League of Legends: Hanhwa Life Esports (HLE) ace jungler Peanut will temporarily leave the scene to complete his mandatory military service in 2026..

Several Korean online media outlets broke the news on Thursday that Hanhwa Life Esports (HLE) ace jungler Peanut will temporarily leave the scene to complete his mandatory military service in 2026.

According to reports, Peanut has been delaying his mandatory military service order for years. However, since he will turn 28 in February next year, and the South Korean government has long mandated that all male citizens complete their mandatory military service at age 28 or face imprisonment or deprivation of citizenship, the player is forced to comply with the government's order.

Peanut reportedly had already said his goodbyes to fans via the LCK livestream at LoL Park after HLE defeated KT Rolster on September 20th.

Next, Peanut will fully prepare for the League of Legends World Championship which will begin in Beijing on October 14th, aiming to win his last World Championship title before serving his military service.

It's worth noting that under South Korea's Military Service Act, only those who have won a gold medal representing their country at the Asian Games or a gold, silver, or bronze medal at the Olympics are exempt from military service.

Among these exemptions, only T1 star player Faker, along with his teammate Keria, as well as Ruler (Gen.G), Kanavi (Top), and Peanut's teammate, Zeus, are exempted for winning a gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games.

About Peanut

Peanut, 27, whose real name is Han Wang-ho, was born on February 13, 1998, in Gangnam District, South Korea. He plays as a jungler and can also play as a Captain. He has been a professional League of Legends esports player since late 2014.

Peanut played for NaJin e-mFire in his early years. After the team disbanded due to insufficient funds in December of the following year, he joined ROX Tigers, and subsequently won the KeSPA Cup and finished second in the LCK Spring with the latter.

In November 2016, Peanut joined T1.

As a member of T1, Peanut helped the team win the MSI and LCK Spring, was named LCK Spring MVP, and finished second at the 2017 World Championship.

In November 2017, Peanut joined Longzhu Gaming / KING-ZONE DragonX (KZ), the predecessor of DRX.

During this time, he helped the team win the LCK Spring, reaching the finals for the fifth consecutive time.

The following November, Peanut joined Gen.G, where he helped the team achieve second place in the KeSPA Cup.

In November 2019, Peanut joined LDG, transitioning to the LPL.

However, due to poor performance, Peanut terminated his contract with LDG early the following November.

After leaving LDG, Peanut returned to the LCK, joining Nongshim RedForce (NS).

In November 2021, Peanut rejoined Gen.G.

This time, Peanut helped the team win the LCK Summer twice and the Spring once over a two-year period.

In November 2023, Peanut joined Hanhwa Life Esports (HLE).

Since joining HLE, Peanut has helped the team win the 2024 LCK Summer.

He also won the First Stand in March of this year, defeating Kamine Corp 3-1.