On April 28, the LCK Summer Promotion 2020 kicked off with the participation of 4 teams: the two bottom teams from LCK, Griffin and SANDBOX, along with the two top teams from CK, Seorabeol Gaming and Team Dynamics.
In the match between Griffin and Seorabeol Gaming, the team from the Korean second division defeated the former LCK runner-up with a score of 2-1, and in the moment of excitement after the victory, their AD Carry Sangyoon made an inappropriate gesture by showing his “middle finger,” which was captured by the camera.
Sangyoon’s gesture was later noticed; however, upon investigation, the player stated that he was only showing his middle finger jokingly at Nova – his teammate, and not as a provocation towards the opponent. Therefore, Riot Games Korea decided to issue a “warning” for this behavior.
The warning from Riot Korea can be considered a stroke of luck for Sangyoon, as the LoL Park arena had no audience at that time, so his inappropriate gesture was not deemed to have a severely negative impact.
Had he dared to show the “middle finger” in front of hundreds of live spectators, the punishment he would have received would surely have been much harsher, with a high possibility of a temporary ban from competition.
If you are a loyal audience of the LCK, you are likely familiar with the name Sangyoon. This player has spent a considerable amount of time representing several mid-tier teams in the Korean League of Legends scene, such as Afreeca Freecs, ROX Tigers (after star players Peanut, Smeb, PraY… left), and later Hanwha Life.
In October 2019, this 1995-born player announced his retirement; however, just two months later, he returned to the professional arena to join Seorabeol Gaming – a team composed of “washed-up stars” like Thal and KaKAO, with the ambition to return to the LCK.
After defeating Griffin in the first round, Sangyoon’s SRB faced a 0-2 loss in the winners’ final against Team Dynamics and had to hand over the first ticket to LCK Summer 2020 to their opponent. They will be waiting in the losers’ final to face one of two opponents: SANDBOX Gaming or Griffin to determine the final name to participate in the LCK.