South Korean National Assembly is considering passing a bill to protect former T1 ace player Gumayusi who continues to face threats from sasaeng (obsessive) fans after leaving the team..

The Hankook Ilbo reported on Wednesday that the South Korean National Assembly is considering passing a bill to protect Gumayusi, the former T1 League of Legends ace ADC player who continues to face threats from sasaeng (obsessive) fans after leaving the team and joining Hanhwa Life Esport (HLE).

According to the report, the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has expressed serious concern about the frequent harassment and death threats Gumayusi has received from sasaeng fans in recent years.

Recently, even after his departure from T1, some sasaeng fans have leaked his private address and contact information online, violating Gumayusi's personal safety and privacy protection order.

In an interview, Jeon Jong-gi, a Democratic Party of Korea National Assembly Congressman from Hwaseong District, said, "As the most successful League of Legends esports team in Korea and even globally, I'm not surprised that T1 has a huge fan base. However, what's most regrettable is that while the vast majority of their supporters are rational and passionate, there are still some who have gone too far."

"Such incidents have already occurred recently during the World Championship finals, where some sasaeng fans broke into the T1 players' rooms and took photos of them without their prior consent, showing signs of a pathological escalation."

"In response, I believe it is necessary for the National Assembly to pass legislation to protect and strengthen the privacy rights of our country's beloved professional esports players and I believe it is an essential matter that absoultely require urgency."

"Of course, this isn't just limited to our country's laws and government; it also requires the cooperation of the LCK."

"When necessary, I believe Riot Games should also strengthen its protective measures to demonstrate its zero-tolerance stance against the frequent invasion of privacy by sasaeng fans."

"Like our country's leading K-pop groups' idol, actors, and athletes who drive the global cultural industry, esports players are also admired and seen as role models by young people around the world. They are no different from ordinary people in private, and they also need the right to have their privacy protected and respected."

It's worth noting that this is the second time this year that Gumayusi has been harassed by sasaeng fans and received death threats.

However, the reason for the previous threats was closely related to T1's unexpected benching of him and the subsequent promotion of Smash, a promising player from their Academy team.

The incident ultimately ended with the intervention of T1's CEO, reversing the decision.

About Gumayusi

The 23-year-old Gumayusi, whose real name is Lee Min-hyung, was born on February 6, 2002 in South Korea. His teammate Faker is his distant relative, and his brother INnoVation is a former professional StarCraft 2 e-sports player in South Korea.

Gumayusi started playing League of Legends in 2018, mainly as a Bot / ADC player.

At the time, he played for KeG Seoul, and became famous when he represented HLE in the 2018 KeSPA Cup Finals with a 2:1 upset.

Soon after, Gumayusi officially joined T1 under the ID of Catan and became its trainee.

While a trainee, Gumayusi represented T1's rookie team, T1 Rookies, in the 2019 LoL Amateur Tournament and won in 2019.

In November of the same year, Gumayusi was officially promoted to the T1 main team and made his T1 debut in the LCK Regional Finals the following year, defeating Afreeca Freecs 3:1.

In January 2021, Gumayusi officially became a main member of the T1 roster in the 2021 LCK Spring Split. During this spell, he achieved the first pentakill milestone in his personal career with Aphelios.

The following year, Gumayusi broke the record for the most kills in a single season with 219 kills. He was also part of the team that achieved an 18-0 record in the season, making T1 the first team in the LCK to achieve this feat.

Last Tuesday, Gumayusi rejoined Hanhwa Life Esports (HLE) after a six-year hiatus.

During his six-year spell with T1, Gumayusi helped the team win multiple major championships, including three League of Legends Worlds Championship, the 2024 Esports World Cup, and two LCK Spring Split titles.

Individually, he was selected twice as an LCK he has been selected as the first team Bot Lane player in the LCK Spring twice, the LCK Award Bot Lane Player of the Year twice, the LCK Award Gold King Award, and was named World Championship MVP among other honours.He also won the IeSF 10th Esports World Championship for South Korea and was inducted into the Esports Hall of Fame in 2022.