, on Thursday (local time). South Korea are tops in Group B with 19 points, three more than Jordan, and those two countries have qualified for the World Cup as the top two seeds in their group with one match remaining next week. South Korea had virtually nothing working offensively early on, with Iraq applying aggressive pressing and giving the visitors precious little space. The match took an unexpected turn when Iraqi forward Ali Al-Hamadi was sent off with a direct red card in the 26th minute for fouling Cho Yu-min in their battle for a loose ball. Things began opening up for South Korea, though the best they managed was hitting the crossbar twice -- first by Lee Jae-sung with a header in the 36th minute followed by Lee Kang-in during the late minutes of the first half with a left-footed attempt. To begin the second half, head coach Hong Myung-bo made a switch in midfield that pushed his team over the hump. Defensive midfielder Park Yong-woo picked up a yellow card midway through the first half and Hong replaced him with Kim Jin-gyu, a more attack-minded midfielder. And almost immediately, Kim started buzzing on the right side by working off passes from Lee Kang-in and Seol Young-woo. Kim's effort led to the team's first goal in the 63rd minute, when Lee set him up in the center of the box. After a fine first touch, Kim calmly slotted the ball home for his first international goal since January 2022. Before Thursday, Kim had last played for South Korea in July 2022. But the 28-year-old worked his way back onto the radar of the national team staff this season with a strong run of play for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, currently leading the K League 1. In explaining his selection of Kim, Hong said on May 26 that Kim had shown he could be competitive in the national team setting and had taken major steps forward after stalling for a couple of years. Hong also said he hoped to pit several players against each other for some internal competition for playing time in midfield, and Kim became the latest to throw his hat into the ring. Kim was named the Man of the Match. "This was my first national team opportunity in a long time and I was able to score thanks to help from my teammates," Kim said. "I am happy that we accomplished our goal of qualifying for the World Cup after playing in a difficult environment." Kim's teammate on Jeonbuk, Jeon Jin-woo, also made his presence felt after entering the match in the 74th minute in his first senior international match. Jeon is leading the K League 1 with 11 goals this season and showed off his playmaking chops by assisting South Korea's second goal by Oh Hyeon-gyu, yet another second-half substitute, in the 82nd minute. In the minutes leading up to that goal and also afterward, Jeon handled the ball with the kind of assuredness not usually displayed by players in their first national team appearance. Jeon had his first shot attempt just three minutes after taking the field, and then found Oh, his former teammate on Suwon Samsung Bluewings for three seasons, for the dagger goal following a fast break. Hong noted last month that Jeon was capable of doing much more than just scoring goals and said he hoped Jeon's confidence would rub off on the rest of the national team. The coach has been successful with his substitutions throughout this qualification round and the subs once again made Hong look prescient in the monumental victory. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
01-06-2025
- Korea Herald
PSG's Lee Kang-in becomes 2nd S. Korean to win UEFA Champions League title
Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain has become just the second South Korean to win the prestigious UEFA Champions League title. PSG routed Inter Milan 5-0 in the final of the top European club competition at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, on Saturday. Desire Doue had a brace, while Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Senny Mayulu had a goal apiece for the victorious side. Lee joined former Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-sung as the only South Korean players to be crowned a Champions League winner. Lee, however, did not play in the final, missing his fifth consecutive Champions League match starting with the opening leg of the quarterfinals. PSG made a substitution in the 64th minute and again in the 78th minute. Then with a comfortable 4-0 lead, PSG made their final three substitutions in the 84th minute but Lee did not get the call. At least Lee was on the substitutes' bench for the final. When Manchester United beat Chelsea on penalties to win the 2008 Champions League trophy, Park was rendered a spectator in the stands for the final despite starting both legs of the semifinals. When Park did take the field in the finals of the 2009 and 2011 tournaments, Man United lost to FC Barcelona on both occasions, by 2-0 and then 3-1. With PSG's dominant victory, Lee made another piece of South Korean football history. Tottenham Hotspur and their South Korean captain Son Heung-min won the second-tier UEFA Europa League title on May 21. Son and Lee are now just the second set of South Korean players to win both of the European continental titles in the same season. In 2008, when Park won the Champions League title, countrymen Kim Dong-jin and Lee Ho claimed the Europa League trophy with the Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg. This was PSG's fourth trophy of this season. They had earlier completed the domestic treble by winning the Ligue 1, French Cup and French Super Cup titles. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
29-05-2025
- Korea Herald
PSG's Lee Kang-in looking to become 2nd S. Korean to win Champions League title
With the French champions Paris Saint-Germain in the final, their South Korean midfielder Lee Kang-in will look to become just the second player from his country to win the prestigious UEFA Champions League title this weekend. PSG, having already lifted three domestic trophies this season, will take on Inter Milan in the final of the top European club competition at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, at 9 p.m. Saturday (4 a.m. Sunday in South Korea). PSG are going for their first Champions League crown, while Inter are chasing their fourth. Only one South Korean player, former Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-sung, has won a Champions League title. However, Park did not play in the 2008 final when his team defeated Chelsea on penalties. In a move that irked many South Korean fans, Man United head coach Alex Ferguson didn't even put Park on the substitutes' bench for the final. After starting both legs of the semifinals, Park was reduced to a spectator in the stands for the championship match. When Park did take the field in the finals of the 2009 and 2011 tournaments, Man United lost to FC Barcelona on both occasions, by 2-0 and then 3-1. In the 2019 final, Son Heung-min and Tottenham Hotspur fell to Liverpool 2-0. Lee now has a chance to become the first South Korean to play for the Champions League-winning club in the final. However, given his recent standing with PSG, Lee appears to be a long shot to take the field. He has logged 11 matches in the Champions League this season but did not play in both legs of the quarterfinals and again in the semifinals. Lee's last official match for PSG came on May 10 against Montpellier in Ligue 1. He logged the full 90 minutes then, the first time he'd played an entire Ligue 1 match since January. There is a bit of South Korean football history at stake for Lee. Son and Tottenham won the second-tier UEFA Europa League title on May 21. A PSG victory will make Son and Lee only the second South Korean set of players to win both of the European continental titles in the same season. In 2008, when Park won the Champions League title, countrymen Kim Dong-jin and Lee Ho claimed the Europa League trophy with the Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg. (Yonhap)
