Insight – A major entertainment news site in South Korea, has recently sparked outrage in the League of Legends community by publishing an article titled: “After dropping out to pursue a gaming career, Teddy has officially been exempted from military service after a waiting period for the decision.”
This information immediately set the South Korean online community ablaze, first because it reported completely false information, and secondly because the article provided no evidence whatsoever, relying solely on a conversation between Teddy and Lehends during a stream.
Specifically, when hearing Lehends talk about military service, Teddy jokingly remarked: “You graduated high school, right? Then get ready, I just finished middle school, so they might not call me at all.” Shortly after, the T1 marksman corrected himself, stating: “Just kidding, actually I have a stomach illness so I’m exempt.”
According to information previously shared by Teddy himself, he suffers from chronic stomach issues and must follow a strict diet as prescribed by his doctor, making him ineligible for conscription. Instead, Teddy has the option to participate in public service activities as a substitute for military service. This is an exemption reserved for special cases, which in Teddy’s case is due to health issues, not because he dropped out to play games as reported by Insight.
In reality, there are currently no regulations in South Korea that allow esports athletes to be exempt from military service, except in cases where they achieve outstanding results that contribute directly to mainstream fields recognized globally, such as winning a gold medal at the ASIAN Games or the Olympics if Esports is included as a competition.
Therefore, the information published by Insight not only outraged public opinion in South Korea due to the misrepresentation of the country’s mandatory military service laws but also created a distorted narrative portraying Teddy as someone who exploits dropping out of school to evade military service.