Olivia R. April 20, 2019
Gen.G has announced the addition of jungler Yoon "SeongHwan" Seong-hwan. This is the team's first roster move of the mid-season break.
“We believe SeongHwan will show top performances like he did in LCK and in TCL,” Gen.G said in its announcement tweet.
SeongHwan served as jungler for Hanwha Life Esports for two years. He left the organization in 2018. Earlier this year, SeongHwan played in the TCL under Besiktas Esports. He left the organization after placing seventh in his last split in Turkey's top professional league.
"I wanted to return to the LCK, and I'm honored that I was able to join such a great team. I'll make sure to perform well in the Summer Split," SeongHwan said.
Gen.G's current jungler, Han "Peanut" Wang-ho, will share the jungle position with the team's new addition. It's not clear yet if Peanut will retain his starting position.
Peanut was once considered to be among the top junglers both in Korea and in the world, but the popular player has struggled over the past year, and his performance thus far in 2019 has done little to inspire confidence in fans regarding a potential return to form.
On Gen.G's Twitter announcement, many fans expressed disapproval with the pick. Others felt optimistic about the roster addition, noting that Peanut needed to be replaced. But most of the comments seemed more focused on Gen.G needing a new mid laner.
Gen.G's general manager Lee Ji-hoon expressed confidence in SeongHwan.
"Through this pickup, we'll compete in good faith," he said.
This roster change may be a hint at more to come. Gen.G ended the LCK Spring Split in seventh, way below the team's expectations.
When Gen.G was knocked out of the 2018 World Championship in the group stage, the organization was quick to switch up their roster. They parted ways with Kang "Ambition" Chan-yong, Kang "Haru" Min-seung, Lee "Crown" Min-ho, and even popular support player Jo "CoreJJ" Yong-in.
CoreJJ has since gone on to receive the LCS Spring MVP award, while Gen.G only narrowly avoided playing in a relegation series.
"We'll continue to sign new talented players to the roster and consistently raise the team's overall level of competition. We'll make sure to meet our fans' expectations," Ji-hoon said.