South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol brought up Faker in his 17th policy dialogue with citizens
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Faker, the esports GOAT, was brought up in his 17th policy dialogue with the public
In the first week of March, President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea addressed the citizens in the 17th policy dialogue. This policy discussion focused primarily on youth policies, which included support for tuition for university students, housing, and child care. Several policies proposed by Yeol aimed to address the concerns of South Korea’s young population at the town hall meeting that took place at the Ivex Studio in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi, South Korea.
During his discussion, Yeol referred to some of South Korea’s most prominent global stars such as boyband BTS, popular K-pop group Blackpink, and esports player Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok.
Faker Among Global Stars Mentioned by South Korean President
During the town hall meeting, the South Korean President outlined many incentives and policies, including the assistance the government will provide to young people in developing their global abilities. This includes opportunities like student exchange programs abroad and working holidays.
He discussed several South Korean figures who have earned international recognition. One Twitter account reported the President saying, “BTS & BLACKPINK of KPOP, Son Heung-min of soccer, Kim Ha-seong of baseball and esports’ “Faker” Lee Sang-hyeok are some of the young people who have risen to global prominence.”
Faker’s recognition marks a significant moment, although some Western fans used it to draw humorous comparisons to their own governments’ views on esports.
A Twitter user humorously asked, “When will Joe Biden talk about FlyQ leading in LCS?“
It’s worth noting that this is not the first time President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea has publicly supported esports. He congratulated T1 for their fourth significant victory at the League of Legends Worlds in November 2023. The statement read, “Dear T1 players, I warmly congratulate you on your first World Championship in seven years, your fourth World Championship.“
He mentioned that South Korea obtained four medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2022, where esports officially became a medal event. “In continuation to this success, [T1] won the Worlds and made South Korea known to be the leading country in esports once again.” the statement added.
Yeol also assured that the South Korean government would provide support to the video game industry to ensure its global competitiveness and leadership internationally.