Riot Games Korea CEO Park Jun-kyu passes away
Riot Games Korea CEO Park Jun-kyu passed away on January 9 after battling with liver cancer for almost a year.
Riot Games Korea announced that its CEO passed away on January 9. Park Jun-kyu had been battling with liver cancer for the greater part of 2019 while working for Riot Games through one of the busiest years for the developer.
Park Jun-kyu joined Riot Games in 2014 from CJ E&M, where he worked in business development. CJ E&M is one of the leading entertainment companies in South Korea that has been involved in esports for years. The company owned CJ Entus, a team that competed in League of Legends, StarCraft, and many other titles.
On January 2019, Park Jun-kyu was appointed as CEO of Riot Games Korea. 2019 was one of the busiest years to date for the developer that announced its plans to release several titles. Park Jun-kyu was responsible for the LCK, one of the most competitive leagues in the world.
100 Thieves’ general manager and former LCK caster Christopher “PapaSmithy” Smith shared an emotional message on Reddit.
“I knew the Riot KR CEO as Jaysen and he was a super friendly, approachable guy who was very interested in working with the global casters to find ways to make the LCK broadcast better for the English fans. Had no idea about his medical struggle and thus today comes out of nowhere. Rest in Peace and my thoughts go out to his family and friends,” PapaSmithy said.
Other Riot employees shared messages on Reddit and highlighted Park Jun-kyu’s integrity as a leader for Riot Games Korea.
Park Jun-kyu refused to abandon his position even when his health was deteriorating. The final months of 2019 were particularly challenging for the Korean esports scene. During this time, the CEO had to deal with the Griffin scandal among other events.
Riot Games is yet to appoint a replacement for the late CEO.
Read Also
League of Legends
Hanwha Life Esports vs LYON: Best betting odds and picks for MSI 2026
Hannan Mundia
The 2026 MSI lower bracket final will see Hanwha Life Esports take on LYON. Here’s our complete betting analysis and betting picks. After T1’s upset loss at the ongoing MSI tournament, G2 Esports was the next team to fall before reaching the lower bracket final. LYON looked extremely good against the LEC team, but does it have what it takes to take down arguably the strongest LCK team currently? Tournament: ...
League of Legends
G2 Esports proves that T1 has an over-reliance problem
Hannan Mundia
The MSI match between G2 Esports and T1 proved that the LCK powerhouse needs to take a good look at its strategy. For years now, the LCK has been a dominant force in the competitive League of Legends space. While the LCP has occasionally come close to the number one spot, that hasn’t been the case for long. In particular, T1 is easily the biggest name in the scene, especially ...
Esports Betting
Here’s the complete Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 schedule
Hannan Mundia
The Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 has finally arrived, and here’s the complete schedule for the event to ensure you don’t miss anything. While it isn’t exactly the newest name in the esports scene, the EWC has quickly become a leading event for esports fans worldwide. It brings together professional players and fans from various games, combining them into one long event that everyone can enjoy. 2026’s Esports World Cup ...
Esports Betting
Team Secret Whales stun Top Esports as LCP finally breaks the East’s Bo5 wall
Wasif Ahmed
In the first massive upset of the tournament, Team Secret Whales beat Top Esports to kick them out of the lower bracket of MSI 2026. This is Asia-Pacific’s first ever Bo5 win against the East since the creation of the leagues in 2013. Now, only Bilibili Gaming is left for the LPL and the power rankings are all mixed up. TSW didn’t just beat TES, they completely outclassed them. Kicking ...
Esports Betting
Karmine Corp is the third LEC team to go winless against major regions at MSI
Wasif Ahmed
With their 0-3 defeat against Team Liquid, Karmine Corp is now the third LEC team to bomb out of the Mid-Season Invitational without taking a single game off of the top four regions. Before them were MAD Lions in 2023 and G2 Esports’ infamous debut run in 2016. NA, on the other hand, has only once gone winless against major regions. Karmine Corp's MSI 2026 run included taking down the ...
Esports Betting
G2 Esports reverse sweeps Top Esports at MSI 2026
Wasif Ahmed
It starts with success, and Fnatic is now avenged. G2 Esports started the 2026 Mid-Season Invitational by beating Top Esports 3-2. After starting the series 0-2, they managed to pull off the first reverse sweep in main stage MSI history. The 2026 Mid-Season Invitational started with seven back-to-back 3-0 series. G2 finally broke that streak by beating TES in five games. In doing so, they also broke a much longer-standing ...
Esports Betting
Why are ranged top laners so common in League of Legends?
Wasif Ahmed
In League of Legends Season 2026, top lane has been filled with ranged champions. Outside of the usual few, marksmen and even control mages have found a new home in top. This change in meta is much to the displeasure of players who prefer facing tanks and bruisers. Why did ranged top laners become so frequent and how does one beat them? LoL has always had a few ranged characters ...
