Recently, the Justice Party – one of the many political parties in South Korea, nominated Ryu Ho-jung to be the party’s representative in the contest for parliamentary positions. This would pave the way for Ryu Ho-jung to enter South Korean history as the youngest person to become a member of the National Assembly. However, everything fell apart due to a past mistake of hers, which is directly related to… League of Legends.
In the past, while she was a university student, Ryu Ho-jung was the president of the Esports Club at Ewha Womans University. However, she was disgraced and dismissed due to her actions of hiring someone to boost her League of Legends account.
After that, Ryu Ho-jung was once again “cleansed” by applying for community management and support positions at several major companies. Thanks to the reputation she gained while working with game companies, Ryu Ho-jung was inducted into the Justice Party.
It seemed that the “scandal” from her university days had faded into the past, but at the moment Ryu Ho-jung represented the Justice Party in the parliamentary election, her past was dug up again. The Decision Council revisited her League of Legends boosting scandal and is currently seriously evaluating the candidacy of this young politician.
“As a former professional gamer, I believe this is quite a serious matter. Dopa is one of the top talents in Korean League of Legends, yet he was permanently banned and lost his eligibility to compete due to boosting. If we allow individuals with similar cheating behavior to operate within the political system, it would be no different than glorifying a bad example.” – Mr. Hwang Hee-doo, a member of the National Assembly and former professional gamer, strongly condemned Ryu Ho-jung’s actions.
Faced with the allegations, Ryu Ho-jung stated that she did not hire a rank booster, but merely neglected to prevent others from stealing her League of Legends account password. However, this unreasonable and unconvincing excuse has backfired, significantly decreasing the council’s trust in Ryu Ho-jung.
In the worst-case scenario, Ryu Ho-jung could have her candidacy for the National Assembly revoked, which could also end her political career.
In South Korea, Esports in general and League of Legends in particular are no longer just games; esports has become a leading “industry” in the land of kimchi in the age of digital entertainment, bringing development in both reputation and economy to the country.
All forms of cheating in esports have now become a national issue for South Koreans, and the penalties for typical behaviors such as boosting, insulting others in-game… could even lead to imprisonment, similar to violations of regular laws.