T1 fans are being advised to stay safe at the League of Legends World Championship in Seoul after threats of stabbing and violence have become rampant on Korean esports forums.
T1 has reached the Worlds finals as favorites, but their predicament is only beginning. The Korean giants looked comfortable beating JD Gaming in the semi-finals in a 3-1 fashion, securing a seat in the grand finals for the fifth time in the tournament’s history. T1 will be showing up as the tournament favorites, but the excitement has been marred by online trolls who could pose a serious threat in real life.
Taking to Twitter, T1 has addressed the online threats of stabbing and bodily harm against fans of the team. Due to increasing cases of stabbing in Korea, fans and tournament organizers are truly concerned for the safety of attendants.
After a similar situation occurred this Summer, LCK assured fans that the venue’s security would be tighter than usual. Fans were also be taking personal precautions to stay safe, like carrying salt or pepper sprays.
“The LCK plans to strengthen LoL Park security during the remainder of the Playoffs and finals following recent violent incidents and threats of violence,”
LCK said.
However, Riot Games has yet to issue a statement if such additional precautions will be taken for the Worlds 2023 finals.
T1 fans face threats ahead of Worlds Grand Final
Faker
Worlds is the biggest LoL tournament, which manages to attract millions of eyes, live viewers, and audiences every year. This time, the event is taking place at Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul on November 19. K-pop girl group NewJeans is also expected to perform at the ceremony.
This event is expected to be grander than the last since T1 has three championships to its name, but it hasn’t won on home soil yet. So, this is an opportunity to secure a championship on home turf, turning it into a momentous event for the fans. However, the T1 fans are now fearing for their lives.
The whole fiasco began on Korean gaming forums where trolls are threatening to stab the fans and pro players at T1. On a regular day, one would ignore online threats, but stabbing incidents in Korea have been many lately, prompting T1 to address the threats and spread awareness among the attendees.
Fariha Bhatti
About Fariha Bhatti
Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.
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